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Scotland's First Minister came and gave a speech at National Geographic Headquarters a few months ago in which he announced a $15M prize for whomever could come up with a way to harness the sea's energy around Scotland. I'm wondering if this will be one of the entries. Either way, Scotland seems to be located in a prime spot to be leading the charge with this type of renewable energy.

I read an article recently, where they mention harvesting stem cells from wisdom teeth to be used in this same way. So maybe save your money.

A recent National Geographic article listed several species on the brink. It's horrifying IMHO. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/01/endangered-species/klinkenborg-text

Politics has been squashing nukes for decades. I'm not so sure about powerlines and cellphones for cancer, and the science I have seen "proving" that vaccinations "can't possibly" cause autism has been far less than convincing, but... if you want to do something for the natural environment, use these mini-nukes as anchor points for nature preserves. Put a road in to the center for service, take the power lines out along that road and fence off a big wide buffer zone with absolutely no human admittance. Keep a fire break around the perimeter and around the powerlines and generation station, and otherwise just stay the hell out.

The problem with homo-sapiens is that they just can't resist exploiting nature. Maybe the nuke symbol, combined with stiff civil and criminal penalties for trespass, is strong enough to keep the deer hunters out.

There is a great show on this subject that aired on the National Geographic channel. I highly recommend it to anyone that hasn't been paying much attention to the rovers for the last five years.

For those of us that are less informed.... linkage: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/08/0806_040806_locusts.html

Actually, various studies have found that playing action games boost hand-eye coordination.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0528_030528_videogames.html

Additionally, more complex games such as strategy games and RPGs can increase cognitive thinking much like pen and paper games and testing can such as a crossword puzzle (though the vocabulary and spelling benefits only occur if you play a word game).

Two words: NEXUS Card. It makes border crossings quick and painless.

Random on-topic fact of the day, an estimated 75% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the US border.

Ah, not quite, unfortunately.

You can use your Deterministic Oncological Generating box ;^)

or perhaps take advantage of another type of dog...

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/01/0112_060112_dog_cancer.html

Apparently this more common type of dog can be trained to smell certain types of existing cancer (instead of deteriministically generating them) ;^)

That occurred to me too; but if so, then it's equally impressive as a scam:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/08/0830_040830_aronralston.html

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/04/cnn25.tan.ralston/index.html

http://www.cmu.edu/magazine/03fall/aralston.html

The worst amongst these cycles is Bamboo trees (plants ? Grass ?)
They flower every 12 (or 8 or even 20 ) years or so. And when they flower they produce grains. These grains are eaten by rats and mice and this causes mice to breed rapidly. Then these rats go and eat all the rice from the rice paddies and causes starvation in large areas. This causes humans to start eating Bamboo grains repeating the cycle till rats die out. 50 years ago or so it would lead to starvation and human beings dieing in large parts of Asia out but it has'nt happened in the recent past since people started using pesticides. Here is an article from National Geographic about that.

"When asked for comment Yves Rossy, described the stunt as 'cute'".

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/flight-of-the-jet-man-3757/

(No, not really)

Nat Geo ran a recent TV show that makes the claim that Neanderthals actually invented language. The basis for the claim is that Neanderthals used weapons that required them to get up close to their prey in order to kill it which requires a large amount of cooperation between team members. Homo Sapiens, OTOH, were able to hunt from afar, which did not require similar cooperation. Language genes were then passed to HS from HN via inter-species mating.

Also, not all mules are sterile.

I'm not so sure. Some people believe that neanderthals were absorbed into the european human population. If that is the case, then there are sound reasons for white(european ancestry) folks to dislike black(african ancestry) folks, since they are not wholly the same species.

Not saying I believe it myself, just adding a slightly different perspective.

How much more power does a 100W bulb draw if it's inefficient?

Personally, I think they should check out Fog Catchers http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0308/feature3/ like the ones used in the Atacama Desert. Of course, they do have the requisite mountain range.http://archive.idrc.ca/nayudamma/fogcatc_72e.html

what would they do with a mammoth?

