Welcome to ...

The place where the world comes together in honesty and mirth.
Windmills Tilted, Scared Cows Butchered, Lies Skewered on the Lance of Reality ... or something to that effect.


Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Three from Treehugger

monkeys at a temple photo
Image credit: mattspinner/Flickr

In South and Southeast Asia, monkeys and people are synanthropic. It sounds complicated, but all this means is that they share the same ecological niche.

Some species, like macaques, are very similar in behavior, diet, and even anatomical composition to their human neighbors. Now, some scientists are taking advantage of these similarities by using macaques as sentinels for urban toxicity.

Article continues: Monkeys in Nepal Provide New Data on Urban Toxicity

arctic-cia-climate-change.jpg
Photo via NY Times. A satellite image of East Siberian Sea

The US has revived a promising CIA data-sharing program that was shut down by the Bush administration. In it, the nation's top spies and best climate scientists are collaborating to study the effects of climate change on the environment, making use of some of the world's most cutting-edge intelligence gathering equipment. From spy satellites to state-of-the-art censors, the CIA has given the scientific community access to tools with which to uncover a veritable goldmine of climate and environmental data. More declassified satellite imagery after the jump.

Article continues: US Using CIA Spy Satellites to Study Ice Retreat in Arctic (Photos)

octopus on beach image
Screenshot via BBC video

Thousands of octopuses have washed up on the shore of northern Portugal and scientists are stumped about why. They're calling it an environmental disaster, and are issuing a rather strange warning.

No comments: