tinkr.net

So the nonsense that cellphones can cause cancer is all over the news again. Headline writers drive me crazy. They sensationalize everything so much that often times the headlines say the exact opposite of what the the articles say.

The WHO didn’t say cellphones can cause cancer. They just categorized them in the “possibly” category, which just means more research is needed. There really isn’t any evidence that shows any dangers, but more studies are always good and maybe someday this can be put to rest. Other things that are in the same category are gasoline, pickled vegetables, and coffee, so I wouldn’t be too worried. Here is a great article about the categories and what they really mean.

Cellphone use microwaves, which are non-ionizing and cannot cause biological damage. They can cause heat though, but really can’t cook your brain. Your microwave oven probably puts out 1000 watts of energy to heat up your food. Your cell phone puts out about 1 watt. It would be like cooking a turkey by blowing on it. I’ve also heard that hats heat up your brain more than a cellphone would.

I’m sure it will come up this weekend when I am with my Mom. She swears that I am putting my life at risk by carrying my phone in my pocket. I’m sure she thinks smoking is safer than cellphones.

If you are reading this, SURPRISE!, the Earth didn’t end yesterday. When are people going to stop getting their science from the Bible? Probably not in my lifetime I am guessing.

In reality the Earth probably has 5 billion or so years left. It’s demise will more than likely occur when the Sun reaches it’s red giant phase, and it’s radius will be extend into Earth’s orbit. Humans will be long gone way before that though. As the Earth gradually heats we will probably evolve into other life forms that can deal with the elements until eventually all the water evaporates and the elements become to harsh for any life forms to live.

Personally I’m not too worried. If lucky I only got 50 or so years left, and in 150 years everyone I ever knew will be gone too. The atoms that make up my body will probably make up many more things before they go back to where they came from, a star.

That reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Lawrence Krauss.

“Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your right hand. It really is the most poetic thing I know about physics: You are all stardust. You couldn’t be here if stars hadn’t exploded, because the elements – the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, all the things that matter for evolution and for life – weren’t created at the beginning of time. They were created in the nuclear furnaces of stars, and the only way for them to get into your body is if those stars were kind enough to explode. So, forget Jesus. The stars died so that you could be here today.” – Lawrence Krauss