At http://phys.org/print257320509.html … it is being claimed it took 10 million years for the eco-system to recover after the end of the Permian mass extinction event. A recent paper suggested the bounce back was rapid but now the opposite is being said as the basic cause of the extinctions was nothing so dramatic as catastrophism but grim conditions that lingered, global warming, acid rain, ocean acidification and ocean anoxia. All this was enough to wipe out 90 per cent of life forms on Earth. No wonder these scientists scare themselves silly just thinking about CAGW.
Meanwhile, at http://phys.org/print257238869.html … thousands of shellfish were found dead of the coast of Peru – this comes after reports of a mass death of dolphins and pelicans. The cause of the deaths is unknown (for the moment) but 'you know what' is to blame.
Over at http://phys.org/print257274337.html … Louis Leaky is on his high horse again and predicts scepticism over evolution will soon be in the dustbin of history. He thinks, howver, humanity is on the cusp of a great disaster – and 'you know what' is disturbing the great fossil hunter.
However, putting it into proportion, at http://phys.org/print257414409.html we learn that those nasty fossil fuel companies are being hampered in the Arctic Ocean by reason there is so much frozen water and they can't get their drilling rigs into play. The summer melt season is late this year. It might be warm in the UK but its still cold way up north – and none to pleasant on the west coast of America. Shell is treading carefully, like a hound on a pin cushion, as they have not obtained final drilling permits and the environmental lobbyists are looking at blocking their activity – and 'you know what' must be stopped. At any cost.