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What A Week It Was: Apocadocuments from

View By Scenario:
Species Collapse:	(5)
Plague/Virus:	(1)
Climate Chaos:	(10)
Resource Depletion:	(3)
Biology Breach:	(6)
Recovery:	(7)

This Week's Top Ten Very Scary Tags:
climate impacts ~ global warming ~ ecosystem interrelationships ~ stupid humans ~ weather extremes ~ smart policy ~ contamination ~ carbon emissions ~ pandemic ~ pesticide runoff ~ sixth extinction

ApocaDocuments (32) gathered this week:
Sun, Aug 2, 2009 from New York Times: An Underwater Fight Is Waged for the Health of San Francisco Bay ...Every year the damage wrought by aquatic invaders in the United States and the cost of controlling them is estimated at $9 billion, according to a 2003 study by a Cornell University professor, David Pimentel, whose research is considered the most comprehensive. The bill for controlling two closely-related invasive mussels — the zebra and the quagga — in the Great Lakes alone is $30 million annually, says the United States Federal Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force. Many scientists say that San Francisco Bay has more than 250 nonnative species, like European green crab, Asian zooplankton and other creatures and plants that outcompete native species for food, space and sunlight. ...	Then there are the darn scientists themselves poking around! ApocaDoc permalink
Sun, Aug 2, 2009 from Edinburgh Scotsman: Scientists claim planet is heading for 'irreversible' climate change by 2040 Carbon dioxide levels are rising at a faster rate than the worst-case scenario envisaged by United Nations experts, with the planet heading for "catastrophic" and "irreversible" climate change by 2040, a new report claims. The rise of greenhouse gases will trigger an unprecedented rate of global warming that will result in the loss of the ice-covered polar seas by 2020, much of our coral reefs by 2040 and see a 1.4-metre rise in the sea level by 2100. The apocalyptic vision has been outlined in a paper by Andrew Brierley of St Andrews University, which is likely to influence the views of UN experts gathering in Copenhagen this December to establish a new protocol that will attempt to halt global warming. ...	"Apocalyptic"? Where are the plagues of locusts? ApocaDoc permalink
Sun, Aug 2, 2009 from Glasgow Sunday Herald: Half of all the fruit & veg you buy is contaminated ALMOST HALF of the fresh fruit and veg sold across the UK is contaminated with toxic pesticides, according to the latest scientific surveys for the government... Alarmingly, as much as a quarter of the food on sale in 2008 - the date of the latest figures - was found to contain multiple pesticides. In some cases, up to ten different chemicals were detected in a single sample. advertisement Experts warn that the "cocktail effect" of so many different chemicals endangers health. They also point out that some of the pesticides are not only cancer-causing but also so-called "gender-benders" - chemicals that disrupt human sexuality. ...	I'll drink to that! ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Aug 1, 2009 from National Geographic News: Giant Ocean-Trash Vortex Attracts Explorers It may lack the allure of the North Pole or Mount Everest, but a Pacific Ocean trash dump twice the size of Texas is this summer's hot destination for explorers. The Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch, situated in remote waters between California and Hawaii, is created by ocean currents that pick up millions of tons of the world's discarded plastic... This summer, two separate expeditions will set sail for the patch to document the scope of the problem and call global attention to disastrous ocean pollution...Follow the Kaisei expedition's progress with an interactive voyage tracker: http://www.projectkaisei.org/ ...	You had me @ "hot"! ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Aug 1, 2009 from via ScienceDaily: Bizarre Bald Bird Discovered In Asia An odd songbird with a bald head living in a rugged region in Laos has been discovered by scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society and University of Melbourne. Dubbed the "Bare-faced Bulbul" because of the lack of feathers on its face and part of its head, it is the only example of a bald songbird in mainland Asia, according to scientists. It is the first new species of bulbul – a family of about 130 species – described in Asia in over 100 years. ...	Let the toupee-making begin! ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Aug 1, 2009 from London Daily Telegraph: Plague strikes French oysters Scientists have yet properly to determine what has caused up to 90 per cent of baby and juvenile oysters, due to be eaten by Christmas 2010, to have died. Producers in Normandy are so worried that last month they handed out free boxes of the shellfish near Caen chanting: "Take these oysters, they may be the last you'll ever eat." The deaths have come in two waves. The first, in May, hit the Mediterranean - including Corsica and the Etang de Thau, a salt-water lake near Montpellier – and also the west coast in the bay of Arcachon. The second struck oyster farmers all the way as far as Normandy. ...	Sacrebleu! ApocaDoc permalink
Sat, Aug 1, 2009 from Charleston Daily Progress: Forged letters to congressman anger local groups As U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello was considering how to vote on an important piece of climate change legislation in June, the freshman congressman’s office received at least six letters from two Charlottesville-based minority organizations voicing opposition to the measure. The letters, as it turns out, were forgeries. “They stole our name. They stole our logo. They created a position title and made up the name of someone to fill it. They forged a letter and sent it to our congressman without our authorization,” said Tim Freilich, who sits on the executive committee of Creciendo Juntos, a nonprofit network that tackles issues related to Charlottesville’s Hispanic community. “It’s this type of activity that undermines Americans’ faith in democracy.” ...	As if letters to politicians matter anyway! ApocaDoc permalink
