Interesting

You don’t need me to tell you the world is growing, at least in terms of population. You are just one person out of 6,785,271,317 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. If you’re an American, you’re one out of 307,493,230. Every second 175 people are born in the world, and every seven seconds one new American is born. In the year 1800 there were not even one billion people on the planet, and now China has over 1.33 and India has over 1.14 billion. The population centers of the world have shifted, as in 1750 20% of mankind lived in Europe now only 10% do, thanks to a boom in populations in North America, South America, and Oceania (the South Asian island countries of the Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia).

Much if not all of this population growth is due to increases in science, and the migration of populations to urban centers. The largest city proper in the world is Mumbai, India which boasts a population of 14 million and a density of 23,000 per square kilometer. Shanghai comes in second with 13.9 million and Karachi Pakistan comes in third with almost 13 million. If we count the suburbs, which can spread for several miles, Tokyo comes in first with around 35 million. Seoul has around 23 million and New York has almost 22 million.

That’s what the Archbishop of the UK is saying. He claims that social networking sites are replacing real world relationships and making society lose its ability to build “interpersonal communication”.

At first it sounds absurd that social networking sites will lead to suicide, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. Less real relationships, more prone to superficial judgment, and lots of sad people looking for online friends. I could only imagine what it would be like to be someone on one of these sites, be it Facebook, Myspace, or even XiaoNei (the Chinese Facebook) and care about how many comments I get on my photos etc.

Personally, I find social networking sites to be a tool to “add” people you get to know so you don’t forget them. However I do find their “apps” distracting and a waste of time. Thankfully, my premiere summer destination forbids Facebook so I an disinclined to visit there anyways.

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It is a proved fact that phytoplankon (plankton) thrive of a substance known as urea. Urea, which is nitrogen-rich, is also the main non-water component of urine. The phytoplankon, which live near the surface of well-lit water, can also thrive on phosphate and silicic acid.  Some parts of the ocean do not have enough iron for the phytoplankton to thrive, which also leads some to suggest pumping the water in those areas full of iron in the form of iron sulphate. Such actions, however, have cause the opposition by those claiming the practice ruins the ocean’s ecosystem [1].

The most important fact to remember is that phytoplankton already account for half of all photosynthetic oxygen production on the planet. However, according to Ken Buesseler, senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, plankton also emit carbon dioxide when they decompose or are eaten. What he says is a better gauge of their effectiveness is how much mass of planton sinks to the sea bed [2].

[1] Monastersky, R.: “Iron versus the greenhouse.” Science News, 30 September 1995, p. 220.

[2]http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/01/business/01plankton.html?ref=science

Photo credits:
plankton: Australian Institute of Marine Science