ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 692
September 11, 2015
Out Author-Filmmaker Chris Johnson Is Spreading The Word About Atheism
By Matthew Hays
New York-based author Chris Johnson insists he never had any issue with being an atheist nor a gay man. But when he saw the impact religious orthodoxy was having on his queer friends, he became inspired to create a book of photographs of and interviews with various prominent atheists.
The result, A Better Life, has been drawing attention and enthusiastic reviews since its release last year. Johnson, a film-school graduate and theatre enthusiast, followed up with a documentary film of the same name, in which he talks to a cross-section of atheists about their philosophy and how being godless has left them no less fulfilled or intact as people. Interview subjects include musician and actor Adam Pascal (Rent), celebrity rock climber Alex Honnold and actor, comedian and SNL alumnus Julia Sweeney. The result is a moving meditation on what life means if we step away from the conventional answers offered by the world’s religions, both big and small. Johnson recently chatted with Queerty about the book and film A Better Life.
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How The World Can Cut Malaria Cases By 90% In The Next 15 Years
Photo credit:
Senegalese women treat mosquito nets with insecticides at a medical clinic in Northern Senegal. Nic Bothma/EPA
With more than 200 million cases recorded across the globe each year and half the world’s population living in areas considered high risk, malaria remains a challenge.
Malaria occurs mostly in poor, tropical and sub-tropical areas. It is transmitted by an infected mosquito. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver and then infect red blood cells.
In 2012, there was estimated 207 million malaria cases, resulting in 627,000 deaths. About 90% of the deaths were in sub-Saharan Africa.
Could A Weekend Of Binge-Drinking Worsen Your Cold?
Photo credit:
People who have big weekends tend to take more sickies at work. Subbotina Anna/Shutterstock
People who binge drink on the weekend take more days off work, but the cost may be more than just economic.
The Long Reach Of The Past: Did Prehistoric Humans Shape Today’s Ecosystems?
Photo credit:
Human and a reconstructed extinct Mastodon. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
We all know that humans are having a massive impact on the planet.
Our effects include altering the Earth’s rotation by damming large amounts of surface water; changing the composition of the atmosphere by punching a hole in the ozone layer and adding vast amounts of CO2, methane and other pollutants; transforming the composition and temperature of the oceans; and clearing large tracts of land and removing or dramatically altering vast numbers of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the process.
Gene Breakthrough Brings Glaucoma Drugs A Step Closer
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Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness. AAP Image/Alan Porritt
Scientists have discovered that the high pressure in the eye that occurs with most common forms of glaucoma can trigger two genes that work together to cause vision loss, a finding that may help pave the way for new glaucoma drugs.
There is currently no way to prevent onset or worsening of glaucoma and it is usually treated by managing fluid pressure inside the eye.
How Ready For Climate Change Is Your Town Or City?
Photo credit:
Many councils, like this driver, are unprepared for flooding. Matt Price/Flickr
More than half the world’s population now lives in cities or urban areas, which means our vulnerability to the impacts of climate change is tied up with cities' ability to cope. Responsible for more than 70% of carbon emissions, it is increasingly understood that cities must lead in tackling these problems and adapt to changes in weather patterns. This has led to a proliferation of urban plans for climate change.
Sperm Whales Have Local Dialects, New Study Shows
Photo credit:
Shane Gross/Shutterstock
A sperm whale’s “click” is the loudest sound produced by any animal – and it has an identifying dialect. In fact, according to a study published in Nature Communications, the whales aren’t born with different vocal chords or a bit of the sea particularly suited to a certain kind of click. They simply acquire their dialects from one another in the same way you or I might have taken on our parents' accent – by copying what they hear.
How Music Can Help Relieve Chronic Pain
Photo credit:
‘A gran don’t come for free’ Berna Namoglu.
As the 17th-century English playwright William Congreve said: “Music has charms to soothe a savage breast.” It is known that listening to music can significantly enhance our health and general feelings of well-being.
September 9, 2015
Dwarf Galaxy Suddenly Produces Dazzling Star Clusters
Photo credit:
Image of Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte, the irregular galaxy. The yellow spots indicate the regions of compact interstellar clouds. B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF); M. Rubio et al., Universidad de Chile, ALMA (NRAO/ESO/NAOJ)
It's a cosmic fairytale story: A lowly dwarf galaxy, poor in matter and with no prospects of stardom, inexplicably begins producing a burst of dazzling star clusters. But how did this galaxy go from rags to riches in its isolated environment without the help of larger dust-rich galaxies?
Why The Cradle Of Humankind Is One Of The Most Precious Fossil Sites In The World
Photo credit:
Australopithecus sediba. Taken at the University of Witwatersrand. Justine Alford.
South Africa is home to a magnificent World Heritage Site, the Cradle of Humankind, which continues to yield fascinating and surprising stories of our origins and evolutionary history.
The First Adult “Ape-Man”
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