Fri, Jul 31, 2009 from New Scientist: Alaska's biggest tundra fire sparks climate warning The fire that raged north of Alaska's Brooks mountain range in 2007 left a 1000-square-kilometre scorched patch of earth – an area larger than the sum of all known fires on Alaska's North Slope since 1950. Now scientists studying the ecological impact of the fire report that the blaze dumped 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere – about the amount that Barbados puts out in a year. What's more, at next week's meeting of the Ecological Society of America in Albuquerque, New Mexico, two teams will warn that as climate change takes hold tundra fires across the Arctic will become more frequent. Tundra fires only take off once certain thresholds are reached, says Adrian Rocha of the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts. "But projected changes in climate over the next century – increased aridity, thunderstorms, and warming in the Arctic – will increase the likelihood that these thresholds will be crossed and thus result in more larger and frequent fires." ...	Just when you thought you'd run out of stuff to worry about... ApocaDoc permalink
Fri, Jul 31, 2009 from The Earth Institute at Columbia University via ScienceDaily: Index Insurance Has Potential To Help Manage Climate Risks And Reduce Poverty Climate has always presented a challenge to farmers, herders, fishermen and others whose livelihoods are closely linked to their environment, particularly those in poor areas of the world. A type of insurance, called index insurance, now offers significant opportunities as a climate-risk management tool in developing countries... "Only the richest three percent of people in the world are covered by insurance," said Olav Kjorven, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Development Policy. "The world's poor have been completely left out, even though they are the most vulnerable people most in need of protection. Droughts, floods and hurricanes often strip whole communities of their resources and belongings. Index insurance, however, could finally enable millions of poor people to access financial tools for development and properly prepare for and recovery from climate disasters." ...	"Index insurance"... it sounds soooo sexy! ApocaDoc permalink
Fri, Jul 31, 2009 from Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea via ScienceDaily: New Hope For Fisheries: Overfishing Reduced In Several Regions Around The World Scientists have joined forces in a groundbreaking assessment on the status of marine fisheries and ecosystems. The two-year study, led by Boris Worm of Dalhousie University and Ray Hilborn of the University of Washington and including an international team of 19 co-authors, shows that steps taken to curb overfishing are beginning to succeed in five of the ten large marine ecosystems that they examined.... The work is a significant leap forward because it reveals that the rate of fishing has been reduced in several regions around the world, resulting in some stock recovery. Moreover, it bolsters the case that sound management can contribute to the rebuilding of fisheries elsewhere. ...	This news floats my bobber! ApocaDoc permalink
Fri, Jul 31, 2009 from San Francisco Chronicle: Bill would restrict antibiotics in food animals A New York congresswoman is trying to rally support for a federal bill that would restrict antibiotic use in food animals just months after a similar measure tanked in California. Despite being voted down in Sacramento, a proposal that bans feeding antibiotics to cattle, hogs and poultry to increase their growth seems to be gaining momentum in the nation's capital, where the Obama administration has condemned the practice.... scientists and doctors fear that the overuse of these drugs makes them less effective in fighting bacteria in humans and animals. Microbes that develop immunity to the drugs will multiply and flourish. ...	Big farms like big pharms. ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Jul 30, 2009 from San Francisco Chronicle: 100 Cities: The Best and Worst Air Quality ...More than 175 million Americans -- six in 10 -- live in counties where high ozone levels were detected -- nearly twice as many as were at risk in 2008. That increase is largely due to new government calculations that account for new scientific understanding of risk of exposure at lower levels for shorter durations. Even as cities have taken steps to reduce pollution sources, global warming is producing more hot sunny days, extending the ozone pollution season (April heat wave, anyone?) and increasing the number of days likely to produce unhealthy levels of ozone pollution... The Cleanest [City} in the U.S.: Fargo-Wahpeton, ND-MN This is the only city area to appear on the American Lung Association's list of cleanest cities when measured by all three criteria -- ozone, short-term particulates and long-term particulates. ...	Let's all go drive there, don't cha know. ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Jul 30, 2009 from Reuters: Swine flu striking pregnant women hard: CDC study Pregnant women infected with the new H1N1 swine flu have a much higher risk of severe illness and death and should receive prompt treatment with antiviral drugs, U.S. government researchers said on Wednesday. While pregnant woman have always had a higher risk of severe disease from influenza in general, the new H1N1 virus is taking an exceptionally heavy toll, the researchers said. "We do see a fourfold increase in hospitalization rates among ill pregnant women compared to the general population," Dr. Denise Jamieson of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said ...	"Striking pregnant women hard"? That pig!! ApocaDoc permalink
Want more context? Try reading our book FREE online: Humoring the Horror of the Converging Emergencies! More fun than a barrel of jellyfish!
