Did they find the lost plane?

April 5, 2014 • 4:54 am

I just got this on my emailed CNN News bulletin, but can’t find confirmation anywhere else:

Chinese ship discovers pulse signal with frequency of 37.5 kHz in southern Indian Ocean, state news agency Xinhua says.

According to Hydro International, that’s the right frequency for a “black box” (my emphasis):

All commercial air transport (CAT) aircraft are fitted with underwater locator beacons to assist in the relocation of black box flight data recorders (FDRs) and cockpit voice recorders (CVRs). These beacons are free-running pingers transmitting at an acoustic frequency of 37.5kHz with a claimed battery life of at least 30 days.

I hope this doesn’t prove to be one of the many false alarms, for the relatives and friends of those aboard the Malaysia Air flight have had a horribly emotional roller-coaster ride. I suspect, however, that this is indeed the plane.

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UPDATE: As one reader noted below, the ABC News said this:

The signal was detected by the Haixun 01 vessel around 25 degrees south latitude and 101 degrees east longitude, the Xinhua agency reports.

However there is no evidence so far that the signal is linked to MH370.

I’d say, however, that since the signals last only 30 days, and there’s no evidence of other planes having gone down in the area in the last year, this is evidence linking the signal to the Malaysia Air flight.

 

Readers’ wildlife photos

April 5, 2014 • 4:05 am

Guess who took these? Answer is at bottom; a hint is that they’re from Idaho, so this ain’t rocket science. But the pictures are lovely—some of the best I’ve seen from this guy. The second photo in particular is a masterpiece of avian grace.

His notes:

These Great Blue Herons are doing their mating thing, across a field from their rookery where the Bald Eagles have taken up residence. But  they don’t seem to be building new nests. Will they nest in the rookery, eagles be damned? Time will tell.

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As a lagniappe, a pretty good in-flight shot of a drake Mallard.

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Here’s a photo of mama eagle watching the goings-on from across the field in the rookery.

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h/t: Stephen Barnard

Update on Jerry Coyne in his new home

April 4, 2014 • 2:05 pm

Here’s a nice end to a long week: Gayle Ferguson has forwarded photos of Jerry Coyne the Cat in his new home in Christchurch, New Zealand. I’m glad to report that all is well, although Jerry and Loki (the senior resident cat) are still a bit wary of each other.  And Jerry is inspecting the chooks.

The photos are a bit smaller than usual, but still show that Jerry is settling in well:

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Jerry inspects the chickens:

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No problem with napping:

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Jerry and Loki, eyeing each other warily:

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Gail reports this exchange with her colleague, one of Jerry Coyne’s two new staff. Her first question was a joke, as she was asking about the male staff rather than the cat. The guy answered with news about Jerry:
Me:  How’s my boy?
J:  On his back with his front legs curled under his chin!  He is very happy.
Me:  And how is Jerry?
J:  Hee Hee! He now has the run of the house and Loki gives way.  Good dirt boxer and sleeps through the night.
I asked about Loki “giving way,” since he’s older and much bigger than Jerry. Gayle replied:
Little Jerry is actually very aggressive.  It usually takes at least a few weeks for two cats to get used to each and to figure out who is ‘top cat’.
I’m glad to see that he’s retained the name Jerry, though I dare not ask whether his full name remains “Jerry Coyne.”

Thanks to Jerry’s staff for keeping us up to date!

Fossil mammoth bill passes South Carolina legislature, with creationist rider!

April 4, 2014 • 12:09 pm

On March 30 I wrote a bit about the kerfuffle in the South Carolina legislature, which was squabbling over whether to make the Wooly Mammoth (called the “Columbian Mammoth”) the state fossil.  This was a suggestion of an eight-year-old girl, Olivia McConnell, who had written to her legislators suggesting the new symbol.  But two Republicans held up the bill, trying to add creationist amendments and descriptions, and it looked as if the whole thing would fail.

But now, according to USA Today, the bill has passed, and, pending the governor’s signature, the mammoth is on its way to becoming the Official State Fossil. It passed the state Senate, the state House, and apparently will soon become law.

But there’s one slight problem. You can see the whole bill below (also found here). Take a look at the amendment in Section 1.

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Yep, that’s right, folks: the Mammoth is enshrined in law as having been “created on the Sixth Day with the other beasts of the field.” And that’s not intelligent design creationism, it’s pure, literalist young-earth creationism. It’s PURE INSANITY!

How did it happen? USA Today reports;

Before Fair’s objection, state Sen. Kevin Bryant tried unsuccessfully to insert a Bible verse into H 4482. This week, the Republican from Anderson, S.C., put forth a new amendment that was adopted, referring to the animal “as created on the sixth day with the beasts of the field.”

“I think it’s an appropriate time to acknowledge the creator,” he said.

Actually, that’s better than the previous amendment, which quoted verbatim three verses from Genesis referring to the creation.

There’s some slight pushback, but it doesn’t seem too vocal:

Rick Hahnenberg, a spokesman for the Upstate South Carolina chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said he’s concerned that legislators’ actions on the state fossil issue have been a continuation of a push for religion to be inserted into the science curriculum.

“Obviously we want to have good science standards in South Carolina,” he said.

I’m torn. Olivia wants her state fossil, but is this the way to give it to her? Will the Governor of South Carolina, Republican Nikki Haley, sign a bill that by its very nature flouts the U.S. Constitution? Will some courageous legislator take out that amendment? Will the Freedom from Religion foundation oppose this Biblical language in a state law?

Stay tuned as the craziness continues below the Mason-Dixon Line.

h/t: Greg Mayer