DAILY QUICK READ - MAY 31, 2016

"Entanglement" - Very spooky.

OK.  I’m good with Shroedinger’s cat as a way to explain quantum mechanics.  But, really two cats, instantaneously linked yet separated by billions of light years.  WTF?

Until someone opens the box, of course, and is observed. Then, the cat can't be doing both things at once. According to quantum mechanics, and specifically the theory of “superposition,” these particles actually exist in all possible states at the same time - until, that is, someone takes a measurement. At that point, the particle falls into a single, known state.

So, the particles could be decaying, and not decaying, simultaneously. As a consequence, the poison is being released - and not released. And so the cat is both dead and alive.

What Dr. Wang and his team have done is to add another dimension: the concept of “entanglement.” This proposes that two objects can be intimately linked, even if billions of light-years separate them, and any change that happens to one will happen to the other instantaneously, a relationship Einstein once described as “spooky action at a distance.”

Poverty and deforestation go together.

When people lack resources they will do what is necessary to feed their families.  In Kenya, these are local issues, not the consequences corporate greed. 

Kenya needs to take urgent action to combat degradation of key forests, for the sake of its environment and its economy, experts say.

The country’s forests, ranging from mountain rainforests to savannah woodlands, coastal forests and mangroves, are under pressure due to high demand for land and resources from the country’s growing population.

An estimated 50,000 hectares (200 square miles) of forest is cleared annually, with a consequent yearly loss to the economy of over $19 million, according to a 2014 report by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources.

Deniers got to deny. 

Complex systems are complex. 

A new University of Washington study reveals why the Antarctic Ocean might be one of the last places to experience the effects of global warming and human-driven climate change.

Over the years, the water surrounding Antarctica has stayed roughly the same temperature even as the rest of the planet continues to warm, a fact often pointed out by climate change deniers.

Now, a new study uses observations and climate models to suggest that the reason for this inconsistency is due to the unique currents around Antarctica that continually pull deep, old water up to the surface. This ancient water hasn't touched the Earth's surface since before the machine age, meaning it has been hidden from human-driven climate change.

Poachers in South Africa becoming even more brazen.

Poachers in South Africa's Kruger Park opened fire on a patrol helicopter, officials said Thursday, describing the attack as a "dramatic escalation" in the battle over rhinos hunted for their horns.

The poachers shot five times at the South African National Parks' helicopter that was part of an operation to crack down on poaching in the southern part of Kruger where rhinos have been heavily targeted.

"Quick action by all the team members involved averted a catastrophe and the helicopter managed to land with all the crew on board safe," the department of environmental affairs said in statement.

  

"Four poachers have been arrested and three firearms, ammunition and poaching equipment recovered."