When Scientist Stop Being Scientific

Hundreds of private emails and documents allegedly exchanged between some of the world's leading climate scientists during the past 13 years have been stolen by hackers and leaked online, it emerged today.

The computer files were apparently accessed earlier this week from servers at the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit, a world-renowned centre focused on the study of natural and anthropogenic climate change.

Climate change sceptics who have studied the emails allege they provide "smoking gun" evidence that some of the climatologists colluded in manipulating data to support the widely held view that climate change is real, and is being largely caused by the actions of mankind.

You can read the rest here.

Some questions:
-Do you think it was okay to steal these emails if they result in the truth being exposed?
-Do you think "global warming" is caused by humans or a natural cycle of the earth/sun?
-Does this information cause you to rethink your current view?
-Are all scientists biased? If so, can anything be trusted in the realm of science?

Coors Beer + Wood Chips = Cheap Gas

A Buck Ten for gas? Ten years ago I would have said no, but in today's energy economy I'll take it!

The Front Fell Off Interview

How could anyone be upset that crude oil is covering a portion of the sea after watching an interview like this? Good job oil company. Good job.



HT: Riley
Hoax

Sawdust Utilized As Biofuel?

A wider of range of plant material could be turned into biofuels thanks to a breakthrough that converts plant molecules called lignin into liquid hydrocarbons.
The reaction reliably and efficiently turns the lignin in waste products such as sawdust into the chemical precursors of ethanol and biodiesel.

"For the first time, we have produced alkanes, the main component of gasoline and diesel, from lignin, and biomethanol becomes available," says Yan.

Impressively, the researchers' practical yields approached those theoretical ideals. They produced monomer yields of 45 wt% and dimer yields of 12 wt% – about twice what has previously been achieved.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Do you think this method will prove to be a beneficial alternative to other biofuels as well as oil?
-Why do you think it is so difficult to start production on an alternative fuel source that will be renewable and cheaper than current fuels?
-Do you think it necessary to be looking for alternative fuels?
-Is a "Mr. Fusion" only reserved for the movies or could it be real someday?

Hypermiling: The New American Fad

Known as 'hypermiling,' the method can double gas mileage, even in gas-guzzling vehicles that would normally get less than 20 mpg.

Promoted on a growing number of Web sites, hypermiling includes pumping up tires to the maximum rating on their sidewalls, which may be higher than levels recommended in car manuals; using engine oil of a low viscosity, and the controversial practice of drafting behind other vehicles on the highway to reduce aerodynamic drag -- a practice begun a few years ago by truck drivers.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Will you give hypermiling a try?
-Do you see more "homegrown" practices like this springing up the higher gas prices go?
-What do you think will actually fix the problem of higher costs of living?
-Do you see anything that could bring the cost of oil down?
-Do we need to be actively seeking out alternative forms of energy?

Tunguska Event: The Threat Of Small Asteroids

BEWARE the blast from above: small asteroids that explode before they hit the ground may be more dangerous than we thought.
Asteroids a few tens of metres in diameter rip through the atmosphere at between 40 and 60 times the speed of sound, and many explode before they hit Earth. Extreme friction and heating can cause these asteroids to flatten into pancakes, which increases drag even more and eventually tears them apart. The resultant "airburst" is thought to be behind the 1908 Tunguska explosion in Siberia, which levelled 2000 square kilometres of forest.

Currently our equipment used in tracking meteors and astroids can only detect those objects that are bigger than 140 meters across. According to new research published in New Scientist concerning the 1908 Tunguska event, an object as small as 30 meters across cleared over 2,000 square kilometers and that same 30 meter wide astroid could easily wipe out a million people and we currently have no way of tracking objects that small.

You can read more on the new research here.

You can read more on the Tunguska event and its many theories here.

Some questions:

-Do you think that events like this should concern us?

-What should we, as people, do to prepare for such events?

-Do you think this is what happened at Sodom and Gomorrah?

-Do you think such an event as this could change the history of the world if say Washington D.C. was hit?

-What can we learn from the Tunguska event?

Marriage is Green

New Scientist has posted an article by Andy Coghlan concerning the effects of divorce on our environment.

In the US, for example, 627 billion gallons of water, the use of 38 million rooms, and 734 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity would have been saved in 2005 alone if no-one had got divorced.
In the same year, divorced households spent 46% more on electricity and 56% more on water per person than if they had stayed married. And following a split, US households consumed 42 to 61% more resources per person than while married.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Do you think that environmentalists will rule out divorce for the green cause?
-How far do we take this mode of thinking? Communes?
-How should those who hold religous beliefs respond to such statistics?
-Do you think God tells us not to divorce (with a certain exception) not only for our own personal good, but also for the good of others and the world as a whole?
-Should saving the planet be a cause for marriage or living together?

