The fact that I can get well sourced, accessible and entertaining primers on a whole range of interesting science makes Potholer54 one of the best things on the internet. Ever.

I have no doubt that his series on the origin of life bumped up some of my 1st year science grades.

Sadly, I'm with you here. Nothing fills me with dread like this stuff does. It's our present-day apocalypse/nuclear war overwhelming fear.

Probably the worst thing about it is that it's gradual. The apocalypse fetishists who hoard food and bullets seem to be ready for a sudden, population-dropping catastrophe. A slow, grinding one will starve out people far slower than even a Costco's worth of dehydrated food can outlast.

This is actually one of the least depressing climate change things I've seen.

On the bright side, you will be long dead before all the major fighting breaks out.