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When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby eclipse » Tue 30 Apr 2019, 22:16:16

Check out his videos. He's got some things developed, but sadly open source hardware seems harder to get an online community excited about than open source software.
https://www.opensourceecology.org/about-videos-3/

His original TED talk had me all fired up about the social justice potential for the third world - but it's a long, slow process, even with some of the endorsements below.

Your project is amazing. Thrilling, actually… It’s people like you who really give me hope for the future.
— Chris Anderson, TED Curator

Interesting ideas. I don’t know of anything quite like it.
— Noam Chomsky
Dr James Hansen recommends breeder reactors that convert nuclear 'waste' into 1000 years of clean energy for America, and can charge all our light vehicles and generate "Blue Crude" for heavy vehicles.
https://eclipsenow.wordpress.com/recharge/
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby Newfie » Thu 02 May 2019, 08:54:06

That’s interesting and makes a lot of sense.
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby eclipse » Thu 02 May 2019, 19:13:19

So environmental biologists are starting to recommend that we move certain species to more fitting climates. I don't want to trivialise the threats to certain agricultural and ecosystem areas. Climate change is a beast that has required stuff to move over around 800 years in the past ice-age cycle, but our anthropogenic climate change demands they move in just 100 years! What's worse, our towns, roads, but mostly our agriculture gets in the way. But there are environmental groups looking at the feasibility of moving species to new areas and transplanting and growing out new ecosystems in those more viable areas, like sinking old ships as artificial reefs but then helping them along with threatened Great Barrier Reef corals, etc.
Dr James Hansen recommends breeder reactors that convert nuclear 'waste' into 1000 years of clean energy for America, and can charge all our light vehicles and generate "Blue Crude" for heavy vehicles.
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby eclipse » Sat 04 May 2019, 02:20:00

All the more reason to Park it, Fence it, Ark it, Move it, Sign it, Monetise it, Patrol it and Terminate it!
https://eclipsenow.wordpress.com/repair/
Dr James Hansen recommends breeder reactors that convert nuclear 'waste' into 1000 years of clean energy for America, and can charge all our light vehicles and generate "Blue Crude" for heavy vehicles.
https://eclipsenow.wordpress.com/recharge/
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby Newfie » Tue 07 May 2019, 09:27:14

There is very little “information” on the internet. Once you start trying to look up some specifics you find the depth of ignorance. I recommend reading, especially older books, of different times. It gives a different perspective, not of the echo chamber.

A good place to start is with HG Wells “Outline of History”. I think it’s even available as a free download.
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby Newfie » Fri 24 May 2019, 05:48:48

There seems to be a consensus that humanity, or at least Western cultures, have lost brain processing power over the last 20 generations or so.

I’d die a quick google on the following phrase, too many articles to quickly summarize.

humanity.getting dumber

(And a couple of provocative quotes)

You might first wonder if it's genetic. Maybe some change in the makeup of a particular group being studied has caused the decline (crudely, you could call this the 'dumb people have more babies' hypothesis). But that seems to be ruled out by the new research, which shows that even within single families IQ has declined. Marginal Revolution blogger economist Tyler Cowen sums up what that means: "In other words, we have started building a more stupidity-inducing environment."


In an article called Our Fragile Intellect, Crabtree argued that human intellectual fitness has been on a slow but steady decay for 3,000 years, and it is due to our relatively easy lifestyle that has freed us from a state of 'survival by thinking.'
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby dohboi » Fri 24 May 2019, 14:00:36

And as our brains get smaller and dumber, our sperm is getting weaker and less able to swim!

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... s-research


Sperm counts are on the decline – could plastics be to blame?


Research suggests that sperm counts have dropped by half in the last 50 years or so and that a higher percentage are poor swimmers.

A recent study that tested both men and dogs added to concerns that chemicals in the environment are damaging the quality and quantity of sperm
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby Newfie » Fri 24 May 2019, 16:43:15

In a perverse way that’s good news, limiting our ability to reproduce. Just too slow.

