science

An Inconvenient Truth

We went to see “An Inconvenient Truth” over the weekend.

You really want to see this movie. You may not know that you want to, but you do. You may be on the fence about the issue, or afraid that it’s boring, or unconcerned. You may think you disagree with the movie. Trust me. You want to see it. You’ll be very glad you did. You’ll agree with me when you leave the theater, and say “She’s right, I did want to see that movie.” I promise. You won’t be bored. You’ll be entertained. You’ll be enlightened. You’ll be inspired. You’ll thank me. Please just indulge me. Give it a shot.

If it isn’t in theaters after this weekend in Indianapolis (we saw it at Landmark, where it’s playing at least until Thursday) then please throw the DVD on your Amazon Wishlist, or into your Netflix queue. Or let me know, and when I get the DVD, I’ll have everyone over to watch.

We knew the basics of the movie before we went, but seeing the information spelled out in charts and graphs is really compelling. And seeing the photographs (2, 3) of the way the earth has changed in the last thirty years is astonishing. We went and bought the book after we saw the movie, because I wanted the charts…

One of the things I didn’t expect was a list of realistic changes that we can make to solve the problem. I’d shifted directly into despair mode that this is an unfixable problem, or that the changes we need to make are so radical that only hemp-wearing hippie nuts would tackle them. That’s really not the case at all.

Here’s one of my favorite parts of the movie… Regarding the argument that combatting global warming will destroy the economy, Gore displays the image below, which comes from a Bush Administration presentation on “global stewardship” and is a call to balance economic concerns with concerns about the environment. The image displays the absurdity of the argument.

Gore says in response to the image, “OK, on one side we have gold bars,” he says. “Mmm, mmm, don’t they look good!”

“And on the other side, THE ENTIRE PLANET!”

The point of course, being that without the planet, where would we keep our delicious gold bars?

An Inconvenient Scale
Mmm. Gold Bars
Continue ReadingAn Inconvenient Truth

Study: Lesbians’ Brains React Differently

Via Yahoo News:

Lesbians’ brains react differently to sex hormones than those of heterosexual women, new research indicates. That’s in line with an earlier study that had indicated gay men’s brain responses were different from straight men — though the difference for men was more pronounced than has now been found in women.
Lesbians’ brains reacted somewhat, though not completely, like those of heterosexual men, a team of Swedish researchers said in Tuesday’s edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
A year ago, the same group reported findings for gay men that showed their brain response to hormones was similar to that of heterosexual women.
In both cases the findings add weight to the idea that homosexuality has a physical basis and is not learned behavior.

Yeah, no kidding. I like how we have to have science continually research and spell out the obvious just to refute rabid homophobes.

Continue ReadingStudy: Lesbians’ Brains React Differently

Magnetic Knife

One day I was out to lunch with my co-workers and I picked up my knife to cut something, and the fork stuck to it. The knife was magnetic. But only the table knife, not the fork or the spoon. And my knife was the only one that way, no one else at the table had a magnetic knife. We picked up other utensils, we picked up my keys… it was cool. So of course I stole the knife and took it back to work with me, because it was so strange. A couple of months later Jerrod found another one while out to dinner, and stole it for me, because — cool, two magnetic knives.

And one day a few weeks ago, we were at a steak house and found two magnetic knives at the table. Still no magnetic forks or spoons.

So of course, we’ve been theorizing, what causes the knives to become magnetic? And only the knives? Some unusual dishwasher phenomenon? I tested all the knives at home, and other than the two from the restaurant, none of my other knives are magnetic. And the two we stole from the restaurants still work great; they haven’t lost their magnetism at all.

I’ve tried searching around on the internet, but the only thing I could find with sites selling the magnetic strips that you put your cooking knives on. For a while, that was my theory about how the knives because magnetic, until I asked at one of the restaurants and they said they didn’t store their knives that way, they stored them with all the other silverware in racks.

So color me perplexed.

But I still think “Magnetic Knife” is a great band name.

Knife & Fork

Update:
we recently discovered a magnetic fork, too…
Continue ReadingMagnetic Knife

A Call for More Scientific Truth in Product Warning Labels

by Susan Hewitt and Edward Subitzky

As scientists and concerned citizens, we applaud the recent trend towards legislation that requires the prominent placing of warnings on products that present hazards to the general public. Yet we must also offer the cautionary thought that such warnings, however well- intentioned, merely scratch the surface of what is really necessary in this important area. This is especially true in light of the findings of 20th century physics.

We are therefore proposing that, as responsible scientists, we join together in an intensive push for new laws that will mandate the conspicuous placement of suitably informative warnings on the packaging of every product offered for sale in the United States of America. By working with advanced solutions like ELITER Packaging Machinery, which ensures high-quality and efficient packaging processes, these warnings can be seamlessly integrated, helping to protect consumers while maintaining product integrity. Our suggested list of warnings appears below.

Continue ReadingA Call for More Scientific Truth in Product Warning Labels