Τρίτη 31 Ιανουαρίου 2017
January 2017 Observtaory night intro
January 2017 Observtaory night intro
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE 1/2/2017
Proving Einstein Right! - the Evidence - Prof Ian Morison - Gresham College
Proving Einstein Right! - the Evidence - Prof Ian Morison - Gresham College
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE 1/2/2017
Entropy (Order and Disorder) Energy BBC w/ Jim Al-Khalili
Entropy (Order and Disorder) Energy BBC w/ Jim Al-Khalili
Δημοσιεύτηκε στις 31 Ιαν 2017
Sun, Earthquakes, Blazars, Laniakea | S0 News Jan.31.2017
Sun, Earthquakes, Blazars, Laniakea | S0 News Jan.31.2017
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE 1/2/2017
Κυριακή 29 Ιανουαρίου 2017
Exocomets: Now you see them, now you don't - Barry Welsh(SETI Talks 2017)
Exocomets: Now you see them, now you don't - Barry Welsh(SETI Talks 2017)
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE30/1/2017
Before the big bang 2 - Conformal Cyclic Cosmology explained
Before the big bang 2 - Conformal Cyclic Cosmology explained
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE 29/1/2017
Conformal Cyclic Cosmology (Roger Penrose)
Conformal Cyclic Cosmology (Roger Penrose)
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE 29/1/2017
Life, but not as we know it: Scientists engineer first semisynthetic organism with three-base-pair DNA
Life, but not as we know it: Scientists engineer first semisynthetic organism with three-base-pair DNA
Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute
(TSRI) claim to have created the first stable semisynthetic organism
with extra bases added to its genetic code. The single-celled organism
is also able to continually replicate the synthetic base pair as it
divides, which could mean that future synthetic organisms may be able to
carry extra genetic information in their DNA sequences indefinitely.
The
cells of all organisms contain genetic information in their DNA as a
two-base-pair sequence made up of four molecules – A, T, C, G (Adenine,
Cytosine, Thymine, and Guanine). Each of these is known as a nucleotide
(consisting of a a nitrogenous base, a phosphate molecule, and a sugar
molecule) and are specifically and exclusively paired, so that only A is
coupled to T and C is coupled with G. These nucleotides are connected
in a chain by the covalent (electron-coupled) bonds between the sugar of
one nucleotide and the phosphate of the next, which creates an
alternating sugar-phosphate "backbone."
The team from TSRI have added two synthetic bases that they call "X" and "Y" into the genetic code of a E.coli
carrier organism – a single-cell bacteria – and then chemically tweaked
it to live, replicate, and survive with the extra DNA molecules intact.
"We've
made this semisynthetic organism more life-like," said Professor Floyd
Romesberg, senior author of the new study. "We can now get the light of
life to stay on. That suggests that all of life's processes can be
subject to manipulation."
Professor Floyd Romesberg (right) and Graduate Student Yorke Zhang led the new study at The Scripps Research Institute(Credit: Madeline McCurry-Schmidt)
Building on previous work on the development of X and Y in 2014, the team demonstrated at the time that engineered E. coli
bacteria could hold the artificial base pair in their genetic code
temporarily, but would then lose them when the organism divided.
"Your
genome isn't just stable for a day," said Romesberg. "Your genome has
to be stable for the scale of your lifetime. If the semisynthetic
organism is going to really be an organism, it has to be able to stably
maintain that information."
The
addition of the X and Y base pair seemed to affect the health and
well-being of the bacteria, meaning that it did not flourish, and was
seen to be sluggish, and slow. To help remedy this, the team modified
and improved the nucleotide transporter that ferried in the materials
that allow the new base pair to be replicated.
Following
this, the scientists swapped out the original Y molecule for one that
was better recognized by the enzymes in DNA molecules that help out
during replication, and then used the genome editing tool CRISPR
to modify the bacteria's genome so that it could grow and divide
normally, while still being able to pass on the X and Y nucleotides.
Working
specifically on the CRISPR-Cas9 DNA segment and an enzyme that acted as
part of an immune-response system where fragments of an invader genome
are sampled for future responses, the team modified the genetic sequence
so that it did not see X and Y as foreign bodies. As a result,
the TSRI semisynthetic organism was seen to hold onto the X and Y pair
in its genome even after replicating more than 60 times which, the
researchers claim, means that the bacteria should be able to
indefinitely hold on to the base pair.