Now WHAT we reproduce is another matter.
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby dohboi » Fri 24 May 2019, 17:10:07

Yeah, fewer and fewer guys will have this kind of elated response to knocking up a woman...and yes, that's mostly a good thing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJBZDrUEYYo
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby Plantagenet » Fri 24 May 2019, 18:36:36

I like the theory that the decrease in human brain size in the late Pleistocene occurred because humans domesticated dogs. Once primitive man delegated to dogs the job of tracking animals by smell, then those parts of the human brain dedicated to deciphering smells were no longer necessary and the human brain shrunk.

I fully expect the same king of thing to happen again now that we've got cell phones. The parts of our brain dedicated to navigating and answering trivia questions can be replaced by Siri on a cell phone, so those parts of the modern human brain are now superfluous and will eventually disappear in future generations.

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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby Ibon » Sat 25 May 2019, 08:25:55

Plantagenet wrote:I like the theory that the decrease in human brain size in the late Pleistocene occurred because humans domesticated dogs. Once primitive man delegated to dogs the job of tracking animals by smell, then those parts of the human brain dedicated to deciphering smells were no longer necessary and the human brain shrunk.

I fully expect the same king of thing to happen again now that we've got cell phones. The parts of our brain dedicated to navigating and answering trivia questions can be replaced by Siri on a cell phone, so those parts of the modern human brain are now superfluous and will eventually disappear in future generations.



You know when you see the same loss of skills across a suite of human activity that something deeper is going on here. In addition to the lower IQ that is emerging we see announcements like how the new crop of surgeons are less skilled in dexterity because of how much time they are in front of digital screens

https://www.bbc.com/news/education-46019429

Roger Kneebone, professor of surgical education at Imperial College, London, says young people have so little experience of craft skills that they struggle with anything practical.

"It is important and an increasingly urgent issue," says Prof Kneebone, who warns medical students might have high academic grades but cannot cut or sew.

"It is a concern of mine and my scientific colleagues that whereas in the past you could make the assumption that students would leave school able to do certain practical things - cutting things out, making things - that is no longer the case," says Prof Kneebone.


I also notice this with many of our general ecotourists who do not have a history of being much in nature. They are incredibly clueless in the forest when we guide them. They have this non specific interest in nature from a more cerebral "idea" and then when we take them into the forest it is like hand holding them. Their love of nature was born more of watching BBC or national geogrpahic nature documentaries on TV or the internet. We have gotten to the point that we bring laser pointers with us to point out where the bird or monkey is. And sense of orientation is often completely lacking. These are fundamental skills most children learn playing in the fields and forests of their youth that you can see is totally lacking.

This degradation has been going on for generations but the introduction and integration of the digital world has only enhanced and accelerated with degradation.

KJ sees these degradations as the price you pay for being part f this new digital hive mind. I on the other hand see this degradation as de evolution.

There is something almost karmic, that exactly when humans will need to be sharpening their skills as a result of the upcoming constraints which will require more self reliance we see an emerging crop of humans that are all like babes in the woods as dependent on modern technology as GMO corn is dependent on industrial agriculture.

Reminds me of the famous proverb that we are what we eat!!

This is a deep deep irony.
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby eclipse » Tue 28 May 2019, 04:30:00

And yet we live in a modern world with modern screen skills absolutely essential and all manner of high tech kit that could become part of the solution, like submersible eco-bots out there poisoning crown-of-thorn starfish predators on the Great Barrier Reef, high tech computer models for new climate situations that are proving over time to be amazingly accurate, high tech modelling of new materials essential for adaptation in the new ecocities that are on the way, etc. Sure the kids need to get outside and play more. Sure some kids are more bookish and others more screenish, but I still have a nephew that grew up totally dedicated to scouts, I learned to use a chainsaw as an adult, and my wife never jogged until her 40's and now she jogs regularly. Divergent interests, a varied population, and aged adult neuroplasticity. These are things.
Dr James Hansen recommends breeder reactors that convert nuclear 'waste' into 1000 years of clean energy for America, and can charge all our light vehicles and generate "Blue Crude" for heavy vehicles.
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby Ibon » Tue 28 May 2019, 09:12:12

eclipse wrote: I learned to use a chainsaw as an adult, and my wife never jogged until her 40's and now she jogs regularly. Divergent interests, a varied population, and aged adult neuroplasticity. These are things.


These are real assets of humans and external consequences will ramp up the ingenuity and exercise that neuropasticity as those very consequences bring back the evolutionary selection pressures to winnow down the population so that those who remain are selected for that very neuroplasticity!

