Is the environment really that important?
Thanks for all of the responses (except for the rude and insulting ones, you know who you are). Most of the comments talked about the crops, but I am not convinced because I can drive down to the grocery store and pick up anything I want. Florida oranges, Wisconsin cheese, Swiss chocolate, these are all unnecessary luxury items that can be obtained very easily and pretty cheaply. The environment is supposed to be dying for the last several decades but organic food choices are ever more diverse.
What is it like to be an environmental remediation engineer?
Thanks for the A2A. I've never been a professional remediation engineer, but during my graduate studies I worked on various remediation projects under the engineers. One project was the reclamation of an abandoned mining valley that was filled with sediment from the surrounding mined mountain tops. It went from a barren wasteland of rock and sparse vegetation to a lush, green valley. The project engineered a new stream along the valley floor. The other project was on an ephemeral stream on a horse farm that was becoming a mud and flood nuisance without any controls. Riparian zones were established along stretches of its banks and flower patches were sown close to the farm. On the one side, it's extremely satisfying because there has been tons of research into best-practices for reshaping the environment. Throughout the planning process, you can be sure that as long as you're adhering to best practices, nature will also take care of itself. Watching dead streams become transformed back to vibrant ecosystems was a lot of fun. The down side is that it takes a ton of money to do certain kinds of reclamation. Then there's making sure you understand the permitting and monitoring processes, and planning all of the work over the course of years. Last, there's just not a lot of demand for this kind of work because there's not many incentives for companies to do more than the bare minimum for remediating. If you're interested in this line of work, it definitely will give you a good mix of the practical and theoretical, as well as developing project management experience.
Is there a profession where you can combine literature, environment science, astronomy, journalism, business, music and social work?
Teacher, Enterpreneur, Social worker, Nature conservator, Inventor, Activist, Scientist.. You can be all in one.Every field of work has dependency and influence on other fields. Hence in recent times we find lot of multi disciplinary fields. We find links drawn never thought before. For example science is everywhere. One need science to conserve nature, to revolutionize journalism, to bring literature to mainstream, to conserve rare and old literature works.For the fields mentioned in question, working towards "making earth a better place to live" would address all those.It's requires extensive study and field work with NATURE. It demands SCIENTIFIC approach and breakthrough to implement measures. It thrives for ASTRONOMY, for history tells future and that is where our history (and future) is. Social awareness is in core basics of it and JOURNALISM help us achieve it. What good is journalism if just numbers are piled upon. We need very good LITERATURE to make it to heart of public and create an ever lasting impression. Won't some songs and MUSIC help this cause? We have see many such songs and articles starting a revolution. This is the best gift or SERVICE you can do for a Society.Wait you said business. Research, invent and sell. I read somewhere "if you are good at something, don't it for free". There is always some one out there ready to invest, ready to spend.Green sapplings cost money, technology cost money, technology need equipments and they cost money, a good consultancy brings money. You find something rare and unique. People spend fortune to even have glimpse of it. BUSINESS is all over it. Just don't be greedy.
How did life begin according to science?
The miller-urey experiments have shown that in the volatile, oxygen poor environment of early earth, amino acids(basic organic compounds) occur naturally. These amino acids, when heated and water removed, can form protenoids; which are simpler versions of cell membranes that are made entirely of protein. Within these protenoid bubbles, amino acids could form additional proteins which would help facilitate biochemical reactions. These primitive protenoids could fuel their biochemical reactions by "eating" the free floating amino acids and other organic components in this environment, and breaking them down into useable products. Continued consumption would inevitably lead to growth. Also in this environment scientists have hypothesized that free floating RNA molecules would be able to self replicate by using proteins in their environment. Much as DNA does in cells today. If a protenoid could consume segments of RNA that would complement its own functions, and give it capability to reproduce. an early version of life could easily form. It all sounds really confusing, so I hope this helps: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenesis An enzyme doesn't want anything, in the same way a spoon doesn't want anything. It only reacts to its enviroment based on its current state. A cell that is capable of not only growing and reproducing, but become better adapted and more able to compete for resources, will out compete any other organism that is not able to evolve. The natural world favors entities(molecules, RNA, cells, organisms) that are able to adapt and change. We are just matter and energy in a continuous reaction. But we have the Pleasure Principle, so life DOES have meaning.
