Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
And here we are, the red planet Craters across the skyline A sleep sack in a bivouac And a Kerouac sense of time And we think about the old days Of green grass, sky and red wine Should've known so fragile And avoided this one-way flight
This Is the “Most Economically Important” Fern on Earth
Much like Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, the fern Azolla filiculoides
proves that the small can certainly pack a punch. This minuscule water
fern, which has leaves the size of a single gnat, was the focus of a
2018 study published in Nature Plants. Scientists say the
bright green plant is complete with unique capabilities — and has the
potential to help us mitigate the effects of climate change.
In the study, an international team of scientists announced they successfully sequenced the A. filiculoids genome as well as the genome of another floating fern known as Salvina cucullata. Co-author and University of California Berkeley integrative biology professor Carl Rothfels, Ph.D. tells Inverse
that having these genomes brings scientists one step closer to
“understanding some of the crazy biology of these particular species.”
Rothfels says that one of the most “extraordinary features” of
this fern is its ability to have a symbiotic relationship with cyanobacteria,
which in turn gives it the ability to “fix” nitrogen. Nitrogen fixation
is the process by which plants use the chemical element as a
fertilizer: Most plants typically can’t do this alone, but the
blue-green cyanobacteria that live in the Azolla leaves allow for this process to happen. In turn, Azolla can sustain rapid growth in favorable conditions.
That’s important for multiple reasons, the first being that the
fern shows “great promise as a biofuel,” says Rothfel. While it’s been
used as a fertilizer for rice paddies in Asia for the past 1,000 years,
he and his team are now curious to know whether it could be used as a
sustainable fertilizer elsewhere. Its ability to help agricultural crops
is compounded by its resistance to pests: Farmers have noticed for
decades that bugs generally don’t like ferns, and now the sequencing of the Azolla genome reveals it carries certain genetic mutations that allow it to repel insects.
All of this has earned Azolla the nickname “green manure,” and co-author and Cornell University assistant professor Fay-Wei Li, Ph.D. says it is “perhaps the most economically important fern that has ever lived!”
But Li and Rothfel both note that the fern’s incredible ability
to grow and thrive could help humans save themselves from climate
change. In fact, it’s actually helped out the planet before.
“There was a massive Azolla bloom in the Arctic 50
million years ago so large that geologists believe it drove down a
significant amount of C02 (carbon dioxide) and helped cool the Earth,”
says Li.
That means that Azolla, one of the fastest-growing
plants on the planet, has the potential to be a significant carbon sink
today. A massive rise in modern-day atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are directly linked to the warming of the planet and overall climate change.
Millions of years ago, this fern “sequestered so much carbon
that it switched the globe out of ‘hothouse’ conditions into the
relatively cooler conditions that we experience now,” says Rothfel. If
we grow a huge amount of this tiny plant, we might be able to make that happen again.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
I'm not people ever really doubted pollution did they? I think its the larger question of what is the impact longterm on the earth. So this really isn't surprising. I mean, every manufacturing plant has an understanding of their emissions. We know car emissions...
I came across this article today that is a reminder (not that all of us need to be reminded) of what will prove to be the most pressing issue of our time: Global Warming.
Some key points here:
-On June 19, 2020, at 03:00 UTC, a temperature of 33.2°C or 91.8°F was recorded in Siberia near the Arctic Ocean.
-As ocean temperatures rise, an increasing amount of heat moves into the
Arctic Ocean, resulting in record low Arctic sea ice volume, as
illustrated by the image on the right and discussed in an earlier post... this in turn threatens to destabilize methane hydrates contained in sediments at the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean.
-Furthermore, the Siberian heatwave is also threatening to trigger forest
fires that can cause huge amounts of emisions, including black carbon
that can settle on the snow and ice cover, further speeding up its
demise and causing albedo changes that result in a lot more heat getting
absorbed in the Arctic, instead of getting reflected back into space as
was previously the case.
-Finally, more intense forest fires threaten to cause organic carbon
compounds to enter the stratosphere and damage the ozone layer.
I came across this article today that is a reminder (not that all of us need to be reminded) of what will prove to be the most pressing issue of our time: Global Warming.
