A tangle of stars in Berenices’ Hair

A faraway cluster of stars known the Coma star cluster requires a dark sky to be seen. It is in the constellation Coma Berenices – also known as Berenice’s Hair – and it’s an open star cluster, a loose collection of stars held together by gravity. If you can’t spot this wispy and gossamery group of stars with the unaided eye, try binoculars.

How can you find it? One way is to use the famous constellation Leo the Lion, shown on our chart at the top of this post, now in the east each evening. Leo is relatively easy to see. The front part of the Lion looks like a backwards question mark, and the back part is a little triangle, which includes the star Denebola, marked on the chart at top. The word Deneb in a star name always means tail, and this star marks the tail of Leo.

Do you know how to use the pointer stars in the Big Dipper to locate Polaris, the North Star? Instead of going northward from the pointer stars to Polaris, the North Star, go southward instead to find the constellation Leo.

An imaginary line drawn between the pointer stars in the Big Dipper - the two outer stars in the Dipper's bowl - points in one direction toward Polaris, the North Star, and in the opposite direction toward Leo.

Imagine that Leo is holding his tail out. In the place where you might see a “puff” at the end of the Lion’s tail, you’ll notice a fuzzy patch not too far away from Denebola. This is the constellation Coma Berenices, or Berenice’s Hair. The constellation Coma Berenices once was considered part of the constellation Leo.

Viewing Tip: To enhance your view of the Coma star cluster, take a paper towel tube or roll up some dark paper into a tube and place it to your eye. The tube will shield your eye from the glare of any ground lights. Binoculars or opera glasses will also lead to a better viewing experience.

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The Coma star cluster as captured on March 25, 2014, by Scott MacNeill of the Frosty Drew Observatory and Sky Theatre.

The Coma star cluster is estimated to be about 288 light-years away and has at least 37 known stars that are 400 million years old. It is the third-closest open cluster to our Earth and sun. Only the Ursa Major cluster (the bowl stars of the Big Dipper) and the Hyades cluster (the head of Taurus) are closer.

This cluster of stars – seen by the early stargazers as Queen Berenice’s Hair – is named for Queen Berenice II of Egypt, wife of Ptolemy III. In 243 B.C., Ptolemy went to war. His newlywed bride, Berenice, swore to the goddess Aphrodite to sacrifice her long, blonde hair, of which she was extremely proud, if her husband returned safely. He did, and she had her hair cut and placed it in the goddess’ temple. The next morning, the hair had disappeared. To appease the furious king and queen, and save the temple priests, the court astronomer is said to have indicated a fuzzy patch of stars in the heavens – and said that the gods were so pleased with Berenice’s offering that they had placed her hair in the heavens, for all to see.

Queen Berenice II of Egypt via Wikimedia Commons.

Beyond the visible stars in the Coma cluster is something else: a vast region of galaxies.

Read more: Coma Cluster of galaxies in Coma Berenices

View larger. | Coma Berenices appears to the eye as a cluster of stars. But a telescope reveals a vast region of distant galaxies, which can be seen on this chart of the Coma Berenices region via SEDS.

Bottom line: How to find the open star cluster in the constellation Coma Berenices, or Berenice’s Hair. Today, as in ancient times, the cluster is one of the most beautiful sights in the heavens.

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

Donate: Your support means the world to us

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2tLMg18

A faraway cluster of stars known the Coma star cluster requires a dark sky to be seen. It is in the constellation Coma Berenices – also known as Berenice’s Hair – and it’s an open star cluster, a loose collection of stars held together by gravity. If you can’t spot this wispy and gossamery group of stars with the unaided eye, try binoculars.

How can you find it? One way is to use the famous constellation Leo the Lion, shown on our chart at the top of this post, now in the east each evening. Leo is relatively easy to see. The front part of the Lion looks like a backwards question mark, and the back part is a little triangle, which includes the star Denebola, marked on the chart at top. The word Deneb in a star name always means tail, and this star marks the tail of Leo.

Do you know how to use the pointer stars in the Big Dipper to locate Polaris, the North Star? Instead of going northward from the pointer stars to Polaris, the North Star, go southward instead to find the constellation Leo.

An imaginary line drawn between the pointer stars in the Big Dipper - the two outer stars in the Dipper's bowl - points in one direction toward Polaris, the North Star, and in the opposite direction toward Leo.

Imagine that Leo is holding his tail out. In the place where you might see a “puff” at the end of the Lion’s tail, you’ll notice a fuzzy patch not too far away from Denebola. This is the constellation Coma Berenices, or Berenice’s Hair. The constellation Coma Berenices once was considered part of the constellation Leo.

Viewing Tip: To enhance your view of the Coma star cluster, take a paper towel tube or roll up some dark paper into a tube and place it to your eye. The tube will shield your eye from the glare of any ground lights. Binoculars or opera glasses will also lead to a better viewing experience.

Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

The Coma star cluster as captured on March 25, 2014, by Scott MacNeill of the Frosty Drew Observatory and Sky Theatre.

The Coma star cluster is estimated to be about 288 light-years away and has at least 37 known stars that are 400 million years old. It is the third-closest open cluster to our Earth and sun. Only the Ursa Major cluster (the bowl stars of the Big Dipper) and the Hyades cluster (the head of Taurus) are closer.

This cluster of stars – seen by the early stargazers as Queen Berenice’s Hair – is named for Queen Berenice II of Egypt, wife of Ptolemy III. In 243 B.C., Ptolemy went to war. His newlywed bride, Berenice, swore to the goddess Aphrodite to sacrifice her long, blonde hair, of which she was extremely proud, if her husband returned safely. He did, and she had her hair cut and placed it in the goddess’ temple. The next morning, the hair had disappeared. To appease the furious king and queen, and save the temple priests, the court astronomer is said to have indicated a fuzzy patch of stars in the heavens – and said that the gods were so pleased with Berenice’s offering that they had placed her hair in the heavens, for all to see.

Queen Berenice II of Egypt via Wikimedia Commons.

Beyond the visible stars in the Coma cluster is something else: a vast region of galaxies.

Read more: Coma Cluster of galaxies in Coma Berenices

View larger. | Coma Berenices appears to the eye as a cluster of stars. But a telescope reveals a vast region of distant galaxies, which can be seen on this chart of the Coma Berenices region via SEDS.

Bottom line: How to find the open star cluster in the constellation Coma Berenices, or Berenice’s Hair. Today, as in ancient times, the cluster is one of the most beautiful sights in the heavens.

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

Donate: Your support means the world to us

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2tLMg18

Planet 9 hypothesis gets a boost

Artist’s concept of what Planet 9 might look like, if it exists. Image via R. Hurt (IPAC)/Caltech.

Does a large Planet 9 – a hypothesized planet several times the mass of Earth in the distant outer reaches of the solar system – really exist? That question is still a topic of heated debate among astronomers. Some think a large Planet 9 can explain the weird orbits of some of the smaller known bodies in the Kuiper Belt. Others think that those orbits might be caused by multiple, unknown, smaller bodies instead.

