Technology

I read the latest edition of New Scientist magazine because I'm going to do a post on some of the articles in it. Incidently it's a great magazine. First of all there's much mineral mining going on in the arctic and potentially there could be a lot more. Both the arctic and antarctic are mineral rich. At kiruna in arctic sweden is the worlds largest underground iron ore mine. Much of this town has had to be relocated nearer the mine disrupting wildlife even more. Svalbard & Cambridge Bay are now tourist attractions. In fact now the arctic ice has diminished to such an extent which is partly due to a major storm breaking up some of the ice and not just global warming, but now they are doing cruises around the arctic and not just with an icebreaker leading the way like in the olden days. As the earth has warmed up there has been a noticeable migration of many fish northwards and no one has jurisdiction over these seas so they're liable to be fished to death. In the far north of canada they are mining gold, diamonds, platinum & lithium. In fact a lot of governments think the arctic is the answer to our prayers as far as natural gas & crude oil are concerned. Another issue is the british government is cutting funding to research in antarctica so obviously if a large ice sheet breaks off and melts, thus causing a rise in the sea level, we won't know until it's too late.
Apparently there's a form of salmonella that can be spread from person to person. Salmonella isn't much of a problem for people who are normally healthy but in africa which is where this type of salmonella is spreading, many people have AIDS and are dying from this. Apparently more logging is going on than official figures state and much of it is connected to organised crime. The amount of logging worldwide is increasing not decreasing. NASA are experimenting with technology with microbes that can produce things like plastics and fuel. These microbes could be carried quite easily by a spaceship maybe to mars and would save having to carry a load of fuel. Scientists are trying to synthesize a pain killer from black mamba venom which would be stronger than morphine but not be addictive or cause trouble breathing. Finally scientists in new zealand are developing a cow that can produce milk that is suitable for infants who are allergic to milk. Health and safety protocols prevent them from tasting it at this stage. Apparently the cow has no tail and no one understands why.