Some key points here:
-On June 19, 2020, at 03:00 UTC, a temperature of 33.2°C or 91.8°F was recorded in Siberia near the Arctic Ocean.
-As ocean temperatures rise, an increasing amount of heat moves into the
Arctic Ocean, resulting in record low Arctic sea ice volume, as
illustrated by the image on the right and discussed in an earlier post... this in turn threatens to destabilize methane hydrates contained in sediments at the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean.
-Furthermore, the Siberian heatwave is also threatening to trigger forest
fires that can cause huge amounts of emisions, including black carbon
that can settle on the snow and ice cover, further speeding up its
demise and causing albedo changes that result in a lot more heat getting
absorbed in the Arctic, instead of getting reflected back into space as
was previously the case.
-Finally, more intense forest fires threaten to cause organic carbon
compounds to enter the stratosphere and damage the ozone layer.
So moving to Siberia to escape the humid weather is now off the table...
if this Covid lockdown/semi lockdown goes on for another year I’d like to see how much the environment improves...its people...too many fucking people on this planet...
I think having kids is complete selfishness ...
and our fucking limp - dick government gives people with kids far too much money every month. You do not care about the environment if you are encouraging more people on this planet...
I came across this article today that is a reminder (not that all of us need to be reminded) of what will prove to be the most pressing issue of our time: Global Warming.
Some key points here:
-On June 19, 2020, at 03:00 UTC, a temperature of 33.2°C or 91.8°F was recorded in Siberia near the Arctic Ocean.
-As ocean temperatures rise, an increasing amount of heat moves into the
Arctic Ocean, resulting in record low Arctic sea ice volume, as
illustrated by the image on the right and discussed in an earlier post... this in turn threatens to destabilize methane hydrates contained in sediments at the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean.
-Furthermore, the Siberian heatwave is also threatening to trigger forest
fires that can cause huge amounts of emisions, including black carbon
that can settle on the snow and ice cover, further speeding up its
demise and causing albedo changes that result in a lot more heat getting
absorbed in the Arctic, instead of getting reflected back into space as
was previously the case.
-Finally, more intense forest fires threaten to cause organic carbon
compounds to enter the stratosphere and damage the ozone layer.
So moving to Siberia to escape the humid weather is now off the table...
if this Covid lockdown/semi lockdown goes on for another year I’d like to see how much the environment improves...its people...too many fucking people on this planet...
I think having kids is complete selfishness ...
and our fucking limp - dick government gives people with kids far too much money every month. You do not care about the environment if you are encouraging more people on this planet...
When COVID-19 first broke out, the planet was getting a lot of relief. But now? I really don't know. I haven't seen anything more in the last 6 or 7 weeks about how much the lock-down is or isn't helping the environment. I don't get out much, but from what I have seen and heard, it seems to me we are probably polluting more than not.
And yeah, I agree about having kids. I would never put down people who already have kids. They are here, they are blameless. But for people considering having a kid or more kids now? I would say that is a very, very bad idea.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
I was just reading about this yesterday. Article suggesting the birds migrating too early without enough fat deposits to sustain them during the journey. I don’t know why I read this stuff, just makes me sad.
Detroit 2000, Detroit 2003 1-2, Grand Rapids VFC 2004, Philly 2005, Grand Rapids 2006, Detroit 2006, Cleveland 2006, Lollapalooza 2007, Detroit Eddie Solo 2011, Detroit 2014, Chicago 2016 1-2, Chicago 2018 1-2, Ohana Encore 2021 1-2, Chicago Eddie/Earthlings 2022 1-2, Nashville 2022, St. Louis 2022
I was just reading about this yesterday. Article suggesting the birds migrating too early without enough fat deposits to sustain them during the journey. I don’t know why I read this stuff, just makes me sad.
Oh man, I so know what you mean. Problem is, I'm curious, like to keep up on the news, am especially concerned about environmental news- but then I go and read it and get to feeling really down. This one was particularly a bummer. I really is sad.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
I was just reading about this yesterday. Article suggesting the birds migrating too early without enough fat deposits to sustain them during the journey. I don’t know why I read this stuff, just makes me sad.
