GIF Image Source: Nathan Rabin’s Happy Place Blog Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Civilization, Democracy, Environment, Existentialism “It’s a Good Life” is the eighth episode of the third season of the American television series The Twilight Zone, and the 73rd overall. It was written by series creator/showrunner Rod Serling, based on the 1953 short story “It’sContinue reading “The War on Truth…”
Category Archives: Environment
Carbon Storage…
Keeping the carbon: Biochar can be added to cement to sequester carbon within concrete. (Courtesy: Sabbie Miller) Topics: Biomass, Civil Engineering, Environment, Global Warming, Green Tech Replacing conventional building materials with alternatives that sequester carbon dioxide could allow the world to lock away up to half the CO2 generated by humans each year – about 16Continue reading “Carbon Storage…”
89 Seconds…
Topics: Applied Physics, Chemistry, Entropy, Environment, Existentialism Humans tend to chronicle worst-case scenarios, such as Armageddon (Judao-Christian), Pralaya (Hindu), and Ragnarok (Norse). If you follow the scripts for each, there is a “hack”: a insisted upon “happy ending” where everything is reborn anew, and those bothersome “others” that you couldn’t legislate or exterminate are killedContinue reading “89 Seconds…”
Water and Lithium…
Emissions of Carbon Dioxide in the Transportation Sector, Motor Vehicle Miles Traveled, and Emissions per Mile Traveled by Light-Duty Vehicles Measured as a Percentage of Their Value in 1975 – Transportation sector emissions have not risen nearly as much as vehicle miles traveled because gains in fuel economy have reduced emissions per mile of travel.Continue reading “Water and Lithium…”
Lead, Iron, and Empires…
Ice sample on the melter during continuous ice core chemical analyses at the Desert Research Institute (Credit: Sylvain Masclin) Topics: Chemistry, Civilization, Democracy, Environment, Existentialism It’s perhaps historically appropriate that the word “ironic” contains “iron.” Mining and smelting minerals like iron represented technological highs at the Roman Empire’s peak. But those activities also produced enoughContinue reading “Lead, Iron, and Empires…”
Urban Climate Science…
CROCUS researchers crossed Chicago’s Michigan Avenue as they collected data on how buildings, streets, and greenspaces impact temperature and air quality. (Image by Argonne National Laboratory.) Topics: Civilization, Climate Change, Environment, Global Warming, Thermodynamics CROCUS’s Urban Canyon campaign captured data on heat islands and air quality while also helping scientists understand how to conduct aContinue reading “Urban Climate Science…”
The Matter of Methane…
Image source: https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/methane-molecule Topics: Chemistry, Civilization, Climate Change, Entropy, Environment, Global Warming The “good news”: you can download the PDF for free by registering an email, or read the report from the National Academies of Science and Medicine here. Citizenship takes work and effort to be informed. It would be nice to carry on aContinue reading “The Matter of Methane…”
Mars’ Summer Solstice…
The hills in Mars’ Australe Scopuli region, located near the planet’s south pole, are covered in carbon dioxide ice. The darker areas are layers of dust. (Image credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin) Topics: Astrophysics, Environment, ESA, Mars, NASA, Planetary Science, Space Exploration Snow dots the Martian landscape in these images from ESA’s Mars Express orbiter and NASA’s MarsContinue reading “Mars’ Summer Solstice…”
Tech Bros and Democracy…
Topics: Civics, Civil Rights, Civilization, Climate Change, Economics, Environment, Existentialism, Fascism Tech bros (n): someone, usually a man, who works in the digital technology industry, especially in the United States, and is sometimes thought to not have good social skills and to be too confident about their own ability. Source: Cambridge Dictionary “The Basic LawsContinue reading “Tech Bros and Democracy…”
Dolphins and Mercury…
Scientists have found elevated mercury levels in dolphins throughout the Southeast since 2007. Sources: Bryan, Damseaux, Griffin, Stavros, Woshner. Credit: N. Hanacek/NIST Topics: Biology, Chemistry, Civilization, Environment In a study with potential implications for the oceans and human health, scientists reported elevated mercury levels in dolphins in the U.S. Southeast, with the greatest levels found in dolphins in Florida’s St. JosephContinue reading “Dolphins and Mercury…”
Physics and Nano 