We’re just not taking it seriously enough. “The government’s ability to understand and predict hurricanes, drought and climate changes of all kinds is in danger because of deep cuts facing many Earth satellite programs and major delays in launching some of its most important new instruments, a panel of experts has concluded. The two-year study by the National Academy of Sciences, released yesterday, determined that NASA’s earth science budget has declined 30 percent since 2000. It stands to fall further as funding shifts to plans for a manned mission to the moon and Mars. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, meanwhile, has experienced enormous cost overruns and schedule delays with its premier weather and climate mission. As a result, the panel said, the United States will not have the scientific information it needs in the years ahead to analyze severe storms and changes in Earth’s climate unless programs are restored and funding made available.”
The latest edition of Grand Rounds not only includes the best from the medical blogosphere, but it’s presented as one long poem stringing together all of the concepts included. What a phenomenal piece of creativity.
An interesting analysis of the continued warming in Greenland. It’s a very good article that discusses the surprising discovery of new islands as the glaciers retreat, islands no one ever knew existed because they had always been under the ice. Until now, that is.
Obama to enter 2008 White House race: “Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois jumped in the 2008 White House race on Tuesday, promising to bring Americans together and “change our politics” with a campaign that could make him the first black president in U.S. history.” It will be interesting to see how this turns out. I like Obama, but that doesn’t mean I’d vote for him in a presidential campaign (I discussed why here). Let me reiterate what I said then: He’s an interesting person who could make a good president. That said, there is little history to demonstrate he has the leadership skills, the vision, the ability, or even thee chutzpah to pull it off successfully. He has less than two years to demonstrate he’d make a good president and could lead our nation with integrity, honor, and true governance. Let me also add this: If he can show himself worthy of the most powerful position in the world, it would be fantastic to elect the first black president.
Possibly time once again to rethink our own evolutionary history. “A skull found in a cave in Romania includes features of both modern humans and Neanderthals, possibly suggesting that the two may have interbred thousands of years ago. Neanderthals were replaced by early modern humans. Researchers have long debated whether the two groups mixed together, though most doubt it. The last evidence for Neanderthals dates from at least 24,000 years ago.” But don’t update the science books yet. “It could reflect a case in which ancient traits reappear in a modern human, or it could indicate a mixture of populations…Or it simply may be that science hasn’t been able to study enough early modern people to understand their diversity.”