Thu, Jul 30, 2009 from Reuters: Organic food is no healthier, study finds Organic food has no nutritional or health benefits over ordinary food, according to a major study published Wednesday... A systematic review of 162 scientific papers published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years, however, found there was no significant difference. "A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance," said Alan Dangour, one of the report's authors. ...	Call me crazy, but... I prefer food not laced with pesticides or antibiotics! ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Jul 30, 2009 from American Chemical Society via ScienceDaily: 'Shrimp Shell Cocktail' To Fuel Cars And Trucks Call it a "shrimp cocktail" for your fuel tank. Scientists in China are reporting development of a catalyst made from shrimp shells that could transform production of biodiesel fuel into a faster, less expensive, and more environmentally friendly process. The researchers describe development of a new catalyst produced from shrimp shells. In laboratory tests, the shrimp shell catalysts converted canola oil to biodiesel (89 percent conversion in three hours) faster and more efficiently than some conventional catalysts. The new catalysts also can be reused and the process minimizes waste production and pollution, the scientists note. ...	Were I a shrimp, I might find this environmentally UNfriendly! ApocaDoc permalink
Thu, Jul 30, 2009 from AlterNet: Naomi Klein: Let's Put an End to Sarah Palin-Style Capitalism ...Think about it: Sarah Palin stepped onto the world stage as Vice Presidential candidate on August 29 at a McCain campaign rally, to much fanfare. Exactly two weeks later, on September 14, Lehman Brothers collapsed, triggering the global financial meltdown. So in a way, Palin was the last clear expression of capitalism-as-usual before everything went south.... This is the most comforting and dangerous lie that there is: the lie that perpetual, unending growth is possible on our finite planet. And we have to remember that this message was incredibly popular in those first two weeks, before Lehman collapsed. Despite Bush's record, Palin and McCain were pulling ahead. And if it weren't for the financial crisis, and for the fact that Obama started connecting with working class voters by putting deregulation and trickle-down economics on trial, they might have actually won. ...	Dude, I just got the chills reading this! ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Jul 29, 2009 from The Charleston Gazette: DuPont reports chemical leak -- two days later Management at DuPont Co.'s chemical plant in Belle waited more than two days before reporting a toxic material leak to state and local authorities last week, government and company officials confirmed Tuesday. The leak of sulfur trioxide started at 11 a.m. on July 22, but was not reported to the state until 4:36 p.m. on July 24, according to state Environmental Protection and Homeland Security officials. No injuries were reported, and DuPont officials described the leak as a minor incident. ...	When I ignore my problems they almost always go away! ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Jul 29, 2009 from HBO: From the ApocaDesk Airing on HBO over the next month is the documentary The Yes Men Fix the World about the fabled pranksters — the Yes Men. I first heard about them late in 2004 when one of the two Yes Men posed as a Dow spokesman, apologizing for the Bhopal disaster and promising 12 billion dollars in relief for the still ravaged area. By taking responsibility for the disaster, the Yes Men put Dow in the position of having to deny they were apologizing or trying to recompense for the toxic event, exacerbating its image as a heartless, market-obsessed corporation. It was a brilliant combination of politics and theater. Since then, I've learned much more about the Yes Men, and how motivated they are by concerns over climate change — and the lack of progress being made. This documentary, made by the Yes Men themselves (Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno), shows firsthand the japes they've accomplished over the past few years. The film takes you inside the Dow action, from the hoax itself, to the Yes Men's subsequent visit to Bhopal to investigate the ramifications of their actions. Other actions include a segment on the publication of 80,000 copies of a fabricated issue of The New York Times that presented a number of fanciful stories, including the ending of the war in Iraq and the prosecution of George W. Bush for high treason. You might think we can only dream about such things, but the film is designed to take us beyond the dream stage and into reality — a reality that could exist if corporations acted responsibly, and not just for the bottom line. It's inspiring, really. All it takes are sense of humor, some courage and the ability to create fake Web sites, and you could be your own Yes Men or Yes Women group. The Yes Men plan on being in UN climate change conference in Copenhagen in December. Yet one more reason to stay tuned to that pivotal event. The documentary, currently showing on HBO, repeats 9 a.m. on Aug. 2, 12:05 a.m. on Aug. 6, 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 8, 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 11 and 11 a.m. on Aug. 14. ...	