Butterflies on Milkweed wallpaper.
Evidence of living organisms 4 billion years ago on Mars?
A new article (in press) from Earth and Planetary Science Letters unveils research on the hydrothermal formation of Clay-Carbonate rocks in the Nili Fossae region of Mars. The findings may provide a link to evidence of living organisms on Mars, roughly 4 billion years ago in the Noachian period.
….Adrian Brown, corresponding author, explains: “We suggest that the associated hydrothermal activity would have provided sufficient energy for biological activity on early Mars at Nili Fossae. Furthermore, in the article we discuss the potential of the Archean volcanics of the East Pilbara region of Western Australia as an analog for the Nochian Nili Fossae on Mars. They indicate that biomarkers or evidence of living organisms, if produced at Nili, could have been preserved, as they have been in the North Pole Dome region of the Pilbara craton.”
Not an absolute certainty yet, but those visiting Mars should be careful not to trample the fossils at Nili Fossae.
I mentioned this the other day, Fossil Fuel Subsidies 10x Renewables Support
Worldwide renewable power and biofuels received $43 billion-46 billion in subsidies last year, only a fraction of the government subsidies for fossil fuels, according to preliminary figures from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).
By contrast, governments propped up fossil fuels with $557 billion of subsidies in 2008, according to figures published in June by the International Energy Agency.
Instead of throwing away that dingy, old toothbrush, recycle it
One thing I never thought of to recycle is the toothbrush. Yet a company called Preserve does just that.
Founded in 1996, Preserve makes high quality products for the home made from recycled No. 5 polypropylene plastic.
The head-line is a little confusing since they’re pushing a brand of toothbrush and other products including like razors, tableware, cutting boards by a particular company made from recycled plastic. To see if your toothbrush is recyclable you can check the manufactures web or if it is stamped with a plastic grade stamp check your local government web site to see if the company they contract with will recyclable that type of plastic. Buying products made from recycled plastic lessens the amount of fossil fuels we use as plastic is synthesized from petro-chemicals.
On California’s ongoing plastic bag ax debate, Partial plastic bag ban is well-balanced solution
But no, the bag tax discussed here would amount to about a nickel a bag for one-time-use recycled paper bags starting in 2012, and it has specific exemptions for plastic bags like the ones used for fresh produce and meat products that often leave liquid residues on counter tops and elsewhere.
Stores would also be required to offer reusable cloth or plastic bags for sale, as many already do. The idea is to stop the vast expansion of use of one-time-use plastic bags, of which about 19 billion are distributed in California every year (about 600 per person). That would cut national dependence on foreign oil at the same time it vastly reduces the proliferation of plastic trash.
One simple fact seems to be getting lost in the discussion; you do not have to pay the tax if you use your own bag. California, as one would expect uses a tremendous amount of plastic bags. If we’re lucky they end up in a landfill, but landfills in California are constantly strained at handling the volume of refuse. A bag tax would be a lot less painful than the push to ban one use bags altogether.
BP Oil Dispersants Used Regularly Even After White House Order; Coast Guard Allowed It
Markey’s office released the letter Saturday as well as the documents his panel had analyzed. Markey said that instead of complying with the EPA directive, “BP often carpet bombed the ocean with these chemicals and the Coast Guard allowed them to do it.”
The House investigators found that the Coast Guard routinely approved the chemical use, in some cases a week in advance. On five occasions the Coast Guard approved a BP request to use 6,000 gallons a day over a weeklong period and “in many of these days BP still used more than double” the limit that was approved, Markey said in his letter.
It is in light of behavior like this which make those BP commercials claiming the companies cares about doing the right thing a joke.
tangledwing 