Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Frog Skin Syndrome

Too often, global warming is linked only to catastrophic effects like tidal waves and other such cinematic episodes. The problem with this is that when these events do not occur, the real, insidious dangers are inevitably downplayed and even mocked. To better understand the impact of climate change, consider Frog Skin Syndrome. As reported by MedIndia.com, the South American tree frog population is declining and biologists are blaming global warming. These frogs, it seems, have the very un-froglike habit of basking in the hot sun (most frogs normally avoid prolonged exposure to light due to the risk of overheating and dehydration).

According to a research team at the University of Manchester, “global warming is leading to more cloud cover in the frogs’ natural habitat. This, in turn, is denying them the opportunity to ‘sunbathe’ and kill off fatal Chytrid fungal infections, leading to many species dying out.”

Andrew Gray, Curator of Herpetology at the Manchester Museum said: “With a third of the world’s amphibians currently under threat it’s vitally important we do our utmost to investigate the reasons why they are dying out at such an alarming rate.”

Human Beings...you can’t live with ‘em and you, uh, can’t live with ‘em.

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Poetic Rumor

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NYC Event Alert:

Join Healthcare-NOW! for a benefit performance of Howard Zinn’s
Marx in Soho: Saturday, March 14th 7pm

Click here and scroll down a bit for specifics

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Click here to complete your tour of the Internets
(Thanks, Keir)

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Mickey Z. on YouTube:

Part 1
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Posted on 03/11 at 01:28 PM
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