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Climate change will wipe out a quarter of species … no, spur the evolution of new species

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The new climate doomsday strutting the catwalk at New Scientist features bold editorial lines, according to which human meddling will trigger not merely mass extinctions but the evolution of new species.

Just think; we will finally have evidence for the evolution of new species. A silver lining in the clouds of climate change.

Snatch from a mostly paywalled article:

A decade ago, ecologist Chris Thomas warned that climate change would wipe out a quarter of all species. Now he tells Fred Pearce that we might actually end up with more species than before – and this isn’t a contradiction

Of course it’s not a contradiction. It’s most likely an impossibility but that’s something different. What’s really remarkable is that a science writer even tried to make sense of a doomsday scenario instead of just passively accepting the latest from rerite.

Chris Thomas argues that, “in an evolutionary surge,” new species are beginning to emerge already.

Let’s see whether we spot any of them when the ice melts.

Note: Niagara Falls is in the banana belt of Canada, right at the southern border.

Comments
OT: (Design of) Fur and Feathers Keep Animals Warm by Scattering Light - Jan. 23, 2014 Excerpt: Priscilla Simonis,, was intrigued by the ability of polar bears to insulate their bodies to temperatures of 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 F) even during long, cold winters when outside temperatures are a frigid -40 C (-40 F). The feat was especially impressive given that the bears have a layer of fur that is only 5 centimeters thick.,,, Most people assume that fur and feathers keep animals warm primarily by trapping a layer of air that slows thermal conduction, says Simonis. But she and her colleagues suspected that radiation might play a bigger role.,,, Simonis and her colleagues found that as the reflectivity of the radiative shields increased, the rate of heat transfer between the hot and cold thermostat was dramatically reduced. Adding more shields also dramatically reduced the energy loss. All together, the model suggests that the repeated backscattering of infrared light between radiative shields, like individual hairs and barbed feathers, could be the primary mechanism for the thermal insulation properties of fur and feathers. The light scattering properties of animals' coats can also have dual purposes, Simonis notes. With the right structure, fur and feathers can generate efficient thermal insulation in the far infrared range while also scattering visible light to produce a white appearance in the visible wavelength range. "This is particularly useful to animals, such as mammals and birds, that live in snowy areas," Simonis says, as it provides them with both warmth and camouflage against the white snow. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140123125834.htmbornagain77
January 23, 2014
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