Category Archives: Environment

Rock of Ages – Why Banded Iron Formations Are Far From Boring…

Two-and-a-half tonne banded iron formation at Hintze Hall, Natural History Museum, London. Artwork: NaturPhilosophie

This 2.5-tonne lump of rock is a banded iron formation.  It marks a turning point in the history of life on our beautiful planet.  A crucial chemical transition.  When oxygen started becoming abundant.  And life took its next step towards complexity…

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Saving Hope… – Cetacean Strandings and Satellites

A composite drawing image of Hope the Blue Whale's skeleton swimming between two waters.  Artwork: NaturPhilosophie

It’s unclear why so many great whales beach en masse around the World.  And it’s really difficult to estimate their number, especially when the cetacean strandings occur along remote shores.  But there is hope.  Scientists are now developing techniques to monitor marine populations from space.

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Nine – The Elusive Planet in Our Solar System

A hypothetical Ninth planet has been lurking on the outskirts of our Solar System.  But Planet Nine may not be a planet at all… 

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Trudeau’s Canada: From Climate Champion to Environmental Pariah?

A composite illustration for the post "Trudeau's Canada: From Climate Champion to Environmental Pariah?" Artwork: NaturPhilosophie

Canada.  A land of unspoiled wilderness and natural beauty, led by the poster boy of progressive politics Justin Trudeau who has cast himself as an environmental champion.  Canada as the World sees it…

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Sash, Chillers and Power Hungry Accelerators – The Embarrassing Truth about Modern Science Laboratories

A drawing illustrating the Carbon Lab Print: Fume hoods that are left open can use the same amount of energy over a given period as 3.5 homes. Image: NaturPhilosophie

Come in.  Step into the pristine environment of a modern science laboratory.  With all its cutting-edge equipment neatly arranged and organised work spaces clearly delineated, you might just be forgiven for thinking it is a model of sustainability but…  Look a bit closer!  You might be surprised…

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A Bouquet of Pesticides – The Dark Side of Flowers

An illustration for the post "A Bouquet of Pesticides - The Dark Side of Flowers" showing a skull and bones design over a background of freshly cut tulips. Artwork: NaturPhilosophie

Pesticides have a dramatic impact on the health of ecosystems, posing real risks to pollinating insects, such as bees.  But did you know that your favourite bouquet may be posing a risk to your own well-being?

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The Universe Expands Far Faster Than Anticipated…

The Universe is accelerating

For a while now, astrophysicists have known that our Universe is expanding, and accelerating.  And much like the surface of a rubber balloon getting inflated, space is getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger…

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Large Asteroid Impacts Earth…

An oil painting showing a large asteroid shooting through the skies above a body of water in the sunset. Artwork: NaturPhilosophie
… And Hardly Anyone Notices!

Five years after the Chelyabinsk asteroid impact, a three-in-a-century event happens again over the Bering Sea.  And almost no-one notices.  I say “no-one”… but the Earth is a planet under constant scrutiny.

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The Strange Operetta of the Singing Mouse

When Mice Serenade the Forest…

Until now, you might have been forgiven for thinking that singing mice were merely the product of Disney’s prolific imagination.  Not anymore!  Although it wasn’t classically trained by a modern P.T. Barnum, the singing mouse is a reality.

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Artful Manipulations and Corporate Deceptions – When The Cracks Begin To Show…

A composite image showing the Champs Elysees Arc de Triomphe in Paris under a shower of firework explosions, with a yellow vest demonstrator holding a burning French flag in the foreground.
Games of Thrones

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that the systematic and artful manipulation of the organised mores and moods of the average population is essential to maintaining democracy.  With well-rehearsed strategies, that is how the decision-making elite maintains its hold on power over the majority of us.  For you see, it’s like this…

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