I’ve written here before about the problem of unwanted fires burning in coal deposits. Above and below ground, coal fires are a problem in both developed and developing nations. If we are serious about reducing our carbon dioxide emissions, we should address the unwanted fires burning around the world.
We live in an age shaped by scientific research. Medical practice, for example, changes a bit each year because of new discoveries in the laboratory or in drug trials. We have come to expect progress in a variety of technical fields, and science often lives up to our hopes for it.
When I was young geology student, I learned the basics of petroleum production as they were then understood. Deep layers of sedimentary rocks, including shale, were the “source rocks” for hydrocarbons. The source rocks were too difficult to exploit directly – it just wasn’t economical to mess with them. But through natural processes, the petroleum […]
Thirty years ago I was a light smoker. What can I say? I liked the effect nicotine had on my brain. Once I was hooked, I even liked the smell of tobacco smoke. Then there was the ritual. I enjoyed lighting up with others, sharing a match, having a few minutes to talk together.
When I was a kid, Jimmy Carter was in the White House. His wife, Rosalynn, was quite an active First Lady. She sat in on official meetings held by her husband and was said to be one of his closest advisors. Many First Ladies have used their position to promote a cause. One of the […]
Alcoholism runs in part of my family. I lost a grandfather to it, and a couple of others in the family have been affected by it to greater or lesser degrees. Perhaps something like that is true for you, or maybe you have a friend or coworker who wrestles with the malady. This is a […]
On a lark, when I was a college student I took a class in field biology. It sounded romantic and I was young, so even though it didn’t really make any sense for a geology student to take the senior level class in another discipline, I was there bright and early on the first day […]
I know we are still only in Advent. But at this point in December, my mind starts to turn toward Christmas. It just can’t be helped, especially in light of all the ads featuring Santa. Christmas is about tradition: traditional foods, traditional songs, traditional church services. For a few geeks, Christmas is also an ideal […]
When I was a younger and more sprightly woman, I spent part of my life investigating unusual hot springs in rural California. They were salty and quite stinky springs out in the middle of nowhere, and several of them occurred right in the center of an old gold-laced mercury deposit.
We all know the basic medical facts: we should make healthy choices about what we eat and incorporate exercise into our busy lives. Most of the science of weight loss matches common sense. But it’s also true that more and more Americans are overweight or obese. As a nation, we are losing the battle of […]