Oh man, I so know what you mean. Problem is, I'm curious, like to keep up on the news, am especially concerned about environmental news- but then I go and read it and get to feeling really down. This one was particularly a bummer. I really is sad.
For sure, one thing I’ve been thinking about lately is just how small this world is and how what we do in our own lives easily can affect someone on the other side of the globe.
Detroit 2000, Detroit 2003 1-2, Grand Rapids VFC 2004, Philly 2005, Grand Rapids 2006, Detroit 2006, Cleveland 2006, Lollapalooza 2007, Detroit Eddie Solo 2011, Detroit 2014, Chicago 2016 1-2, Chicago 2018 1-2, Ohana Encore 2021 1-2, Chicago Eddie/Earthlings 2022 1-2, Nashville 2022, St. Louis 2022
I was just reading about this yesterday. Article suggesting the birds migrating too early without enough fat deposits to sustain them during the journey. I don’t know why I read this stuff, just makes me sad.
Oh man, I so know what you mean. Problem is, I'm curious, like to keep up on the news, am especially concerned about environmental news- but then I go and read it and get to feeling really down. This one was particularly a bummer. I really is sad.
For sure, one thing I’ve been thinking about lately is just how small this world is and how what we do in our own lives easily can affect someone on the other side of the globe.
That is so true. And good to remember.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
I came across this article today that is a reminder (not that all of us need to be reminded) of what will prove to be the most pressing issue of our time: Global Warming.
Some key points here:
-On June 19, 2020, at 03:00 UTC, a temperature of 33.2°C or 91.8°F was recorded in Siberia near the Arctic Ocean.
-As ocean temperatures rise, an increasing amount of heat moves into the
Arctic Ocean, resulting in record low Arctic sea ice volume, as
illustrated by the image on the right and discussed in an earlier post... this in turn threatens to destabilize methane hydrates contained in sediments at the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean.
-Furthermore, the Siberian heatwave is also threatening to trigger forest
fires that can cause huge amounts of emisions, including black carbon
that can settle on the snow and ice cover, further speeding up its
demise and causing albedo changes that result in a lot more heat getting
absorbed in the Arctic, instead of getting reflected back into space as
was previously the case.
-Finally, more intense forest fires threaten to cause organic carbon
compounds to enter the stratosphere and damage the ozone layer.
So moving to Siberia to escape the humid weather is now off the table...
if this Covid lockdown/semi lockdown goes on for another year I’d like to see how much the environment improves...its people...too many fucking people on this planet...
I think having kids is complete selfishness ...
and our fucking limp - dick government gives people with kids far too much money every month. You do not care about the environment if you are encouraging more people on this planet...
When COVID-19 first broke out, the planet was getting a lot of relief. But now? I really don't know. I haven't seen anything more in the last 6 or 7 weeks about how much the lock-down is or isn't helping the environment. I don't get out much, but from what I have seen and heard, it seems to me we are probably polluting more than not.
And yeah, I agree about having kids. I would never put down people who already have kids. They are here, they are blameless. But for people considering having a kid or more kids now? I would say that is a very, very bad idea.
Even at the height of the pandemic I think I read we only reduced global emissions by 20%. I would of thought if the majority of the population stopped going anywhere, and stopped buying stuff, that it would reduce lower than that. It actually made me concerned that in the biggest reduction of global movement we've ever seen that it was only 20% lower.
With things slowly ramping up, and China back to almost full tilt I imagine that's almost gone.
