Monday, January 22, 2007

The Moon, Our Protector, May Not Be There For Much Longer..

New reports are being unveiled that suggests that our moon, as well as eventually Earth, will disinegrate in about 5 billion years. You might think, well I will not be alive then, but other consequences will occur due to the Sun growing and changing and becoming quite a bit hotter. If you thought global warming was bad, think about 3 to 4 billion years from now as the sun is reaching red giant phase. Agriculture will no longer work and the earth will dry up and become a big desert. Even though this is a far, far away deal, do you not think that we should start thinking about these things now? It will eventually affect all species on this earth.

Pre-Aztec Ruins Under Threat from Pollution

In Mexico City, scientists are worried about the condition of pre-Aztec ruins that are starting to deteriorate at a fast pace. THe acid levels that are in the air around the ruins, are among the highest in Mexico, mainly due to the fact that the city where the ruins are located produces oil as its main export. Unsure of how fast the site will deteriorate, scientists say that anywhere within 10 to 100 years, all hieroglyphics will be gone from the ancient ruins.
This to me is a bad sign that we, as humans, are royally screwing up our world. I mean, it is one thing for us to be harmed from pollution since we are such fragile beings. But having buildings be harmed is way worst in my opinion.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Killer Frog Fungus

An outbreak of a frog killing fungus has spread to Japan and alarmed many nations in our world. There are five confirmed deaths in Japan from the fungal disease which has prompted environmental advocation and protection groups to declare a "State of Emergency." The declaration sent out by Nature Japan stated that the problem could worsen in upcoming weeks if the cause of the disease is not figured out and frogs are not quarantined.
In my opinion, the frogs need to be quarantined and more research needs to be done as to how the frogs caught the killer fungus and whether it can mutate and affect the health of humans.

Did Anyone Even Know That There Was a Doomsday Clock?

Personally, it came as a big surprise that there actually is a real-life doomsday clock that scientists use. In 2002, the group moved the clock two minutes closer to midnight to represent that time was running out even faster toward the end of time. The group is expected to do the same again this wednesday evening, even though no formal statement saying so has been made.
A news release sent out by the group that are in charge of the clock stated: "The major new step reflects growing concerns about a 'Second Nuclear Age' marked by grave threats, including: nuclear ambitions in Iran and North Korea, unsecured nuclear materials in Russia and elsewhere, the continuing 'launch-ready' status of 2,000 of the 25,000 nuclear weapons held by the U.S. and Russia, escalating terrorism, and new pressure from climate change for expanded civilian nuclear power that could increase proliferation risks."
This statement has prompted the scientific community to believe that the clock's hand will once again be moving closer to midnight aka "doomsday" on wednesday evening.
I personally think this is the dumbest idea that I have ever heard of. Why is their a clock telling us when we will probably all die due to some catastrophic event? Anyone is their right mind can already tell that their is growing nuclear hostility and global warming is knocking at our back door. We do not need some silly group with a big clock to tell us.

Fear of the End of the World Bring Together Two Unlikely Allies

The Christian Church has long made it perfectly clear on their views of how man originated on our planet. Scientists have also made it clear that we evolved from previous species to our current selves. There have been many fights for decades over who is right and who is wrong. But this is all about to change in the immediate threat on all of our lives, global warming.
As global warming is getting more and more press and as winters are become milder and milder, representatives from the scientific community met with representatives from the Church to discuss what needs and should be done regarding global warming. The Vice President of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals, Rick Cizik, told members "whether God created the Earth in a millisecond or whether it evolved over billions of years, the issue we agree on is that it needs to be cared for today."
On the other side of the long fought debate of how man was created, Eric Chivian, director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, spoke in unison with the Church. He said that "scientists and evangelicals have discovered that we share a deeply felt common concern and sense of urgency about threats to life on Earth and that we must speak with one voice to protect it."
In my opinion, this is a positive and good step toward stopping and taking preventative measures against the threat of global warming. The Church and the scientific community, forever being enemies with the other, working together will help change everyone's views and make them realize that this is indeed a threat to our lives in the immediate future. It will also help humans put aside their differences and work together to put a stop to this before it is too late.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Cook Inlet Beluga Whales are in Danger

Cook Inlet Beluga whales, a rare species that graces our planet, are nearing extinction off the coast of Alaska. This particular species may be extinct within the next 100 years. Even though there are five distinct groups of Beluga Whales off the coast of Alaska, this particular group is favored by locals and by tourists due to their demeanor and playfullness. Unlike other species that are clealy dying off due to a much warmer climate, scientists are unsure as to why the beluga whales are dying.

Being someone that loves the ocean, and loves animals of the sea, it does bother me that such a unique type of Beluga Whale is going extinct. What bothers me even more is that we do not know why. With all the technology these days and the power that scientists have, why do we not know what is causing them to go extinct?

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Admist the Extinction of Many Animal Species, One Brings Us Hope!

The rare migratory whopping cranes, who were once said to be dying off by the thousands, has been showing signs of growth and repopulation in areas of the United States. According to CNN.com, this rare whopping crane was among the first species to be protected by the Endangered Species Act in 1973. With a record number of births in the last year, along with warmer weather, this species is actually beginning to flourish and stand on it's own once again.

It is always good to hear about a species that is starting to make a come back in this world where everyday you hear about how animals are going extinct left and right. It gives us hope that perhaps global warming is not that bad and that there are animals that are actually benefitting from the warmer weather. The media knows that showing that polar bears are dying off is more news worthy than a flock of cranes that is actually growing. I mean, showing a species dying is much more scary than learning one is repopulating itself due to global warming. We as humans can relate to the dying species thinking that one day it could and very well will be us.

In my opinion, the media needs to focus on stories that are not so "down" and "scary" all the time. I understand that focusing on things such as war and global warming get the viewers involved, but it also paints a vision of a scary world out there, when the world really is not all that scary. There are just as many good things happening than bad things.