Though
only able to be used in single-cell organisms and there are no
practical applications at this stage, future research is planned to work
out how to transcribe the new genetic code into RNA molecules and see
how they are affected when used by the cells to create proteins from
DNA.
The research results were recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Source: The Scripps Research Institute
ANAΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΥΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ FUTURESCOPE.COM 29/1/2017
New molecule knocks out superbugs' immunity to antibiotics
New molecule knocks out superbugs' immunity to antibiotics
In the fight against superbugs, a newly-developed molecule may allow us to use existing antibiotics again(Credit: lightsource/Depositphotos)One
of the most terrifyingly-plausible doomsday scenarios is the rise of
superbugs, strains of bacteria that are evolving a resistance to our
most powerful antibiotics. To try to prevent that situation occurring,
scientists are building a creative array of weapons by developing new materials, gels, lights and molecules to fight antibiotic-resistant bugs, and even pitting bacteria
against each other. Now researchers have created a new molecule that
can make previously antibiotic-resistant bacteria vulnerable to existing
drugs again.Last year, a report
commissioned by the UK government outlined a grim possible future that
could "cast us back into the dark ages of medicine," where our drugs
simply don't work and rampant antibiotic-resistant bacteria are
responsible for up to 10 million deaths per year. That report predicted
those horrors for the year 2050, but unfortunately, the killer bugs
might be ahead of schedule: our last line of defense against bacteria, a
class of antibiotics called carbapenems, are already beginning to fail in large numbers."We've lost the ability to use many of our mainstream antibiotics," says Bruce Geller, one of the study's authors. "Everything's resistant to them now. That's left us to try to develop new drugs to stay one step ahead of the bacteria, but the more we look the more we don't find anything new. So that's left us with making modifications to existing antibiotics, but as soon as you make a chemical change, the bugs mutate and now they're resistant to the new, chemically modified antibiotic."
Some of the most devastating bacteria get their antibiotic resistance by producing an enzyme known as New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM-1). It's this enzyme that the new research is targeting, by developing a molecule called a peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PPMO). This inhibits the bacteria's expression of NDM-1, essentially destroying its antibiotic resistance and allowing existing drugs to be effective once again.
"The significance of NDM-1 is that it is destroys carbapenems, so doctors have had to pull out an antibiotic, colistin, that hadn't been used in decades because it's toxic to the kidneys," Geller explains. "That is literally the last antibiotic that can be used on an NDM-1-expressing organism, and we now have bacteria that are completely resistant to all known antibiotics. But a PPMO can restore susceptibility to antibiotics that have already been approved, so we can get a PPMO approved and then go back and use these antibiotics that had become useless."
The study combined the new PPMO with meropenem, a type of carbapenem antibiotic that's effective against a broad range of bugs, and pitted it against three different types of bacteria that make use of NDM-1. In all cases, the PPMO restored meropenem's ability to kill the bacteria in vitro, and also managed to kill off an NDM-1-expressing strain of E. coli in tests in mice.
"We're targeting a resistance mechanism that's shared by a whole bunch of pathogens," says Geller. "It's the same gene in different types of bacteria, so you only have to have one PPMO that's effective for all of them, which is different than other PPMOs that are genus specific."
Geller says the new drug should be ready for human testing in about three years. The research was published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
Source: Oregon State University
ΑΝΑΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΥΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ FUTURESCOPE.COM 29/1/2017
Philip Kim, "Relativity, Quantum Physics, and Graphene"
Philip Kim, "Relativity, Quantum Physics, and Graphene"
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ ΥΟUTUBE 29/1/2017
The 4th to 11th Dimension Explained Quantum Physics Theory 4th to 11th D...
The 4th to 11th Dimension Explained Quantum Physics Theory 4th to 11th D
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE 29/1/2017
The Illusion of Time Quantum Mechanics Documentary YouTube 3L0103 - 6...
The Illusion of Time Quantum Mechanics Documentary YouTube 3L0103 - 6...
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE 29/1/2017
NASA LIVE: ���� "EARTH FROM SPACE" ♥ #LiveStream #SpaceTalk (2017) HDVR | ...
