Monday Science Links

This week's Science:

• From Brian at Laelaps comes Un-bear-able:"Throughout most of the world humans have exterminated carnivores in order to keep their places of habitation safe, and while large carnivores still exist in patches we have a sort of "You keep to your side, I'll keep to my side," sort of attitude towards them. The problem, however, is that we keep expanding our towns and villages out into areas where large carnivores live, some areas experiencing an increased level of conflict."
  


• From John Hawks Anthropology Website, a look at Greenland Norse - or the lack of them. "Things got colder and they left," says the article. John muses on that and Neandertals.


• From Jennifer at Cocktail Party Physics comes a good summary of the sonar vs. whales legal rulings and counters now going on involving the Navy. "Ultimately, it's about balancing the interests of national security with environmental concerns. That makes it one of those complex issues about which reasonable people might reasonably disagree."


• From Martin at Aardvarchaeology comes a look at China's first steps away from the myths of proto-history. It's a good overview of the problem, mainly. "Now, in no part of the world is there any historical source older than the first proto-cuneiform inscriptions in Mesopotamia about 5300 BC. In most areas, the oldest sources are many thousands of years younger. But before the historical period in each area, there is usually a proto-historical era: one for which there are only few and bad sources, often quite extremely bad ones. Typically, proto-historical sources are written centuries after the fact by political propagandists, and there exists no corroborating historical evidence."
  


• And Carel's back at Rigor Vitae, with a look at a frog-killing fungus, Bd: "The beautiful Neotropical stub-footed toads (Atelopus spp.) have been hit particularly hard; it's estimated that 67% of the 110 species, many of which were abundant, have been wiped out." With some of his spectacular artwork, too, of course.