According to new research 30% of our planets usable land is used for growing food for humans. This is a HUGE number - I didn’t expect to be so high.
So it’s no surprise that so many species go extinct since we are eating up all the space and create more and more farmland to produce food and now biofuels. Plus we need space for our exploding cities and infrastructure …
Once again I think the real problem here is overpopulation. Too many humans needing too much space.
Hurray! The American STS-122 has successfully delivered the European Columbus module to the International Space Station. Another piece in the puzzle to our way to the conquest of outer space.
This is a long-term science module supposed to explore the effects of weightlessness for the next ten years. It is installed by ESA astronauts Léopold Eyharts (France) and Hans Schlegel (a secret Teutonic Overlord) plus five Yankees.
You can read more on the mission blog here or watch some current transmission on NASA TV.
Isn’t it great to live in the 21st century? Remember the few and fuzzy images from the Moon landings? Now we have almost direct access / transmission from these space adventures.
More? Video of the takeoff, inflight video (heading to ISS) and flying over Japan.
For some it’s just another phallic symbol shot into space by dominating male egoism. For me it’s a tube in the sky with the most breath taking view available …
This little critter is called Elephant Shrew and was just recently discovered in Tanzania and I think they are pretty cute. Hopefully we won’t eradicate them before we have made pets out of them. I for one would trade any ol’ hamster for this bizarre bugger …
Click image for a bigger one.
Although the Space Shuttle is now old and obsolete technology it’s still the best spaceship humanity has to jump into space. I really hope that commercial space travel takes off soon, because government controlled Chinese, American and Russian space travel seems stuck somewhere 1968 … it’s time for some new ideas and cheaper forms of space exploration.
Thanks to Edosan for sending me this amazing picture.
… and it all depends how you define affordable? But I think $200,000 is doable for a person from an industrial country - if that is your life’s dream. Compared to 20 Million Dollars for a flight with the Russians it’s really cheap.
And I am sure once the industry gets off the ground - it will start a competition and prices will come down.
Here are some of NASA’s design sketches for the next moon landing - as commanded by George W. Bush. The whole mission, the proposed systems and attitude is so 1960’s.
Once again it’s a race - with the Chinese - to be the first to establish a base. All systems like the crew capsule, the lander and the final landing (with parachute) are just a remix of old technologies. It’s almost like some old man at NASA and in politics try to recreate the golden age of space exploration - and America’s greatness.
More? The Constellation Program @ NASA
Do you like science? Do you like interesting experiments? Cool! Than go and visit Robert Krampf - who has a magnificent website up with many videos. Highly recommended for small and big science nerds …
Even when the chance of intelligent life is extremely small - there are billions and billions of stars and planet out there to increase the possibility to a realistic level.
We have just learned in recent years that bacteria can survive in outer space and travel in meteors and asteroids from planet to planet - even solar systems. So the chance of these messengers of life traveling and fertilizing other planets is rather the norm instead of a rarity.
With oil prices soaring suddenly even new interpretations of old technologies get some attention. Sky Sails has been reinventing the wheel for modern transport ships. Their idea is basically a hybrid (watch the video - it’s in German, but easy to grasp): normal engine for less windy days - plus a computer controlled super sail for windy or even stormy hours. This should save 10% to 35% for a ships operation for a year.
The sail is made my with a super durable material to withstand the extreme pull. I really hope this becomes a widespread technology. In our global economy we need shipping now more than ever - if we can save some fuel as well that would be brilliant. Especially shipping from and to China is a hell of a journey.
One of the real differences between men and woman is the maternal instinct. Sure not all girls like to play with dolls and want to be married and humped immediately after they menstruated the first time.
But the female body is built to breeds - as much as the male is made to procreate as well, but in a different way. Woman have to deal with their ‘function’ on a regular monthly basis, while the male sexual ‘function’ just runs more or less maintenance free.
But also the so called biological clock - as much as it is also a social pressure to be a successful breeder - drives woman much more than men.
From that perspective it’s much more work for woman to become ‘neutral’ and free individuals (instead of just being driven by the mating instinct), because they have to deal with their purely biological ‘function’ on a more regular basis.