Several astronomers recently reviewed the evidence for Planet 9 in an article published in February 2019 by Physics Reports. This peer-reviewed journal aims to publish long and deep reviews – more extensive than just literature surveys – on timely topics in physics. The article is called The Planet 9 Hypothesis, and the astronomers who wrote it are still very optimistic that Planet 9 will eventually be found and confirmed. According to co-author Fred Adams at the University of Michigan:

The strongest argument in favor of Planet 9 is that independent lines of evidence can all be explained by a proposed new planet with the same properties. In other words, there are multiple reasons to believe that Planet 9 is real, not just one.

From the review article in Physics Reports:

Over the course of the past two decades, observational surveys have unveiled the intricate orbital structure of the Kuiper Belt, a field of icy bodies orbiting the sun beyond Neptune. In addition to a host of readily-predictable orbital behavior, the emerging census of trans-Neptunian objects displays dynamical phenomena that cannot be accounted for by interactions with the known eight-planet solar system alone.

Diagrams showing the calculated orbit of Planet 9 in the outer solar system – much farther out than Neptune – and estimated size compared to the other planets. Image via James Tuttle Keane/Caltech

Planet 9 – so-called since Pluto is no longer officially considered a major planet – was first hypothesized by astronomers Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown of Caltech three years ago. Its existence could explain the odd orbits of some objects in the Kuiper Belt known as trans-Neptunian objects” (TNOs). The orbits of these small bodies are clustered together in a way that suggests to some astronomers that a larger and more distant world (a Planet 9) has been tugging on them with its relatively strong gravity.

Mike Brown explained that the new review paper does not prove Planet 9’s existence. But, he said:

… it does indicate that the hypothesis rests upon a solid foundation.

In a previous paper published on January 22, 2019 in The Astronomical Journal, astronomers calculated that the likelihood of Planet 9 not existing was only 1 in 500.

If real, Planet 9 is estimated to be about 5-10 times the mass of Earth, possibly making it similar to super-Earth-type exoplanets – larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. If it exists, Planet 9 may be on an elongated orbit, taking it up to 400 times the distance of Earth from the sun; that is very far away! The orbit is also calculated to be 15-20 degrees off the main orbital plane in which most of the other planets orbit.

The orbits of 6 extreme trans-Neptunian objects (in magenta) are mysteriously aligned in one direction, a configuration which can be explained by the presence of a Planet 9, according to some astronomers. Image via Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC).

Planet 9 has not been easy to find – assuming it’s actually there – so how long might it be before it is finally found? Adams thinks that, within the next 10 to 15 years, astronomers will either confirm that Planet 9 exists or refute it via the data. He said:

With its proposed properties, Planet 9 is right on the edge of being observable. But this is a very dim object in a very big sky. Since we don’t know exactly where it is, you have to survey the whole sky, or at least large portions of it, in order to find the planet.

Over the course of the next 10 years, we will have deeper and deeper – which means more sensitive – sky surveys. So I think by 2030 we will have seen it or will have a better idea of where it is. Of course, it’s also possible that by then we could also have alternate explanations for the observed orbital anomalies.

Juliette Becker is a doctoral candidate from University of Michigan’s Department of Astronomy and a co-author on the new review paper about Planet 9. She thinks that discovering Planet 9 would help answer various mysteries in the solar system, including the origin of the rocky object labeled 2015 BP519 and nicknamed Caju. This object is one of the TNOs thought to be gravitationally affected by Planet 9. It is only 340 miles (550 kms) in diameter and is on a highly eccentric and inclined orbit. She said:

Planet 9 is a really good explanation for 2015 BP519. The physics works perfectly. However, until we see Planet 9 in an image and are sure it’s there, I don’t feel like we’ve truly solved the mystery of its origin. The presence of Planet 9 would beautifully and coherently answer several seemingly unrelated open questions about the solar system. I look forward to the day we either see it or rule it out so that we can conclusively answer these questions.

By the way, there is even a theory that Planet 9 might be an exoplanet – such as a super-Earth – that was “stolen” by the sun from a nearby star. So you see that astronomers truly are perplexed about the orbits of these outer solar system bodies. They are casting around for ideas to explain them.

If a Planet 9 is found, whatever its origin, it will be one of the most exciting space discoveries in history. Since Pluto lost its major planet status in 2006, Neptune has been considered the most distant large planet from the sun in our solar system. If that’s not the case, if another large planet – a Planet 9 – exists, it’ll provide astronomers with an unprecedented opportunity to learn more about how our solar system originated and evolved.

Artist’s concept of the size of Earth compared to the super-Earth 55 Cancri e. If Planet 9 exists, it may be similar to this distant exoplanet. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC).

Bottom line: Finding Planet Nine – if it really exists – is still a difficult task for astronomers, but the new study in Physics Reports reflects astronomers’ continued optimism that it will be found in the relatively near future.

Source: The Planet 9 hypothesis

Via University of Michigan

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2TtW0vr

Artist’s concept of what Planet 9 might look like, if it exists. Image via R. Hurt (IPAC)/Caltech.

Does a large Planet 9 – a hypothesized planet several times the mass of Earth in the distant outer reaches of the solar system – really exist? That question is still a topic of heated debate among astronomers. Some think a large Planet 9 can explain the weird orbits of some of the smaller known bodies in the Kuiper Belt. Others think that those orbits might be caused by multiple, unknown, smaller bodies instead.

Several astronomers recently reviewed the evidence for Planet 9 in an article published in February 2019 by Physics Reports. This peer-reviewed journal aims to publish long and deep reviews – more extensive than just literature surveys – on timely topics in physics. The article is called The Planet 9 Hypothesis, and the astronomers who wrote it are still very optimistic that Planet 9 will eventually be found and confirmed. According to co-author Fred Adams at the University of Michigan:

The strongest argument in favor of Planet 9 is that independent lines of evidence can all be explained by a proposed new planet with the same properties. In other words, there are multiple reasons to believe that Planet 9 is real, not just one.

From the review article in Physics Reports:

Over the course of the past two decades, observational surveys have unveiled the intricate orbital structure of the Kuiper Belt, a field of icy bodies orbiting the sun beyond Neptune. In addition to a host of readily-predictable orbital behavior, the emerging census of trans-Neptunian objects displays dynamical phenomena that cannot be accounted for by interactions with the known eight-planet solar system alone.

Diagrams showing the calculated orbit of Planet 9 in the outer solar system – much farther out than Neptune – and estimated size compared to the other planets. Image via James Tuttle Keane/Caltech

Planet 9 – so-called since Pluto is no longer officially considered a major planet – was first hypothesized by astronomers Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown of Caltech three years ago. Its existence could explain the odd orbits of some objects in the Kuiper Belt known as trans-Neptunian objects” (TNOs). The orbits of these small bodies are clustered together in a way that suggests to some astronomers that a larger and more distant world (a Planet 9) has been tugging on them with its relatively strong gravity.

Mike Brown explained that the new review paper does not prove Planet 9’s existence. But, he said:

… it does indicate that the hypothesis rests upon a solid foundation.

In a previous paper published on January 22, 2019 in The Astronomical Journal, astronomers calculated that the likelihood of Planet 9 not existing was only 1 in 500.

If real, Planet 9 is estimated to be about 5-10 times the mass of Earth, possibly making it similar to super-Earth-type exoplanets – larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. If it exists, Planet 9 may be on an elongated orbit, taking it up to 400 times the distance of Earth from the sun; that is very far away! The orbit is also calculated to be 15-20 degrees off the main orbital plane in which most of the other planets orbit.

