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June 5, 2012

Enceladus passing Dione: Just another day in Saturn’s neighbourhood. #beautiful

More about Enceladus at Wired.com. Also wikipedia.

“Enceladus is one of only three outer Solar System bodies (along with Jupiter’s moon Io and Neptune’s moon Triton) where active eruptions have been observed. Analysis of the outgassing suggests that it originates from a body of sub-surface liquid water, which along with the unique chemistry found in the plume, has fueled speculations that Enceladus may be important in the study of astrobiology.”

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June 5, 2012

Using Heineken as a high efficiency solvent. #chemistryisawesome

Curious whether the water/5% ethanol mix was done first (and therefore leading to the beer and wine experiments), or whether it was the other way around.

From Org. Lett., 2008, 10, 4557, via Fresh Photons.

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June 5, 2012

In which North Carolina attempts to make sea level rises illegal. (Or let’s make climate change against the law)

This is breathtaking in its stupidity. Below: Replacement House Bill 819, section 2, paragraph e.

Read the full story at Scott Huler’s epic takedown, but here’s a small taste:

“There is virtually universal agreement among scientists that the sea will probably rise a good meter or more before the end of the century, wreaking havoc in low-lying coastal counties. So the members of the developers’ lobbying group NC-20 say the sea will rise only 8 inches, because … because … well, SHUT UP, that’s because why.

That is, the meter or so of sea level rise predicted for the NC Coastal Resources Commission by a state-appointed board of scientists is extremely inconvenient for counties along the coast. So the NC-20 types have decided that we can escape sea level rise – in North Carolina, anyhow – by making it against the law.”

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