I felt bad with a conversation I had the other day. My thoughts can get pretty dark. I've caught myself a few times going.. I'm in my 40's... maybe I'm old enough that I only see some of the bad, but I die of old age before it gets really really really bad. Of course my friend has young kids, so his thought process is very much of, we need to solve this, we can solve this, we have no choice. We argued that we need to make the environment the #1 priority. I was trying to counter argue that people have multiple goals. When people talk like the environment is #1, you get stuck in a trap. Many people are short sighted. They look at the short term. Feeding/Clothing their kids, keeping a roof over their heads, paying the bills, etc... They don't look at where they'll be 20, 30, or 50 years from now. I tend to think the level of change needed to make significant environmental change, would be astronomical. I don't even think we can do it with Capitalism. A shift in the fundamental system society is built on is going to cause turmoil. People want to keep what they have. My argument was you basically need a new catchprase or theme. like the Economic Environmental Initiative or something. Where you figure out how to combat both at the same time. They're both important, if you ignore the latter, you're not going to get the buy in you need to make it happen. He really didn't like what I had to say. I really felt like I try to come at arguments from different sides. Sometimes I'll just pick another side to be devils advocate, even if I don't believe in what I'm saying. Just to flesh out an argument. I found it a struggle, that he's like we need to do this thing, but doesn't really see that other people don't think a long the same lines. You need to get buy in globally from a species who often doesn't agree on things. Of course in the same day I mentioned I didn't like the new ghostbusters movie, and he said it was awesome and I was misogynistic. At least my other friend came to my defence that I'm picky and there's plenty of movies I don't like
Maybe my ability to come at arguments from different sides is all in my head. Or maybe my challenge is articulating it.
I came across this article today that is a reminder (not that all of us need to be reminded) of what will prove to be the most pressing issue of our time: Global Warming.
Some key points here:
-On June 19, 2020, at 03:00 UTC, a temperature of 33.2°C or 91.8°F was recorded in Siberia near the Arctic Ocean.
-As ocean temperatures rise, an increasing amount of heat moves into the
Arctic Ocean, resulting in record low Arctic sea ice volume, as
illustrated by the image on the right and discussed in an earlier post... this in turn threatens to destabilize methane hydrates contained in sediments at the seafloor of the Arctic Ocean.
-Furthermore, the Siberian heatwave is also threatening to trigger forest
fires that can cause huge amounts of emisions, including black carbon
that can settle on the snow and ice cover, further speeding up its
demise and causing albedo changes that result in a lot more heat getting
absorbed in the Arctic, instead of getting reflected back into space as
was previously the case.
-Finally, more intense forest fires threaten to cause organic carbon
compounds to enter the stratosphere and damage the ozone layer.
So moving to Siberia to escape the humid weather is now off the table...
if this Covid lockdown/semi lockdown goes on for another year I’d like to see how much the environment improves...its people...too many fucking people on this planet...
I think having kids is complete selfishness ...
and our fucking limp - dick government gives people with kids far too much money every month. You do not care about the environment if you are encouraging more people on this planet...
When COVID-19 first broke out, the planet was getting a lot of relief. But now? I really don't know. I haven't seen anything more in the last 6 or 7 weeks about how much the lock-down is or isn't helping the environment. I don't get out much, but from what I have seen and heard, it seems to me we are probably polluting more than not.
And yeah, I agree about having kids. I would never put down people who already have kids. They are here, they are blameless. But for people considering having a kid or more kids now? I would say that is a very, very bad idea.
Even at the height of the pandemic I think I read we only reduced global emissions by 20%. I would of thought if the majority of the population stopped going anywhere, and stopped buying stuff, that it would reduce lower than that. It actually made me concerned that in the biggest reduction of global movement we've ever seen that it was only 20% lower.
With things slowly ramping up, and China back to almost full tilt I imagine that's almost gone.
I felt bad with a conversation I had the other day. My thoughts can get pretty dark. I've caught myself a few times going.. I'm in my 40's... maybe I'm old enough that I only see some of the bad, but I die of old age before it gets really really really bad. Of course my friend has young kids, so his thought process is very much of, we need to solve this, we can solve this, we have no choice. We argued that we need to make the environment the #1 priority. I was trying to counter argue that people have multiple goals. When people talk like the environment is #1, you get stuck in a trap. Many people are short sighted. They look at the short term. Feeding/Clothing their kids, keeping a roof over their heads, paying the bills, etc... They don't look at where they'll be 20, 30, or 50 years from now. I tend to think the level of change needed to make significant environmental change, would be astronomical. I don't even think we can do it with Capitalism. A shift in the fundamental system society is built on is going to cause turmoil. People want to keep what they have. My argument was you basically need a new catchprase or theme. like the Economic Environmental Initiative or something. Where you figure out how to combat both at the same time. They're both important, if you ignore the latter, you're not going to get the buy in you need to make it happen. He really didn't like what I had to say. I really felt like I try to come at arguments from different sides. Sometimes I'll just pick another side to be devils advocate, even if I don't believe in what I'm saying. Just to flesh out an argument. I found it a struggle, that he's like we need to do this thing, but doesn't really see that other people don't think a long the same lines. You need to get buy in globally from a species who often doesn't agree on things. Of course in the same day I mentioned I didn't like the new ghostbusters movie, and he said it was awesome and I was misogynistic. At least my other friend came to my defence that I'm picky and there's plenty of movies I don't like
Maybe my ability to come at arguments from different sides is all in my head. Or maybe my challenge is articulating it.