The orbits of 6 extreme trans-Neptunian objects (in magenta) are mysteriously aligned in one direction, a configuration which can be explained by the presence of a Planet 9, according to some astronomers. Image via Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC).

Planet 9 has not been easy to find – assuming it’s actually there – so how long might it be before it is finally found? Adams thinks that, within the next 10 to 15 years, astronomers will either confirm that Planet 9 exists or refute it via the data. He said:

With its proposed properties, Planet 9 is right on the edge of being observable. But this is a very dim object in a very big sky. Since we don’t know exactly where it is, you have to survey the whole sky, or at least large portions of it, in order to find the planet.

Over the course of the next 10 years, we will have deeper and deeper – which means more sensitive – sky surveys. So I think by 2030 we will have seen it or will have a better idea of where it is. Of course, it’s also possible that by then we could also have alternate explanations for the observed orbital anomalies.

Juliette Becker is a doctoral candidate from University of Michigan’s Department of Astronomy and a co-author on the new review paper about Planet 9. She thinks that discovering Planet 9 would help answer various mysteries in the solar system, including the origin of the rocky object labeled 2015 BP519 and nicknamed Caju. This object is one of the TNOs thought to be gravitationally affected by Planet 9. It is only 340 miles (550 kms) in diameter and is on a highly eccentric and inclined orbit. She said:

Planet 9 is a really good explanation for 2015 BP519. The physics works perfectly. However, until we see Planet 9 in an image and are sure it’s there, I don’t feel like we’ve truly solved the mystery of its origin. The presence of Planet 9 would beautifully and coherently answer several seemingly unrelated open questions about the solar system. I look forward to the day we either see it or rule it out so that we can conclusively answer these questions.

By the way, there is even a theory that Planet 9 might be an exoplanet – such as a super-Earth – that was “stolen” by the sun from a nearby star. So you see that astronomers truly are perplexed about the orbits of these outer solar system bodies. They are casting around for ideas to explain them.

If a Planet 9 is found, whatever its origin, it will be one of the most exciting space discoveries in history. Since Pluto lost its major planet status in 2006, Neptune has been considered the most distant large planet from the sun in our solar system. If that’s not the case, if another large planet – a Planet 9 – exists, it’ll provide astronomers with an unprecedented opportunity to learn more about how our solar system originated and evolved.

Artist’s concept of the size of Earth compared to the super-Earth 55 Cancri e. If Planet 9 exists, it may be similar to this distant exoplanet. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC).

Bottom line: Finding Planet Nine – if it really exists – is still a difficult task for astronomers, but the new study in Physics Reports reflects astronomers’ continued optimism that it will be found in the relatively near future.

Source: The Planet 9 hypothesis

Via University of Michigan

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2TtW0vr

2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #9

Story of the Week... Opinion of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week...

Story of the Week...

How the Weather Gets Weaponized in Climate Change Messaging

Clearing snow in Buffalo, N.Y., in January. Credit:Lindsay Dedario/Reuters<

In the summer, when heat waves scorch cities or heavy rains flood the coasts, some climate scientists and environmentalists will point out any plausible connections to global warming, hoping today’s weather will help people understand tomorrow’s danger from climate change.

Then winter comes. And, like clockwork, those who want to deny the established science that humans are warming the planet will try to flip the script. In January, when large swaths of the country were gripped by bitter cold, President Trump took to Twitter to mock climate fears: “Wouldn’t be bad to have a little of that good old fashioned Global Warming right now!”

Welcome to the weather wars. As battle lines harden between climate advocates and deniers, both are increasingly using bouts of extreme weather as a weapon to try to win people to their side. Weather, after all, is one of the easiest things for people to bond over or gripe about, a staple of small talk and shared experience that can make it a simple but powerful opportunity to discuss global warming.

But, as Mr. Trump’s words show, it’s also a framing device that can be easily abused. That raises the stakes for how scientists, who have long tried to distinguish between short-term weather fluctuations and long-term climate shifts, draw out and discuss the links between the two.

How the Weather Gets Weaponized in Climate Change Messaging by Brad Plumer, Climate, New York Times, Mar 1, 2019

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Opinion of the Week...

Scientists Must Speak Up for the Green New Deal

The resolution’s focus on climate and social justice highlights the central challenges—and opportunities—of our time

Credit: Getty Images 

When Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey introduced the Green New Deal (GND) resolution on February 7, 2019, many climate advocates rejoiced. From the Union of Concerned Scientists to the League of Conservation Voters, advocates representing a diversity of interests recognized that, finally, a resolution had been introduced into both chambers of Congress with an ambition that matched the scale of the climate-change challenge. The resolution presents a broad vision of what climate action in the United States could look like, centering the economy and jobs, especially for working class people.Meanwhile critics, both of the well-intentioned and bad-faith sorts, lambast the resolution for being unrealistic, falling short, being too vague or too costly.

With so many voices in the GND debate, one that is conspicuously silent is the voice of the scientific community. We urge scientists to engage in the discussion, both with their scientific expertise and as citizens.

As we wrote two years ago:

“We are women and scientists who strongly believe in the power of scientific solutions to change lives for the better, particularly those of other women and marginalized groups. Our goal is to use our knowledge, expertise, and experience as scientists to highlight the unique challenges faced by women around the world in the face of climate change, and propose policy and grassroots actions to address these challenges.”

The GND is galvanizing a movement around these very ideals and we see a critical role for scientists, and for women scientists in particular, in how the GND resolution is enacted. Here is why:

Scientists Must Speak Up for the Green New Deal, Opinion by The 500 Women Scientists Leadership,, Observation, Scientific American, Feb 25, 2019

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Toon of the Week...

 

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Coming Soon on SkS...

• Next self-paced run of Denial101x starts on March 5 (Baerbel)
• Inequality, sunk costs, and climate policy (Frank Ackerman)
• SkS Analogy 19 - A table full of crystal and ideal temperature (Evan)
• Analysis: The climate papers most featured in the media in 2018 (Robert McSweeney)
• New research this week (Ari)
• 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #10 (John Hartz)
• 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #10 (John Hartz) 

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Climate Feedback Reviews...

Western Journal op-ed deceives readers with completely unsupported claims

 

Climate Feedback asked a team of scientists to review the article, Media Hysteria: Climate Change ‘Heat Records’ Are a Huge Data Manipulation by Jay Lehr & Tom Harris, The Western Journal, Feb 20, 2019

Three scientists analyzed the article and estimate its overall scientific credibility to be 'very low'.  

A majority of reviewers tagged the article as: Cherry-picking, Flawed Reasoning, Inaccurate, and Misleading.

Review Summary

This op-ed published by The Western Journal, written by two members of think tanks opposed to the conclusions of climate science, makes several different types of claims about global temperatures and global temperature data. The authors attempt to argue that global temperatures are not increasing by cherry-picking some local examples of weather extremes. The headline further claims that temperature data have been “manipulated”.

Scientists who reviewed the article found that it provided no support for any of its claims, which contradict existing research and data analysis.The argument it attempts to make suffers from flawed reasoning, pretending that a cold record at some location decades ago would mean that the last few years of global average temperatures haven’t been the warmest on record.

The reviewers indicated that the content of the article does not support its headline.