NASA LIVE: ���� "EARTH FROM SPACE" ♥ #LiveStream #SpaceTalk (2017) HDVR
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ ΥΟUTUBE 29/1/2017
Earthquake Watch Peaks, Cold/Snow Alert | S0 News Jan.29.2017
Earthquake Watch Peaks, Cold/Snow Alert | S0 News Jan.29.2017
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE 29/1/2017
Σάββατο 28 Ιανουαρίου 2017
Video Replay: Loops of Fire - Incredible views from the surface of the Sun
Video Replay: Loops of Fire - Incredible views from the surface of the Sun
Η μετάδοση ροής ξεκίνησε στις 22 Ιαν 2017
The Most Powerful Plant on Earth? | The Hemp Conspiracy | Documentary
The Most Powerful Plant on Earth? | The Hemp Conspiracy | Documentary
Δημοσιεύτηκε στις 25 Ιαν 2017
Is there more to this than we think?
Background music by CO.AG:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jixbf...
____________________________________________________________________
Don't forget to follow me on my other social medias to keep up with upcoming videos, articles and new information!
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Special
Thank you to CO.AG for the music as usual! If you are looking for music
for any video production, games, movies etc. He is the man to speak to
so check out his channel or send him a personal message!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcav...
Thanks for watching!
Top5s
Background music by CO.AG:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jixbf...
____________________________________________________________________
Don't forget to follow me on my other social medias to keep up with upcoming videos, articles and new information!
►► https://twitter.com/TheTop5s
►►https://www.facebook.com/TheOfficialT...
Special
Thank you to CO.AG for the music as usual! If you are looking for music
for any video production, games, movies etc. He is the man to speak to
so check out his channel or send him a personal message!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcav...
Thanks for watching!
Top5s
Earthquake Warning, Katla, Cosmic Radiation | S0 News Jan.28.2017
Earthquake Warning, Katla, Cosmic Radiation | S0 News Jan.28.2017
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE 29/1/2017
The Many Worlds of the Quantum Multiverse | Space Time | PBS Digital Stu...
The Many Worlds of the Quantum Multiverse | Space Time | PBS Digital Stu...
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE 29/1/2017
Quantum Entanglement and the Great Bohr-Einstein Debate | Space Time | P...
Quantum Entanglement and the Great Bohr-Einstein Debate | Space Time | P...
ANΑΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE 29/1/2017
Is Quantum Tunneling Faster than Light? | Space Time | PBS Digital Studios
Is Quantum Tunneling Faster than Light? | Space Time | PBS Digital Studios
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE 29/1/2017
Παρασκευή 27 Ιανουαρίου 2017
The Universe Quantum Physics Microscopic Universe Full Documentary
The Universe Quantum Physics Microscopic Universe Full Documentary
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE 27/1/2017
Πέμπτη 26 Ιανουαρίου 2017
Why Quasars are so Awesome | Space Time
Why Quasars are so Awesome | Space Time
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE 26/1/2017
Michio Kaku - Big History & Listener Questions
Michio Kaku - Big History & Listener Questions
ANAΡΤΗΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ YOUTUBE 26/1/2017
ΕΡΜΗΝΕΙΑ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΣΚΟΤΕΙΝΗ ΕΝΕΡΓΕΙΑ ΔΙΧΑΖΕΙ ΤΟΥΣ ΦΥΣΙΚΟΥΣ ΕΠΙΣΤΉΜΟΝΕΣ
Στη «χειρότερη πρόβλεψη στην ιστορία της φυσικής», όπως συχνά αποκαλείται η ασυμφωνία ανάμεσα στην πειραματική τιμή και τη θεωρητική εκτίμηση για τη σκοτεινή ενέργεια, υποστηρίζουν πως δίνουν τέλος επιστήμονες από τη Γαλλία και το Μεξικό, με την πρόταση που διατύπωσαν.
Οι φυσικοί περιγράφουν στο πρόσφατο περιοδικό Physical Review Letters την υπόθεσή τους, σύμφωνα με την οποία το πρόβλημα της κοσμολογικής σταθεράς, όπως ονομάζεται αυτή η ασυμφωνία, οφείλεται στην παραβίαση της αρχής διατήρησης της ενέργειας στο πρώιμο σύμπαν.
Με τον όρο σκοτεινή ενέργεια, οι επιστήμονες αποδίδουν την άγνωστη έως σήμερα αιτία που προκαλεί τη διαστολή του σύμπαντος, και μάλιστα με επιταχυνόμενο ρυθμό. Η κοσμολογική σταθερά αποτελεί μία από τις επικρατούσες θεωρίες για την εξήγησή της, προτείνοντας ότι η σκοτεινή ενέργεια δημιουργείται από τον κενό χώρο ο οποίος, σύμφωνα με την κβαντική φυσική, στην πραγματικότητα δεν είναι κενός, αλλά γεμάτος από «εικονικά» σωματίδια και αντισωματίδια, τα οποία δημιουργούνται αυθόρμητα και επανασυνδέονται πολύ γρήγορα, για να εξαϋλωθούν.
