Source:
CBC NewsFrom the mighty polar bear to the tiny house sparrow, many of Earth's species appear to be shrinking in size, a new study reports. And the authors think it's probably due to global warming, a little like wool sweaters that shrink when washed in hot water.
But other experts say that conclusion goes too far, blaming global warming for what may be natural changes.
Fellow Albertans. Preston Manning gives the thumbs up to former Supreme Court justice John Major as they were invested into the Order of Canada in December 2008. Manning argues that oil sands development should be charged the full rate for water use and other environmental costs. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
But do we care?
The new research was published online Sunday in the journal Nature Climate Change. It's based on a review of other studies and found that 38 of 85 animal and plant species showed a documented reduction in size over decades, including a type of Scottish sheep that is five per cent smaller than in 1985. Those studies looked at species over different time periods and in varying numbers.
The shrinking victims, according to the study, include cotton, corn, strawberries, bay scallops, shrimp, crayfish, carp, Atlantic salmon, herring, frogs, toads, iguanas, hooded robins, red-billed gulls, California squirrels, lynx and wood rats.
Read more:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/10/17/science-animals-and-plants-shrinking.html
Smaller rats? I could live with that. Seriously, though, this is yet more evidence: Yes, there is debate about this particular point, but the overwhelming weight of the GW/CC facts is clearly demonstrative to reasonable people.
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