Seat at the Table

Everyone seems to be reporting that destroying bees may end civilization as we know it and that cell phones are quite possibly destroying the bees.  Of course, this is all based on a theory.  One of the first articles I saw on this was from the UK’s The Independent…which The Drudge Report linked (I don’t think either of these organizations are known for a conservative approach to reporting).  Here’s the most damming statement in the article:

Now a limited study at Landau University has found that bees refuse to return to their hives when mobile phones are placed nearby. Dr Jochen Kuhn, who carried it out, said this could provide a “hint” to a possible cause.

So what is nearby?  Given what I know about cell phones and radiation, people would literally have to be hanging around bee hives.  Of course, all this bee hive socialization would have to be a 2007 phenomenon as bee disappearance simply wasn’t an issue like this previously.

Nevertheless, it makes for great fodder as it touches on two areas people love to sensationalize – cell phones causing danger to mankind and destruction of the environment. 

Right now, I first saw this through the Drudge Report link to The Independent article (I’ve seen Drudge link to them in the past for other sensationalistic articles).  Just take a look at Technorati’s chart to see the explosive discussion since that article on April 15th.

The best part?  The final scare is the reporting of Albert Einstein having once said that “if the bees disappeared, “man would have only four years of life left”.  First, as so many do point out, his area of expertise is a far cry from the study of insects, plants and the environment.  Second, I can’t even confirm he said this or what the context was if he did say it.  But who cares, it makes great copy.