Ωστόσο, ο πραγματικός ρυθμός της συμπαντικής διαστολής δεν πλησιάζει καν την τιμή που προκύπτει με βάση την κοσμολογική σταθερά. Για την ακρίβεια, η απόκλιση είναι τεράστια, αγγίζοντας τις 120 τάξεις μεγέθους.
Σύμφωνα ωστόσο με τους συντάκτες του άρθρου στο Physical Review Letters, το χάσμα μπορεί να γεφυρωθεί αν στο «νεαρό» σύμπαν παραβιάστηκε η αρχή διατήρησης της ενέργειας. Οι παραβιάσεις αυτές θα μπορούσαν να είναι τόσο μικρές που είχαν αμελητέα επίδραση σε τοπική κλίμακα, την ίδια στιγμή όμως που επηρέασαν σημαντικά την τιμή που έχει σήμερα η κοσμολογική σταθερά.
Συντάκτες του άρθρου είναι οι Τιμπό Σοζέ και Αλεχάνδρο Πέρεζ από το πανεπιστήμιο της Εξ-Μαρσέιγ στη Γαλλία και ο Ντάνιελ Σουντάρκσι από το Εθνικό Αυτόνομο Πανεπιστήμιο του Μεξικό.
Ανάμεσα στα σενάρια παραβιάσεων της διατήρησης της ενέργειας, που εξέτασαν στη μελέτη τους, είναι τροποποιήσεις της κβαντικής θεωρίας που έχουν προταθεί στο παρελθόν, για την εξήγηση φαινομένων όπως η δημιουργία και η «εξάτμιση» των μελανών οπών. Σε τέτοιες περιπτώσεις, παράγεται ποσότητα ενέργειας που είναι ανάλογη με το αντικείμενο που «καταρρέει».
Όποια κι αν ήταν η αιτία παραβίασης της διατήρησης της ενέργειας, το σημαντικό αποτέλεσμα θα ήταν πως η ενέργεια που «προστέθηκε» ή «χάθηκε» από το σύμπαν επηρέαζε ολοένα περισσότερο με την πάροδο του χρόνου την κοσμολογική σταθερά. Την ίδια στιγμή, η όποια επίδραση στην ύλη μειωνόταν προοδευτικά, λόγω της διαστολής του σύμπαντος.
Με άλλα λόγια, όπως εξηγούν οι φυσικοί στο άρθρο τους, είναι σαν η κοσμολογική σταθερά να είναι το ιστορικό της μη διατήρησης της ενέργειας κατά τη διάρκεια της «ζωής» του σύμπαντος.
Οι φυσικοί περιγράφουν στο πρόσφατο περιοδικό Physical Review Letters την υπόθεσή τους, σύμφωνα με την οποία το πρόβλημα της κοσμολογικής σταθεράς, όπως ονομάζεται αυτή η ασυμφωνία, οφείλεται στην παραβίαση της αρχής διατήρησης της ενέργειας στο πρώιμο σύμπαν.
Με τον όρο σκοτεινή ενέργεια, οι επιστήμονες αποδίδουν την άγνωστη έως σήμερα αιτία που προκαλεί τη διαστολή του σύμπαντος, και μάλιστα με επιταχυνόμενο ρυθμό. Η κοσμολογική σταθερά αποτελεί μία από τις επικρατούσες θεωρίες για την εξήγησή της, προτείνοντας ότι η σκοτεινή ενέργεια δημιουργείται από τον κενό χώρο ο οποίος, σύμφωνα με την κβαντική φυσική, στην πραγματικότητα δεν είναι κενός, αλλά γεμάτος από «εικονικά» σωματίδια και αντισωματίδια, τα οποία δημιουργούνται αυθόρμητα και επανασυνδέονται πολύ γρήγορα, για να εξαϋλωθούν.
Ωστόσο, ο πραγματικός ρυθμός της συμπαντικής διαστολής δεν πλησιάζει καν την τιμή που προκύπτει με βάση την κοσμολογική σταθερά. Για την ακρίβεια, η απόκλιση είναι τεράστια, αγγίζοντας τις 120 τάξεις μεγέθους.
