BIOLOGY

Climate Change is Good? 🔥

You are probably very familiar with anthropogenic climate change (climate change caused or accelerated by human activity) and the repercussions we may face if we don't act soon. As biologists, one of the things we can ponder and model is the effect climate change will have on biodiversity and biotic processes within certain environments. We can also ask broader theoretical questions that are very difficult to simulate. One of my favourites is: who would be the winners of climate change? This isn't inherently a political question, so it doesn't question which humans would benefit from climate change (although there are a few that currently are). No, this asks which non-human animals will persist through a changing climate and which will be able to use it to their advantage. Of course, with a broad question like this, it's useful to break it down. So here are three ideas to think about (and by all means, don't let these three ideas limit you!).

💡 Things to consider

• Size doesn't matter… or does it?: Being big comes with many advantages as an animal. Larger animals are harder to prey upon, they often have long lifespans, and they can often withstand minor injuries that would otherwise kill a small animal. Ecologically, when a large animal dies, it also provides new niches for many other smaller organisms! However, they also need to consume more energy to fuel their larger bodies, they have a harder time hiding and fleeing from stressful situations, and a longer average lifespan might not always be useful considering a rapidly changing climate (shorter lifespans mean more generations in a given time, meaning more scope for mutation and thus evolution). Think about the advantages and disadvantages of being small. Is it better to be big or small in a changing climate?

• RUUUUNNNNN!!!!!: In a changing environment, if you can't adapt to change, you have two options: die or move somewhere you are better suited for. This begs the question: which mode of transport is best? Is it ideal to walk/run on land? Perhaps some sort of climbing ability is useful (climbing is also a useful way of accessing high-up resources without having to be large). Should you be able to swim? Or what about only being able to swim (aquatic life will also experience the effects of climate change!)? Perhaps you take to the skies and fly? And for all of these, does speed matter? What about stamina? So many locomotive questions!

• Scientists say I should eat less meat to reduce my carbon footprint - but what if I'm a non-human animal?: An animal's diet also plays a large role in its survival. What food sources do you think will be reliable? This is where you can start to think about plants and which ones would survive rapid changes in climate. Also, there is more than just carnivore, herbivore, and omnivore - what about animals that exclusively feed on dead materials? Or ones that consume the waste of others? Perhaps you're a parasite and you feed on non-wastes too?

🔎 Find out more

• Ten Species That Are Evolving Due to the Changing Climate

• Wildlife in a changing climate

🍒 The cherry on top

• 🗣️ Deciding what words mean: Who decides what words mean? Bound by rules, yet constantly changing, language might be the ultimate self-regulating system, with nobody in charge. Check out this article if you’re interested in Linguistics, English, or Languages.

• 🤔 The Moral Instinct: What if our moral heroes aren’t who we think they are? Dive into the surprising science behind human morality with Steven Pinker’s exploration of why our instinctual moral judgments often mislead us. From iconic figures like Mother Teresa and Bill Gates to the hidden hero of the “Green Revolution,” Norman Borlaug, this article challenges our gut reactions and reveals how psychology, culture, and even evolution shape our deepest beliefs about right and wrong. Great if you’re into Philosophy or Psychology!

• ♾️ Unsolved Maths Problems: Are you curious about some of the most famous and toughest math problems which actually sound like they should be easy to solve? Check out this YouTube video if you’re into Maths.

👀 Keep your eyes peeled for…

• 11th November:

  • Christ’s College Cambridge Post-16 Choices Webinar

  • Sheffield Chemistry Taster Session

  • Sheffield Sociological Studies Taster Session

• 12th November:

  • Sheffield History Taster Session

• 13th November:

  • UEA Biology Taster Session

  • UEA Politics Taster Session

  • Buckingham Law Taster Session

  • Sheffield Economics Taster Session

  • Sheffield Robotics Taster Session

• 14th November:

  • Oxford Chemistry Workshop

  • Cambridge Ancient Science Workshop

  • Cambridge English Workshop

  • Sheffield Mechanical Engineering Taster Session

• 15th November:

  • Sheffield Alternatives to Medicine Webinar

🗳️ Poll