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Biology, Chemistry and Physics T-Shirt from the NeatoShop
Which branch of science is the deadliest? Alex "Sandy" Antunes of Science 2.0 compared the three most murderous fields of science: physics, chemistry, and biology.
Pulling out real world statistics, we look to the Center for Disease Control (CDh). In 2007 (their most recent complete survey), we find that the bulk of the 2,423,712 US deaths were due to three causes: heart disease, cancer, and stroke.
Damn, looks like Biology takes an early lead. Those 3 causes alone cover over half of all deaths (54.2%) In fact, of the 15 leading causes, 9 of them are simple biology, causing 68.2% of all deaths. Disease and infection rule the land of the dead.
Photo: Carsten Peter, Speleoresearch & Films
A geological wonder of immense proportions and intense beauty can be found in the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico… 1000+ feet below the surface. Mentioned on Neatorama before for the photographic wowness, the Cueva de los Cristales - the Giant Crystal Cave – is also one of the most deadly environments on the planet.
For his BBC series How Earth Made Us, filmmaker Paul Williams discovered firsthand the scorching heat and toxic setting that has kept humans away from the crystal phenomenon. ”The coolest part of the caves is your lungs and so moist air starts to accumulate in them… leading to respiratory difficulties.”
Cueva de los Cristales is the incarnation of our most awesome science fiction imaginations – Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. At about the same time as humans first ventured out of Africa, these crystals began to slowly grow. For half a million years they remained protected and nurtured by a womb of hot hydrothermal fluids rich with minerals.
It wasn’t until 2001 that miners, searching for lead, eventually penetrated the cave wall and brought it to light. [...] My hope is that Gonzalo will prevail in his mission to secure funding and to preserve this site as a world heritage monument. To me they are a testament to the hidden forces of the planet, forces which operate on scales far beyond our own.
Link to Story. Experience the caves in this Video. (via Dark Roasted Blend)
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ National Census of Fatal Occupation Injuries, fewer people died on the job in 2008 than the previous two years. Still, some jobs are much more dangerous than others. Using statistics from 2008, here are the five deadliest careers.
1. Fishers
2. Loggers
3. Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers
4. Structural Iron and Steel Workers
5. Farmers and Ranchers
Yahoo Finance has the statistics on each job. There is also a linked slide show from Forbes looking at the top ten deadliest jobs. Link -via the Presurfer
(image credit: Flickr user Sam Beebe / Ecotrust)
