There may be something interesting coming out in the climate
front over the next few weeks from CERN. Years ago, a researcher
named Henrik Svensmark developed a hypothesis that cosmic rays
can seed cloud formation, and thus when there are more cosmic
rays, there may be more clouds. This is interesting because it
may act as a sort of solar amplification. Changes in the sun's
output through varying solar cycles are measurable, but seem to
some scientists to be too small to drive substantial temperature
changes on Earth. But a more active sun tends to blow cosmic
rays away from the Earth, thus reducing their incidence.
Therefore, if a more active sun reduced cooling clouds, and a
less active sun increased cooling clouds, this might explain a
larger effect for the sun. I have avoided discussing Svensmark
much, since the evidence seemed thin, though several labs
recently have confirmed his hypothesis, at least in the
laboratory. But Svensmark is definitely a topic among some
climate skeptics. The reason is that hi