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Pagan News Beagle: Earthy Thursday, September 3

Indigenous techniques are used to control wildfires. What does it mean now that the UK is lifting its ban on neonicotinoids? And why do scientists and the general public differ so much on the use of GMOs? It's Earthy Thursday, our weekly report on science news for the Pagan community. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

As wildfires and drought sweep the nation, many are concerned our current ecological policies could prove insufficient for the future. But could the traditional techniques of local American Indian tribes provide a solution? That's the question Al Jazeera asks as it covers firefighting efforts in the American West.

The last few years have been marked by a significant (though not yet catastrophic) decline in bee populations around the world. Many possible causes have been supposed but one that has acquired a lot of attention is the use of neonicotinoid insecticides. So it's only natural then that many are reacting to Britain's lift on the country's ban of neonicotinoids with some degree of shock. You can read more about the story at Vice.

What affect does having a child have on your psychology? Does it change your mood or your personality? Over at Scientific American Esther Hsieh discusses the transitional nature of early motherhood and how, like many points of transition, it can be a marked point of stress.

When we talk about aquaculture what we usually mean is growing seaweed, farming salmon, or other forms of cultivating sea life. But what about farming land flora or fauna at sea? Apparently it's not such a far-fetched idea. Grist covers the development of underwater greenhouses that could expand our farming land off land.

We've discussed genetically modified organisms and the advantages of their usage in farming before. But while scientists are generally comfortable with the idea, the general public isn't. Why is that? Stefaan Blancke offers his take.


Top image by Hagmann P, Cammoun L, Gigandet X, Meuli R, Honey CJ, Wedeen VJ, Sporns O

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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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