Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Lord Kelvin weeps

The Victorian age was the apogee of British scientific achievement.  William Thompson (Baron Kelvin) helped establish the laws of Thermodynamics.  Ernest (Lord) Rutherford discovered the radioactive halflife and pioneered work on the structure of the atom.  Rutherford's student Robert Boyle invented SONAR.  Charles Babbage invented the idea of a programmable computer.

When they look down on Blighty from uber-Scientist heaven, what do they see British science working on?  Cow farts:
The belching of cows causes methane to be produced, one of the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. Sir Paul McCartney, Lord Stern and a host of other celebrities have even suggested people should eat less meat and dairy to stop the problem.

However feeding cattle linseed can reduce the amount of methane by up to 40 per cent, according to studies presented at the British Society of Animal Science annual conference
Weep for the fall of a once great scientific tradition.

Hat tip: Rick, via email.

3 comments:

  1. jon spencerMarch 30, 2011 at 10:19 AM

    Wonder if Robert Boyle (sonar) was a relation of Robert Boyle (Boyle's Law of Thermodynamics)?

    ReplyDelete
  2. SiGraybeardMarch 30, 2011 at 6:52 PM

    I don't know that it's appropriate to weep at a suicide. True, they are sad for the survivors, but the deceased truly got what they wished for. I've only attended one suicide funeral (one too many), and tears were in short supply.

    And what once-great Britain is suffering from is, indeed, suicide. They have been cowed into giving up everything they are and have ever been. The nation that stood with steel resolve against the Blitz has surrendered to thugs who live off the productive society and enforce honor killings on their sisters and daughters. They've sold their children into a life more like the middle ages than the 20th century.

    ReplyDelete
  3. B322April 3, 2011 at 1:28 PM

    "Cow farts" may sound funnier than "cow belching", but belching is not a euphemism in this case. Important to distinguish between the back end of the cow and the front.

    ReplyDelete

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