You see, we have been several generations of no real winnowing, no real separating the chaff from the wheat.

All of this neuropasticity however is not going to keep the current population at the levels it is nor allow for further growth.

What is sorely lacking in our neuroplasticity is the ability to exercise humility and restraint in our breeding and consumption. But no worries, natural selection is about to return is spades in the form of consequences.

Consequences are our species friend, not our enemy. To embrace rather than battle them is a sign of advanced neuroplasticity!
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby eclipse » Wed 29 May 2019, 06:18:20

Ibon wrote:
eclipse wrote: I learned to use a chainsaw as an adult, and my wife never jogged until her 40's and now she jogs regularly. Divergent interests, a varied population, and aged adult neuroplasticity. These are things.


These are real assets of humans and external consequences will ramp up the ingenuity and exercise that neuropasticity as those very consequences bring back the evolutionary selection pressures to winnow down the population so that those who remain are selected for that very neuroplasticity!

Or not. It could be be that kid's lack of bush skills is skilling them up to compete in the cyberworld of the future. With all the energy and food we could want coming from alternatives like breeder reactors that can convert the world's nuclear waste into centuries of clean energy, I cannot see any technological inevitability of collapse ahead. But hey, we voted for Trump. Anything could happen politically. You could end up with a dog-eat-dog Mad Max / The Road kinda world after all. Careful what you wish for and talk about all the time, or it might just end up happening. I prefer passionately presenting what could go right while also admitting what might go wrong.

You see, we have been several generations of no real winnowing, no real separating the chaff from the wheat.

Yeah, fossil fuels have been kind. Apart from the particulate poisoning, killing 7 million of us worldwide each year (650 Chernobyls IF you buy the Linear No Threshold theory) and causing climate change while also threatening to run out on us. But hey, we've learned how to split the atom. We shall see.

All of this neuropasticity however is not going to keep the current population at the levels it is nor allow for further growth.

Not proven. Just giant kelp farms could give us all the liquid fuels and seafood we could eat, even in a world of 10 billion. Did you know industrial chemists have figured out how to make kelp CONCRETE? That blows my mind. Kelp. It's a thing. Grab a coffee or beer or whatever and watch Dr Tim Flannery, once our government's senior science advisor, and once Australian of the year. https://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/can-sea ... d/11017106

What is sorely lacking in our neuroplasticity is the ability to exercise humility and restraint in our breeding and consumption. But no worries, natural selection is about to return is spades in the form of consequences.

No need. As the world modernises, population growth slows. The UN studies have shown all we need to do is educate and empower women, and population fixes itself. How cool is that? Fight for women's rights in the developing world and you don't even have to mention the P word. (Population).

Consequences are our species friend, not our enemy. To embrace rather than battle them is a sign of advanced neuroplasticity!

Exactly! Which is why I'm with Dr James Hansen promoting nuclear power. The consequences for building nukes = abundant power forever. Sounds good to me.
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby dohboi » Thu 19 Sep 2019, 12:32:39

A new candidate for the (or a) leading edge of the mass (human) die off?

Bloodstream Infections in Central Africa Caused by Strains of Salmonella Resistant to Nearly All Drugs


https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-09- ... rains.html

The first extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains of Salmonella Typhimurium, a pathogen which is responsible for millions of bloodstream infections per year in sub-Saharan Africa, have been identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Drug-resistance has increased in successive groups of S. Typhimurium over time. These new strains are resistant to all but one of the commonly available drugs in the DRC, with one sample showing reduced susceptibility to this final antibiotic.

Most Salmonella infections result in symptoms associated with food poisoning. While unpleasant, symptoms are not life-threatening in the vast majority of cases. But in sub-Saharan Africa, Salmonella such as S. Typhimurium can cause infections of the blood, known as invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) infections.

Every year, iNTS infections are estimated to affect 3.4 million people and result in 681,316 deaths globally, of which the majority are caused by S. Typhimurium. The containment and treatment of iNTS infections in places like the DRC is complicated by limited access to healthcare, infrastructure challenges and weakened immunity, with children under five years of age particularly at risk.