Biofuels More Harmful Than Fossil Fuels

It sounds counterintuitive, but burning oil and planting forests to compensate is more environmentally friendly than burning biofuel. So say scientists who have calculated the difference in net emissions between using land to produce biofuel and the alternative: fuelling cars with gasoline and replanting forests on the land instead.

You can read more here.

Some questions:

-Is biofuel really the way to go?

-Does this report change your mind on some things or is it a ploy from the oil companies?

-Are you concerned with global warming and the effects of burning fossil fuels?

-Have you done anything to cut back on your carbon emissions?

Asteroid Impact Causes Catastrophic Damage

In my last post I wrote about the meteor shower currently taking place. That caused me to start thinking about worst-case scenarios... such as this one:

You can watch the video here.

Some questions:
-If you knew that something like this would likely occur within the next 24 hours, would you change anything in your life?
-What is important to you now, would it be important to you if you knew that this was about to occur?
-Would your priorities change?
If you answered yes to any of the above, why do you think it would take something like this to change your priorities?

Monkey Mating Controlled By Natural Contraceptive

That's right, female baboons are on the pill... kind of. For some reason the female olive baboons of Nigeria ingest high amounts of black plums containing natural phyto-progestogens which are similar to the synthetic progestogens found in the pill. Patricia Whitten who is a primatologist from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia seems to think the female baboons utilize this fruit to cut back on mating so that they will not contract diseases as this is the rainy season and the probability of contracting diseases is higher.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-What are your thoughts on contraception?
-Could it be possible that during that rainy season, the plums also grow and therefore provide an abundance of fruit for the baboons to eat which in turn pumps the baboon full of phyto-progestogens?
-Why is it if there are natural ways to control birth our society opts for synthetics?

There Goes The Neighborhood

For thousands of years the Hadzabe tribe has survived by way of hunting and gathering. They have survived agriculture, the introduction of guns, missionaries, and most all encroachment by modern civilization... until now. The remaining 1,500's descendants could be the next school teachers, business leaders and modern men and women of Tanzania due to a favor granted by the Tanzanian government. That is all well save that they did not ask for this and was not included in the deal given to the Royal Family of the United Arab Emirates.

After a member of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family took a helicopter tour near the Serengeti Plain, the royal family member stated that he would like a portion for himself as it looked too crowded. The government agreed and is currently proceeding to take the land from the Hadzabe tribe and give exclusive rights to the Royal Family of the United Arab Emirates.

You can read more here.

Some questions:
-Based on what you read in the linked article, does this seem fair?
-Should Royalty be given exclusive access to lands inhabited by a people 1,000's of years before the government was ever enacted?
-What do you think would be a proper way to handle this situation?
-Does the financial benefit given to Tanzania outweigh a small group of people's heritage?

How Do You Say North Pole In Russian?

Russia's Kremlin has staked claim to a substantial chunk of the Arctic (more than the 200 miles that border its coast as alloted by the United Nations). Russia is challenging the International Seabed Authority in this current bid to steak claim to gas, oil and minerals in the expanded territory. Russia has challenged the International Seabed Authority in the past but without success; now they are steaking their claim based on an underwater ridge, the Lomonosov Ridge, that connects Russia to the Arctic. This is currently not allowed under the UN protocol.

This newly claimed "Russian" area is said to hold twice the oil of Saudi Arabia and is 5 times the size of Britian.

You can read more here.

Some questions:

-How do you think the West will react to this claim?
-Do you think this is a predictable step by Putin who is becomming less warm to outside influence?
-Will this boundary issue spark more land grabbing and territorial disputes or even war?

Greenpeace Replicates Noah's Ark

In an article featured on the Drudge Report, it is stated that Greenpeace has built a replica of Noah's Ark on Mt. Ararat, where Noah's Ark has said to have come to rest. The reason? To send a message to those in power that climate change is real and it needs to be dealt with accordingly before nothing can be done to change the deadly path on which we are treading. The replica will be revealed on May 31st of this year.

You can read more here.
You can read more about the recent shift taking place amongst leading scientists in this field here.

Some Questions:

-Is global warming a real concern that humans have wrought?
-Is science by consensus really science? (i.e. the science community of the day stated that the world was flat, therefore it was a scientific consensus that the world was flat.)
-What are the implications for Greenpeace (a non Christian organization) using a biblical account (the flood & Noah's Ark) to make a point concerning something they hold as a real threat?
-Do you think Greenpeace has been effective since its creation in bringing about change for the good?