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Environmental News

Discussion in 'Environmental Discussion' started by tochatihu, Oct 22, 2015.

  1. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    raging wildfires and tornedo's in the southeast.
     
  2. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Leaders of scientific societies sent a letter to Mr. Trump
     

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  3. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Another letter to Trump. Perhaps others exist or are being crafted.
     

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  4. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    I would read the letters but I suspect they would only make me sad. We used to say, 'a day late and dollar short.'

    Bob Wilson
     
  5. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    They both advise that national competitiveness is rooted in innovation. Itself rooted in education and science funding.
     
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  6. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    The irony is I've followed that all my life but had to deal with those who don't. <sigh>

    Bob Wilson
     
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  7. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    America was no doubt made great by industrializing and setting externalities aside. Appeals to that past are understandable. Even as they ignore all the profits later made by American companies more recently selling environmental technologies across the world.

    The peculiar contradiction here comes from hating new economies (as in Asia) for setting externalities aside, and for wanting to be like them. As we were before EPA, NAQWA, NAAQS, etc.

    Unfettering industries from onerous regulations sounds good, until one considers real regulatory purpose (improving public health thus reducing medical expenditures), and indirect results flowing from regulations.

    Those in favor of unfettering industries also speak against 'other-world' dirty economies; here lies cognitive dissonance.

    American greatness lies where? In the past or future?
     
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  8. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Near as I can tell, we remain the same species in different tribes/gangs. We are now ~400 years, perhaps 12-20 generations removed from the Age of Enlightenment and even that was not a hard and fast event. The Scientific Revolution and Age of Enlightenment were cultural, not biological, which means 'mother's milk.'

    There is a description of evolution that requires a major die-off that reduces the species to a much smaller set. In effect, purging the gene pool so the few survivors become the new population. For example, antibiotic resistance in bacteria. If not throughly killed off, the survivors reproduce with resistant genes.

    In our recorded history, our species has few examples of that type of evolution . . . one that would leave behind empiricists. But our species keeps trying.

    Bob Wilson
     
  9. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    I like the idea of counting time by human generations. Actually have a pretentious, unposted post about that :)

    We should approach bacterial evolution analogies cautiously. Those dudes exchange DNA party style. Very different from the staid '1+1=new' approach.
     
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  10. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Exchange of DNA still requires some advantage from the shared set(s).

    Bob Wilson
     
  11. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Seems you refer to expression of DNA. It is not a sure thing. Which brings us to epigenetics, which brings us to we really don't understand how external selective pressures act on (populations) of genomes. We thought we did. But mysteries have multiplied. During the most recent generation :)

    I know there is some risk in admitting that evolution is not understood. Sorry.

    Mostly separate from that, and closer to your first point @68. Whether evolution (in any sense) can lead to 'ethics' (and in what form) is debated by both philosophers and biologists. Which is a recipe for obfuscation if every I heard. The whole thing is pretty much VFR flight not recommended :eek:
     
  12. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Not from me! I remain curious.

    The die-off hypothesis always appealed to me where isolation of a small population leads to selection of that population's gene pool. I'll have to read up on the subject ... later.

    Bob Wilson
     
  13. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Small populations face the obvious challenge of many fewer potential genome mixers. Perhaps less obvious, that the entire population faces similar environments with similar variations through time. This does not only refer to things like temperature and moisture. Also to predation pressure, disease and parasites, symbionts, pollinators, and other things we might invoke.

    Small populations (in traditional genetic thinking at least) get nudged towards a relatively narrow set of 'solutions' and then - bang - something goes out of spec in their environment.

    Due to incompleteness of fossil record, small populations (where a bunch of interesting evolution supposedly happens) are unlikely to present themselves for future study. Could probably come up with further dreary outlooks if I set my mind to it.
     
  14. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    I suspect the dead are pretty well recycled by the critters and fauna of your studies.

    Still, the mechanics of evolution beyond the simple, reproductive success, remains an interesting question.

    Bob Wilson
     
  15. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    More cheerfully, one might read about a novel way to make vaccines

    Virus engineered to rely on artificial amino acids, used as vaccine | Ars Technica

    I recommend much of John Timmer's science writing. Probably appropriately he does not try to hard to school readers on what amino acids are. Won't stop me though :)

    Amino acid - Wikipedia

    Biological uses of 'non-standard' amino acids is fascinating. I mentioned elsewhere that a wrong AA optical isomer makes a membrane ion channel operate in the opposite way. That really blew me away.
     
  16. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    "well recycled" You betcha, other outcomes are rare and site (or event) dependent. I did (or should have) provided a link to nice study on maximum known persistence of environmental DNA.

    Most of 'dem bones' have undergone complete silicate replacement* and so they are basically 3D photographs of bones, not the real article.

    *yet another thing I don't understand
     
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  17. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Having recently removed a pair of recalcitrant lug nuts by a reverse, fluted, hard-steel socket tool, this makes sense.

    The irony is so much of chemistry works on the boundaries of quantum mechanics ... it is wonder we understand what we do ... and our frustration by what we can't.

    Bob Wilson
     
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    any thoughts on bio one bacterial drain cleaner?
     
  19. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Bio one website does not say what they contain. So, no.

    I guess it's nutrients (other than carbon) and perhaps bacteria that feed extensively on lipids. A bit further downstream, excess nutrients could increase root growth into drain pipes. But I'm really just rattling about.
     
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  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yes, it's a patented secret i guess. but they are the only one with the epa seal of approval. i guess i'm gonna have to find out the hard way.