Even when girls and women say, out loud, that they are experiencing pain, people, including medical professionals, are more likely to minimize or dismiss what they say. I had a headache that lasted for years. It was there when I woke up and there when I went to sleep. I got so used to it that one day, when my …
The shame of psychology
Thomas Scheff would like psychologists to talk about emotion — not simply to share feelings, but to advance science. According to the emeritus professor of sociology at UC Santa Barbara, intuition could be the catalyst that enables psychology to progress in areas in which it has stagnated. His research, “Three Scandals in Psychology: The Need for a New Approach,” is …
Emergency survey underway along West Coast, marine life being affected “in ways never seen before” — CBS: “Unusual increase in dolphin, sea lion, and seabird deaths” — Thought to be largest toxic bloom “anywhere, ever” — Worry that impacts on fish to last several years
CBS, Jun 17, 2015 (emphasis added): A toxic algae bloom spreading off the Pacific coast could be the largest one scientists have ever seen. “It’s definitely the largest bloom of this particular algae seen on the West Coast, possibly anywhere, ever” Raphael Kudela, a professor of ocean sciences at the University of California Santa Cruz, told CBS News… “Currently what we’re …
A third of the world’s biggest groundwater basins are in distress
Two new studies led by UC Irvine using data from NASA Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites show that civilization is rapidly draining some of its largest groundwater basins, yet there is little to no accurate data about how much water remains in them. The result is that significant segments of Earth’s population are consuming groundwater quickly without knowing when …
CAN THE US HAVE 100% CLEAN ENERGY BY 2050?
Converting the world’s entire energy infrastructure to run on clean, renewable energy could effectively fight ongoing climate change, eliminate air pollution deaths, create jobs, and stabilize energy prices. The challenge is a daunting one. But scientists say it’s possible. Researchers are the first to outline the 50 individual state plans that call for aggressive changes to both infrastructure and the ways …
Boreal peatlands not a global warming time bomb
To some scientists studying climate change, boreal peatlands are considered a potential ticking time bomb. With huge stores of carbon in peat, the fear is that rising global temperatures could cause the release of massive amounts of CO2 from the peatlands into the atmosphere–essentially creating a greenhouse gas feedback loop. A new study by researchers at the University of South …
Tiny Parasite May Contribute to Declines in Honey Bee Colonies by Infecting Larvae
Biologists at UC San Diego have discovered that a tiny single-celled parasite may have a greater-than expected impact on honey bee colonies, which have been undergoing mysterious declines worldwide for the past decade. In this week’s issue of the journal PLOS ONE, the scientists report that a microsporidian calledNosema ceranae, which has been known to infect adult Asiatic and European honey bees, …
Unprecedented Mass Die Offs as Pacific Ocean “Turning Into a Desert” Off California Coast – Mac Slavo
It was the dying cry of Charlton Heston in the creepy 1973 film Soylent Green… and it could resemble our desperate near future. The ocean is dying, by all accounts – and if so, the food supply along with it. The causes are numerous, and overlapping. And massive numbers of wild animal populations are dying as a result of it. Natural causes …
Home-Brew Heroin Is Coming – Phillip Smith
When it comes to producing drugs like heroin and cocaine, science is on the verge of a revolutionary breakthrough that could disrupt traditional drug markets by making it possible for anyone to produce their own. Researchers working with genetically engineered yeasts are rapidly advancing toward the point where all it would take is some humble fungi and a home-brewing kit. …
Could Earthworms Save the Climate? – Anastasia Pantsios
We know that earthworms are good for our gardens. When you turn over a spade full of rich soil and find it packed with the wiggly creatures, you know that your garden is going to grow strong and healthy. Vermicomposting—using worms to consume food scraps and turn them—has justifiably become all the rage. But now it appears earthworms can do more than just …