Oil Spill

I have been watching this story with a lot of interest for a while now and I have not a whole lot to say. I wanted to talk statistics and science and about what this means for wildlife in the Gulf, but I keep going back to politics and echoes of "Drill, baby, drill" run through my head. I can't bring myself to write about this travesty that is occurring because I think too many people, too many organizations, have tried so hard for and against this. So many people have risked their lives working on the rigs and protesting them. Who am I to say anything? I know biologically what this will mean to fisheries, wetlands, and bird nesting; but after I speak of all of those things, then what?

I guess, the only thing I really can say is that my thoughts go out to the people who lost family during the explosion. I will also be thinking of all the people that have livelihoods tied to wetlands and marine life and hope everything works out in the end. Not that my thoughts mean anything, they are just thoughts. Still.

Read more...

COPD Eating

While I haven't done a LOONNG post in forever, this is related to the series I started about COPD. It's short and sweet. Because COPD affects your breathing, it can also affect how you eat. I was very pleased when earlier today, Health.com posted an article on how you can enjoy your meals more when suffering from one of the many conditions under the COPD blanket. Eating is super important because, according to the chief medical officer for the American Lung Association, COPD leads to hypermetabolic states. This means burning of excess calories leading to weight-loss and undernourishment.

Many of the tips may seem like common sense, but people may need to be reminded of these things. People with COPD should first and foremost quit smoking. Also, drinking anything while eating can be a bit tricky. Another good tip is to eat your largest meal early in the day and try to eat many smaller meals. The list includes many other helpful tips so if you or someone you know suffers from COPD, you may want to check it out. There are 15 very easy tips in all.

Read more...

Building Mussels

This is a fantastic video produced by Defenders of Wildlife. The video talks about things that are being done today to help restore freshwater mussel populations and why these shelled invertebrates are so important. The comprehensive effort is bringing back many species from the verge of extinction as well. In particular, they mention some of the endangered species that they have actually been able to successfully breed in a controlled setting.

Be careful watching though... you just might learn something!

Read more...

Large Creatures in Hiding

I am sure cryptozoologists everywhere are having a field day with this as evidence of the ability of larger animals like the elusive bigfoot to remain in hiding. It has been confirmed that a new species of lizard, namely Varanus bitatawa, was discovered living in the treetops on the Philippine island of Luzon. The lizard can reach lengths of up to two meters in length (approx 6 ft) and has eluded scientists all this time. The lizard, a type of monitor lizard and closely related to the monitor lizard, is a vegetarian.

The lizard was first brought to scientists attention in 2001 when hunters went by with a large monitor lizard that they were only permitted to photograph. This spurred a two month expedition last summer. The hunt was successful and DNA testing revealed that this is, in fact, an entirely new species. What makes the find even more unique is that Luzon is a highly populated island and has suffered severe deforestation. Local hunters have always seen the lizard as a delicacy, but due to the small number of surveys done in this part of the world, the lizard had been unclassified by science.

The team from the University of Kansas was lead by herpetologist Rafe Brown. You can read more at National Geographic and ScienceNews.

Read more...

Peanut Butter and Jelly for the World

As any long time readers of my blog may know, I love food. I especially love being able to mix food with science... hence my affinity for all things Alton Brown. Imagine the giddy feeling I got when I stumbled across the PB&J Campaign.

The PB&J campaign is an online effort to educate consumers and promote plant-based meals like the beloved peanut butter and jelly sandwich. While I am not vegetarian, plant-based meals do make up a large portion of my eating habits. Having a PB&J instead of a burger, for example, can save up to 3.5 pounds of carbon dioxide and save approximately 280 gallons of water. That is not even mentioning the land saved.

Cutting back on meat from an environmental standpoint is not a new concept. This extends to fish and poultry as well. Many fish people consume are caught or farmed in less than savory ways. Because of this, I am a HUGE proponent of Seafood Watch. I carry the cards and have the site saved on my phone for quick referencing when at the store or out to eat. Beef, however, is a little more tricky and harder to come by in a sustainable way. In fact, in 2006, the UN declared cattle farming as the number one contributor to climate change. Cattle rearing is also a factor in water quality degradation. To quote the article:

The livestock business is among the most damaging sectors to the earth’s increasingly scarce water resources, contributing among other things to water pollution from animal wastes, antibiotics and hormones, chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and the pesticides used to spray feed crops.

On a lighter note, though... just by changing a few meals a week to plant and veggie based can make an impact. PB&J is a great start to that. According to the PB&J Campaign website:

If you have a PB&J instead of a red-meat lunch like a ham sandwich or a hamburger, you shrink your carbon footprint by almost 3.5 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

So go out and save the earth one peanut butter and jelly sandwich at a time!

Read more...