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When Microbes Ate the Ocean
museumpeace writes "When /. discussed a story about microbes that could break down water as a hydrogen source, many commentors went off on a tangent joking about runaway germs eating the oceans. Now, prof Joe Kirschvink and students at CalTech propose that indeed, the worst iceage ever, which nearly ended life on earth 2.3 billion years ago, was the result of algae evolving the ability to break down water and flooding the atmosphere with oxygen. The absence of oxygen consuming organisms at that time is said to have lead to destruction of atmospheric methane which had hitherto warmed the earth. The professor concludes: 'We haven't had a Snowball in the past 630 million years, and because the sun is warmer now it may be harder to get into the right condition. But if it ever happens, all life on Earth would likely be destroyed.'"
Your ideas intrigue me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
I do agree with you on the ego thing. I've met -so many- linux zealots who can't back their claims of superiority with one fact, yet, they hate windows.. for no reason except the stereotypical "It crashes all the time!" and "Microsoft is a Facist Monopoly bent on world domination!". I forgot who said it, but i like him or her: "Open Source; Closed Minds".
It was a good idea. The problem was the application - Stallmanism ruined the OpenSores image, in my mind. I will never recommend a linux solution where a "Established" solution could take its place. Partially because of technical reasons ; but mostly because i wouldn't want to risk having someone adminning them who's too busy keeping their thumb up their arse to care about the company.
Slashdot is flawed, fundimentally. Unfortunately, its kind of fun. Screaming 14 year olds, as is said, having pissing contests over l33tness when they wouldnt know the difference between ATDT and ATH0, or SysV and BSD if it got up and shoved a clue by four up their output port. Hey, its better than sitting at work staring at the birds frying in the satellite transmitters on a slow day!
...is to just rename the planet. If we start calling Earth by a new name, say "Hoth" for example, the Earth will become an ice planet. Just get a significant number of the inhabitants of the planet to believe anything and it will come to pass. The boiling point of water for instance could easily be lowered or raised if we all, as a collective, just believed it to be possible for water to boil at, say... 90 degrees F. It's simple really. Just basic quantum fizziks with a little new ageyness thrown in for good measure. We now return you to your regularly scheduled propaganda.
-"...bad old ideas look confusingly fresh when they are packaged as technology" - Jaron Lanier (Digital Maoism on Edge.o
I gotta get out more... I read the headline as when Microsoft Ate the Ocean.
But if it ever happens, all life on Earth would likely be destroyed.
There's one unwavering faith I have in the human race: The ability to destroy things. That evil algae doesn't stand a chance!
Well the microbes might not, but my Ice-Nine will!
Sadly, PS/2 was yet another victim of USB, which doesn't care what you plug into it, the electrical slut.
Bill Paxton as the divorced Oceanographer who's trying to balance being a father to his 18 year-old son with his job.
Susan Sarandon as the head of the Governments Task Force on the Environment. She's tough and passionate but is there anything she can do?
Alec Baldwin as the President whos up for re-election. Can he fend off the powerful lobbyists yet still keep his office?
Jennifer Lopez is the scientist with a solution, but no one will listen due to her reputation as being an alarmist.
Wil Wheaton with a cameo as The Beaver.
Steven Spielberg is rumored to be interested.
I believe! I believe! Aw crap! my blood's boiling!
How are you gentlemen!!
In a little while you'll notice that several test tubes containing water-processing microbes have gone missing from laboratories around the world. Well, it's in safe hands. If you want them eliminated, you'll have to pay me...one million dollars!
Gentlemen, you have five days to come up with one million dollars. If you fail to do so, we'll set loose the microbes and destroy the world.
Gentlemen, silence! I didn't spend six years in evil medical school to make things so easy for you. The million dollar payment must be delivered to us in the space shuttle Discovery, with a crew of operators who will join our organization. To ensure that pirates (we are all well aware that pirates are the greatest threat of the digital age) do not hijack the shuttle, it must be loaded with an arsenal of fully functional nuclear weapons.
Upon taking possession of our one million dollars and its vessel, we will compensate the cooperative nations of the world by eliminating terrorism once and for all-by monopolizing it. Just as the FCC is eliminating dangerous rogue broadband providers, we will eliminate rogue terrorists and consolidate operations into a single, efficient, capitalistic evil organization. Cooperation is the only option. The power of Capitalism compels you! The power of Capitalism compels you! I trust you will do the right thing, gentlemen. So long.
The absence of oxygen consuming organisms at that time is said to have lead to destruction of atmospheric methane which had hitherto warmed the earth.
So if I am generating methane I'm really saving the planet? Will someone explain this to my wife?
FLR
... you were writing fiction... right...?
Arthur: What does it say?
Brother Maynard : It says: "I believe! I believe! Aw crap! my blood's boiling!"
Arthur: What?
Brother Maynard : my blood's boiling!
Sir Bedemere: What, he's dead?
Brother Maynard: He must've died while posting it.
Arthur: Oh, come on!
Brother Maynard: Well that's what it says.
Arthur: Look, if he was dying he wouldn't bother to type "my blood's boiling!" He'd just say it.
Brother Maynard: Well that's what's posted on Slashdot.
Sir Lancelot: Perhaps he was dictating.
Arthur: Oh, shut up.
Recycle PCs and build a wireless community network www.hillsborough.org.nz
"Those crazy microbes are going to blow up the ocean!"
In Soviet Rush, today's Tom Sawyer gets high on you.
Ah, but then Xenu droped the hydrogen bombs into the volcanoes, freeing the thetans. Now trust me, those hydrogen bombs are much more powerful than what we have today, and could easily have melted the snowball earth.
I know, 'cause Tom Cruise told me so. You don't know the history of geology. Tom Cruise does.
Microbes caused the ice age? That's not half of it... MICROBES ATE MY BALLS!
I would put up a link to a website detailing the evidence for this, but I'm too tired, and come to think of it, I don't have the balls to do it.
Ice-Nine
/.? Without being worked into a goatse, "in Soviet Russia" or "4. Profit!" gag?
Good lord, a literary reference on
I salute you, sir/madam!
The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. - Mark Twain
"Yes, See SLIMES (subsurface lithoautrophic microbial ecosystems) that exist deep in the earth"
ooh! ooh! I feel a pedant moment coming on!
It says "Life *on* Earth" not "Life *in* Earth"
In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
Yeah, right. I suppose next you'll be trying to convince us that Mel Gibson didn't write Hamlet.
I have this vision of a raging fireball in an epic battle with unending floods, courtesy of one percent more oxygen and 3 feet higher oceans. Perhaps I could turn that in to direct to DVD movie. Thanks /.
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here, this is the War Room!
I demand that the government employ thousands of (** remove** astronomers) biologists to blanket the (** remove** sky ) ocean watching out for these killer (** remove** aseroids ) microbes. At the moment we can only observe .00001% of the (** remove** sky ) marine biosphere. We need this protection now!
I would rather be ashes than dust!
Equal Rights for Vocanoes !!