UPDATE (26 February 2019) The Western Journal has retracted this op-ed, providing the following message in its place: “This Op-Ed has been retracted for failing to meet The Western Journal’s Editorial Standards. After publication, a number of factual claims made in the Op-Ed were determined to have been untrue. The decision was then made to retract the piece. Before we had done that, questions were raised about the methodology used by its authors to reach their conclusions, but because the decision to retract had already been made, The Western Journal did not investigate the validity of those questions. We note them here only for the record.
We apologize for publishing material in violation of our Editorial Standards of factual accuracy and for any confusion we might have caused by doing so.”

You can read an archived copy of the op-ed here. 

Western Journal op-ed deceives readers with completely unsupported claims, Edited by Scott Johnson, Climate Feedback, Feb 26, 2019

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SkS Week in Review... 

• 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #9 by John Hartz
• New research, February 18-24, 2019 by Ari Jokimäki
• What's in the Green New Deal? Four key issues to understand by Dana Nuccitelli (Yale Climate Connections)
• Prices are not Enough by Frank Ackerman (Triple Crises) 
• Fighting Climate Change: Structural vs individual action (Climate Adam video)
• 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #8 by John Hartz

Poster of the Week...

 

from Skeptical Science https://ift.tt/2UjlKIi

Story of the Week... Opinion of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week...

Story of the Week...

How the Weather Gets Weaponized in Climate Change Messaging

Clearing snow in Buffalo, N.Y., in January. Credit:Lindsay Dedario/Reuters<

In the summer, when heat waves scorch cities or heavy rains flood the coasts, some climate scientists and environmentalists will point out any plausible connections to global warming, hoping today’s weather will help people understand tomorrow’s danger from climate change.

Then winter comes. And, like clockwork, those who want to deny the established science that humans are warming the planet will try to flip the script. In January, when large swaths of the country were gripped by bitter cold, President Trump took to Twitter to mock climate fears: “Wouldn’t be bad to have a little of that good old fashioned Global Warming right now!”

Welcome to the weather wars. As battle lines harden between climate advocates and deniers, both are increasingly using bouts of extreme weather as a weapon to try to win people to their side. Weather, after all, is one of the easiest things for people to bond over or gripe about, a staple of small talk and shared experience that can make it a simple but powerful opportunity to discuss global warming.

But, as Mr. Trump’s words show, it’s also a framing device that can be easily abused. That raises the stakes for how scientists, who have long tried to distinguish between short-term weather fluctuations and long-term climate shifts, draw out and discuss the links between the two.

How the Weather Gets Weaponized in Climate Change Messaging by Brad Plumer, Climate, New York Times, Mar 1, 2019

---

Opinion of the Week...

Scientists Must Speak Up for the Green New Deal

The resolution’s focus on climate and social justice highlights the central challenges—and opportunities—of our time

Credit: Getty Images 

When Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey introduced the Green New Deal (GND) resolution on February 7, 2019, many climate advocates rejoiced. From the Union of Concerned Scientists to the League of Conservation Voters, advocates representing a diversity of interests recognized that, finally, a resolution had been introduced into both chambers of Congress with an ambition that matched the scale of the climate-change challenge. The resolution presents a broad vision of what climate action in the United States could look like, centering the economy and jobs, especially for working class people.Meanwhile critics, both of the well-intentioned and bad-faith sorts, lambast the resolution for being unrealistic, falling short, being too vague or too costly.

With so many voices in the GND debate, one that is conspicuously silent is the voice of the scientific community. We urge scientists to engage in the discussion, both with their scientific expertise and as citizens.

As we wrote two years ago:

“We are women and scientists who strongly believe in the power of scientific solutions to change lives for the better, particularly those of other women and marginalized groups. Our goal is to use our knowledge, expertise, and experience as scientists to highlight the unique challenges faced by women around the world in the face of climate change, and propose policy and grassroots actions to address these challenges.”

The GND is galvanizing a movement around these very ideals and we see a critical role for scientists, and for women scientists in particular, in how the GND resolution is enacted. Here is why:

Scientists Must Speak Up for the Green New Deal, Opinion by The 500 Women Scientists Leadership,, Observation, Scientific American, Feb 25, 2019

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Toon of the Week...

 

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Coming Soon on SkS...

• Next self-paced run of Denial101x starts on March 5 (Baerbel)
• Inequality, sunk costs, and climate policy (Frank Ackerman)
• SkS Analogy 19 - A table full of crystal and ideal temperature (Evan)
• Analysis: The climate papers most featured in the media in 2018 (Robert McSweeney)
• New research this week (Ari)
• 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #10 (John Hartz)
• 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #10 (John Hartz) 

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Climate Feedback Reviews...

Western Journal op-ed deceives readers with completely unsupported claims

 

Climate Feedback asked a team of scientists to review the article, Media Hysteria: Climate Change ‘Heat Records’ Are a Huge Data Manipulation by Jay Lehr & Tom Harris, The Western Journal, Feb 20, 2019

Three scientists analyzed the article and estimate its overall scientific credibility to be 'very low'.  

A majority of reviewers tagged the article as: Cherry-picking, Flawed Reasoning, Inaccurate, and Misleading.

Review Summary

This op-ed published by The Western Journal, written by two members of think tanks opposed to the conclusions of climate science, makes several different types of claims about global temperatures and global temperature data. The authors attempt to argue that global temperatures are not increasing by cherry-picking some local examples of weather extremes. The headline further claims that temperature data have been “manipulated”.

Scientists who reviewed the article found that it provided no support for any of its claims, which contradict existing research and data analysis.The argument it attempts to make suffers from flawed reasoning, pretending that a cold record at some location decades ago would mean that the last few years of global average temperatures haven’t been the warmest on record.

The reviewers indicated that the content of the article does not support its headline.

UPDATE (26 February 2019) The Western Journal has retracted this op-ed, providing the following message in its place: “This Op-Ed has been retracted for failing to meet The Western Journal’s Editorial Standards. After publication, a number of factual claims made in the Op-Ed were determined to have been untrue. The decision was then made to retract the piece. Before we had done that, questions were raised about the methodology used by its authors to reach their conclusions, but because the decision to retract had already been made, The Western Journal did not investigate the validity of those questions. We note them here only for the record.
We apologize for publishing material in violation of our Editorial Standards of factual accuracy and for any confusion we might have caused by doing so.”

You can read an archived copy of the op-ed here. 

Western Journal op-ed deceives readers with completely unsupported claims, Edited by Scott Johnson, Climate Feedback, Feb 26, 2019

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SkS Week in Review... 

• 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #9 by John Hartz
• New research, February 18-24, 2019 by Ari Jokimäki
• What's in the Green New Deal? Four key issues to understand by Dana Nuccitelli (Yale Climate Connections)
• Prices are not Enough by Frank Ackerman (Triple Crises) 
• Fighting Climate Change: Structural vs individual action (Climate Adam video)
• 2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #8 by John Hartz

Poster of the Week...

 

from Skeptical Science https://ift.tt/2UjlKIi

Great white shark genome decoded

Great white shark, Isla Guadalupe, Mexico. Image via Terry Goss/Wikimedia Commons.

In a major step toward understand the biology of the great white shark, its entire genome has now been decoded in detail.

