Free Republic

Fossil pollen from the end-Permian extinction reveals increased UV-B protection compounds, linking volcanic activity, ozone loss, and ecosystem collapse during Earth's most severe mass extinction.Scientists from China, Germany, and the UK led by Prof. LIU Feng from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) have revealed that pollen preserved in 250-million-year-old rocks contains abundant compounds that function like sunscreen but are produced by plants to protect themselves from harmful ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation.The presence of these compounds suggests that a pulse of UV-B played an essential role in the end-Permian mass extinction event...Accompanying this...

It turns out space helmets serve a dual purpose - to keep air in and stink out. Just like Earth, the universe emits various smells from every corner of the never-ending universe, often of which are generally unpleasant, Space.com reported, citing numerous space expeditions over the decades. Although it is impossible to take a whiff of the cosmos without facing certain death, astronauts have long described strong odors clinging to their space suits after they return to their air-locked chambers. Metallic, burnt meat Those aboard the Apollo moon landings described the scent as gunpowder-like, while others who traversed the International...

The Russian economy's industrial sector is in decline, according to air-pollution readings from satellites.A Wall Street Journal report showed that the decline may be worse than what Moscow officially reports.Pollution in Russia's industrial regions fell 1.2% in the six months to April, and is 6.2% lower annually.Russia's economy is suffering from an industrial decline as Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine drags on, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing data from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-5P satellite.

A new NASA climate simulation suggests that extremely large volcanic eruptions called “flood basalt eruptions” might significantly warm Earth’s climate and devastate the ozone layer that shields life from the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation. The result contradicts previous studies indicating these volcanoes cool the climate. It also suggests that while extensive flood-basalt eruptions on Mars and Venus may have helped warm their climates, they could have doomed the long-term habitability of these worlds by contributing to water loss. Unlike brief, explosive volcanic eruptions such as Pinatubo or January’s Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai that occur over hours or days, flood basalts are regions...

... Though biofuels have been touted for their ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, assessing the environmental impact of bioethanol requires including greenhouse gas emissions related to the crops needed for its production. And "the carbon balance of ethanol relative to gasoline isn't as good as it was originally anticipated," Tyler Lark, a scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison told AFP. In 2005, Congress passed a "Renewable Fuel Standard," which required transportation fuel to include a volume of biofuel that increased over time. The law was further expanded in 2007. As a result, 2.8 million additional hectares of corn were...

John Eastman, it seems, is the victim of one big misunderstanding. The conservative Claremont Institute, which employs the lawyer who provided a road map for President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election, decided to issue a statement Monday defending Eastman. "Contrary to almost universally false news accounts, which have done great damage, John did not ask the Vice President, who was presiding over the Joint Session of Congress where electoral votes were to be counted on January 6, to ‘overturn’ the election or to decide the validity of electoral votes,” its statement says. It...

October 31st 2019, I wrote a short essay entitled, "What If …. Biden Goes Away?"M/a> It described a vision I was given in which I saw Joe Biden. He had been arrested. It showed that he was going to be executed! I kept my ear cocked to the political news, which as a "news junkie", is business as usual for me! Confirmation came the 2nd week of April 2021, from an unquestionable source! ( There were rumors a couple of months earlier but nothing to write home about.) July 3,2021 --- This knowledge was made public indirectly, by our President,...

The hole in the ozone layer, Earth’s protective chemical shield that absorbs most of the sun’s ultraviolet rays, has slowly healed over the last few decades since the global ban of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). But scientists are now raising the alarm about puncturing a new hole in the ozone layer—this time without any noticeable CGCs in sight. Instead, the surprising cause is deterioration of the aluminum in megaconstellation satellites like SpaceX’s Starlink network. For our purposes, a satellite is a human-made object put into low-Earth orbit (LEO) for a planned lifespan. There are about 5,000 active and defunct satellite sin LEO,...

I live near Denver and my phone has been going off a lot more from my weather app complaining about "air quality" alerts. I go outside and the air is fine, no smog cloud, etc... Are they conditioning us to stay inside ( like COVID )?

?

Does this activity now make the priest eligible for slave reparations? Asking for a friend...

During his speech, Pitt also got political, calling out the Trump impeachment trial for blocking the testimony of former national security adviser John Bolton.

Hollywood’s Super Bowl for movie buffs is upon us. And you won’t want to miss the 2020 Oscars on Feb. 9, which will see the year’s hottest stars and most gifted creatives go head-to-head for a shot at entertainment’s most coveted gold trophy: an Academy Award. The live ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., will once again forgo a traditional host this year following last year’s controversy with comedian Kevin Hart, who ultimately stepped down. The honors will instead boast a slew of megastars lined up to announce, as well as a cannon of A-list musicians who will...

I am curious to see if PARASITE wins anything. I am also interested in Best Song Category...Idina Mendel will perform. Will TOY STORY 4 win? Will Rene Z win Best Actress? I liked PARASITE more than 1917 or JOKER.

Gee, I wonder why the Robinsons are having a problem hitting their goals on their FReepathons.

Stick a fork in me

WASHINGTON—The ozone hole near the South Pole this year is the smallest since it was discovered, but it is more due to freakish Antarctic weather than efforts to cut down on pollution, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) reported. This fall, the average hole in Earth’s protective ozone layer is 3.6 million square miles (9.3 million square kilometers). That’s down from a peak of 10.3 million square miles (26.6 million square kilometers) in 2006. This year’s hole is even smaller than the one first discovered in 1985. “That’s really good news,” Nasa scientist Paul Newman said Tuesday. “That means more...

Unusual weather patterns in the upper atmosphere over Antarctica have caused a drastic reduction in ozone depletion, leaving the ozone with the smallest hole seen since its discovery in 1982, according to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The government agencies said that the hole had shrunk to 3.9 million square miles for the remainder of September and October, according to satellite data. The peak in the hole was 6.3 million square miles, observed on Sept. 8. During normal weather conditions, the hole is usually around 8 million square miles during this time of year.

I took a boat through 96 million black plastic balls on the Los Angeles reservoir to find out why they're there. The first time I heard about shade balls the claim was they reduce evaporation. But it turns out this isn't the reason they were introduced. Huge thanks to LADWP for arranging this special tour for me. Next time let's put the GoPro on the submersible! The balls are made of high density polyethylene (HDPE) which is less dense than water so they float on the surface of the reservoir even if they break apart. They are 10cm (4 inches)...

In our last post, we looked at seasonal forecasts that have long been calling for a cold late winter in the central and eastern United States based on various signals, including stratospheric warming and the El Niño/Southern Oscillation. A winter storm dubbed Harper is the first salvo in this transition. This weekend, Harper will bring very heavy snows and widespread ice across large parts of the Northeast. See weather.com for frequent updates on Harper. There’s another player in the seasonal prediction game, and it’s one that many forecasters have long derided or dismissed: the 11-year cycle of solar activity. In...