Great post, Zod. You really hit on the dilemma that families have to face today.
There's no easy answer, but I sure think your idea of finding an incentive is sensible. But like you suggest- the timing is difficult. No one wants to change overnight. And yet, the one thing the pandemic has perhaps taught us is that many people, obviously not all, but a lot of people have shown the we can adapt when it's necessary. I think it will become necessary for us to adapt to fairly quick changes relatively soon. How soon, I really can't guess. The pandemic changed a lot of things over night. The catastrophic fires in the west and the economic blow they are causing will very likely ramp things up. And the indicators (like the thousands of birds dropping dead in the U.S. southwest) are making the picture very clear.
I think the best thing we could so would be to have a massive scale cut back on many of our human activities, especially those involving fossil fuels. Because related to what you said about human nature, the odds are that won't happen. What I hope is that all the glaringly loud wake up calls Mother Nature is throwing at us will be incentive for many people to take action and scale back. We can get by with less, re-use more, and consume more carefully, and still have a good time. Slowing down and living more simply can actually be rewarding because you have more time to focus on things and develop creative ways to enjoy life. Adjusting might be difficult, but it's surprising what people can adapt to when it's a matter of life and death. I think we're at those crossroads.
Thanks for that excellent post. It really got me thinking.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
yeah, thanks for the great posts and that the subject is on top of discussion again....
Today, the main theme in Germany's most influental magazine "Der Spiegel" is all related to climate change.
The head line article points out that now we face the fear and panic, Greta has asked to feel a half year ago. And while the extreme outcome of the Climate Crisis is not somewhere experienced in Africa or Sibiria this time but in a western, rich countrly, the leading nation itself, the Journalist dares to hope that the impact of what is happening in the US right now will indeed change our thinking and awareness - at least in the Western world and at least, starting in November
... just my 2 cents going with a big thank you for all the great contribution here!
there is no way to peace, peace is the way!
...the world is come undone, I like to change it everyday but change don't come at once, it's a wave, building before it breaks.
yeah, thanks for the great posts and that the subject is on top of discussion again....
Today, the main theme in Germany's most influental magazine "Der Spiegel" is all related to climate change.
The head line article points out that now we face the fear and panic, Greta has asked to feel a half year ago. And while the extreme outcome of the Climate Crisis is not somewhere experienced in Africa or Sibiria this time but in a western, rich countrly, the leading nation itself, the Journalist dares to hope that the impact of what is happening in the US right now will indeed change our thinking and awareness - at least in the Western world and at least, starting in November
... just my 2 cents going with a big thank you for all the great contribution here!
From what I've read, Germany's response to climate change and COVID has mostly been quite good. Well done!
Thanks your your input here as well!
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Fender will no longer use ash bodies for production-line guitars - we found out why, and what woods will be used instead
“Well, we’ve been racing this beetle, but then on the climate change
front there are these floods that come in and recede, that’s when we go
in and get the ash. We like the wood from the water, it’s more porous
and that’s how we get the light swamp ash. We actually only use the
bottom part of the tree, where the water is.
"But the floods have
not been receding, so these areas are underwater for two thirds of the
year and it’s gotten to the point where we are sitting there for six or
eight months waiting for ash we can’t get reliably. The beetle is still
coming where there’s floods or not, so it’s really narrowing down.
“There
will be a day where there’s nothing left, and we’ve known this for
three or five years. It just hit the point where we couldn’t put it in a
production guitar telling everyone we can make something which we can’t
get anymore.
"That
said, there will probably be a couple more feasts and famines before
the species is entirely gone. If we get ash, we’ll use it and make
limited editions. But unfortunately due to the circumstances our ash
production will be winding down.”