Let the Yes movement begin! ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Jul 29, 2009 from Mongabay: Burning by Asia Pulp and Paper contributes to haze in Indonesia, Malaysia One quarter of fire hotspots recorded in the Indonesia province of Riau on the island of Sumatra in 2009 have occurred in concessions affiliated with Sinar Mas Group's Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), according to new analysis by Eyes on the Forest, a coalition of environmental groups. The fires are contributing to the "haze" that is affecting air quality and causing health problems in Malaysia. The analysis of NASA satellite imagery by Eyes on the Forest reveals that APP continues to clear forest in the Giam Siak Kecil-Bukit Batu, a block of which was recently declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.... "Between 1996 and 2007, APP had pulped 177,000 hectares -- 65 percent of all natural forest lost in the ecosystem," added Nursamsu of WWF-Indonesia.... APP plans to clear up to 200,000 hectares of Bukit Tigapuluh. ...	Hey, can we get to that "paper-free office" anytime soon? ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Jul 29, 2009 from Guardian (UK): Human activity is driving Earth's 'sixth great extinction event' Earth is experiencing its "sixth great extinction event" with disease and human activity taking a devastating toll on vulnerable species, according to a major review by conservationists. Much of the southern hemisphere is suffering particularly badly, and Australia, New Zealand and neighbouring Pacific islands may become the extinction hot spots of the world, the report warns.... Researchers trawled 24,000 published reports to compile information on the native flora and fauna of Australasia and the Pacific islands, which have six of the most biodiverse regions on the planet. Their report identifies six causes driving species to extinction, almost all linked in some way to human activity. "Our region has the notorious distinction of having possibly the worst extinction record on Earth," said Richard Kingsford, an environmental scientist at the University of New South Wales in Sydney and lead author of the report. "We have an amazing natural environment, but so much of it is being destroyed before our eyes. Species are being threatened by habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, climate change, over-exploitation, pollution and wildlife disease." ...	Only one species matters... us! ApocaDoc permalink
Wed, Jul 29, 2009 from Georgetown University Medical Center, via EurekAlert: Common household pesticides linked to childhood cancer cases in Washington area A new study by researchers at the Georgetown's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center finds a higher level of common household pesticides in the urine of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a cancer that develops most commonly between three and seven years of age. The findings are published in the August issue of the journal Therapeutic Drug Monitoring. Researchers caution that these findings should not be seen as cause-and-effect, only that the study suggests an association between pesticide exposure and development of childhood ALL. "In our study, we compared urine samples from children with ALL and their mothers with healthy children and their moms. We found elevated levels of common household pesticides more often in the mother-child pairs affected by cancer," says the study's lead investigator, Offie Soldin, PhD, an epidemiologist at Lombardi. Soldin cautions, "We shouldn't assume that pesticides caused these cancers, but our findings certainly support the need for more robust research in this area." ...	Correlation is not causation... but... ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Jul 28, 2009 from London Times: Eco-awareness festival halted by safety concerns Organisers of Europe’s biggest eco-awareness event have had to cancel their 15th annual festival after police and the local council raised safety fears days before it was to start... Described as a “celebration of our natural world” in a village fête atmosphere, the festival combines practical advice and demonstrations on sustainable lifestyles combined with entertainment powered by the wind and the sun....organisers surrendered their licence yesterday after concerns, including issues involving road and fire safety, could not be resolved with police and the local council. ...	TOTAL BUZZKILL ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Jul 28, 2009 from Toronto Star: Arctic's 'canary in a coal mine' Without a microscope, most plankton are easy to miss. And when the tiny marine creatures do come into focus, they aren't much to look at. Until you peer closer, and listen to what they have to say. Way down near the bottom of the oceans' food chain, animals known as zooplankton drift on the currents, feeding on each other, eating still lower life forms such as bacteria and viruses, or in most cases, grazing on microscopic plant life, called phytoplankton. As tiny, and as hard to love, as plankton are, scientists studying them say that if global warming makes things go bad for these organisms, the pain will run all the way up the food chain to humans. ...	Arrrgghh, matey. We'll be forced to walk the plankton! ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Jul 28, 2009 from Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: Experts planning for a flood of Noah's Ark proportions California may be caught in the throes of a years-long drought, but ... crisis experts are now planning for a flood of Noah's Ark proportions. Worried about the long-term effects of climate change, the USGS and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration are co-creating a scenario for a cataclysmic flood across the Golden State. Last year, a USGS-led team of 300 scientists created a detailed scenario for a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Southern California, followed by a "ShakeOut" drill of 5.4 million residents, a disaster preparedness record. Many of the same scientists are now fashioning a hypothetical ARk Storm scenario similar to the mother of all known California floods - the Great Flood of 1861-62. ...	Are they also acquiring two of every kind of beast? ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Jul 28, 2009 from SciDev.net: Fungal biopesticide saves crops from locusts Crops in East and Southern Africa have been saved from devastation by the first large-scale use of a biopesticide made of fungal spores. Locust swarms lay waste to crops, with just a small part of a swarm -- around a tonne of locusts -- eating the same amount of food in one day as around 2,500 people, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).... But spraying the biopesticide, Green Muscle, in Tanzania appears to have contained the outbreak. Green Muscle consists of spores of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae suspended in mineral oils. The fungi grow in the locust, producing a toxin and weakening them, making them easy prey for birds and lizards. Most infected locusts die within 1-3 weeks, depending on the temperature and humidity. The pesticide has an 80 per cent mortality rate.... Green Muscle kills only locusts and grasshoppers, unlike chemical pesticides, which can harm a wide range of organisms. Even the birds and lizards that eat the treated locusts suffer no side effects, says Pantenius. ...	Using a scalpel instead of a sledgehammer! Who'da thunk it? ApocaDoc permalink
Tue, Jul 28, 2009 from Washington Post: Texas Scorched by Worst Drought in 50 Years A combination of record-high heat and record-low rainfall has pushed south and central Texas into the region's deepest drought in a half century, with $3.6 billion of crop and livestock losses piling up during the past nine months. The heat wave has drastically reduced reservoirs and forced about 230 public water systems to declare mandatory water restrictions. Lower levels in lakes and rivers have been a blow to tourism, too, making summer boating, swimming and fishing activities impossible in some places.... Nearly 80 of Texas' 254 counties are in "extreme" or "exceptional" drought, the worst possible levels on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's index. ...	Everything is bigger AND droughtier in Texas. ApocaDoc permalink
You're still reading! Good for you! You really should read our short, funny, frightening book FREE online (or buy a print copy): Humoring the Horror of the Converging Emergencies! We've been quipping this stuff for more than 30 months! Every day! Which might explain why we don't get invited to parties anymore.
