Planet3.0 Blogs

(From Wikipedia) Epistemology (ἐπιστήμη, episteme-knowledge, understanding; λόγος, logos-study of) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge[1][2] and is also referred to as "theory of knowledge". Put concisely, it is the study of knowledge and…

Mindblowing. This is why we love science.Filed under: Crock of the Week…

Above, aspiring Republican Senate candidate. Could he be headed for disappointment? I thought last Senate’s sideshow vote on “whether Climate Change was real” seemed a bit lame to me, and the results useless. But with tentative, but continued trial balloons…

The thing people do not get about electric cars? They have crazy acceleration. And note the lack of vibration, roar or smoke. More below – Brewster MacCracken of Austin, Texas’ Pecan Street Project talks about EV early adopter’s discovering the…

FactCheck.org has a brand new “SciCheck” project, fact-checking science-themed claims by politicians and/or partisans. Here is a sample of their inaugural post, surveying recent statements by high profile Science Challenged politicians. These look comprehensive and well researched – I hope…

As inequality soars, the nervous super rich are already planning their escapes Climate and population are linked — but maybe not the way you thought Climate change could impact the poor much more than previously thought Climate change responsible for super-charging…

Mitt Romney now rebelieves in human-caused climate change:Romney, though, kept his focus on the issues. He said that while he hopes the skeptics about global climate change are right, he believes it's real and a major problem.He said it's not…

Above, new BMW ad touting the new i3 electric vehicle. When we think of rapid technological change, the early days of the internet come immediately to mind, for anyone who was an adult at that time.   In 1993, while many…

As much as I’ve been banging the drum about changing poll numbers on climate change – whoo boy, Republican internal numbers must be rather spectacular.  Another climate denier is asking to get off the crazy bus… Reuters: Rick Perry’s farewell…

Droll skit from Lake Wobegon. Only 2 minutes long. Why not? Elite: Script from January 24, 2015 broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion: GK: When the surgeon comes in to say hello before he opens up your skull to see…

This is a re-post from My View on Climate Change Guest post by Bart Strengers. Originally appeared as a news item on the PBL website. Late 2009, in the run-up to the international climate conference in Copenhagen, PBL climate researcher Bart…

For those who have been following the posts on reaction networks, this workshop should be interesting! I hope to see you there. • Workshop on Mathematical Trends in Reaction Network Theory, 1-3 July 2015, Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of…

James Lawrence Powell is a former geology professor, college president and museum director. He is currently the executive director of the US National Physical Science Consortium. He is also an excellent communicator of science for the general reader. I reviewed…

In the Beginning of Rabett Run, before Eli had slipped into gear, there were rants (Rant 1 Rant 2 and Extra Good Rant) about the costs of textbooks.  Eli feels about textbook publishers the way James and the Weasel feel…

In the ebb and flow of climate information, there seems, lately, to be a pulse of new findings relevant to the accelerating melt of ice sheets. Scientific American: As happens so often in science, Mike Willis wasn’t actually looking for…

Safety drills for children in areas impacted by swarms of earthquakes, which could be related to fracking for oil and gas, or underground disposal of fracking related wastes. The images bring up memories of civil defense “duck and cover” drills…

Powerful idea, powerfully stated.Filed under: Crock of the Week…

Wall Street Journal: LAS VEGAS—Net-zero homes are going mainstream, if the home-building industry has anything to do with it. The homes, which generate more electricity in a year than they use, have long been viewed as a niche product for…

My last few posts have been on some examples of dubious scientific publications. Some publishers are bad actors. Some authors are naively over-confident and have found naive editors or publishers to match. Sometimes it can be hard to tell. The…

Almer Glacier is fed by the Salisbury Snowfield which also has its own terminus, and both are former tributaries to the Franz Josef Glacier.  In 2007 the Almer Glacier almost reconnected with Franz Josef Glacier.  The glaciers of the southern…

ClimateProgress: Before this latest storm, we’ve seen a long-term pattern of more extreme precipitation, particularly in New England winters. Climate scientists had long predicted this would happen in a warming world. Here’s why.     Via Climate Nexus: Dr. Jennifer…

A recent favorite talking point of climate deniers spreads to other flim-flammers. NYTimes: During an impromptu news conference on Saturday, Coach Bill Belichick reiterated the New England Patriots’ innocence in what has become known as Deflategate. On at least two…

I have been posting comments at Climate Audit for about eight years. They have generally been at odds with the prevailing thinking there, but have been, I think, fact-based, referenced, on topic and polite. And they have generally appeared, and…

I can thoroughly recommend the reviews. but this post, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed, is not about common problems with perforce but about ScienceBlogs. Or National Geographic blogs, I’m never quite sure what “we” are nowadays. But nonetheless I…

Bloomberg: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Indiais ready to expand its use of renewable energy as a way to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, a signal that his government is moving toward joining an international deal on global warming. After a…

From the Abstract – “Potential Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat driven by hydrofracturing and ice cliff failure”: In response to atmospheric and ocean temperatures typical of past warm periods, floating ice shelves may be drastically reduced or removed completely by increased…

Above – continuing part 4 of our interview with Glaciologist Eric Rignot at the American Geophysical Union conference in December, 2014, San Francisco.  Last thursday’s post of Part 3 is going pretty viral, so check that if you have not.…

In the Looking Glass world of climate denial politics, this is what progress looks like.  Recently, several leading contenders for the Republican nomination for president have begun to pry themselves loose from the grasp of anti-science elements that have dominated…

It’s widely accepted that climate change will have bigger negative impacts on poorer countries than wealthy ones. However, a new economic modeling study finds that the economic impacts on these poorer countries could be much larger than previous estimates. As…

My last two overseas trips were to Vietnam two years ago and Indonesia last month, so it makes sense in my mind at least to compare them.Summary is that Hanoi has the opportunity to avoid the mistakes of American city…