Science News: Turtle Talk, Climate Conference, and Earth 2.0
We’ve seen lots of science stories in the news this week: from the Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, to discovery of a potential “twin” for our home planet. Here’s a round-up of our top stories:
Potential Earth ‘2.0’ Discovered
In 2009, NASA began probing for Earth-like planets. The Kepler probe, looking more than a little like a tube of fancy lipstick (with a solar array mounted on its side), has confirmed 28 planets to date. But Kepler 22-b is getting a lot of media attention. At this point, scientists are still unsure what the planet is made of – is it a gas giant like Neptune, or made of more solid stuff?
What about Earth 1.0?
Meanwhile, here on Earth, several stories on climate change showed up this week. Climate Change Conference #17 began in Durban, South Africa on November 28th; EPI’s own Katie Nelson is attending as a delegate (read her blog here!).
At right: Protestors in Durban, courtesy of Seattlepi.com
The main story from South Africa is a push by the “BASIC” countries (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China) and the US to hold off on a binding climate change treaty until 2020. Many European countries and low-lying island nations see this as extremely bad news. Given that the conference will end this Saturday, there’s not much chance of an agreement. But, as Katie writes, “regardless of the negotiation’s outcomes, the real and meaningful climate change work [will] carry on back home.”
Speaking the language
Back in the U.S., Katherine Hayhoe is carrying out that work. A climatologist by training, Hayhoe lives in West Texas. She’s been using her Christian beliefs to reach out to skeptical Texans, explaining the issues at hand and the reality of climate change. She hasn’t let hostile audience members and angry emails slow her down; her work continues forward. “At the end of any given talk,” writes the LA Times, “perhaps one person might tell Hayhoe she’s convinced him of the scientific consensus on global warming.” One person at a time, Katherine Hayhoe is making a difference.
Top Turtle Story
A month ago, we posted this picture from the NOAA on our facebook page, showing the spines that line a leatherback sea turtle’s esophagus, allowing it to hold on to the seafood it catches while spitting out the seawater. This time, another story that ties into EPI’s work with leatherbacks: scientists have discovered that turtles in Australia “communicate with their siblings while they are still in their shells, buried under the soil, in order to coordinate when they hatch.” Ricky-John Spencer, the lead researcher, thinks that “they might be listening to each other’s heartbeats” in order to time their hatching. How cool is that? You can read the whole story here.
What science stories are you following this week?