The iconic predator – whose ancestry dates back more than 400 million years – is famous not just for its massive size (up to 20 feet or 6.1 meters) and fierceness, but also for its wound-healing abilities, long lifespan (70-odd years), and low rates of cancer.

The new study, published February 19, 2019 in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences compared the great white’s genome to genomes from a variety of other vertebrates, including the giant whale shark and humans. It turns out that the great white’s genome is massive – they have 41 pairs of chromosomes compared to our 23 — and the researchers say that decoding their genome could help reveal the genetic changes behind the shark’s evolutionary success.

The researchers say this information could help with the conservation of great whites and other sharks – many of which have rapidly declining populations due to overfishing – and humans as well. Salvador Jorgensen, a senior research scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, is a study co-author. He said in a statement:

Decoding the white shark genome is providing science with a new set of keys to unlock lingering mysteries about these feared and misunderstood predators – why sharks have thrived for some 500 million years, longer than almost any vertebrate on earth.

A great white shark bites a whale carcass. Photo via C. Fallows.

The researchers found

…striking occurrences of specific DNA sequence changes indicating molecular adaptation (also known as positive selection) in numerous genes with important roles in maintaining genome stability ­­- the genetic defense mechanisms that counteract the accumulation of damage to a species’ DNA, thereby preserving the integrity of the genome.

These adaptive sequence changes were found in genes intimately tied to DNA repair, DNA damage response, and DNA damage tolerance, among other genes. The opposite phenomenon, genome instability, which results from accumulated DNA damage, is well known to predispose humans to numerous cancers and age-related diseases.

The new genome map reveals that not only do great white sharks have chunks of code for these genome-stabilizing DNA repair mechanisms, but they also have gene adaptations for for tumor suppression. Michael Stanhope, of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine is a study co-author. Stanhope told Wired:

Understanding how these genes might be inoculating these animals from cancer could be a huge benefit to humans.

The shark genomes also revealed intriguing evolutionary adaptations in genes linked to wound healing pathways. Sharks are known for their impressively rapid wound healing. Stanhope said:

We found positive selection and gene content enrichments involving several genes tied to some of the most fundamental pathways in wound healing, including in a key blood clotting gene. These adaptations involving wound healing genes may underlie the vaunted ability of sharks to heal efficiently from even large wounds.

The researchers say they have just explored the “tip of the iceberg” with respect to the white shark genome. Mahmood Shivji is a study co-author and director of Nova Southeastern University’s Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Research Center. Shivji said:

Genome instability is a very important issue in many serious human diseases; now we find that nature has developed clever strategies to maintain the stability of genomes in these large-bodied, long-lived sharks. There’s still tons to be learned from these evolutionary marvels, including information that will potentially be useful to fight cancer and age-related diseases, and improve wound healing treatments in humans, as we uncover how these animals do it.

A juvenile great white shark at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Photo via Randy Wilder/Stanford University.

Bottom line: Researchers have mapped the genome of the great white shark.

Source: White shark genome reveals ancient elasmobranch adaptations associated with wound healing and the maintenance of genome stability

Via Nova Southeastern University

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2EKvd5V

Great white shark, Isla Guadalupe, Mexico. Image via Terry Goss/Wikimedia Commons.

In a major step toward understand the biology of the great white shark, its entire genome has now been decoded in detail.

The iconic predator – whose ancestry dates back more than 400 million years – is famous not just for its massive size (up to 20 feet or 6.1 meters) and fierceness, but also for its wound-healing abilities, long lifespan (70-odd years), and low rates of cancer.

The new study, published February 19, 2019 in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences compared the great white’s genome to genomes from a variety of other vertebrates, including the giant whale shark and humans. It turns out that the great white’s genome is massive – they have 41 pairs of chromosomes compared to our 23 — and the researchers say that decoding their genome could help reveal the genetic changes behind the shark’s evolutionary success.

The researchers say this information could help with the conservation of great whites and other sharks – many of which have rapidly declining populations due to overfishing – and humans as well. Salvador Jorgensen, a senior research scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, is a study co-author. He said in a statement:

Decoding the white shark genome is providing science with a new set of keys to unlock lingering mysteries about these feared and misunderstood predators – why sharks have thrived for some 500 million years, longer than almost any vertebrate on earth.

A great white shark bites a whale carcass. Photo via C. Fallows.

The researchers found

…striking occurrences of specific DNA sequence changes indicating molecular adaptation (also known as positive selection) in numerous genes with important roles in maintaining genome stability ­­- the genetic defense mechanisms that counteract the accumulation of damage to a species’ DNA, thereby preserving the integrity of the genome.

These adaptive sequence changes were found in genes intimately tied to DNA repair, DNA damage response, and DNA damage tolerance, among other genes. The opposite phenomenon, genome instability, which results from accumulated DNA damage, is well known to predispose humans to numerous cancers and age-related diseases.

The new genome map reveals that not only do great white sharks have chunks of code for these genome-stabilizing DNA repair mechanisms, but they also have gene adaptations for for tumor suppression. Michael Stanhope, of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine is a study co-author. Stanhope told Wired:

Understanding how these genes might be inoculating these animals from cancer could be a huge benefit to humans.

The shark genomes also revealed intriguing evolutionary adaptations in genes linked to wound healing pathways. Sharks are known for their impressively rapid wound healing. Stanhope said:

We found positive selection and gene content enrichments involving several genes tied to some of the most fundamental pathways in wound healing, including in a key blood clotting gene. These adaptations involving wound healing genes may underlie the vaunted ability of sharks to heal efficiently from even large wounds.

The researchers say they have just explored the “tip of the iceberg” with respect to the white shark genome. Mahmood Shivji is a study co-author and director of Nova Southeastern University’s Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Research Center. Shivji said:

Genome instability is a very important issue in many serious human diseases; now we find that nature has developed clever strategies to maintain the stability of genomes in these large-bodied, long-lived sharks. There’s still tons to be learned from these evolutionary marvels, including information that will potentially be useful to fight cancer and age-related diseases, and improve wound healing treatments in humans, as we uncover how these animals do it.

A juvenile great white shark at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Photo via Randy Wilder/Stanford University.

Bottom line: Researchers have mapped the genome of the great white shark.

Source: White shark genome reveals ancient elasmobranch adaptations associated with wound healing and the maintenance of genome stability

Via Nova Southeastern University

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2EKvd5V

Use Big Dipper to locate Hunting Dogs

Tonight, or any March evening, look for the Big Dipper in the northeast sky. This star pattern – one of the most noticeable from Northern Hemisphere locations – is part of the constellation Ursa Major, the Greater Bear. And, if you can find the Big Dipper, you can also find two Hunting Dogs seen by the ancient stargazers to be nipping at the Bear’s heels. The Hunting Dogs are a separate constellation: tiny Canes Venatici.

You’ll need a dark sky to see these two little stars snuggled in the arc of the Big Dipper. Originally, they were called by the names Chara and Asterion.

The Huntings Dogs by Richard Bloxam. Image via Old Book Art Image Gallery.

But the eastern star is now called Cor Caroli, or Heart of Charles, named for the patron king of the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius, who devised this constellation in 1690.

The most famous object in this region of the sky is M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy. It is beautiful when seen through telescopes and appears dramatic in photographs.

Unfortunately, this galaxy is difficult or impossible to glimpse with binoculars.

