I haven't written much about the new IPCC report here, largely because it doesn't say much you don't already know: The Earth is getting warmer and human activities are to blame for a good chunk of that warming. So what are we still arguing about? In a new column for Ensia magazine, I talk to climate scientists who make the case that the debate is less about science and more about individual values that affect how different people want to tackle the problems that the science exposes. (And, even, how big different people think those problems really are.) While the fact of climate change is difficult to refute, there's plenty of room for legitimate disagreement (and reasonable discussion) about values and the political policies that they shape.
Climate debate – is it about science, or values?
NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft touches asteroid Bennu, sends rubble flying, high hopes it grabbed sample
The NASA Osiris-Rex spacecraft "crushed rocks and sent rubble flying as it briefly touched an asteroid, a strong indication that samples were collected for return to Earth, officials said Wednesday," reports AP. More at the OSIRIS-REX Sample Return Mission site: "OSIRIS-REx TAGS Asteroid Bennu." Excerpt: Captured on Oct. 20, 2020 during the OSIRIS-REx mission's Touch-And-Go… READ THE REST
Scientific paper about being bitten by a weird snake
Meet the leaf-nosed snake, a peculiar Madagascan species with a gift for crypsis. Reading about it I found my way to Envenomation by the Malagasy colubrid snake Langaha madagascariensis, which turns out to be "This God Damned Snake Bit Me!" written up as a formal scientific paper. To avoid harming the snake and to prevent… READ THE REST
Sasha Sagan interviews a series of inspiring female scientists
In Violet magazine, writer Sasha Sagan, author of the must-read For Small Creatures Such As We, is interviewing a series of inspiring and diverse female scientists. First up is evolutionary biologist Dr. Michelle Trautwein, "curator of flies" at the California Academy of Sciences. followed by South African chemist/nanotechnologist Dr. Tebello Nyokong of Rhodes University, and… READ THE REST
Here are 10 ways to pamper your dog the right way…and maybe even learn something
Admit it…there's really nothing too good for your dog, right? You pamper and coddle and let them get away with stuff that no human could ever get away with, including your own kids. Don't worry. We're not gonna rat you out. We do it too. In that spirit, here are 10 little treats to help… READ THE REST
Here's your chance to pick up 35 of the coolest deals we saw this week
Every week, great stuff comes flying past your eyeballs courtesy of the Boing Boing Store. And every week, there's just too darn much of it to keep track of before you start missing cool items. Items you'd probably wanna get if you hadn't…you know…missed it. That's a tragedy we can't abide. As a public service,… READ THE REST
Working from home might be wrecking your back and this gel cushion could change all that
Which part of working from home has already been chafing on your very last nerve? Many of us are going through it, so we know there's something. Maybe it's the constant interruption of family or roommates. Maybe it's not having access to all the resources you usually have back at the office. Or maybe it's… READ THE REST
