Post by: Ben on May 29, 2006, 01:00:51 PM
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060529/ap_on_sc/poison_ivy_2
Study: global warming boosts poison ivy
53 minutes ago
Another reason to worry about global warming: more and itchier poison ivy. The noxious vine grows faster and bigger as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rise, researchers report Monday.
And a CO2-driven vine also produces more of its rash-causing chemical, urushiol, conclude experiments conducted in a forest at Duke University where scientists increased carbon-dioxide levels to those expected in 2050.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas a chemical that traps heat similar to the way a greenhouse does that's considered a major contributor to global warming. Greenhouse gases have been steadily increasing in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution.
Poison ivy is common in woods around the country, making it a bane of hikers, campers, fighters of forest fires, even backyard gardeners. Its itchy, sometimes blistering rash is one of the most widely reported ailments to poison-control centers, with more than 350,000 reported cases a year.
Compared to poison ivy grown in usual atmospheric conditions, those exposed to the extra-high carbon dioxide grew about three times larger and produced more allergenic form of urushiol, scientists from Duke and Harvard University reported.
Their study appears in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"The fertilization effect of rising CO2 on poison ivy ... and the shift toward a more allergenic form of urushiol have important implications for the future health of both humans and forests," the study concludes.
Post by: Guest on May 29, 2006, 01:04:19 PM
Post by: Sergeant Bob on May 29, 2006, 02:15:31 PM
Post by: Headless Thompson Gunner on May 29, 2006, 06:54:45 PM
And to think, Algore expects this stuff to propel him into the White House...
Post by: Headless Thompson Gunner on May 29, 2006, 07:00:09 PM
Quote from: Sergeant Bob
Yeah but, just think how much better the strawberries will grow!
The last time the global climate experienced a warming trend was about 500 years ago. Some researchers theorize that the resulting explosion in food production levels was partially responsible for ending of the Dark Ages and initiating the Renaissance period. Wanna end hunger and famine and poverty world-wide? Create more global warming.
Post by: Twycross on May 29, 2006, 07:20:00 PM
This is pretty cool. Do you guys think I can make any money by selling my research regarding the effects of water on wetness levels?
Post by: Don Gwinn on May 29, 2006, 08:27:49 PM
Post by: K Frame on May 30, 2006, 02:37:28 AM
I've been engaging in chemical warfare with he poison ivy for the last 3 years.
So far the poison ivy has been winning.
Post by: Tallpine on May 30, 2006, 06:24:39 AM
Post by: engineer151515 on May 30, 2006, 07:33:36 AM
Post by: K Frame on May 30, 2006, 07:47:42 AM
Post by: stevelyn on May 30, 2006, 06:40:49 PM
Post by: Guest on May 31, 2006, 10:00:24 AM
Quote from: Headless Thompson Gunner
Quote from: Sergeant Bob
Yeah but, just think how much better the strawberries will grow!
The last time the global climate experienced a warming trend was about 500 years ago. Some researchers theorize that the resulting explosion in food production levels was partially responsible for ending of the Dark Ages and initiating the Renaissance period. Wanna end hunger and famine and poverty world-wide? Create more global warming.
If anyone has any love left for these people just take a look at what they have done in Africa. They convinced technologically ignorant and superstitious governments that improved crops from the West would poison their peoples, and so they are now starving to death instead of prospering on readily available food that could *easily* sustain the entire population of Africa with plenty left over for export. That continent *could* be propsering and American environmentalists are one reason why they are dying instead. That is one of the sickest atrocities in world history, and it was carried out by the people who are putting out articles like this from the comfort of their homes.