The large galaxy at the bottom is the beautiful Whirlpool galaxy, aka M51 or NGC 5194. It’s a large spiral galaxy located in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici. The smaller galaxy at top is a companion. Image via S. Beckwith (STScI) Hubble Heritage Team/STScI/AURA/ESA/NASA.

And there’s another faint object at the extreme edge of Canes Venatici that your binoculars should pick up. This object is M3, a globular star cluster located some 48,000 light-years away.

Messier 3 – aka M3 – from Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter.

Binoculars see M3 as a dim blur of light, best seen with averted vision.

But, in a dark sky, M3 is relatively easy to find. Notice on the chart below that it lies almost midway between the bright star Arcturus and Cor Caroli:

Not sure how to find Arcturus? Remember to follow the arc of the Big Dipper’s handle in order to locate this star, as shown on the chart below:

You can always find the bright orange star Arcturus by following the arc in the handle of the Big Dipper.

Bottom line: How to use the Big Dipper to find the constellation Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs!

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

Donate: Your support means the world to us

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2GWT5FS

Tonight, or any March evening, look for the Big Dipper in the northeast sky. This star pattern – one of the most noticeable from Northern Hemisphere locations – is part of the constellation Ursa Major, the Greater Bear. And, if you can find the Big Dipper, you can also find two Hunting Dogs seen by the ancient stargazers to be nipping at the Bear’s heels. The Hunting Dogs are a separate constellation: tiny Canes Venatici.

You’ll need a dark sky to see these two little stars snuggled in the arc of the Big Dipper. Originally, they were called by the names Chara and Asterion.

The Huntings Dogs by Richard Bloxam. Image via Old Book Art Image Gallery.

But the eastern star is now called Cor Caroli, or Heart of Charles, named for the patron king of the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius, who devised this constellation in 1690.

The most famous object in this region of the sky is M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy. It is beautiful when seen through telescopes and appears dramatic in photographs.

Unfortunately, this galaxy is difficult or impossible to glimpse with binoculars.

The large galaxy at the bottom is the beautiful Whirlpool galaxy, aka M51 or NGC 5194. It’s a large spiral galaxy located in the direction of the constellation Canes Venatici. The smaller galaxy at top is a companion. Image via S. Beckwith (STScI) Hubble Heritage Team/STScI/AURA/ESA/NASA.

And there’s another faint object at the extreme edge of Canes Venatici that your binoculars should pick up. This object is M3, a globular star cluster located some 48,000 light-years away.

Messier 3 – aka M3 – from Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter.

Binoculars see M3 as a dim blur of light, best seen with averted vision.

But, in a dark sky, M3 is relatively easy to find. Notice on the chart below that it lies almost midway between the bright star Arcturus and Cor Caroli:

Not sure how to find Arcturus? Remember to follow the arc of the Big Dipper’s handle in order to locate this star, as shown on the chart below:

You can always find the bright orange star Arcturus by following the arc in the handle of the Big Dipper.

Bottom line: How to use the Big Dipper to find the constellation Canes Venatici the Hunting Dogs!

EarthSky astronomy kits are perfect for beginners. Order today from the EarthSky store

Donate: Your support means the world to us

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2GWT5FS

The next big leap

EarthSky community member Michael Holland captured this photo of the SpaceX launch. The capsule was uncrewed and only a demonstration … but it’s also the 1st commercially-built and operated American spacecraft designed for humans to dock at the Space Station. It took off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida just before 3 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 2.

LIFTOFF! The next big leap in a new chapter of U.S. human spaceflight systems has left the pad. @SpaceX’s #CrewDragon demo flight will be the 1st commercially-built & operated American spacecraft designed for humans to dock at the @Space_Station. Watch: https://t.co/Fm5NQSfAXJ pic.twitter.com/YoiOf67kQL

— NASA (@NASA) March 2, 2019

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2tMEPqr

EarthSky community member Michael Holland captured this photo of the SpaceX launch. The capsule was uncrewed and only a demonstration … but it’s also the 1st commercially-built and operated American spacecraft designed for humans to dock at the Space Station. It took off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida just before 3 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 2.

LIFTOFF! The next big leap in a new chapter of U.S. human spaceflight systems has left the pad. @SpaceX’s #CrewDragon demo flight will be the 1st commercially-built & operated American spacecraft designed for humans to dock at the @Space_Station. Watch: https://t.co/Fm5NQSfAXJ pic.twitter.com/YoiOf67kQL

— NASA (@NASA) March 2, 2019

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/2tMEPqr

2019 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #9

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Feb 24 through Sat, Mar 2, 2019

Editor's Pick

Youth climate strikers: 'We are going to change the fate of humanity'

Exclusive: Students issue an open letter ahead of global day of action on 15 March, when young people are expected to strike across 50 nations

Read the climate strikers’ letter 

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speaking at a protest in front of the city hall in Hambourg, Germany. Photograph: Axel Heimken/Getty

The students striking from schools around the world to demand action on climate change have issued an uncompromising open letter stating: “We are going to change the fate of humanity, whether you like it or not.”

The letter, published by the Guardian, says: “United we will rise on 15 March and many times after until we see climate justice. We demand the world’s decision makers take responsibility and solve this crisis. You have failed us in the past. [But] the youth of this world has started to move and we will not rest again.”

The Youth Strikes for Climate movement is not centrally organised, so keeping track of the fast growing number of strikes is difficult, but many are registering on FridaysForFuture.org. So far, there are almost 500 events listed to take place on 15 March across 51 countries, making it the biggest strike day so far. Students plan to skip school across Western Europe, from the US to Brazil and Chile, and from Australia to Iran, India and Japan. 

Youth climate strikers: 'We are going to change the fate of humanity' by Damian Carrington, Environment, Guardian, Mar 1, 2019

---

Links posted on Facebook

Sun Feb 24, 2019

• Vandana Shiva: We Must Fight Back Against the 1 Percent to Stop the Sixth Mass Extinction by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, Feb 22, 2019
• Super Typhoon Wutip Hits 155 mph: Strongest February Typhoon on Record by Jeff Masters, Category 6, Weather Underground, Feb 23, 2019
• Everyone loves solar': Climate action heats up as NSW election issue by Peter Hannam, Environment, Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 24, 2019
• The Hard Lessons of Dianne Feinstein’s Encounter with the Young Green New Deal Activists, Opinion by Bill McKibben, New Yorker Magazine, Feb 23, 2019
• The Climate Science Behind The Green New Deal - A Layperson's Explanation by Marshall Shepherd, Science, Forbes, Feb 24, 2019
• This is an emergency, damn it by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Feb 23, 2019
• White House to set up panel to counter climate change consensus, officials say by Juliet Eilperin, Josh Dawsey & Brady Dennis, Health & Science, Washington Post, Feb 24, 2019
• A Centuries-Old Idea Could Revolutionize Climate Policy by Robinson Meyer, Science, The Atlantic, Feb 19, 2019