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Fender will no longer use ash bodies for production-line guitars - we found out why, and what woods will be used instead
“Well, we’ve been racing this beetle, but then on the climate change
front there are these floods that come in and recede, that’s when we go
in and get the ash. We like the wood from the water, it’s more porous
and that’s how we get the light swamp ash. We actually only use the
bottom part of the tree, where the water is.
"But the floods have
not been receding, so these areas are underwater for two thirds of the
year and it’s gotten to the point where we are sitting there for six or
eight months waiting for ash we can’t get reliably. The beetle is still
coming where there’s floods or not, so it’s really narrowing down.
“There
will be a day where there’s nothing left, and we’ve known this for
three or five years. It just hit the point where we couldn’t put it in a
production guitar telling everyone we can make something which we can’t
get anymore.
"That
said, there will probably be a couple more feasts and famines before
the species is entirely gone. If we get ash, we’ll use it and make
limited editions. But unfortunately due to the circumstances our ash
production will be winding down.”
someday, just maybe a wise species will inhabit this earth and will not use the oceans as a dumping ground...
You'd think the Japanese would have a little more respect for how fuking awful nuclear radiation is. There are things I very much love about Japanese people and culture, and there are those things that I despise about them. Kind of like how I feel about my country and humanity in general. I guess we as a species are just dead set about doing ourselves in sooner than later.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
327,376,000 gallons. In all fairness, what should they be doing with that volume? It’s not like they asked for or wanted a tsunami to strike.
They practiced extreme negligence building a nuclear power plant near the coast in a part of the world where major earthquakes are always going to happen. What they did was criminal. As for what to do with that nuclear waste, I guess they have no other choice. The author of this Forbes article thinks it's the best and safest thing to do:
327,376,000 gallons. In all fairness, what should they be doing with that volume? It’s not like they asked for or wanted a tsunami to strike.
They practiced extreme negligence building a nuclear power plant near the coast in a part of the world where major earthquakes are always going to happen. What they did was criminal. As for what to do with that nuclear waste, I guess they have no other choice. The author of this Forbes article thinks it's the best and safest thing to do:
Comments
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Sounds like a step in the right direction!
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/covid-19-coronavirus-climate-carbon-emissions-china-economy-1.5477466
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Sky News - Coronavirus: Satellite shows fall in pollution over northern Italy amid lockdown
https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-satellite-shows-fall-in-pollution-over-northern-italy-amid-lockdown-11956912
Craters across the skyline
A sleep sack in a bivouac
And a Kerouac sense of time
And we think about the old days
Of green grass, sky and red wine
Should've known so fragile
And avoided this one-way flight
This Is the “Most Economically Important” Fern on Earth
Much like Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, the fern Azolla filiculoides proves that the small can certainly pack a punch. This minuscule water fern, which has leaves the size of a single gnat, was the focus of a 2018 study published in Nature Plants. Scientists say the bright green plant is complete with unique capabilities — and has the potential to help us mitigate the effects of climate change.
In the study, an international team of scientists announced they successfully sequenced the A. filiculoids genome as well as the genome of another floating fern known as Salvina cucullata. Co-author and University of California Berkeley integrative biology professor Carl Rothfels, Ph.D. tells Inverse that having these genomes brings scientists one step closer to “understanding some of the crazy biology of these particular species.” Rothfels says that one of the most “extraordinary features” of this fern is its ability to have a symbiotic relationship with cyanobacteria, which in turn gives it the ability to “fix” nitrogen. Nitrogen fixation is the process by which plants use the chemical element as a fertilizer: Most plants typically can’t do this alone, but the blue-green cyanobacteria that live in the Azolla leaves allow for this process to happen. In turn, Azolla can sustain rapid growth in favorable conditions. That’s important for multiple reasons, the first being that the fern shows “great promise as a biofuel,” says Rothfel. While it’s been used as a fertilizer for rice paddies in Asia for the past 1,000 years, he and his team are now curious to know whether it could be used as a sustainable fertilizer elsewhere. Its ability to help agricultural crops is compounded by its resistance to pests: Farmers have noticed for decades that bugs generally don’t like ferns, and now the sequencing of the Azolla genome reveals it carries certain genetic mutations that allow it to repel insects.All of this has earned Azolla the nickname “green manure,” and co-author and Cornell University assistant professor Fay-Wei Li, Ph.D. says it is “perhaps the most economically important fern that has ever lived!”
