May 1st, 2009
Here’s a quick rundown of what we know about H1N1 Influenza A “Swine Flu” that’s currently sweeping the media, as opposed to the globe.
- The H1N1 virus appears to be a mild influenza, and is nowhere near as dangerous as N5N1.
- The H1N1 virus appears to bind to the receptors in the upper respiratory tract causing mild illness (compare this to H5N1 which binds to the lungs directly).
- The swine flu strain is the same type as seasonal flu which circulates throughout the world every year, and kills roughly 1% of those infected.
Posted in Pandemics |
March 10th, 2009
The global sea level looks set to rise far higher than forecast because of changes in the polar ice-sheets, a team of researchers has suggested.
Scientists at a climate change summit in Copenhagen said earlier UN estimates were too low and that sea levels could rise by a metre or more by 2100.
The projections did not include the potential impact of polar melting and ice breaking off, they added.
The implications for millions of people would be “severe”, they warned.
Ten per cent of the world’s population - about 600 million people - live in low-lying areas.
BBC News
Posted in Global warming / Climate change |
February 11th, 2009
Indonesia has issued a tsunami warning after an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale struck in the Indonesian Taulad Islands.
The USGS put the depth of the quake at around 20 miles beneath the ocean floor and said it was centered 200 miles northeast of Manado, a town on Sulawesi island.
There is no danger of a widespread destructive tsunami, according to the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center but earthquakes of this size can sometimes trigger local tsunamis which can be destructive along coasts within 100km of the epicenter.
Posted in Tsunamis |
February 9th, 2009
Great, if not somewhat alarmist headline from the folks at New Scientist!
AN ASTEROID that had initially been deemed harmless has turned out to have a slim chance of hitting Earth in 160 years. While that might seem a distant threat, there’s far less time available to deflect it off course.
Asteroid 1999 RQ36 was discovered a decade ago, but it was not considered particularly worrisome since it has no chance of striking Earth in the next 100 years - the time frame astronomers routinely use to assess potential threats.
Article also mentions that it may be time to reassess the 100-year impact time frame currently used identify asteroids that present a collision hazard.
Posted in Comets/Asteroids impacts |