I Can No Longer Tell Which Way is Up

The bird represents a survivor species having survived the extinction event 66 million years ago that wiped out three quarters of life on Earth including non-avian dinosaurs. Recent research by paleontologists led by Daniel Field at the University of Bath presents a new hypothesis to explain both ‘extinction and survival’ suggesting that small ground dwelling birds survived to provide the genetic future for the diversity of bird species we now know. The small birds survived post-asteroid collision wipeout and deforestation because they lived predominantly on a diet of seeds and from pioneer species plants, which are “a food source that’s prepackaged for preservation” according to paleontologist Daniel Ksepka. “This global catastrophe left such an indelible signature on the evolutionary trajectories of [major modern groups, like birds, mammals, and flowering plants] that we can still discern it 66 million years later.” Field As we head closer to another extinction event I can't help but think of birds and what might survive.

The split canvas alludes to more recent strategies engineered to cast doubt on realities; deliberately dividing expert opinion in order to manipulate public opinion and influence political decisions for the benefit of those causing damage. Whether it is fossil fuel companies, sugar barons or the tobacco industry who sponsor scientific research to conclude a desired answer, we are being manipulated in order to deliberately undermine truth or confuse science on issues even as significant and costly as climate change.

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