To produce 1 kg of beef you need to feed 8 kg of wheat to the animal. Plus you need extra water, care and transportation to get the process of fattening your lifestock rolling.
Eating meat was always a luxury - except for the last 50 years in industrialized nations. If the oil prices continues to climb higher and higher it might be a luxury again.
Gimme Methane or gimme death!
There are incredible creature deep in the sea who survive by using methane. Since methane is one of the biggest green house gases we should watch these guys and learn from them. There are many deep sea critters that use methane to survive and transform it into energy - something we humans need.
It wasn’t me!
Since we humans love meat, milk and cheese we need loads of cows - but their digestive system produces loads of farty methane. Cows contribute massively to the green houses gases.
The mysterious stomach of Kangaroos.
This brings us to Kangaroos and a bacteria in their stomach that hardly produces any Methane. Scientists hope they can transplant that bacteria to cows and other life stock to reduce methane production.
We share 96% of our DNA with Chimps (or even 99% according to another study) and a similar amount with many other primates. But we still treat our closet living relatives like shit and many primates face extinction from us.
We should establish a new status in our legal and scientific. Primates should no longer be classified as animals, but subhumans or sentient beings - and have almost human rights and most of all protection.
In nature the fight for food and survival is a tough one. That is why huge amounts of easy to get food are so devastating to us humans. We were made to survive on little food, trying to burn as few calories searching for more. How many calories have you burned to hunt your last steak? How much physical work is left in our life’s?
Humanity isn’t built for office work, fast food and extreme couching.
Remember all these great space illustrations from your childhood: cities floating in space, generational starship sailing to the next solar system and moon stations. Although we finally get closer to creating these marvels the public is less and less enthusiastic about it. I guess it will change once there is the first zero-g brothel in orbit. Porn sells even science.
An interesting scientific article about the development of breasts. No easy reading, but excellent of you want to learn more about evolutionary biology.
Computed Tomography has been around since the early 70’s, but has made incredible advanced in recent years - thanks to amazing computer powers and new sensors.
This helps to avoid unnecessary surgery and reduced guesswork.
Compared to the good old X-Ray this is stoneage cave paintings versus Star Trek holograms.
Since it is now scientifically proven that blonde woman are a bad influence on us males - maybe different colored woman should do something to help us escape that evil spell?
This also shines a different light on all the fake blondes out there. Woman usually say that men like them to be dumb. But in reality woman make themselves blonde to make us guys dumber. So put your cards on the table ladies: you are the ones who like dumb partners - not us!
Bacteria are everywhere. They can live in the hottest and coldest of places (even on asteroids in outer space). No other life form on this planet has multiplied as much and conquered so many different places.
Bacteria also have made all other species their hosts - and we all depends on them.
We are still in the stoneage of green technology and I hope it’s not too late yet. But how long will it take to make people aware how to save themselves? Science is only as effective as it is accepted by us and supported by laws and the industry.
Mankind has long feared lunar and solar eclipses. Often these events lead to fear and religious madness.
But it has to be said that a few wise man figured it all out and recognized that these were natural and predictable events (from Wikipedia):
Ancient Greek astronomers noticed that during lunar eclipses the edge of the shadow was always circular; they thus concluded that the Earth was spherical. In 499, Indian mathematician Aryabhata gave accurate calculations for both the solar eclipse and lunar eclipse. In 1504, while stranded on Jamaica, Christopher Columbus “predicted” a lunar eclipse (actually, he knew from celestial tables that he had brought with him that a lunar eclipse was to occur on February 29 of that year), thereby intimidating the island’s natives into continuing to provision him and his men and thus saving them from death by starvation.
Today we simply enjoy the spectacle! This weeks solar eclipse images: BBC and of course the corresponding Flickr Group
BBC News: Cement makers come clean
Cement is one of our oldest building materials - it was already known and used by the Romans. By cement releases a lot of heat and CO2 while hardening. Cement makers hope to reduce the emissions and create a greener cement.
Excellent!
There is still so much that can be improved - like semitransparent concrete. I think this could be a great energy saver for industrial buildings. Great idea!