Mon Feb 25, 2019

• Climate plan "not pie in the sky" before election, says Spain by Isla Binnie, Reuters, Feb 22, 2019
• German climate law draft calls for net-zero emissions by 2050 by Julian Wettengel, Clean Energy Wire/Climate Home News, Feb 22, 2019
• EU's Juncker proposes billions of spending on climate change after a 16-year-old's speech by Anmar Frangoul, CNBC, Feb 22, 2019
• A Green New Deal Is Technologically Possible. Its Political Prospects Are Another Question. by Lisa Friedman & Trip Gabriel, Politics. New York Times, Feb 21, 2019
• The Ocean Is Running Out of Breath, Scientists Warn by Laura Poppick, Earth, Scientific American, Feb 25, 2019
• Don't trust the adults in the room on climate change, Opinion by Kate Aronoff, Comment is Free, Guardian, Feb 25, 2019
• Evidence for man-made global warming hits 'gold standard' - scientists by Alister Doyle, Reuters, Feb 25, 2019
• It is absolutely time to panic about climate change by Sean Illing, Energy & Environment, Vox, Feb 24, 2019

Tue Feb 26, 2019

• UK experiences winter temperatures above 20C for first time by Poppy Noor, Guardian, Feb 25, 2019
• Exxon asks U.S. regulator to block climate-change resolution - investors by Suzanne Barlyn, Reuters/EuroNews, Feb 25, 2019
• The new divide in the climate change fight: Immediately vs. eventually by Philip Bump, Politics, Washington Post, Feb 25, 2019
• Meet The Ostriches Under Consideration For Trump’s Anti-Science Climate Panel by Chris D'Angelo, Politics, HuffPost, Feb 26, 2019
• 3 clean energy myths that can lead to a productive climate conversation by Karen Kirk, Yale Climate Connections, Feb 21, 2019
• Disband your climate denial panel, Mr. President, Opinion by John Kerry, Washington Post, Jan 26, 2019
• Humans are frogs in hot water of climate change, research says by Jen Christensen, CNN, Feb 25, 2019
• Climate change: CO2 emissions fall in 18 countries with strong policies, study finds by Nicole Mortillaro, CBC News, Feb 25, 2019

Wed Feb 27, 2019

• Carbon farming: how agriculture can both feed people and fight climate change by Richard Lindsay, The Conversation UK, Feb 26, 2019
• Can geoengineering slow climate change, or will it be used as an excuse not to cut emissions? by Eric Campbell, ABC News (Australia), Feb 25, 2019
• The Uninhabitable Earth review: Astonishingly reductive view of impending disaster by John Gibbons, Culture, The Irish Times, Feb 23, 2019
• UK experiences hottest winter day ever as 21.2C is recorded in London by Amma Mohdin, Environment, Guardian, Jan 26, 2019
• Costa Rica launches 'unprecedented' push for zero emissions by 2050 by Sebastian Rodriguez, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Jan 25, 2019
• Climate change: Democratic lawmaker rips Donald Trump's panel on climate science as 'dangerous' by Ledyard King, USA Today, Feb 26, 2019
• It's been extreme': Australia's summer smashes seasonal heat records by Peter Hannam, Environment, Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 27, 2019
• Climate Denial Hearing Fizzles in House, But Testimony Highlights Its Damaging Impacts by Dana Drugmand, Climate liability News, Feb 27, 2019

Thu Feb 28, 2019

• Scientists warn global warming could decimate fish supplies and fuel migration by Erin Cobby, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Feb 27, 2019
• Climate Change, ISIS and Cyberattacks Are Seen as the World's Top Threats in a New Pew Poll by Casey Quackenbush, Time Magazine, Feb 11, 2019
• Skeptics Are Being Recruited for an "Adversarial" Review of Climate Science by Scott Waldman, E&E News/Scientific American, Feb 25, 2019
• A Green New Deal is fiscally responsible. Climate inaction is not, Opinion by Justin Talbot Zorn, Ben Beachy & Rhiana Gunn-Wright, Comment is Free, Guardian, Feb 25, 2019
• Renewable hydrogen ‘already cost competitive’, say researchers by Jocelyn Timperley, Carbon Brief, Feb 25, 2019
• Clouds May Hold the Key to Future Warming by Chelsea Harvey, E&E News/Scientific American, Feb 27, 2019
• What's in the Green New Deal? Four key issues to understand by Dana Nuccitelli, Yale Climate Connections, Feb 28, 2019
• Our kids need us to act fast on climate change by Heather McGhee, Grist, Feb 27, 2019

Fri Mar 1, 2019

• Ocean warming has caused ‘sustainable’ fish stocks to drop by 4% since 1930s by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Feb 28, 2019
• Annual emissions keep rising as gas jump counters power sector drop by Peter Hannam, Environment, Sydney Morning Hefrald, Feb 28. 2019
• Sea-Level Rise Is Already Taking a Toll on Annapolis by Marlene Cimons, Nexus Media, Feb 28, 2019
• The Green New Deal and the Strength of Ambiguity by Alan Neuhauser, US News & World Report, Mar 1, 2019
• Youth climate strikers: 'We are going to change the fate of humanity' by Damian Carrington, Environment, Guardian, Mar 1, 2019
• New study finds young forests have a huge climate impact by Morgan Erickson-Davis, Mongabay, Feb 26, 2019
• With Climate Science on the March, an Isolated Trump Hunkers Down by Coral Davenport, New York Times, Feb 28, 2019
• Canada needs its own Green New Deal. Here's what it could look like, Opinion by Clayton Thomas-Müller, National Observer, Nov 29, 2018

Sat Mar 2, 2019

• Out on its own: Australia the only country to use climate funding to upgrade coal-fired plants by Adam Morton, Environment, Guardian, Feb 28, 2019
• Climate change 'cause of most under-reported humanitarian crises' by Arthur Neslen, Environment, Guardian, Feb 21, 2019
• Switzerland puts geoengineering governance on UN environment agenda by Sara Stefanini, Climate Homes News, Feb 26, 2019
• How the Weather Gets Weaponized in Climate Change Messaging by Brad Plumer, Climate, New York Times, Mar 1, 2019

from Skeptical Science https://ift.tt/2tJZeML

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Feb 24 through Sat, Mar 2, 2019

Editor's Pick

Youth climate strikers: 'We are going to change the fate of humanity'

Exclusive: Students issue an open letter ahead of global day of action on 15 March, when young people are expected to strike across 50 nations

Read the climate strikers’ letter 

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speaking at a protest in front of the city hall in Hambourg, Germany. Photograph: Axel Heimken/Getty

The students striking from schools around the world to demand action on climate change have issued an uncompromising open letter stating: “We are going to change the fate of humanity, whether you like it or not.”

The letter, published by the Guardian, says: “United we will rise on 15 March and many times after until we see climate justice. We demand the world’s decision makers take responsibility and solve this crisis. You have failed us in the past. [But] the youth of this world has started to move and we will not rest again.”

The Youth Strikes for Climate movement is not centrally organised, so keeping track of the fast growing number of strikes is difficult, but many are registering on FridaysForFuture.org. So far, there are almost 500 events listed to take place on 15 March across 51 countries, making it the biggest strike day so far. Students plan to skip school across Western Europe, from the US to Brazil and Chile, and from Australia to Iran, India and Japan. 