Already got that covered: Northern Siberia.

That would certainly make me nervous, however the camel spiders I met during my time in 'the Iraq' nearly made me scream. I know they're not spiders per se...but they're pretty much what you would get if a spider had sex with a nightmare.

Holy fucking shit.

And here I thought the reason I never joined the military was my fear of being shot or exploded. Little did I know there was a much better reason my subconscious kept me far away!

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060614-contrails.html Aircraft are believed to be responsible for 2 to 3 percent of human CO2 emissions. Like other high, thin clouds, contrails reflect sunlight back into space and cool the planet. However, they also trap energy in Earth's atmosphere and boost the warming effect, the study says. (See National Geographic magazine's "Global Warning: Signs From Earth.") Stuber and other scientists believe that the effect of the contrails is significant. "On average the greenhouse warming effect dominates [the effects of contrails]," said Stuber, a meteorologist at England's University of Reading.

Unfortunately they don't follow and believe in a lot of things. For example, evolution. Scary.

i have to laugh at the gp's lniks, 2 are basicly the same article, one is a PERSONAL website and the other totally random. the fact is there is very strong evidence that the sun is responsible for temp rises http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070228-mars-warming.html (irony that it's on nat geo as well). mars has melting ice caps, explain that one away?

The cause of worldwide amphibian population declines is the Chytrid Fungus. However many do think that global warming is making the situation happen faster and to a more serious degree. Here is some quick links if you want to read more on the subject ...

From Nat Geo:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080401-frog-fungus.html

The NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/04/science/04frog.html

The CDC:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no12/03-0804.htm

Been reading too many oil company lackeys' "studies", eh? Guess everyone in the field is a gullible fool compared to you, random anonymous Internet poster.

Sun Not a Global Warming Culprit, Study Says
Solar Variability Unlikely To Have Caused Recent Warming
Don't Blame Sun for Global Warming, Study Says
Solar Activity Not Causing Warming

Been reading too many oil company lackeys' "studies", eh? Guess everyone in the field is a gullible fool compared to you, random anonymous Internet poster.

Sun Not a Global Warming Culprit, Study Says
Solar Variability Unlikely To Have Caused Recent Warming
Don't Blame Sun for Global Warming, Study Says
Solar Activity Not Causing Warming

(Oblig. Wikipedia reference.)

Granted, a moth costume is more difficult to make for Halloween.

From the video here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/081023-new-lunar-rover.html The suits are attached the outside, and astronauts simply slip into the suits from the cabin. This quite ingenious design avoids introducing any speck dust into the cabin.

By "you guys" are you referring to participants on this Slashdot discussion, or the marketers of the game? Have you read the news about Spore? Have you heard how it is being presented? The people who are marketing it are trying to say that it *is* based on something scientific, yet it isn't science.

Here's a little nugget from the National Geographic channel:
"Journey into the billion-year history of the human body, led by computer game visionary, Will Wright as he explores the break through science that's revealing the secret genetic machinery that shapes all life in the game Spore."

It should be just a "damn game" but it isn't always being presented like that.

Now, of course people should be skeptical of claims such as these, but even people in their right minds may consider that it is based on something scientific when, you know, even people not part of the company are making claims that it is scientific.

There is no "just" an anything. These things matter.

"The total cost of the project is expected to be 3.2-6.4 billion.[15]" - wikipedia
[15] = http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/03/god-particle/achenbach-text

Skimmed over the reference, page 6 states:
"Some U.S. money has gone into the LHC, which will cost billions of dollars: five, maybe ten--the exact number is elusive (the science will be precise, but the accounting apparently follows the Uncertainty Principle)."

