Global Warming Still Happening: James Hansen Strikes Back on Climate Data, Scores Points for Team God

In a newly-released statement, James Hansen, NASA scientist responsible for their temperature data, explains "what's really going on" with recent headlines that described errors in reported climate data and raised concerns regarding the realities of global warming. Yes, says Hansen, we made errors, the blogger told us about them, and we corrected them. The corrections are insignificant he claims, (see fig.) and were blown out of proportion by the conservative media in an effort to enable "the royalty" in power to go on destroying the Earth. In fact, he says, we already knew that 1998 wasn't the warmest year on record, and they reported this previously. He should've just stopped with the data ("Just shut up James. You had me at no significant difference). But no. The latter half of the letter is a fervently emotional rant about, "usufruct (WTF?), gorillas, captains of industry, court jesters and how Hansen is just working to save "Creation". Freaky.

Hey, I appreciate the man's passion and I'm all in favor of individuals and industries taking responsibility for their impact on the environment. But it would be nice to see scientists approach the issue with a balanced, objective perspective, not as Crusaders fighting to protect God's creation from Satan's evil oil-hungry minions. I don't care what God or Satan think. I just want some reality please. And don't tell me your too busy defending God's domain to get your data straight.

Menstruation and Menopause in Monkeys

Menstruation is the cyclic shedding of the endometrium in the absence of pregnancy. Although many people believe their cats or wild Peruvian poodles also have menstrual bleeds, only great apes and humans do, and what is seen in pets is actually bleeding associated with ovulation. Most other mammals will simply resorb the lining. It's actually not clear what the evolutionary advantage of the shedding is. Some people have speculated that it cleans the womb from potential pathogens, based on the high macrophage content of the menstrual blood. Others have proposed it was a primitive visual cue, to reassure men that if they mate, the child will be theirs and also, that if they leave their menstruating females for a long hunting trip, they will not come back to an impregnated female.
Great apes are also subject to menopause, although again it is not clear why menopause seems to be a triggered, regulated cessation of reproductive capacity and menstruation. Some monkeys, like capuchins (Johnny the monkey!), rhesus, as well as whales and elephants are also thought to undergo menopause. The grandmother theory proposes that the loss of fertility and sexual drive frees up a lot of time to nurture existing offspring and 2nd generation offsprings. A recent study of gorillas in captivity at the Brookfield zoo showed changes in behaviour of females undergoing menopause, including what seemed to be reactions to hot flashes and sudden and irregular increases in libido, particularly directed at younger males.