I’ve written before about evolution. Scientists disagree about whether it’s still going on, but I know the answer: it happens whenever you become a parent. Now this diary ITSELF has evolved!
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There was a moment of panic down here on earth last week, when the computers aboard the International Space Station (ISS) that control the supply of oxygen and water crashed. As scientists and engineers struggle to get the computers working again, a physicist declares that the ISS is a waste of time and money.
Robert L. Park, author of Voodoo Science, thinks we should not be sending astronauts in space, and has even testified before Congress on this subject. He says, “This is yet another example of why the station is not worth all the trouble.” He says his views are shared by a large part of the scientific community, although many feel constrained about publicly discussing their views.
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Scientists say that our oil reserves are disappearing at a faster rate than our governments and the oil companies are willing to admit. A new report from British Petroleum (BP) says that there are enough “proven” oil reserves to keep us going, at current usage rates, for another 40 years. But researchers say that oil production will peak in the next 4 years and decline steadily from then on. Which side is right?
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One type of human pollution is helping to offset another one. One of our major pollutants is nitrogen, which comes from fertilizer run off. Another major pollutant is the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, which comes from car exhausts and power plant emissions. Now researchers have discovered that nitrogen deposits on the forest floor are helping young trees soak up even more CO2 than they normally would.
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