But Li and Rothfel both note that the fern’s incredible ability to grow and thrive could help humans save themselves from climate change. In fact, it’s actually helped out the planet before.
“There was a massive Azolla bloom in the Arctic 50 million years ago so large that geologists believe it drove down a significant amount of C02 (carbon dioxide) and helped cool the Earth,” says Li.
That means that Azolla, one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet, has the potential to be a significant carbon sink today. A massive rise in modern-day atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are directly linked to the warming of the planet and overall climate change.
Millions of years ago, this fern “sequestered so much carbon that it switched the globe out of ‘hothouse’ conditions into the relatively cooler conditions that we experience now,” says Rothfel. If we grow a huge amount of this tiny plant, we might be able to make that happen again.So moving to Siberia to escape the humid weather is now off the table...
if this Covid lockdown/semi lockdown goes on for another year I’d like to see how much the environment improves...its people...too many fucking people on this planet...
I think having kids is complete selfishness ...
and our fucking limp - dick government gives people with kids far too much money every month. You do not care about the environment if you are encouraging more people on this planet...
Birds 'falling out of the sky' in mass die-off in south-western US
Wildfires and climate crisis cited as possible causes for the deaths of thousands of migrating species heading south for the winter
And this article explains the relevance of birds as indicators:
https://birdfriendlyiowa.org/Pages/BirdFriendlyIowa.aspx?pg=6
Detroit 2000, Detroit 2003 1-2, Grand Rapids VFC 2004, Philly 2005, Grand Rapids 2006, Detroit 2006, Cleveland 2006, Lollapalooza 2007, Detroit Eddie Solo 2011, Detroit 2014, Chicago 2016 1-2, Chicago 2018 1-2, Ohana Encore 2021 1-2, Chicago Eddie/Earthlings 2022 1-2, Nashville 2022, St. Louis 2022
Detroit 2000, Detroit 2003 1-2, Grand Rapids VFC 2004, Philly 2005, Grand Rapids 2006, Detroit 2006, Cleveland 2006, Lollapalooza 2007, Detroit Eddie Solo 2011, Detroit 2014, Chicago 2016 1-2, Chicago 2018 1-2, Ohana Encore 2021 1-2, Chicago Eddie/Earthlings 2022 1-2, Nashville 2022, St. Louis 2022
That is so true. And good to remember.
...the world is come undone, I like to change it everyday but change don't come at once, it's a wave, building before it breaks.
Fender will no longer use ash bodies for production-line guitars - we found out why, and what woods will be used instead
“Well, we’ve been racing this beetle, but then on the climate change front there are these floods that come in and recede, that’s when we go in and get the ash. We like the wood from the water, it’s more porous and that’s how we get the light swamp ash. We actually only use the bottom part of the tree, where the water is.
"But the floods have not been receding, so these areas are underwater for two thirds of the year and it’s gotten to the point where we are sitting there for six or eight months waiting for ash we can’t get reliably. The beetle is still coming where there’s floods or not, so it’s really narrowing down.
“There will be a day where there’s nothing left, and we’ve known this for three or five years. It just hit the point where we couldn’t put it in a production guitar telling everyone we can make something which we can’t get anymore.
"That said, there will probably be a couple more feasts and famines before the species is entirely gone. If we get ash, we’ll use it and make limited editions. But unfortunately due to the circumstances our ash production will be winding down.”
Japan set to release 1.2 million tonnes of Fukushima's contaminated water into the sea
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/world/japan-set-to-release-1-2-million-tonnes-of-fukushimas-contaminated-water-into-the-sea/wcm/30da85dc-600b-4574-a923-1581d98ad5ba?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3GlGhbut2yji6B74Bfr3BAJe_5nMcgJuvsc55agsZVOXcDMlCZb9nTDw8#Echobox=1602856622
someday, just maybe a wise species will inhabit this earth and will not use the oceans as a dumping ground...
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