Σύμφωνα ωστόσο με τους συντάκτες του άρθρου στο Physical Review Letters, το χάσμα μπορεί να γεφυρωθεί αν στο «νεαρό» σύμπαν παραβιάστηκε η αρχή διατήρησης της ενέργειας. Οι παραβιάσεις αυτές θα μπορούσαν να είναι τόσο μικρές που είχαν αμελητέα επίδραση σε τοπική κλίμακα, την ίδια στιγμή όμως που επηρέασαν σημαντικά την τιμή που έχει σήμερα η κοσμολογική σταθερά.
Συντάκτες του άρθρου είναι οι Τιμπό Σοζέ και Αλεχάνδρο Πέρεζ από το πανεπιστήμιο της Εξ-Μαρσέιγ στη Γαλλία και ο Ντάνιελ Σουντάρκσι από το Εθνικό Αυτόνομο Πανεπιστήμιο του Μεξικό.
Ανάμεσα στα σενάρια παραβιάσεων της διατήρησης της ενέργειας, που εξέτασαν στη μελέτη τους, είναι τροποποιήσεις της κβαντικής θεωρίας που έχουν προταθεί στο παρελθόν, για την εξήγηση φαινομένων όπως η δημιουργία και η «εξάτμιση» των μελανών οπών. Σε τέτοιες περιπτώσεις, παράγεται ποσότητα ενέργειας που είναι ανάλογη με το αντικείμενο που «καταρρέει».
Όποια κι αν ήταν η αιτία παραβίασης της διατήρησης της ενέργειας, το σημαντικό αποτέλεσμα θα ήταν πως η ενέργεια που «προστέθηκε» ή «χάθηκε» από το σύμπαν επηρέαζε ολοένα περισσότερο με την πάροδο του χρόνου την κοσμολογική σταθερά. Την ίδια στιγμή, η όποια επίδραση στην ύλη μειωνόταν προοδευτικά, λόγω της διαστολής του σύμπαντος.
Με άλλα λόγια, όπως εξηγούν οι φυσικοί στο άρθρο τους, είναι σαν η κοσμολογική σταθερά να είναι το ιστορικό της μη διατήρησης της ενέργειας κατά τη διάρκεια της «ζωής» του σύμπαντος.
ΑΝΑΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΥΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΗΝ ΝΑΥΤΕΜΠΟΡΙΚΗ 26/1/2017
A volcanic eruption in 1815 proved even small changes in climate have disastrous global results
A volcanic eruption in 1815 proved even small changes in climate have disastrous global results
The 7-mile-wide crater left on top of Mount Tambora in Indonesia after its volcanic eruption in 1815. (Iwan Setiyawan/AP Photo/KOMPAS)
This is not the first time in recent history that humanity has had to
deal with a dramatic shift in the climate. To get a glimpse of the
political and economic effects climate change might bring, we don’t need
climate-modeling systems to look to the future—we need to go back 200
years in the past.
Donald Trump’s ascent to the US presidency brings with it a renewed string of flagrant instances of global-warming denialism.
But science has already spoken: A difference of just a few degrees in
average global temperatures is associated with a number of far-reaching
effects, such as food shortages, political unrest, mass migration, and a
more rapid spread of diseases.
How do we know? Well, that’s what happened last time.
In 1815, an Indonesian volcano called Tambora erupted, sending an
astronomically sized ash cloud into the air. What followed was a
dizzying series of catastrophes—from worldwide famine to the spread of
cholera, the world’s first pandemic—that paint an all-too-graphic
picture of what we can expect in future if we don’t slow the progress of
climate change today.
The biggest eruption in human history
When Tambora erupted
in April of 1815, the blast was so loud it could be heard 1,200 miles
away. It sent 12 cubic miles of rock hurtling into the stratosphere,
halving the size of the mountain and creating an ash cloud the size of
Egypt. The sulphur dioxide (SO2) released by the explosion was then
distributed around the world by high-altitude winds, blocking some
sunlight, and eventually cooling the earth’s atmosphere. “On average it
was eight degrees colder in July than usual,” says Wolfgang Behringer, a
history professor of the early modern period at Saarland University,
and the author of the book Tambora and the Year Without Summer.
As Behringer’s title suggests, the following year, 1816, was known as
“The Year Without a Summer.” It was characterized by heavy rains, cold
weather, and snow falling in the middle of summer throughout northern
climes. During these frigid months, the US recorded its only instance of
zero tree growth according to absent tree rings. But there were even larger problems than stunted trees.
