Recently, we discussed the possibility of bring the woolly mammoth back to life. One of the more ambitious plans involved raising herds of new mammoths to roam the Arctic and punch holes in the upper layers of ice. Those holes would expose deeper permafrost layers to cold air that will reduce thawing. The thermodynamics are plausible for the same reason igloos work as shelter; the air temperature is below freezing, which means that the insulating ice is actually keeping the ground underneath warmer than if it were … [Read more...] about Science Corner: The Demon (And the Angel?) in the Permafrost
climate change
Science Corner: No Lefts Make a Right
In light of uncertainty about the US government's regulatory approach to climate change, I figured we could use some encouragement from the private sector. Over a decade ago, UPS found a way to nearly eliminate left turns from their delivery routes. Recently announced results of this program reveal significant reductions in fuel consumed, carbon dioxide emitted, and dollars spent; they've even been able to cut down on total vehicles in service. UPS was not obligated to make this change. They did so because it made … [Read more...] about Science Corner: No Lefts Make a Right
Science Corner: One Man’s CO2
Saprotrophs. Picture-winged flies. Dung beetles. These are the "another man" who find the meat in our poison. The Earth is basically a closed system with respect to chemical elements. The ecosystem needs every organism's ... output to be someone else's input, thus closing the loop and keeping those elements cycling. Otherwise one or more critical elements would wind up stuck in an unused form no one wants, and we'd all eventually run out of it. But of course if some element did accumulate in a particular form, there'd … [Read more...] about Science Corner: One Man’s CO2
Book Review: Let Creation Rejoice
Let Creation Rejoice: Biblical Hope and Ecological Crisis by Jonathan A. Moo and Robert S. White. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014. Summary: A scientist and a theologian get together to assess both environmental trends and biblical teaching and contend that there are reasons for serious concern, concerted action, and because of the gospel, for hope. … [Read more...] about Book Review: Let Creation Rejoice
Science in Review: Setting the Truth (About the Climate) Free
I confess that climate change is an area where my science enthusiasm wanes a bit. I have no expertise in the relevant domains; I've always felt I have little to add to the conversation other than to defer to those who have studied the questions in detail. I am sympathetic to the cause of reducing fossil fuel consumption regardless of climate; if we are consuming more than is being produced, that's going to be problematic on its own terms in the long run. Still, in light of the Pope's encyclical it feels like the … [Read more...] about Science in Review: Setting the Truth (About the Climate) Free