Disinformation
This one will be short but hopefully very much to the point: The rampant disinformation regarding science really needs to stop. This may be true when we’re talking about climate change (or maybe not),...
Mike Strickler Geologist
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The Magic of Density
Before we get started, we need to agree on a couple bits of background information gleaned from the realm of physics (sorry, but it’s gotta be done). First, all matter is composed of tiny...
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NOAA Has Value, Dammit!
One of the things I tell the students during Orientation on the first night is that Geology is a science class, and we will leave the political insanity to PoliSci (or Psychology). I promise...
FEMA and Funding Disaster Relief
This one will be short because I need to get back to work (I am so close to getting Marker Bed off for formatting, and then publishing, that any delay rankles). Anyway, I just...
Yellowstone Hydrothermal Explosion
I must confess that there are some things I really try to avoid, and mechanics is one of them. Without going into any of the gory details about what’s been going on with my...
Follow the money…
Sorry. This one may stray a bit from the earth sciences, but I have to ask: How ridiculous can we be? It reminds me of the early days of the railroad, when the gauge...
Lead in our water and cognitive decline
It’s funny how perceptions and interpretations can change over time. Take the fall of the Roman Empire as an example. When I was in school a hundred years ago, one of the reasons I...
A Brave Man…
It’s all too rare to see true bravery in the face of catastrophe. A couple examples spring to mind: Jesus standing in the dock in front of Pontius Pilate, Davy Crockett at the Alamo,...
What happened to my water?
One of the hot button topics again splashing across the media is the looming global water crisis. The article that prompted this post was gleaned from the CNN website on 25 February 2024, but...
Plastic Water Bottles: Friend or Foe?
I read yet another article about the dangers of plastics (this time from Newsweek on 09 January, 2024). I could go on and on about the possible permutations of the controversy and potential dangers...
Happy Anniversary
This one will be real short (but I promise a more detailed discussion when my currently overloaded life allows me the time). The year was 1700 on January 26th. None of us were here,...
Weather vs. Climate: A Brief Tutorial
I’ll keep this one short and straightforward so even the most die-hard anti-science adherent can understand. I promise to use simple words and concepts… As expected, there has been a flurry — bordering on...
Dinosaur Extinction and Nuclear Winter
I saw an article on the Fox website that discussed the extinction of the dinosaurs approximately sixty-six million years ago, marking the end of both the Mesozoic Era and the Cretaceous Period. The article,...
