Life and Death on Planet Earth (and Elsewhere)

Last updated on: May 7, 2019 at 12:49 pm by Dan Peterson

Life and Death on Planet Earth (and Elsewhere) 2019-05-07T12:49:35-06:00 Dan Peterson

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The Dead Sea from atop Masada in 2007, in a photograph by David Weekly. The scene has changed markedly since even then.
(Wikimedia Commons public domain photograph)

Was there ever life on Mars? Have scientists uncovered evidence of it?

“Claimed Signs of Life in a Martian Meteorite: Like other previous claims, this one may not hold up.”

On the other hand, how did complicated biology arise on our planet?

“Did Volcanic Eruptions During a Snowball Earth Trigger the Rise of Complex Life?”

And, while we’re at it, here’s something on “life” from quite a different perspective:

“Get Rid of Your Lawn: It’s a waste of land, and it’s terrible for the environment. You can do something better.”

***

Here’s an article on an interesting subject:

“The deepest hole we have ever dug: During the Cold War, the US and Soviets both created ambitious projects to drill deeper than ever before.”

I remember hearing about Project Mohole when I was a very young boy. I hadn’t read about it or really thought about it for a very long time, though — until I saw the article just above.

***

Masada from the north, with the ruins of the palace of Herod the Great cascading down the cliff in the foreground. It’s the site where a large group of Jewish Zealots committed suicide in AD 73 rather than be enslaved by the Romans.
(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

Yesterday (Monday, 6 May 2019) we drove alongside the Dead Sea and walked around on top of Masada. It was as dramatic as ever, but, fortunately, not as hot as I had feared that it would be.

The Dead Sea is dying. I’ve known that for a very long time. So has everybody else who has been paying attention. And it continues to die. I myself have seen massive changes since I first lived in Jerusalem back in 1978.

I’m horrified to think that that’s been more than four decades now. I never imagined being so old.

On the other hand, in historical terms, let alone from a geological perspective, forty years is nothing.

You should probably come to Israel soon, if you haven’t already, and see the Dead Sea while you still can.

In the meantime, however, if you want to understand why the Dead Sea is disappearing, how soon it might be altogether gone, and what measures are being considered to save it, you’ll find this article interesting.

Posted from Jerusalem, Israel

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