Tue, Jul 28, 2009 from New York Times: Dead Zone in Gulf Is Smaller Than Forecast but More Concentrated in Parts Scientists said Monday that the region of oxygen-starved water in the northern Gulf of Mexico this summer was smaller than forecast, which means less disruption of shrimp, crabs and other marine species, and of the fisheries that depend on them. But researchers found that although the so-called dead zone along the Texas and Louisiana coasts was smaller — about 3,000 square miles compared with a prediction of about 8,000 square miles -- the actual volume of low-oxygen, or hypoxic, water may be higher, as the layer is deeper and thicker in some parts of the gulf than normal. And the five-year average size of the dead zone is still considered far too big, about three times a target of 2,000 square miles set for 2015 by an intergovernmental task force.... She said unusual winds and currents this spring had driven much of the hypoxic water to the east, reducing the size of the zone but concentrating it. "In actuality we found quite a severe area that was large in volume," she said. "Organisms were obviously stressed." ...	I'll tell ya -- this organism is feeling pretty stressed. ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Jul 27, 2009 from Guardian (UK): World will warm faster than predicted in next five years, study warns The world faces a new period of record-breaking temperatures as the sun's activity increases, leading the planet to heat up significantly faster than scientists had predicted over the next five years, according to a new study. The hottest year on record was 1998, and the relatively cool years since have led to some global-warming sceptics claiming that temperatures have levelled off or started to decline. However, the new research firmly rejects that argument. The work is the first to assess the combined impact on global temperature of four factors: human influences such as CO2 and aerosol emissions; heating from the sun; volcanic activity; and the El Nino southern oscillation, the phenomenon by which the Pacific Ocean flips between warmer and cooler states every few years.... As solar activity picks up again in the coming years, the new research suggests, temperatures will shoot up at 150 percent of the rate predicted by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. ...	Dang! When will we see "slower than expected" showing up in these stories? ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Jul 27, 2009 from Radio Australia: Grim climate warning for Asia Pacific A new report says climate change could produce 75 million refugees in the Asia Pacific region in the next 40 years. It urges Australia to put new immigration measures in place to help with people movements, and to cut deeply into its own climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions. The report, by aid agency Oxfam Australia and a think-tank, the Australia Institute, says the effects of climate change are already being felt in the region. It says addressing the immigration question is vital, as is giving more financial assistance to the region targeted specifically at measures to help communities adapt. ...	Climigration is going to give me a climigraine! ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Jul 27, 2009 from Environmental Health News: Polar bears on thinner ice Longer ice-free seasons in the Canadian Arctic are leading to diet changes and increased contaminants in polar bears. Hudson Bay's polar bears are more contaminated with some pollutants now than in the past due to warmer temperatures that are melting ice sooner in the spring and forcing the bears to eat different food.... Fatty acid fingerprints revealed that the bears now eat more harbor and harp seals and fewer bearded seals than before. This shift in diet resulted in higher levels of PCBs and flame retardants (but not the pesticides DDT or chlordane) in their tissues. ...	I'll bet the bearded seals don't mind this change at all! ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Jul 27, 2009 from London Observer: Poisonous gas from African lake poses threat to millions More than two million people living on the banks of Lake Kivu in central Africa are at risk of being asphyxiated by gases building up beneath its surface, scientists have warned. It is estimated that the lake, which straddles the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, now contains 300 cubic kilometres of carbon dioxide and 60 cubic kilometres of methane that have bubbled into the Kivu from volcanic vents. The gases are trapped in layers 80 metres below the lake's surface by the intense water pressures there. However, researchers have warned that geological or volcanic events could disturb these waters and release the gases. The impact would be devastating, as was demonstrated on 21 August 1986 at Lake Nyos in Cameroon, in West Africa. Its waters were saturated with carbon dioxide and a major disturbance - most probably a landslide - caused a huge cloud of carbon dioxide to bubble up from its depths and to pour down the valleys that lead from the crater lake. Carbon dioxide is denser than air, so that the 50mph cloud hugged the ground and smothered everything in its path. Some 1,700 people were suffocated. ...	Sounds like the Mother of all Belches. ApocaDoc permalink
Mon, Jul 27, 2009 from Wiley-Blackwell, via EurekAlert: Disease threat may change how frogs mate Ranavirus, which had its first reported case in England in the early 1980s, is one of many pathogens ravaging the amphibian community. Dr Teacher's pioneering new research looks at the genetic make-up of populations, and indicates that wild frog populations that have been infected with this virus may be choosing mates differently to those in healthy populations. As Ranavirus is typically associated with heavy death tolls in infected populations, there are often few frogs left alive to mate. This frequently leads to inbreeding, which causes an increase in relatedness in the population. However, Dr Teacher has uncovered startling results; finding that despite inbreeding there has been no subsequent increase in relatedness in these populations. Dr Teacher's conclusion is that this lack of relatedness has been caused by a change in the frogs' mating strategy. With diseased frogs struggling to mate, healthy frogs are likely to be mating more often with other healthy frogs, leaving diseased frogs to mate with each other. ...	Clearly, they're not drinking enough beer. ApocaDoc permalink