The social backlash
First came crop failure and famine. So many people were made
destitute in France that visiting tourists mistook beggars for marching
armies. Ruprecht Zollikofer, a Swiss journalist writing about the
famine, described the scene
(link in German) in 1817 as follows: “If a businessman walks through
the streets, he’ll be pursued by swathes of the pitiful ones. When he
approaches his lodging, it appears as if he were being pushed along the
streets by a gust of wind as hundreds of them surround him.”
As people became more desperate, crime levels increased. In London,
conviction rates almost quadrupled in the course of just two years.
Similarly, continental European mortality rates in 1817 went up by 50%
compared with the already-elevated rates of 1815, which was the end of
the Napoleonic wars.
Economic and political turmoil
According to John Post, an economic historian of the Tambora period, the upheaval would eventually inspire an authoritarian streak
that marked the political landscape of post-Napoleonic Europe. Fear of
agricultural shortfalls also led to some governments adopting
protectionist policies; it was during this time that tariffs and trade
barriers first began to emerge as standard elements of the transatlantic
trade system.
In Scotland, Wales, and England, the army had to be called in to
quash demonstrations. Governments that couldn’t maintain control, as was
the case in China, were severely weakened. In his book, Behringer even
goes so far as to argue that China’s relative inability to manage
disruptions in 1817 became one of the main contributing factors to its
decline as a world power in the 19th century.
Mass migration and the emergence of new diseases
In the face of social upheaval, many in Europe opted to seek refuge in North America,
setting off one of the biggest migratory surges in history. But
arrivals in New England found that excessive rain had decimated the
crops there, too. The situation became so dire that villagers in Vermont
are reported to have lived off of a diet of porcupines and boiled nettles.
Beyond the political, economic, and social consequences, the
aftershocks of Tambora could be observed in the sphere of healthcare as
well: The sulphate-dust layer that the volcano spewed disrupted monsoons
in south Asia for three years in a row. These conditions in turn gave
rise to the Bengali cholera epidemic, which spread across the entire world, becoming the first global cholera pandemic and killing millions.
What can we learn
Granted, there are significant differences between the Tambora
eruption and present-day climate change that make a direct comparison
difficult. For one, the Tambora changes were sudden and unexpected,
whereas present-day climate change has been relatively gradual.
Secondly, the globalized economy is more diversified and interconnected
today than it was in the 1800s. And thirdly, the aerosols emitted by
Tambora led to net cooling of the planet, not a warming.
Given that we have a number of models that track and predict
the rate of climate change, we should be better able to plan for and
adapt this time around. However, we must remember that the effects will not be felt uniformly: Some regions will get more snow, others will see less rain; some places will have wetter winters and others drier summers.
The interconnections in the global economy should also allow us to
offset local shortages through trade this time around, but Rüdiger
Glaser, a geographer who studies the history of climatic developments,
cautions that these kinds of advantages don’t offer any real solace. “We
are more resilient in one way,” Glaser explains, referring to the
opportunities presented by trade, “but we are still vulnerable in other
ways that we may be unaware of.”
Glaser goes on to argue that no matter how advanced our economies
become, there is no escaping our fundamental dependencies. “Our basic
needs are food and health,” he says. Once food security is threatened,
we all become vulnerable to the knock-on effects observed in the Tambora
crisis—including political upheaval and, ultimately, mass migration in
the form of economic refugees.
Take the Arab Spring, for example: A heat wave
in Russia, Canada, and other leading wheat-producing countries became
one of the triggers for an increase in bread prices. This was felt particularly acutely in the Arab world,
which is a net importer of wheat. When the Syrian, Egyptian, and
Tunisian governments failed to ameliorate these effects, instability
followed. The consequences of the resultant unrest, at least in the
Syrian case, are still being felt all around the world today,
demonstrating how a climate-related event can have drastic follow-on
effects in other sociopolitical realms.
Most disturbingly, unlike the effects of Tambora eruption, which
disappeared after about two years, modern-day climate change has no end
in sight. This time the aerosols will not dissipate, nor will there be a
reversion to previous temperatures or precipitation levels once the
world finds its way back to equilibrium. In that regard, the aftermath
of Tambora should not just be seen as a cautionary tale, but as a
sobering prologue.
ANAΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΥΣΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΟ FUTURESCOPE.COM 26/1/2017
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