Serious Question

[Joeybagadonuts]

http://qz.com/107970/scientists-discover-whats-killing-the-bees-and-its-worse-than-you-thought/

 

[Saint Peter]

E = bc^2

 

[John Doe]

Short.

Kinda.

Under 5'6"?

 

[Laurel]

Under 5'6"?

Yes. 5'4"

 

[John Doe]

Yes. 5'4"

Mmmm...

 

[Laurel]

Is that "Mmm, okay, gotcha" or a "Mmm, you short people *sneer*"? Or maybe "Mmm, chocolate would taste wonderful right now"?

 

[Laurel]

http://qz.com/107970/scientists-discover-whats-killing-the-bees-and-its-worse-than-you-thought/

“It’s not clear whether the pesticides are drifting over to those plants but we need take a new look at agricultural spraying practices,” says vanEngelsdorp.

Indeed.

 

[girlsmiley]

Actually, Liar's got this one. There's a world of difference between genetic manipulation in a lab and genetic manipulation in an orchard. Genetic manipulation in a lab makes it possible to mix genetic material between organisms that could never breed with each other, the effects of which on the environment and the human body are largely unknown. Adding genetic material from an apple to trout might leads to trout that tastes like apple, but the same DNA used in the process could also create a new predator species that kills all other fish in the area.

Creating a hybrid 'big' banana from a small, sweet banana and a larger, tasteless banana doesn't pose such risks.

This whole post is bullshit.

First, there is NO difference between

(love me two times - the doors)

Lab and orchard.

You do the same experiment time and time again and get a different result.

Yay, beers!

 

[John Doe]

Is that "Mmm, okay, gotcha" or a "Mmm, you short people *sneer*"? Or maybe "Mmm, chocolate would taste wonderful right now"?

None of the above. It's "Mmmm...I want to take you roughly behind the bike shed."

 

[eric60red]

None of the above. It's "Mmmm...I want to take you roughly behind the bike shed."

long time since I was behind the bike sheds

 

[Laurel]

None of the above. It's "Mmmm...I want to take you roughly behind the bike shed."

When you say, "roughly behind the bike shed", are you describing the manner in which I'll be taken, or the approximate area to which you want to go?

Just to be clear.

 

[Laurel]

 

[trysail]

I'm afraid I just don't consider Islandman an expert, any more than I consider myself one because of my own genetics class. I agree that something *feels* different about lab-based genomic manipulation. Geneticist-in-question's position is that it's no different from any other genetic adaptation. Just because it happens faster or at the hands of a lab-coated dork, doesn't make the fundamental process uniquely dangerous.

I am fortunate because of the nature of our kids' school to have lots of friends in the front lines of the sciences. One works in protein-binding for a large pharmaceutical. One is a cell biologist working on pre-human genomic issues related to cancer-susceptibility. One is the geneticist I mentioned. I haven't met any who are afraid of "GMO's," in the same way that I haven't met any oceanographers who think that climate change science is a big hoax being perpetrated on a gullible public. I know that's anecdotal, but it's also telling.

I am not claiming to have done any original research on the matter. I offer no proof. I'm just offering up the position of a colleague, whose bio, it turns out, makes him worthy of consideration. If someone wants to offer an informed rebuttal, I'd be happy to ask him about it, since I would like to know the answer too. But I'm afraid, "I took a genetics class when I was an undergrad and I think he's wrong or you're wrong, everyone's wrong but me, so there" doesn't quite rise to the level of "informed rebuttal."

Well first thing we do is label all bad science so people know not to buy it in the grocery stores!

I think you bring up some really interesting points about science, journalism, and bad journalism. There are people touted as experts who go on TV and claim that climate change isn't real. Granted, it's usually some guy with a website and a BA in political science (totally the same kind of science) who just decided to "take a really good hard look at the 'facts.'" For the most part, I have established a few scientific news sources that I trust to bring me reliable information, and I'll usually do some extra research if it's a particularly contentious issue or if it interests me or affects me personally.

I believe it's important to approach all information critically and ask questions, but at some point, you have to defer to someone with the expertise that you lack, and we're an increasingly specialized society. Of course, people can be wrong, and experts are people. For the most part, I will withhold judgment until there's a convincing enough scientific consensus, but I couldn't give you a hard and fast definition for what that is.

"The Lords Do Battle"

http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2013/7/26/the-lords-do-battle.html



Judith A. Curry, Ph.D.
http://judithcurry.com/

Professor & Chair, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Georgia Institute of Technology
Ph.D., Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, 1982
NASA Advisory Council Earth Science Subcommittee
Fellow, American Meteorologic Society
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Fellow, American Geophysical Union.


________________

ETA:
"My Personal Path To Catastrophic AGW Skepticism"

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/07/25/my-personal-path-to-catastrophic-agw-skepticism/


​

 

[John Doe]

When you say, "roughly behind the bike shed", are you describing the manner in which I'll be taken, or the approximate area to which you want to go?

Just to be clear.

The former. It doesn't really matter to me where it takes place, except perhaps in the public vs. private way.

 

[Laurel]

The former. It doesn't really matter to me where it takes place, except perhaps in the public vs. private way.

You have a thing for the short girls?

Vertically Challenged Ladies Unite!

 

[Laurel]

http://qz.com/107970/scientists-discover-whats-killing-the-bees-and-its-worse-than-you-thought/

Maybe bees just need more coffee.

Think coffee's just the drug of choice for humans looking to stay alert? Scientists have some eye-opening news for you: Bees get a buzz when they drink nectar laced with a little caffeine, and it supercharges their long-term memory.

In laboratory experiments, honeybees were roughly three times as likely to remember a floral scent a day later if the nectar had a minuscule amount of the stimulant than if it was caffeine free. They were also twice as likely to remember a caffeine-laced scent a full three days later. Pretty impressive for an insect that lives only a few weeks.​

- read the full article Caffeine amps up bees' memory, study finds (from Los Angeles Times)​

 

[girlsmiley]

The novel proteins thing was for potential allergens, right? And I thought the concern for that was a little overblown. I just know what I've read in articles, though. I haven't drilled down into it. I did take undergrad genetics, and I don't remember the eight generation figure. What's that from?

I agree with this. My biggest issues with biotech developments in agriculture are the way giant corporations are using it as a cudgel, but that's what they always do and have always done. The patenting thing - what a mess.

Proteins and genes.

Can I get an amen?

Horses for example. You can try to breed the best, but you only have one mother and father.

 

[girlsmiley]

Let's breed a racehorse!

Let's breed Black Caviar all over again!

 

[John Doe]

You have a thing for the short girls?

Vertically Challenged Ladies Unite!

I do.

 

[Laurel]

Is it because they are... beneath you?

Like right now?

*winning*

 

[trysail]

Is it because they are... beneath you?

Like right now?

*winning*

Isn't it physically impossible to be beneath the vertically challenged ?

​

 

[girlsmiley]

This is my favourite thread right now.

 

[Adre]

This is my favourite thread right now.

You're on top. I know, I know.

 

[girlsmiley]

You're on top. I know, I know.

You love it when I'm on top.

 

[Adre]

You love it when I'm on top.

Mmmhhmm.