Coffee and Provocation

The Murderer at the Zoo
Double killer Malcolm Naden hid out in Dubbo Australia's Western Plains Zoo in late 2005, stealing bananas from the elephants and eating a giant tortoise.

Flash Frozen Mammoths
How do you flash-freeze 5 million Mammoths who are living in a temperate world lush with greenery?  Science may have figured it out and pieced together the evidence.  A great read that has me convinced.

The High Price of Darjeeling Tea
It seem that ethnic conflict is wiping out the Darjeeling tea harvest. The tea has traditionally been harvested by Gorkhas who are Nepali-speaking Indians and who have been treated like shit. Now they are pushing for better wages and political autonomy.

Here Comes the Sun
With the price for solar electricity plunging like a rock, India has just cancelled plans to build 13.7 gigawatts of coal-fired power stations – >about the same number of coal-fired plants as power all of the UK.

Fat and Lazy Americans Making Diabetes
Americans spend more than half their food money on meals that require no cooking.

The Next Generation of People
Using CRISPR, scientists have efficiently edited the human genome of a viable human embryo in order to fix a genetic defect. No implanting yet, but it's coming.  CRISPR will wipe out many diseases (think Malaria), permanently rid the world of many birth defects, reduce insecticide and herbicide use, and increase farm production. It is the most significant leap forward so far in the 21st Century.

The Next Two Generations of Cars
Your next car will be a plug-in. The one after that may not exist at all.

Google Mosquitoes
Verily, the science division of Google, is conducting a field study to rid Silicon Valley of yellow fever mosquitoes which can also carry dengue fever, malaria, and Zika. It involves releasing 20 millions sterile mosquitoes.

Growing Trees in the Desert
It's easy, if you use the right pot and the right tree.