Moose - Clone or Not?

A few months ago I posted a report entitled 'Jaguar Clones' Jaguar Clones referring to species in the tropical regions dying out. I outlined plans to create clones of the effected animals. There is now new talk over an animal in the colder regions of the Earth dying out - the moose. The case is so bad that experts think that the race could be extinct within 10 years.

The effects are worst and most obvious Minnesota, this is where ecologists base their claim that the population could be gone by 2023. This pattern of extinction reaches to the southern most regions of the animals kingdom, thus populations are dwindling as far south as Sweden.

Ron Moen from the University of Minnesota realised that the position was worse than most thought saying, "It's broader than I thought when I started looking into it,".

Global warming seems to be the most likely cause of the looming extinction. The moose is very susceptible to heat stress, which restricts their immune system thus making them more prone to parasites.

Research can't yet prove any link to global warming although many think it likely. If prof emerges that global warming is the cause of the reduced population, then cloning is not, or probably isn't an option, simply because it suggests that the moose is not suited to it's environment and isn't evolving fast enough. Many biologists and ecologists do think that the looming extinction of certain populations is down to global warming and that they simply can't evolve fast enough. The alternative is that their population is reducing because they are evolving. It's a bit far fetched, but it's possible.

It seems that in the case of the moose, it is probably down to global warming, because there is not much action in Alaska etc. as far as felling and other forms of purposeful environment change. However if prof emerges otherwise, then cloning may be an idea that is put on the table.

A report will be presented by Minnesota University at the next Moose Health Conference in Uppsala, Sweden (the conference will be held later this week).

Other effected species include the lynx and the snowhorse hare. These seem to be declining most in the southerly most regions of their range, thus strengthening the case of those who think global warming is to blame.

Minecraft on a Quantum Scale

Want to learn about quantum physics, but you're too busy building awesome castles and genius automated farms on minecraft? You can now with quantum minecraft recently released by google. The new version of the popular computer game named qcraft will cause blocks to change their appearance depending on where they are observed from. This is based on the concept of superposition. Two blocks can also interact with each other through the concept of quantum entanglement, regardless of how far away they are from each other. Look forward to downloading it.

Wednesday 30th October 2013 - Forecast

Wednesday will be much the same as Monday and Tuesday, not so much wind, clear skies and fast tracking fronts from the south-west. The temperature will remain feeling cold, especially in the morning and evening, this effect is/will be enhanced by the fact that there is little cloud cover.

The tracking fronts from the south-west still haven't slowed and although I can't make any observations by just looking at the skies, the jet stream and the colder air from the north could cause more bad weather towards the end of the week.

Monday 21st October 2013 - Forecast

My forecast for Monday onwards is as follows. On Monday, we will be seeing fairly constant rain from around 0700 to 1100. From here on, I expect we will see scattered showers with little rain for the remainder of the day. We will see highs of around 16C on Monday and lows of around 10C, maybe lower in the early hours.

As for the rest of the week, we will see much of the same, temperatures just above average and lots of scattered rain, but almost complete cloud coverage - very unsettled.

I'm Back

I'm back and I will be forecasting again too, but here's something to amuse you in the meantime.

Notice the two different distances to Craigievar.

Enlarged section: bottom right.

How far did you say it was to the castle.

Friday 5th July 2013 - Forecast

Thursday was cloudy to start, but by the afternoon we saw some lovely weather. This weather should continue through Friday, the weekend and Monday.

This will be my post for a few weeks due to my holiday.

Thursday 4th July 2013 - Forecast

Wednesday was cloudy and miserable, with the occasional patch of sun. Thursday will be much the same, but towards the end of the day we will hopefully see some more sun.

Into the weekend we should see some nicer weather we should hopefully continue into early Monday.    

Once again, I will take the opportunity to tell you that Thursday night will be my last forecasts for a few weeks, due to my holiday.

Wednesday 3rd July 2013 - Forecast

Wednesday will be much the same as Tuesday, with more rain and more wind. Thursday will see similar weather again, but it should brighten up towards the end of the day.

Friday will be better, with temperatures rising and clouds reducing. This weather should continue thought the weekend and hopefully into Monday, but I cannot be sure.

Are We Really Just Big Bullies?

In 2009 Sloan Digital Sky Survey found the galaxy now known as Segue 2, cowering at the edge of the Milky Way. The whole shebang, caboodle, thingy is only about 150,000 times as massive as our sun and only holds around a few thousand stars.