Are smart people that become scientists and doctors born smart?
Certainly someone do have to be born smart, but since med school is so tough to get in, lots of studying is needed. Further, there are environmental factors that could affect the brain. Even if someone is born smart, they can still develop a disease like autism if they are exposed to the wrong environment. There are cases in which one twin is normal and the other is autistic, and this fact shows that genetics is not the only thing that determines intelligence.
Is global warming an invention, like Trump says it is?
I won't answer this, but I hope I can make someone understand why believing in climate change is not only the right way to live, but the greatest gift we can give to our children.How often do you take out the trash? Let's say one large garbage bag of refuse 30 gallons for four people (generalused family size). Do that once a week, after a year you have over 1,500 gallons of trash. That would fill a normal size above ground pool. Multiply that by a general population of a country, say 30 million. Now we have 45billion gallons of trash to destroy each year (just in household trash). That converts to a lot of pollution. A lot!By not wanting to believe in climate change, that 45 billion gallons of trash a year will probably almost double, instead of cutting it in half. Climate change will create jobs, unfortunately our way of life will have to change, but nothing we can't survive. It would be the equivalent of instead of drinking two cups of coffee and two donuts, to one cup and half a donut.We will adapt, and actually become happier and more brilliant….and feel better about ourselves and our beautuful fragile planet and lives. Believing in climate change and wanting to support it, only rewards will come of it. The alternate choice will burn us and without a doubt, the planet will be given to the insects of the world.
Homeostasis and stability?
1. Give four examples of how stability in living things is challenged by changing physical, chemical and environmental conditions. High/low temperature, High/low atmospheric pressure, High/low osmotic pressure, High degree of acidity/basicity etc. 2. How do pathogens challenge an organism’s stability? Pathogens invade cells and breed themselves there, which causes diseases to the organism. As the organism tries to oust pathogens to maintain its stability, pathogens attempt to fight back against it.
What recent lifestyle changes have YOU personally made to help improve global climate that others could also easily make?
The first choice i made was decided decades ago, as i excelled in my career in environmental science. Don’t get me wrong, i do like kids..but my biggest gift to the planet was not to procreate. An American child uses more resources than a child born in any other nation in the entire world. Where do all those diapers go? Plastic toys & strollers & so much more are all based on petroleum products..which increases demand for oil exploration/exploitation. Today, i recycle Everything that is possible to recycle..i Never buy new clothes, ever..it takes tons of water to manufacture new clothes & items..while that freshwater is earths most critically limited resource. The Oceans are becoming the ‘Environmental Sink for CO2’, it used to be the vast undisturbed rainforests…but so much land has been sterilized for the sake of grazing cattle (decrease consumption of beef is another easy move to make). There are many tropical forests that have been turned into palm farms for many food products, eliminating habitat for indigenous wildlife. Chocolates, Nutella, semi-butters that use palm kernal oil are often responsible for the removal of huge areas of naturally biologically diverse habitat. Choose food sources, as well as dry goods from companies that are environmentally responsible. Some fancy Chocolates have a Rainforest Alliance sticker (has a frog), along with fair-trade, environmental sustainability, backed by the Nature Conservancy…those are choices we can easily make. Another Big difference owners of diesel trucks can make is to convert to biodiesal. I spoke to my mechanic (does state inspections), and he said it is not hard to do at all, and tanks and components do not need to be changed. I don’t know if that goes for diesel cars..you should get an electric hybrid. However…electricity can come from various sources. Everyone paying a power bill has the option of choosing 100% clean energy (solar & wind) to provide their power…and that is an easy choice to make, and actually costs less than some suppliers whose electricity comes in part from coal & nuclear.