Contrast that with, say, the Joint Strike Fighter program+purchases:
"Total development costs are estimated at more than US$40 billion (underwritten largely by the United States), while the purchase of an estimated 2,400 planes is expected to cost an additional US$200 billion.[49]"

If you live near a coast you may want to consider asking your pet's advice on how to avoid impending doom. They seem to have a much better handle on it than us. Possums get stunned by car headlights and don't move and we assume they're not intelligent yet our species sits on the beach when giant waves of destruction are coming. The difference is that if anything gets in front of a speeding car its going to have a tough time avoiding it. Apparently that's not the case with tsunamis. I do agree with you that a computer that passing a turing test would be somewhat useful. Maybe then we could get some consistent answers from customer service.

Sampling of such articles here:
(1) "Fire Under Arctic Ice: Volcanoes Have Been Blowing Their Tops In The Deep Ocean" http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080625140649.htm
(2) "Arctic ocean volcano blew its top â" even under pressure" http://environment.newscientist.com/article/mg19826625.800
(3) "Arctic Volcanoes Found Active at Unprecedented Depths" http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/080626-arctic-volcano.html

Possible methods to resolve question:
(a) send robot submersible with video camera down the methane plume to see what is happening on the ocean floor (i.e. seeing is believing). Is it cold & dark or warm and glowing red?
(b) audit regional distribution of frozen methane on arctic ocean floor, plotting location/concentration relative to undersea arctic ocean volcanoes and hot-water vents
(c) place sensors on ocean floor to measure temperature & pressure

Many people would look foolish if it later turned out the frozen methane was melting due to localized heating of the seabed caused by magma (lava) flows and/or geysers spewing hot water as happens along various undersea ridges

It seems there might be a better match when looking at solar activity

"Sun's Power Hits New Low".

Falcon

Cripes. You think the scientists studying these plumes just might have noticed nearby volcanos when constructing hypotheses?

Except the volcanoes are not near Russia. If volcanoes were the cause then why aren't methane vents near the volcanoes?

Falcon

Last year Italian scientists found what they thought was a crater.

Falcon

If, in the end, the increased wealth that CO2 emissions bring you allows you to clean up practices that are polluting and you save more lives than global warming costs, the emissions are worth it even if the most dire of global warming predictions are true.

What increased wealth that CO2 emissions create? The increase in poison ivy? The reduction in the growth rates of other plants. The increase in cooling costs? Drought in some places while others flood?

Falcon

Wouldn't you feel like a complete fool if all of humanity cut back on carbon emissions and exacerbated a cooling trend? Billions could die if this were to come true.

That can be turned on it's head too. If Global Warming is true then many can die or become ill, forget about flooding of lowlands. With a warmer world for instance malaria carrying mosquitoes can go to higher altitudes as well as latitudes. Ebola is probably the same. With higher CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere poison ivy grows faster as well. Unfortunately I haven't found a reference but I once read about a science study that concluded melting ice in a caldera could form a lake increases the chances of an eruption. I'm sure many other things like these can happen as well.

Second, what if warming isn't man-made? What if the planet is getting warmer due to solar activity, or planetary magnetic fields flipping, or any of the other non-anthropocentric theories?

I can't answer about the others here but "Sun's Power Hits New Low". Unfortunately this can make Global Warming pale in comparison. Like in the movie "The Core" the earth could bake though from cosmic rays instead of solar winds.

Ruining a global economy (or even a national one) might be worth it if there was a positive climactic change, but it's certainly not worth it if there is no measurable effect.

Why do people automatically assume doing something about Global Warming will hurt the global economy? Doing something about Global Warming can actually help the economy. Renewable energy can create a lot of well paying jobs. People will be employed in R&D, manufacturing, installation and maintenance of alternative energy sources. While I don't really like some of what Obama wants I do like his push on green collar jobs. And what of the trillions insurance companies can lose as well? How many billions will New Orleans cost? What about Texas? What about a volcanic eruption?

You're claiming something extraordinary is on the way and that I should take extraordinary measures to offset it. I'm asking for extraordinary proof.

And methane farts, er burbs, aren't enough, on top of a melting North Pole and Greenland's glaciers?

