Latest News
All Hail the Sturgeon General -
“I took pleasure in turning questions such as ‘Did you wear lipstick? Did you use a hairdryer?’ into a discourse on the importance of the ocean as our primary source of oxygen, the value of coral reefs, mangroves, and marshes as vital buffers against storms, and the delightful nature of fish, shrimp, lobsters, and crabs alive, swimming in the ocean—not just on plates swimming with lemon slices and butter.” —From “The Sweet Spot in Time,” Sylvia Earle's 2012 Virginia Quarterly Review story about breaking gender barriers as an ocean explorer (which deserves unearthing in honor of Her Deepness recently being named a Glamour Woman of the Year)
Let's See Some Permits, Buddy -
We're pretty sure that violating the U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species is the least of the Jurrasic World theme park's worries in the upcoming movie of the same name (as seen in the jaw-dropping trailer everybody's talking about). Still, we gotta ask—how'd they get that great white shark to dangle over the giant underwater reptile without violating international law? Deep Sea News
Butterballs -
Today's turkeys are porkers. The average Thanksgiving turkey now weighs 30 pounds, compared to just 13 in the 1930s, and selective breeding for meatier breasts has spawned birds too top-heavy to stand up straight or breed naturally. To meet increased consumer demand, factory farms raise the animals in crowded quarters where they are debeaked and dosed with antibiotics. But don't just cry fowl as you stuff your face; give a humanely raised (and svelter) bird a try this holiday. Mother Jones
Mercury Rising -
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a major challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency's limits on mercury emissions and other hazardous pollutants from coal-fired power plants. Industry groups and more than 20 states say the EPA should have taken the cost of compliance into consideration. Another cost to keep in mind? The devastating neurological damage that exposure to quicksilver can cause. New York Times
Belief System -
“No creationist wakes up in the morning and says, ‘I have really strong opinions about whether Archaeopteryx is the ancestor of modern birds.’ Who are we as people? That’s the question that they think evolution is answering. What does it mean to be a person? What does it mean to be an animal?” —From Emma Green’s Atlantic story about how, when it comes to scientific beliefs, religion plays a greater role than education
Delay of Game -
A district court judge in Alaska issued a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today, preventing regulators from taking preemptive action to block a massive gold and copper mine that the agency believes would damage the Bristol Bay watershed. (It would.) The ruling doesn't mean the judge buys the Pebble Mine developers' claim that the EPA "colluded with environmental activists"—it just prevents the agency from issuing a final ruling while the court considers the case. Politico