My first post for Jane Goodall Institute of Canada's "Change Is In You" blog!
Author: Cadell Last
Hello. I'm probably drinking coffee and reading.
The Curiosity Announcement
The Curiosity Announcement When Dr. John Grotzinger told NPR that the Mars rover had made a discovery “for the history books” everyone overreacted, including me. Unfortunately, Curiosity did not discover microbial life, but they did discovery complex chemical compounds (e.g., carbon, chlorine). This discovery, although still disappointing for many, raises a few very interesting questions. … Continue reading The Curiosity Announcement
The Sixth Mass Extinction
The Sixth Mass Extinction Humans have been reorganizing the global ecosystem ever since we first migrated out of Africa. This has led to world organized around one species of megafauna, instead of a world organized around several megafauna. As a consequence, we may be living through a mass extinction event 80,000 years in the making. … Continue reading The Sixth Mass Extinction
The Scientific Method
The Scientific Method The scientific method has had a major impact on discourse in the modern world. It has had such a pervasive effect on thought that all other ways of knowing appear to be marginalized. How does this change the way people perceive and understand the scientific method? How are people who use others … Continue reading The Scientific Method
Science Meets YouTube
Science Meets YouTube Over the last few weeks I have been interested in how new media is changing education. YouTube has become an exciting avenue for a new generation of science educators to build a global audience. In the future, we should be lucky enough to see more and more interesting and exciting educational channels. … Continue reading Science Meets YouTube
Did Curiosity Discover Life On Mars?
Did Curiosity Discover Life On Mars? John Grotzinger, Curiosity’s chief scientist, recently revealed to NPR that the Mars rover has made a discovery “for the history books.” Is it life? There are several lines of evidence indicating that it is. This would be the biggest scientific discovery of our generation. If Curiosity did discover life, … Continue reading Did Curiosity Discover Life On Mars?
A Great Crisis
A Great Crisis Social scientists have established that humans experience a U-shaped happiness curve throughout their life. Middle-aged individuals seem to be less happy than other individuals regardless of socio-cultural or economic factors. A recent study has revealed that this may be a shared pattern with great apes. Over 508 captive chimpanzees and orangutans were … Continue reading A Great Crisis
Super Volcanoes: Our Biggest Threat?
Super Volcanoes: Our Biggest Threat? There are few natural disasters that pose a threat to our species. However, super volcanoes have devastated the global biosphere in the past and if one were to occur today, it would seriously destabilize our civilization. At the moment our knowledge of super volcanoes is impoverished but current evidence suggests … Continue reading Super Volcanoes: Our Biggest Threat?
Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy completely devastated the east coast of North America a few weeks ago. It was the largest and most intense known hurricane to ever affect northern North America. Will this event be a catalyst for real political change re: global warming? Cadell Last and Scott Rodgerson discuss. Podcast: Hurricane Sandy on The … Continue reading Hurricane Sandy
The Universe’s Adolescent Pictures
The Universe's Adolescent Pictures One of the biggest questions in cosmology today is centered around the accelerated-expansion of the universe. In order to better understand how the universe expands a team of scientists explored expansion during the “matter dominated” phase of the universe’s earlier history. Observations from this phase indicate the expansion is more complicated … Continue reading The Universe’s Adolescent Pictures