While you're at it, submit a counter-argument to those who disagree with you, one that contains a point-by-point proof of where their models fail. Submit it for rigorous peer review. When you've got it to the point where no reputable, knowledgeable climatologist will disagree with it, I'm on board.

I bet even the day after you won't get 100% agreement, being afterwards, on the cause.

Wouldn't you feel like a complete fool if all of humanity cut back on carbon emissions and exacerbated a cooling trend? Billions could die if this were to come true.

That can be turned on it's head too. If Global Warming is true then many can die or become ill, forget about flooding of lowlands. With a warmer world for instance malaria carrying mosquitoes can go to higher altitudes as well as latitudes. Ebola is probably the same. With higher CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere poison ivy grows faster as well. Unfortunately I haven't found a reference but I once read about a science study that concluded melting ice in a caldera could form a lake increases the chances of an eruption. I'm sure many other things like these can happen as well.

Second, what if warming isn't man-made? What if the planet is getting warmer due to solar activity, or planetary magnetic fields flipping, or any of the other non-anthropocentric theories?

I can't answer about the others here but "Sun's Power Hits New Low". Unfortunately this can make Global Warming pale in comparison. Like in the movie "The Core" the earth could bake though from cosmic rays instead of solar winds.

Ruining a global economy (or even a national one) might be worth it if there was a positive climactic change, but it's certainly not worth it if there is no measurable effect.

Why do people automatically assume doing something about Global Warming will hurt the global economy? Doing something about Global Warming can actually help the economy. Renewable energy can create a lot of well paying jobs. People will be employed in R&D, manufacturing, installation and maintenance of alternative energy sources. While I don't really like some of what Obama wants I do like his push on green collar jobs. And what of the trillions insurance companies can lose as well? How many billions will New Orleans cost? What about Texas? What about a volcanic eruption?

You're claiming something extraordinary is on the way and that I should take extraordinary measures to offset it. I'm asking for extraordinary proof.

And methane farts, er burbs, aren't enough, on top of a melting North Pole and Greenland's glaciers?

While you're at it, submit a counter-argument to those who disagree with you, one that contains a point-by-point proof of where their models fail. Submit it for rigorous peer review. When you've got it to the point where no reputable, knowledgeable climatologist will disagree with it, I'm on board.

I bet even the day after you won't get 100% agreement, being afterwards, on the cause.

If you mean that the oceans and atmosphere have been cooling in the Northern hemisphere in the past few months, yes. It is Fall. If you mean they've been cooling for the part several years, no. Global temperatures are still increasing. It's called "global warming." It's why there have been record low amounts of Arctic ice the past several years.

National Geographic Channel will be having a live coverage of the event.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/flight-of-the-jet-man-3757/Overview

Cost of the last major hurricane, $22 billion.
Cost of the existing "martial involvements", $12.3 billion per month.
Cost of the "largest bailout in history", $700 billion.

Silly congress critters who think they still have tax payer funds to fritter away... priceless.

Actually not acting on fear may mean that you're infected with Toxoplasma gondii. The actual study has no value judgments as to what level of fear is more adaptive, just that there is a difference on social conservatism.

have an excellent feature on ewaste this month for free!

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/01/high-tech-trash/carroll-text

Just gotta make this little plug for work. Don't forget to watch "How to Build a Better Being" on the National Geographic Channel tonight at 10.

mother nature provided something far worse to have nightmares about:

sarcosuchus imperator

the crocodile the size of a city bus

eek

The opening of the Northwest Passage is so last year. The big news this year is that the ice might break up all the way to the pole, a development scientists thought was still the better part of a century off.

the Arctic ice refused to melt this summer. Does anyone remember the warning in June that the North Pole would be ice free?

Of course, their prediction was way off (as always). When someone realized how bad their prediction was, they fear monger some more with more dire warnings!

Remember that they have only been keeping sat. data for ice extent for a little over 3 decades, which of course is when the sun has been in a very active period.

