Xpandyourhorizons-blog - Xpand Your Horizons

Clovis wasn’t qualified, but worse may be yet to come

Why is Grassley still supporting Clovis despite evidence, acknowledged by his attorney, of Clovis' e-mail urging Papadopoulos' trip to Russia?

“Come on, folks. Let’s be honest. Clovis has zero scientific credentials for the chief scientist post to begin with. The former professor and right-wing radio host who has a doctorate in public administration is already a USDA staffer, but the investigative news site ProPublica could find no evidence he ever even took a graduate-level course in science. He believes human contributions to climate change are a hoax.

The chief scientist, who advises the government on scientific issues, has long been some leader in biochemistry, medicine, food nutrition, and ecosystem ecology. But Clovis has said the USDA under Trump would focus mostly on slashing regulations.“

Keep fighting back: climatetruth.org/standup

This month, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary teamed up with partners to assess damage to the coral reef from Hurricane Irma. 

Preliminary reports from the team found extensive shifting of sand and heavy sediment accumulation, which can smother and prevent corals from getting enough sunlight, as well as some structural damage to individual corals and the reef itself. This effort is the first step in a longer recovery process. Here, a science diver notes reef conditions. 

Learn more about the assessment here and see more images here.

(Photo: Brenda Altmeier/NOAA)

Davide D'Amico

US military agency invests $100m in genetic extinction technologies

Technology could be used to wipe out malaria carrying mosquitos or other pests but UN experts say fears over possible military uses and unintended consequences strengthen case for a ban

They’re investing in Gene Drives.

(For a really good intro to gene drives and the opportunities and threats they pose: x) As the headline states, it can be used as an “extinction technology”. (It basically quickly forces genes to spread through a population.)

The article pretty much nails it when they point out that everyone is nervous about a branch of the military investing in this. Cause really, anyone looking into this should have the greatest amount of oversight possible. This technology can be used for a lot of good, but also a lot of bad. And most importantly, even the best intentions could have disastrous effects with this technology.

DARPA - the gov’t’s fringe science division - basically argues that a big part of the rationale is to be ready for others who might use it in a negative way. Which does seem important, to be fair. I guess the question becomes, ‘who watches the watchmen?’

Highlights:

A US military agency is investing $100m in genetic extinction technologies that could wipe out malarial mosquitoes, invasive rodents or other species…

The use of genetic extinction technologies in bioweapons is the stuff of nightmares, but known research is focused entirely on pest control and eradication…

Some UN experts, though, worry about unintended consequences. One told the Guardian: “You may be able to remove viruses or the entire mosquito population, but that may also have downstream ecological effects on species that depend on them.”

“My main worry,” he added, “is that we do something irreversible to the environment, despite our good intentions, before we fully appreciate the way that this technology will work.”…

“Darpa is not and should not be the only funder of gene-editing research but it is critical for the Department of Defense to defend its personnel and preserve military readiness,” he said.

Darpa believes that a steep fall in the costs of gene-editing toolkits has created a greater opportunity for hostile or rogue actors to experiment with the technology.

“This convergence of low cost and high availability means that applications for gene editing – both positive and negative – could arise from people or states operating outside of the traditional scientific community and international norms,” the official said. “It is incumbent on Darpa to perform this research and develop technologies that can protect against accidental and intentional misuse.”

P.s. Related story on how Britain wants to genetically alter rats to help reduce their overall numbers. (x)

Then let’s make some noise, shall we? Texas has a real problem providing women with adequate healthcare. This is bad.

L.A. Times Report: High Maternal Mortality Among African-American Texans Is a ‘Quiet Crisis’

Globally, maternal mortality rates have been declining over the past several years. In America, however, the maternal death rate more than doubled between 1987 and 2013. In fact, though the United States is one of the most developed countries in the world, it’s the second to last among 31 developed countries, ahead of only Mexico, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. And, according to a recent report in the Los Angeles Times, black women are dying at the highest rates.

More from the Los Angeles Times:

The maternal death rate in Texas after 2010 reached “levels not seen in other U.S. states,” according to a report compiled for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, based on figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Black women in Texas are dying at the highest rates of all. A 2016 joint report by the Texas Department of State Health Services’ Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force found that black mothers accounted for 11.4% of Texas births in 2011 and 2012, but 28.8% of pregnancy-related deaths.

Read the rest of the L.A. Times report here.

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Sand Dollar: It’s Alive!

Just 1°C of ocean warming can upend marine ecosystems 

For 9 months, the researchers monitored the distribution and growth of marine species that settled on the heated boxes and compared them with those that lived above unheated boxes. All it took was one look to notice the difference, Ashton says. In the 1°C increase experiment, a single species of moss animal, Fenestrulina rugula, doubled its growth rate. Within 2 months, the calciferous shelves it created dominated the community, the team reports today in Current Biology. What’s more, overall species diversity plummeted by 50%.