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Little People: Will Climate Change Shrink the Species?
TIME ^ | February 24, 2012 | By JEFFREY KLUGER

Posted on 02/26/2012 9:27:36 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer

If you think there are no new reasons to get freaked out by climate change, try this: There’s at least a theoretical possibility that a warmer and warmer world could lead to tinier and tinier humans. That’s the inevitable conclusion of a just-published study of Siferhippus sandae, the littlest horse that ever lived.

The Siferhippus sandae first appeared about 56 million years ago, and it was never a terribly prepossessing creature, weighing no more than 12 lbs. (5.5 kg). While it was not exactly built for steeplechase running, its skeletal architecture — not to mention its unmistakably equine face — mark it as a great-great-granddaddy of the modern horse.

But while the little critter had a grand evolutionary future in front of it, it came into the world at an unfortunate time — an era known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), when a sharp spike in atmospheric CO2 led to a 10º F (5.5º C) rise in global temperature. In geological terms, the PETM didn’t last long — just 175,000 years — but biology moves faster than geology, and plenty of species felt the effects, with some existing ones dying out and other, new ones emerging. The Siferhippus sandae, it turns out, did something else, shrinking by about 30%, to 8.5 lbs (3.9 kg) — or about the size of a house cat — during the first 130,000 years of the PETM.

(Excerpt) Read more at ecocentric.blogs.time.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: climategate; failure; hoax; socialism
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
If I'm not mistaken, in biblical times and even in our revolutionary times, everyone was significantly shorter......to the point where my average 6ft 230lbs body would have been considered a freak-of-nature or 'giant'.
This tells me that climate had/has almost nothing to do with our "size" over time. Instead a better diet & better medicine has/had everything to do with our 'size'.
I concur that these failing leftist rags are grasping at shorter and shorter straws to try and keep their noses above water.
21 posted on 02/26/2012 10:11:10 AM PST by brent13a (Freerepublic is a great site for conservative news, if you can stomach the cop hating.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
If you think there are no new reasons to get freaked out by climate change, try this:

If you think there are no new reasons lie about climate change, try Time.

22 posted on 02/26/2012 10:14:04 AM PST by Lazamataz (If unemployment helps the economy, like the W.H. says, then CONTRACTING CANCER MAKES YOU HEALTHIER!)
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To: Defendingliberty; TenthAmendmentChampion; SolitaryMan; Dr. Bogus Pachysandra; grey_whiskers; ...
 


Beam me to Planet Gore !

23 posted on 02/26/2012 10:15:40 AM PST by steelyourfaith (Expel the Occupy White House squatters !!!)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
So, that's what happened to the pres-ent...

BHOSHRINK


24 posted on 02/26/2012 10:18:30 AM PST by FrankR (You are only enslaved to the extent of the entitlements you receive.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

The original story was published simply to push the theory, once again, that additional CO2 in the atmosphere causes a major increase of global temperatures. Previous research has shown that increase in atmospheric CO2 follows temperature increase, so, once again, this garbage has but one purpose, to promote the man made global warming hoax.


25 posted on 02/26/2012 10:23:26 AM PST by Pox (Good Night. I expect more respect tomorrow.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

these gm ‘fairy stories’ are starting to remind me of the ‘reefer madness’ studies of the 80s...every month there was a different one saying weed would make you psychotic, make you gay, make you grow breasts etc etc etc

waiting to see when these gm ‘scientists’ start aiming ‘between the legs’ so to speak...then youll know theyre desperate


26 posted on 02/26/2012 10:31:26 AM PST by AnTiw1
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Where do these idiots come up with this. It was a damn little horse. It didn’t turn into trigger.


27 posted on 02/26/2012 10:39:21 AM PST by Sacajaweau
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Smaller Carbon footprints from smaller people?

The Greenies should be 100% for it.

Maybe even 110% - No! Wait! - make it 117%.


28 posted on 02/26/2012 10:46:05 AM PST by Iron Munro ("Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight he'll just kill you." John Steinbeck)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Dear Jeff (CO TIME Magazine) - if you’re going to steal my Kentucky Derby joke, at least credit me. I guess integrity is shrinking at TIME.


29 posted on 02/26/2012 10:51:32 AM PST by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer")
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To: Yankee

I like little women! They make some things look,,,errrr,,,,,larger!


30 posted on 02/26/2012 11:27:41 AM PST by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ( Ya can't pick up a turd by the clean end!)
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To: Dr. Bogus Pachysandra

Gives new meaning to pole dancing


31 posted on 02/26/2012 11:40:10 AM PST by al baby (Hi Mom)
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To: al baby

“Gives new meaning to pole dancing”

Ummmm,,,,errrr, Uh, Polish folk dancing, right?


32 posted on 02/26/2012 11:55:56 AM PST by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ( Ya can't pick up a turd by the clean end!)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

What he lacked in size he made up in evilness.


33 posted on 02/26/2012 12:10:11 PM PST by count-your-change (You don't have to be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Oh, so they believe that environment can affect genetics?


34 posted on 02/26/2012 1:13:39 PM PST by mrsmel
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

More egregious silliness from the folks over at Time magazine.


35 posted on 02/26/2012 1:55:24 PM PST by Jack Hammer
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To: Pride in the USA

Um...ping?


36 posted on 02/26/2012 1:58:36 PM PST by lonevoice (Klepto Baracka Marxo, impeach we much.)
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