Let me remind you that there are locations in the Netherlands which are more than two times below sea level compared to that of New Orleans. New Orleans is of course much more prone to storms than the aforementioned place but I do not see why technology could not solve this [reinforcement] issue.

A couple differences: Parts (10-20%) of New Orleans are settling an inch a year, while parts of the Netherlands are settling a tenth or a quarter of an inch a year. 55% of the Netherlands is below sea level, so efforts to preserve it will have steady national support. Only a small section of the Mississippi river delta is below sea level. Still, towns in the Netherlands are in fact being told they can't build anything new. And there are mitigation efforts that work for river flooding that won't work for hurricane flooding, such as floating foundations. All in all, the Netherlands has good reason to take their situation much more seriously than New Orleans does, and it shows in what they have done.

If mankind has evolved from apes, how come in the 5,000 years of recorded history

There are more than 5000 years of recorded history. History recorded dinosaurs 65 million years ago. As I told the reply above yours, the Clovis culture in North America is dated as around 13,000 years ago however the archaeological site Monte Verde on the southern tip of Chile is dated 1000 years before Clovis. Cro-Magna paintings in southwestern France are dated as being 20,000 to 10,000 years ago. Aztecs invented the calendar around 4236 B.C thus putting it as 6000 years ago.

If evolution is an on-going process, why are there not monkeys constantly evolving into hominids?

Why should primates only evolve into homos? Why can't they evolve into other species? Look at a tree of life, evolution loves diversity.

Shouldn't there be a continuum of species?

There could be one but a record may not be possible. A dead body left in the Florida Everglades won't last very long, not even the bones even if it's human. Guess what? They embalm people when they die to preserve the body. Even then though those bodies may not last thousands of years.

To me, this is just like the global warming scam

Here we go again. Another person who thinks they are more qualified than the thousands of climatologists who have concluded Global Warming is real. What makes you more qualified than all of them? Where did you get your PhD in a climatology field, and what field is it? And did you do any post-doc work?

Antartic ice shelf is about the same size as it was 100 years ago

Where's your proof? Even if the Antartic ice is the same size, and Larson B didn't break oh but it did off, that does not mean ice isn't melting elsewhere. I see your proof, if you provide any, with that from qalified scientists. For instance the Artic ice is near record lows. The glacier on Mount Kilimanjaro, which provides fresh water to millions of people in Africa, have almost disappeared. As have glaciers in the Andes of South America, which also provides millions with fresh water. Then there are the glaciers in Greenland. If there isn't warming how are all these glaciers melting faster than ever?

And when you read how Mann of the famous "hockey stick" chart cherry-picked and manipulated his data, and then refused to release the data for a number of years - well, that doesn't sound like science to me.

Where's your proof Mann cherry-picked his data? In this SciAm article Mann refutes some of his critics. For instance critics charge the hockey stick chart does not graph the Little Ice Age, yet that was a local not a global phenomenon and his chart was global not local. Only those who deny Global Warming continue to harp on stuff like this.

The Earth has actually cooled over the last 4-5 years

Citation.

To people like you there must be a conspiracy, however like those who deny conspiracies about JFK's assassination and 911 say, if there were a conspiracy how come someone hasn't come out and disclosed the facts? Why aren't the street lined with those assassinated because they tried to warn people?

Why should my children be denied this great history and literature in favour of "I Have Two Mommies"?

Why should my children, though I don't have any, be denied the great history in the "Analects of Confucius

Never mind other countries; I remember reading in a 1989 issue of National Geographic that 13% of American high school grads couldn't identify their own country on a world map!

Thankfully their 2006 study showed improvement... only 6% had problems finding the USA on a world map.

Source

Since this story is still accepting replies, I just thought I'd chime back in and mention that there's a fairly extensive article about this discovery in the September issue of National Geographic (also available online).

You should be asking where do we see it in 2050. I see penguins. Lots of them. And they are hot. But not in a good way.