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27 Oct 2010 11:04

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World: New study: Eco-conservation efforts not helping enough

  • 20 the number of years since a bunch of nations offered to step up conservation efforts
  • 1:5 of the world’s vertebrate species are reportedly in danger of extinction today, despite this
  • 18% the magnitude worse that things would be if not for in-place conservation efforts source
  • » Why is this a big deal, anyway? Well, one thing to keep in mind is that having a rich environment has its own economic benefits. So-called “ecosystem services,” which provide such things as clean drinking water and pest control, are worth $33 trillion a year, according to Birdlife International ornithologist Stuart Butchart. He says that ignoring the environment could be the equivalent of losing seven percent of the global GDP. Wow.
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19 Mar 2010 09:56

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Biz: Dear sushi fans: Your insatiable appetite making bluefin tuna extinct

The bluefin tuna, prized by the Japanese for sushi purposes, is down in population more than 80 percent. They don’t want to limit its export, though. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2009 13:44

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Offbeat: Did diamonds kill off the mammoths?

  • The evidence Scientists recently found sediment from nano-diamonds, and other impact materials, around North American sites. These materials could not be created through average processes, says James Kennett, a scientist at the University of California. source
  • The evidence Scientists recently found sediment from nano-diamonds, and other impact materials, around North American sites. These materials could not be created through average processes, says James Kennett, a scientist at the University of California.
  • What they think happened Scientists believe that these materials could have impacted the Earth from space 13,000 years ago, causing diamond “rain” that led to the extinction of the wooly mammoth and the early-human Clovis culture in North America. source
  • The evidence Scientists recently found sediment from nano-diamonds, and other impact materials, around North American sites. These materials could not be created through average processes, says James Kennett, a scientist at the University of California.
  • What they think happened Scientists believe that these materials could have impacted the Earth from space 13,000 years ago, causing diamond “rain” that led to the extinction of the wooly mammoth and the early-human Clovis culture in North America.
  • The impact theorized “Imagine 1,000 to 10,000 atomic bombs detonating within a few minutes over two continents,” says Allen West, co-author of the Science Magazine paper in which the theory was first put forth. We’re not sure if we really want to. It sounds scary. source
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