Evan Kirby, University of California, Irvine wants to check that the galaxy is 'real', rather than a globular cluster which would have formed as a tightly bound bundle of stars with the Milky Way.

The general agreement on Segue 2 is that it was formed as a real galaxy, then 'bullied' by us. This is because it has the chemical complexion of a galaxy but is no longer big enough to hold onto the elements that are heavier than iron that are kicked out by supernovae. Such debris would be discarded by globular clusters, but Segue 2 seems to have seen many supernovae and held onto the debris.

Tuesday 2nd July 2013 - Forecast

I'm sorry there wasno forecast for Monday, this was due to the fact that I was in London for most of the weekend.

Tuesday should remain dry and warm, with a touch more wind and a considerable amount more cloud, especially as the day draws to a close. Temperatures should be in their mid to high teens and we may see some more muggy weather.

The rest of the week will, unfortunately see deteriorating and muggy weather. However we should hopefully see some nicer weather n Friday and into the weekend, with the clouds lifting a good deal and the temperatures ranging from high teens to mid twenties.

 As an early warning, I will be leaving for holiday on Friday the 7th July, so there will be no forecast for 3 weeks or so.

Sunday 30th June 2013 - Forecast

Sunday will see some good weather, with fewer clouds, less wind and more sun. Temperatures could vary from their high teens to mid twenties and there may be some muggy patches when there is more cloud cover.

There may be rain towards the very end of the day, or early on Monday, especially if thin, wispy clouds in neat formation can be spotted,as this can point towards deteriorating weather within 24 hours or so.

It is unlikely that there will be a review for Sunday, as I will be in London and thus may not be able gather enough information.

Saturday 29th June 2013 - Review

Saturday started with a little cloud, but by the end of the day we had some nice weather. The wind was lesser and the weather seems to be progressing nicely for Sunday.

Saturday29th June 2013 - Forecast

No review for Friday as I have run out of time. Saturday will be a little brighter, with less rain and cloud. Sunday should be an enjoyable day with less wind,and warmer, sunnier weather.

I cannot comment much further onion the week, but we should hopefully see some nice weather on Monday, but the weather could deteriorate as the week wears on.

More to come tomorrow, with a more detailed Forecast.

Friday 27th June 2013 - Forecast

Friday will continue Thursday afternoon's trend. It will become increasingly muggy overnight, with more cloud and rainfall.

The weekend should be nice, with Sunday being the day to look forward to, with lots of sun and temperatures in their mid twenties.

Thursday. 26th June 2013 - Review

Thursday started of with a god deal of sun and warmth, but as the day progressed, the cluds thickened. By the afternoon it was cloudy and muggy with a few spots of rain.

Thursday 27th June 2013 - Forecast

Thursday will be cloudy, warm and slightly breezy, the rain drawing in off the Atlantic will drift over the North of the country before drifting South and hitting Sussex late on Thursday or early on Friday.

As for the weekend, we should see some nice weather on Saturday, but we may be seeing another batch of rain coming in by Sunday.

Wednesday 26th June 2013 - Review

Wednesday did what it was told. It was warm, there was little or no breeze and there was cloud cover to the end of the day.

Wednesday 26th June 2013 - Forecast

The weather on Wednesday will remain warm and dry, although we may see a touch more cloud. The winds will still remain low and although we may see less of the bright sunshine we saw on Tuesday, it should remain warm and sunny for most of the time.

My observations of the sky and maps over the last few days have been lessened so I cannot yet predict the long term forecast without further observations, but I can say that it should remain dry and warm with cloud gradually drawing in any time from late Wednesday to early Friday.

Tuesday 25th June 2013 - Review

Tuesday was, as predicted, dry and sunny with less wind, less cloud, more sun and more heat, with temperatures peaking at around 20*C.

Tuesday 25th June 2013 - Forecast

Tuesday will be much the same as Monday, although we should see a good deal more sun and a good feel less cloud. It will remain dry and should be slightly warmer. There will be less winds and, hopefully, some warmer weather.

As for the rest of the week, the forecast is becoming a bit unclear, but it will hopefully remain mostly dry and warm with some patches of sunshine, which will be prolonged at times and possibly strong.

As the week continues we should see increasing amounts of blue sky and sun. This weather should be at its best on Wednesday or Thursday.