Weekly round-up: Earthquakes, homosexuality and global warming

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a weekly look at stories which intrigue

Earthquakes and global warming The causes of earthquakes have been attributed to many things. The Roman Emperor Justinian thought that they were caused by the practice of homosexual acts, and legislated accordingly. Some are undoubtedly caused by shifts in the Earth’s tectonic plates. Others seem to be the result of more local events in the outer crust, which jar ancient faults, setting off local earthquakes. Which brings us to an intriguing report in Nature. So much ice is melting now due to global warming that the crust is now changing its shape. We are no geomorphologists; but doesn’t that imply a higher chance of earthquakes?

ttps://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02285-0?utm_source=Nature+Briefing&utm_campaign=8af1d88175-briefing-dy-20210827&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c9dfd39373-8af1d88175-45255642

Heroic Compassion When the women’s refuges and similar initiatives kicked off in the 1970s, there was more than one sneer about middle class do-gooders. Well, these so called do-gooders have constructed a mighty movement which has added inestimably to the quality of human life, and we at LSS put these brave women on the same pedestal as Wilberforce and the anti-slavers. Gill Margaret Hague documents the early years for the Conversation. And if you have tears, prepare to shed them now.

https://theconversation.com/you-couldnt-leave-your-husband-it-wasnt-done-the-story-of-the-women-behind-the-first-domestic-violence-refuges-160895?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The%20Weekend%20Conversation%20-%202045120132&utm_content=The%20Weekend%20Conversation%20-%202045120132+CID_0838e4af337211e52d7e5c8fe53624b5&utm_source=campaign_monitor_uk&utm_term=You%20couldnt%20leave%20your%20husband%20It%20wasnt%20done%20%20the%20story%20of%20the%20women%20behind%20the%20first%20domestic%20violence%20refuges

Street lights-a progressive dilemma Street lights make the night safer for women, draining the dark pools of shadow from which their enemies attack. Yet now these lights seem to be the cause of a rapid decline in our six-legged friends, without whom we are all doomed. If you know the answer, write to Joe Biden, as he’s probably not got much on this weekend. Mr Gary Herbert of Buckinghamshire adduces this study from the Conversation by Douglas Boyes.

https://theconversation.com/why-the-changing-colour-of-our-streetlights-could-be-a-danger-for-insect-populations-166470?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+August+26+

Well, that’s three for this week gentle readers, enough to keep you going until we meet again on Tuesday. Enjoy and relax!

#globalwarming #earthquakes #justinian #domesticviolence #insectdecline