It is known that iNTS infections in sub-Saharan Africa are dominated by a type of S. Typhimurium known as ST313, which is associated with antibiotic resistance. Two groups of ST313 (named lineage I and II) split off independently and subsequently spread over the African continent. Antibiotic resistance has been growing over time, with lineage II now the primary cause of iNTS infections.

... "All antibiotic resistance genes contributing to "XDR' are present on the same plasmid. This is worrying because a plasmid is a mobile genetic element that could be transferred to other bacteria. While accumulating more antibiotic resistance, we discovered that the novel Salmonella Typhimurium line is also showing further genetic and behavioral changes which suggest ongoing evolution of the bacteria towards bloodstream infections."



Open Access: Sandra Van Puyvelde et al. An African Salmonella Typhimurium ST313 sublineage with extensive drug-resistance and signatures of host adaptation, Nature Communications (2019)
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby dohboi » Wed 25 Sep 2019, 13:56:50

Back to general mass die off/mass extinction event:

Biodiversity touches every aspect of our lives – so why has its loss been ignored?


by Robert Watson, the former chair of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... en-ignored

The evidence is unequivocal: biodiversity, important in its own right and essential for current and future generations, is being destroyed by human activities at a rate unprecedented in human history.

Governments around the world recognised this at the Earth summit in Brazil in 1992 and established the Convention on Biological Diversity to protect and conserve biodiversity. But the situation has become more and more dire. I have chaired or co-chaired three international assessments on the state of knowledge of biodiversity, and all have repeated the same message – we are destroying it at an alarming rate. Each time we have called for action, only to be largely ignored.

[biodiversity] is central to development, through food, water and energy security. It has significant economic value, which should be recognised in national accounting systems. It is a security issue in so far as loss of natural resources, especially in developing countries, can lead to conflict. It is an ethical issue because loss of biodiversity hurts the poorest people, further exacerbating an already inequitable world. And it is also a moral issue, because we should not destroy the living planet.

To date, climate crisis has received most of the attention. The limited attention on biodiversity tends to focus on saving large charismatic animals, rather than informing the public of the importance of biodiversity to human life.
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby Pops » Wed 25 Sep 2019, 14:51:30

dohboi wrote:Back to general mass die off/mass extinction event:
Biodiversity touches every aspect of our lives – so why has its loss been ignored?

But does it really?
I don't think most city dwellers have much of any experience with "wildlife" beyond crows, pigeons and a few rodents and insects. I just don't think many have a baseline appreciation, but really why would they?

Over 80% of Americans live in cities now, at the time of Silent Spring it was 60% and likely many of them were raised in the country. They had a baseline. They were honestly surprised that there was a downside to "better living through chemistry." Nixon capitalized on the surprise and is arguably the last progressive on the environment (because both sides are now paid by the polluters). Corporations and especially republicans have been warring with the institutions nixon created ever since.
So automatically you have half the population with a knee-jerk anti-environmental, it's Fake News bias on top of 80% who wouldn't know a warbler from a wren (including me).
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby dohboi » Wed 25 Sep 2019, 15:00:38

Good points.

But of course, you don't have to interact everyday with charismatic macrofauna (or even not-so-charismatic meso- and micro-fauna and flora) to be indirectly 'touched' by basic alterations in ecosystems. I'm thinking of all the 'services' performed by various species and biomes that make the earth more livable for us and for the species that we more directly feed off of.

And even here in what some may consider an urban waste land, most people notice the decrease in butterflies and other less charismatic pollinators.

But, yeah, many are retreating from 'nature' to our urban settings, our inside settings, and our virtual realities and POFora 8O at an even faster rate than the living communities are retreating from us under our relentless and many-pronged onslaught.
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby Pops » Wed 25 Sep 2019, 15:48:51

You're right, my "touched" was different than the article's.
We'll feel the touch when we start fertilizing peaches by hand.

"Hanyuan county is known as the “world’s pear capital.” But pesticide use has led to a drastic reduction in the area’s bee population, threatening the fruit crop. Workers now pollinate fruit trees artificially, carefully transferring pollen from male flowers to female flowers to fertilize them."
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/humans-b ... f5c6092ba9
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Re: When will the mass dieoff begin? Pt. 5

Unread postby Newfie » Wed 25 Sep 2019, 16:35:15

Well it will give all the AI displaced drivers something to do.
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