Climate concern in the US and science in the new Obama administration The US has about 1,000 mayors and governors who have taken it upon themselves to reduce carbon emissions in their local areas, moving ahead of federal government policy and action. Cities such as Seattle and Chicago and New York are contesting to better each other. People are noticing changes in their environment and looking for an explanation. Science is likely to be taken more seriously by the new Obama administration as he has brought in many of the nation´s top scientists as advisors. Animals - their brains and behaviour Excerpts from a AAAS symposium on animal brains and behaviour. Darwin´s theory sparked a revolution in how we look at ourselves and our world. A key contention, is that human and animal intelligence vary in degree, rather than in kind. Edward Wasserman looked at pigeons and baboons. He says we´ve underestimated the intelligence of animals. Whales not to blame for fish depletion While some species of whales area still endangered, some whale populations have increased in number as hunting has been wound back in recent decades. Recently whales have been blamed for depletion of fish stocks rather than over-fishing by humans. Leah Gerber has studied regions with depleted fish stocks. She points out that humans eat large fish, while those whales which actually do eat fish go for small fish. Leah Gerber´s studies demonstrate that culling whales leads to no increase in biomass of commercial fish stocks. Why we cook our food A human just can´t survive on a chimp´s diet. Richard Wrangham tried. We cook and process our food. Cooking is the signature feature of the human diet. The cooked evening meal is universal for hunters and gatherers. But there is no clear theory as to why. One reason might be it increases the energy released from the food. Cooking was first seen with Homo erectus. Al Gore on our common future Political will is often questioned in relation to solutions to climate change. Al Gore says the United States has demonstrated that political will is renewable. He says now, as our home is in danger, we are in a moment in the history of the human species which is without precedent. He says as a species we must make a decision about our future. We have the power to watch and continue or act as a group and bring forth change. He says the solution rests on the rapid spread of understanding from the world of science to the wider community and particularly to the world of policy and politics. The stakes have never been higher. There is new leadership. Al Gore makes a plea for scientists to link their work with the civilisation in which they live. Square Kilometre Array and detecting complex organic molecules in space New telescopes are helping reveal where organic molecules are being formed. The first organis molecule found was OH then formaldehyde. Others are acetone, and the molecules we use in anti-freeze. Every year, as technology develops, new molecules are being found. The SKA or Square Kilometre Array is a project being planned with a decision on location due in 2011. Western Australia is in with a bid together with South Africa. The big collecting area of the telescope will allow for the detection of extra weak signals. Sword swallowing Dan Meyer demonstrates sword swallowing and explains how sword swallowers were used by medical doctors in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as they developed equipment and techniques.

[ Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +1000 ]

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