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Pagan News Beagle: Earthy Thursday, February 9 2017

Climate change pushes people to leave their homes for places with (perhaps literally) greener grass. Scholars try to combat the preponderance of "alternative facts." And a look at how changes in engineering and architectural design could help make the future more sustainable. It's Earthy Thursday, our segment on science and Earth-related news! All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

A lot of refugees flee political oppression or economic destitution. But sometimes the reason for leaving your home and seeking a new one is much simpler: your home is no longer inhabitable. Grist reports on the rise of climate refugees including those fleeing Mexico for the United States.

The bumblebee used to be a common sight in many gardens around the world. But now it's population is on the decline. Tech and science website Gizmodo reports on the disheartening drop in the beloved insect's population.

A few weeks ago Trump spokesperson and counsel Kellyanne Conway drew rebukes when she described the administration's deception about inauguration numbers as "alternative facts." But as silly as the concept sounds, alternative facts are a genuine problem with education in our culture, especially within the sciences. Scientific American discusses the problem in more detail here.

A lot of astronomy is in discerning details that might not be obvious at first glance. This applies significantly more to phenomena that are difficult to observe directly. Syfy Wire discusses recent discoveries by the Japanese probe Akatsuki that indicate the interior atmosphere of Venus might be quite a bit different that initially thought.

If we're going to lower carbon emissions and decrease our impact on the environment, the way we design and construct buildings is going to have to change. National Geographic explains some of the ways architects and engineers are trying to do just that.


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Aryós Héngwis (or the more modest Héngwis for short) is a native of the Pontic-Caspian steppe, born some 5000 years ago, near the village of Dereivka. In his youth he stood out from the other snakes for his love of learning and culture, eventually coming into the service of the local reǵs before moving westward toward Europe. Most recently, Aryós Héngwis left his home to pursue a new life in America, where he has come under the employ of BBI Media as an internet watchdog (or watchsnake, if you will), ever poised to strike the unwary troll.

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