The population bomb

jerry submitted, created time 5 months 3 weeks (www.current-biology.com)

The biologist Paul Ehrlich came to public attention in 1968 with the publication of his book, The Population Bomb. Worries about the potential problems of a soaring global population had boiled and cooled over previous decades. And the issue had become so enmeshed with political decisions that many just wished to ignore it. The warnings of Thomas Malthus, the eighteenth-century writer who had had such influence on many thinkers on the problems of uncontrolled population growth, had slipped into the background

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Warfare, climate and warning bells

Darkfrog submitted, created time 1 year 5 months (www.nature.com)

Scientists have linked periods of warfare in Chinese history to the climate: When food is scarce, people fight more. This might seem obvious, but the kicker is that the warlike periods start thirty to forty years AFTER the start of a cold snap.

Time enough to prepare countermeasures, perhaps?

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