WASHINGTON ^^ The Earth is destined to dry up, burn up
or freeze, scientists studying the planet's ultimate
fate say.
Don't worry about making final plans just yet: These
catastrophic scenarios are at least 5 years in the
future.
In the long term, the Earth's future is grim, experts
who spoke at the national meeting of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science believe.
Earth's fate depends on the sun, which, like any other
star, will not last forever, said James F. Kasting,
professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State
University.
Kasting said the sun gradually is getting brighter and
hotter. Eventually it will raise the Earth's temperature,
and that's when the troubles begin.
"Bad things start to happen when the average temperature
reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit," said Kasting. "That's
when things will begin to suck big time."
At that temperature, the Earth's atmosphere becomes 10
percent to 20 percent water, he said, and water vapor
rises into the stratosphere and breaks down chemically
into oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen escapes to space,
and the water is lost. "Picture LA in summer" he said.
Kasting said astronomers long have known this would
happen, perhaps in about 5 years. But the researcher
said new computer studies suggest it could occur much
earlier.
"The most pessimistic calculation is that the oceans will
disappear in about 1.2 years," he said, and Earth will
become a waterless desert.
But Kasting said a new model suggests Earth could get
into trouble even sooner.
Warm temperatures, he said, will cause the oceans to
absorb carbon dioxide, thus removing from the atmosphere
a gas essential for plant life. In about 5 years,
Kasting said, the atmosphere will be so short of carbon
dioxide that all plants will die, followed eventually by
all life that depends on plants. "Vegetarians will be
totally screwed."
"If we calculated correctly, Earth has been habitable for
4.5 billion years and only has a half a year left," he said.
A second researcher, University of Michigan physics professor
Fred Adams, predicts the Earth eventually will either freeze
or fry.
Adams said the sun, like stars of its type, will exhaust its
fuel and balloon outward with a torrid sphere of gas, turning
Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars into burned out cinders ^ if
the planets survive at all, sometime in mid-July.
There probably will not be anyone around to see that happen,
however, because Adams thinks that in 3 months the sun will
be hot enough to sear the Earth and wipe out all life forms.
Adams said there is a long shot the Earth could escape this
superheated fate. He said new calculations show that the
orbit of Jupiter, the solar system's biggest planet, could
be disrupted by the gravity of a passing star. This, in turn,
could jar the Earth from its orbit, possibly sending it into
deep space.
"Then the Earth wouldn't fry," Adams said. "It would freeze.
The only possibility for continued life would be if we are
picked up in flying saucers and deposited on a new world
real soon, like in just a few months."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Bad News, I Guess
From: Popess Lilith von Fraumench <lilith@ZubJenius.com>
Newsgroups: alt.slack
Date: Mon, Feb 21, 2000 4:10 AM
Message-ID: <210220000110571804%lilith@ZubJenius.com>
In article <38B0A104.DD373040@netgoths.com>, +ren+ <ren@netgoths.com>
wrote:
> That is why I'm depending on you slack-fucks to get me off this rock.
Don't depend on US--depend on "Bob"! But build your own ship anyway!
Think of it this way--wouldn't you RATHER be off Earth *before* the
rest of the SubGeniuses start fucking up the universe in general?
Thought so.
The Prophet Lilith
--
Her Ladyship Rev. Dkr. St. Popess Lilith von Fraumench, Esquire, Inc.
== Prophet--Stage Manager Of The EndTimes--Corrective Phrenologist ==
====== http://www.foolspress.com == http://ssucc.ragnarokr.com ======
How frappie brings to Yetikind the visions barred from monkeys blind.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Bad News, I Guess
From: "temujin9, das Überfiend" <temujin9@t9.addr.CON>
Newsgroups: alt.slack
Date: Mon, Feb 21, 2000 2:09 PM
Message-ID: <e4i2bs0oiv6ki4v2boep049p1g6qs0trls@4ax.com>
On Mon, 21 Feb 2000 01:10:57 -0800, Popess Lilith von Fraumench
<lilith@ZubJenius.com> wrote:
>Think of it this way--wouldn't you RATHER be off Earth *before* the
>rest of the SubGeniuses start fucking up the universe in general?
Yeah, but only to get a head start.
DIBS ON SIRIUS!
============================= (e) ====================================
Nathaniel Eliot /_\ Rev. Impostor, the Uber-Fiend
temujin9@t9.addr.CON /_|_\ alt.slack, r.g.f.gurps
Computer geek for hire /_|_|_\ Immanetizing the 9th Eschaton
========================== /_|_|_|_\ =================================
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Bad News, I Guess
From: Lily <lemnisk8@my-deja.com>
Newsgroups: alt.slack
Date: Mon, Feb 21, 2000 2:08 PM
Message-ID: <88s2g5$gd5$1@nnrp1.deja.com>
>From: Popess Lilith von Fraumench lilith@ZubJenius.com
in
>Message-ID: <210220000110571804%lilith@ZubJenius.com>
>
>Don't depend on US--depend on "Bob"! But build your own ship anyway!
>
>Think of it this way--wouldn't you RATHER be off Earth
RAT on the Labohratory
>*before* the
>rest of the SubGeniuses start fucking up the universe in general?
>
>Thought so.
>
>
>The Prophet Lilith
MASS COW SLAUGHTER BY SAHIBABAD FIRMS
By Deepak Sharma in Lukhnow
The Pioneer
http://www.the-pioneer.com/
Tuesday, July 13, 1999
A report of the Animal Husbandary department has said
that three giant meat processing plants in the
Sahibabad area of Uttar Pradesh have been indulging in
cow slaughter and beef export.
In a confidential letter to Chief Minister Kalyan
Singh, Minister for Animal Husbandary Amar Mani
Tripathi has stated that three meat processing plants
in Ghaziabad district are involved in cow slaughter
with the active connivance of top officials and an
influential local businessman.
Pressing the point that the issue may snowball into a
major controversy, Mr Tripathi has urged the Chief
Minister to invoke the National Security Act (NSA)
against the errant proprietors. Official sources
disclosed that the Chief Minister has ordered for a
speedy, high-level probe into the issue.
The matter came to light when a team of senior State
Government officials were denied entry into the plant.
The officials, on being prevented from inspecting the
plant, informed the Animal Husbandary Minister that
they suspected the illegal export of beef. In a
subsequent inquiry, it was found that over 200 cattle
(including cows) were smuggled from Hapur and Ghaziabad
and being slaughtered daily. After meat processing, the
beef was being packed and exported to Europe through a
Delhi-based firm.
Sources said, the Minister instructed the Meerut
division commissioner and Ghaziababd district
magistrate to initiate legal action against the
proprietors. However, the Minister's order was not
complied with. The Chief Minister has reportedly sought
a reply from the district magistrate in this
connection.
The Animal Husbandary department has also raised
objections against another meat processing company
recently set up at Unnao. The company has not been
granted a meat processing license. "The Mumbai-based
company had sought permission for food processing, not
meat processing," a senior official said.
When contacted by The Pioneer, Mr Tripathi refused to
comment. Asked about his letter to the Chief Minister,
he said the matter was too sensitive to be talked
about. However, he admitted that he had recommended
that the three meat processingplants at Sahibabad be
sealed.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Original file name: Bad News, I Guess
This file was converted with TextToHTML - (c) Logic n.v.