Monday, February 28, 2011

Time to sell your beach homes?

When I was in college, the professor of the rocks-for-jocks class that served as my science credit ("The History of the Earth") told our class one day that we should start buying land in New Hampshire, because when we retired it would be oceanfront property and worth a fortune. While he might have been exaggerating, I probably won't go buying beach homes on the coast anytime soon...the sea levels, they are a-changing:

Don't buy property in Miami.

Or even New York City.

Moving back to my hometown in upstate New York suddenly isn't looking so bad...

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Breathing might kill you

Scientists in Belgium recently published a study connecting air pollution to heart attacks.

From a Reuters article on the study:
Sex, anger, marijuana use and chest or respiratory infections and can...trigger heart attacks to different extents...but air pollution, particularly in heavy traffic, is the major culprit.

I guess I'll try to hold my breath next time I'm on the 405.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

And I quote, "You're all going to die, bitches, and for one reason only. Because you are stupid."

According to this guy,* the number one science story of 2010 was this:
The Earth's system for supplying oxygen is failing rapidly

This year a study showed a 40 percent decline in phytoplankton activity caused by global warming. Also in this year, the degree of public "acceptance" (for lack of a more appropriate word) of the reality of global warming has dipped in large part because of the rhetorical success of anti-global warming science forces. You're all going to die, bitches, and for one reason only. Because you are stupid. And that, I'm afraid, is the number one story of the year.

I posted this on my Facebook page at the end of 2010, but figured I should re-post it here. After all, this is my new home for doomsday prognostications.




*Full disclosure: I have no idea who that guy is or what his science credentials are. I mostly liked the part where he said "You're all going to die bitches...because you are stupid."