Youth climate strikers: 'We are going to change the fate of humanity' by Damian Carrington, Environment, Guardian, Mar 1, 2019

---

Links posted on Facebook

Sun Feb 24, 2019

• Vandana Shiva: We Must Fight Back Against the 1 Percent to Stop the Sixth Mass Extinction by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, Feb 22, 2019
• Super Typhoon Wutip Hits 155 mph: Strongest February Typhoon on Record by Jeff Masters, Category 6, Weather Underground, Feb 23, 2019
• Everyone loves solar': Climate action heats up as NSW election issue by Peter Hannam, Environment, Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 24, 2019
• The Hard Lessons of Dianne Feinstein’s Encounter with the Young Green New Deal Activists, Opinion by Bill McKibben, New Yorker Magazine, Feb 23, 2019
• The Climate Science Behind The Green New Deal - A Layperson's Explanation by Marshall Shepherd, Science, Forbes, Feb 24, 2019
• This is an emergency, damn it by David Roberts, Energy & Environment, Vox, Feb 23, 2019
• White House to set up panel to counter climate change consensus, officials say by Juliet Eilperin, Josh Dawsey & Brady Dennis, Health & Science, Washington Post, Feb 24, 2019
• A Centuries-Old Idea Could Revolutionize Climate Policy by Robinson Meyer, Science, The Atlantic, Feb 19, 2019

Mon Feb 25, 2019

• Climate plan "not pie in the sky" before election, says Spain by Isla Binnie, Reuters, Feb 22, 2019
• German climate law draft calls for net-zero emissions by 2050 by Julian Wettengel, Clean Energy Wire/Climate Home News, Feb 22, 2019
• EU's Juncker proposes billions of spending on climate change after a 16-year-old's speech by Anmar Frangoul, CNBC, Feb 22, 2019
• A Green New Deal Is Technologically Possible. Its Political Prospects Are Another Question. by Lisa Friedman & Trip Gabriel, Politics. New York Times, Feb 21, 2019
• The Ocean Is Running Out of Breath, Scientists Warn by Laura Poppick, Earth, Scientific American, Feb 25, 2019
• Don't trust the adults in the room on climate change, Opinion by Kate Aronoff, Comment is Free, Guardian, Feb 25, 2019
• Evidence for man-made global warming hits 'gold standard' - scientists by Alister Doyle, Reuters, Feb 25, 2019
• It is absolutely time to panic about climate change by Sean Illing, Energy & Environment, Vox, Feb 24, 2019

Tue Feb 26, 2019

• UK experiences winter temperatures above 20C for first time by Poppy Noor, Guardian, Feb 25, 2019
• Exxon asks U.S. regulator to block climate-change resolution - investors by Suzanne Barlyn, Reuters/EuroNews, Feb 25, 2019
• The new divide in the climate change fight: Immediately vs. eventually by Philip Bump, Politics, Washington Post, Feb 25, 2019
• Meet The Ostriches Under Consideration For Trump’s Anti-Science Climate Panel by Chris D'Angelo, Politics, HuffPost, Feb 26, 2019
• 3 clean energy myths that can lead to a productive climate conversation by Karen Kirk, Yale Climate Connections, Feb 21, 2019
• Disband your climate denial panel, Mr. President, Opinion by John Kerry, Washington Post, Jan 26, 2019
• Humans are frogs in hot water of climate change, research says by Jen Christensen, CNN, Feb 25, 2019
• Climate change: CO2 emissions fall in 18 countries with strong policies, study finds by Nicole Mortillaro, CBC News, Feb 25, 2019

Wed Feb 27, 2019

• Carbon farming: how agriculture can both feed people and fight climate change by Richard Lindsay, The Conversation UK, Feb 26, 2019
• Can geoengineering slow climate change, or will it be used as an excuse not to cut emissions? by Eric Campbell, ABC News (Australia), Feb 25, 2019
• The Uninhabitable Earth review: Astonishingly reductive view of impending disaster by John Gibbons, Culture, The Irish Times, Feb 23, 2019
• UK experiences hottest winter day ever as 21.2C is recorded in London by Amma Mohdin, Environment, Guardian, Jan 26, 2019
• Costa Rica launches 'unprecedented' push for zero emissions by 2050 by Sebastian Rodriguez, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Jan 25, 2019
• Climate change: Democratic lawmaker rips Donald Trump's panel on climate science as 'dangerous' by Ledyard King, USA Today, Feb 26, 2019
• It's been extreme': Australia's summer smashes seasonal heat records by Peter Hannam, Environment, Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 27, 2019
• Climate Denial Hearing Fizzles in House, But Testimony Highlights Its Damaging Impacts by Dana Drugmand, Climate liability News, Feb 27, 2019

Thu Feb 28, 2019

• Scientists warn global warming could decimate fish supplies and fuel migration by Erin Cobby, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Feb 27, 2019
• Climate Change, ISIS and Cyberattacks Are Seen as the World's Top Threats in a New Pew Poll by Casey Quackenbush, Time Magazine, Feb 11, 2019
• Skeptics Are Being Recruited for an "Adversarial" Review of Climate Science by Scott Waldman, E&E News/Scientific American, Feb 25, 2019
• A Green New Deal is fiscally responsible. Climate inaction is not, Opinion by Justin Talbot Zorn, Ben Beachy & Rhiana Gunn-Wright, Comment is Free, Guardian, Feb 25, 2019
• Renewable hydrogen ‘already cost competitive’, say researchers by Jocelyn Timperley, Carbon Brief, Feb 25, 2019
• Clouds May Hold the Key to Future Warming by Chelsea Harvey, E&E News/Scientific American, Feb 27, 2019
• What's in the Green New Deal? Four key issues to understand by Dana Nuccitelli, Yale Climate Connections, Feb 28, 2019
• Our kids need us to act fast on climate change by Heather McGhee, Grist, Feb 27, 2019

Fri Mar 1, 2019

• Ocean warming has caused ‘sustainable’ fish stocks to drop by 4% since 1930s by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Feb 28, 2019
• Annual emissions keep rising as gas jump counters power sector drop by Peter Hannam, Environment, Sydney Morning Hefrald, Feb 28. 2019
• Sea-Level Rise Is Already Taking a Toll on Annapolis by Marlene Cimons, Nexus Media, Feb 28, 2019
• The Green New Deal and the Strength of Ambiguity by Alan Neuhauser, US News & World Report, Mar 1, 2019
• Youth climate strikers: 'We are going to change the fate of humanity' by Damian Carrington, Environment, Guardian, Mar 1, 2019
• New study finds young forests have a huge climate impact by Morgan Erickson-Davis, Mongabay, Feb 26, 2019
• With Climate Science on the March, an Isolated Trump Hunkers Down by Coral Davenport, New York Times, Feb 28, 2019
• Canada needs its own Green New Deal. Here's what it could look like, Opinion by Clayton Thomas-Müller, National Observer, Nov 29, 2018

Sat Mar 2, 2019

• Out on its own: Australia the only country to use climate funding to upgrade coal-fired plants by Adam Morton, Environment, Guardian, Feb 28, 2019
• Climate change 'cause of most under-reported humanitarian crises' by Arthur Neslen, Environment, Guardian, Feb 21, 2019
• Switzerland puts geoengineering governance on UN environment agenda by Sara Stefanini, Climate Homes News, Feb 26, 2019
• How the Weather Gets Weaponized in Climate Change Messaging by Brad Plumer, Climate, New York Times, Mar 1, 2019

from Skeptical Science https://ift.tt/2tJZeML