By Dr. Robert Thorson Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull eruption is an Earth Day salute reminding humans of their proper place in nature. “Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.” I used this quote from Will Durant only three months ago to interpret the Haiti earthquake. It applies equally well to what’s taking place in […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson Though tragic, the death of Colin Nathaniel Scott, 23, provides a teaching moment about accepting responsibility and organic chemistry. He’s the man from Portland, Ore., who – with his sister watching – disappeared into the highly acidic, boiling volcanic water of Yellowstone National Park on June 8. But first, I offer […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson Kilauea is erupting on the state of Hawaii’s Big Island, reminding us that we all owe our existence to a power greater than ourselves. One of the residents who evacuated from the sputtering volcanic rift zone was, Tesha “Mirah” Montoya, who said: ”My heart and soul’s there. … I’m nothing without […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson An orange armada floated down the Connecticut River last week. Heavy rains on upriver farms sent a fleet of pumpkins downstream to smiling boaters photographed by The Courant during the unusual rescue event. Within a few days, New England’s attention had shifted away from happy people collecting pumpkins in the river […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson Halloween makes me nervous, though not for the reason you might expect. Of course I’m concerned about kids being run over in the dark, juvenile sugar overdose, and the license for youthful mayhem. But my biggest issue with Oct. 31 is personal. This is the time of year when I come […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson In the history of environmental policy, the construction of dams on rivers is always a win-lose situation, with one species — Homo sapiens — getting the gains and the rest of the ecosystem getting whatever comes next. It’s also a win-lose situation in which one group of humans gains at the […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson `The largest poisoning of a population in history.” That’s how an epidemiologist from the University of California, Berkeley, Alan Smith, describes arsenic groundwater contamination in India. In the Indian state of West Bengal, more than 40 million people live in the poison zone. In Bangladesh, more than 82 million are threatened. […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson Let’s assume you are fortunate enough to be feasting with family and friends. When you pause to give thanks for your blessings, be sure to include the water that made everything possible. Then make a commitment to guard Northeastern water against Southwestern encroachment. What few modern Thanksgiving Day feasters appreciate is […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson Millions of people stubbornly refuse to believe that the Earth is older than about 10,000 years. Anything older is inconsistent with their understanding of the Creation, and is therefore rejected a priori. Oh, how wrong they are! Within the United States, the most common psychological yardstick for Earth’s antiquity is the […]

By Dr. Robert Thorson Congratulations to the University of Connecticut for giving Mirror Lake, its campus centerpiece, an underwater haircut and lake liposuction treatment. Tom Callahan, the administrator in charge, has done a superb job in his new role as beauty consultant. They say that beauty is only skin-deep. In the case of artificial ponds […]