Atmosphere of Earth

The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention (greenhouse effect), and reducing temperature extremes between day and night (the diurnal temperature variation).

The common name air (English pronunciation: /ɛər/) is given to the atmospheric gases used in breathing and photosynthesis. By volume, dry air contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.039% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. Air also contains a variable amount of water vapor, on average around 1% at sea level, and 0.4% over the entire atmosphere. Air content and atmospheric pressure vary at different layers, and air suitable for the survival of terrestrial plants and terrestrial animals is found only in Earth's troposphere and artificial atmospheres.

The atmosphere has a mass of about 5.15×10¹⁸ kg, three quarters of which is within about 11 km (6.8 mi; 36,000 ft) of the surface. The atmosphere becomes thinner and thinner with increasing altitude, with no definite boundary between the atmosphere and outer space. The Kármán line, at 100 km (62 mi), or 1.57% of Earth's radius, is often used as the border between the atmosphere and outer space. Atmospheric effects become noticeable during atmospheric reentry of spacecraft at an altitude of around 120 km (75 mi). Several layers can be distinguished in the atmosphere, based on characteristics such as temperature and composition.

Mike Mills

Michael Edward "Mike" Mills (born December 17, 1958) is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as a bass guitarist, backing vocalist, and pianist, his musical repertoire also includes keyboards, guitar, and percussion instruments. He contributed to a majority of the band's musical compositions.

Early life

Michael Edward Mills was born in Orange County, California and moved to Macon, Georgia when he was 10 years old. Mills met Bill Berry, who would later be his bandmate in R.E.M., in Macon.

Mills and Bill Berry started out in bands together. Early projects included the band Shadowfax (later called The Back Door Band).

Mills attended the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, which is where R.E.M. formed.

Career

Mills is credited with being the chief composer behind many of R.E.M.'s songs, including "Nightswimming", "Find the River", "At My Most Beautiful", "Why Not Smile", "Let Me In", "Wendell Gee", "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville", "Beat a Drum", "Be Mine" and "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?". In particular, R.E.M.'s 2004 album Around the Sun was heavily shaped by Mills' piano and keyboard contributions.

Santa Maria

Santa María (with diacritic over the "i") or Santa Maria may refer to:

People

Churches

Cara Santa Maria

Cara Louise Santa Maria (born October 19, 1983) is an American science communicator, journalist, producer, television host, and podcaster.

Santa Maria wrote her first blog for The Huffington Post in March 2010 before joining the publication as its founding science correspondent and host of the Talk Nerdy to Me web series from October 2011 until April 2013. She also co-hosted Take Part Live with Jacob Soboroff on Pivot TV from August 1, 2013 until April 17, 2014. She officially joined the online political and social commentary program The Young Turks as an occasional panelist in May 2013.

She currently hosts her podcast Talk Nerdy and is a co-host of TechKnow on Al Jazeera America, and The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast.

Early life

Santa Maria was born and raised in Plano, Texas, the younger of two daughters born to a school teacher mother and an engineer father. Her parents both came from Catholic families and converted to Mormonism together as adults, raising their children in the religion. Her parents divorced when she was eight years old. Santa Maria left the LDS church at 14 while coming out as an atheist. Through her father's remarriage, she has adoptive twin stepsisters, in addition to three half-brothers, who were also adopted. Her ancestry consists of English,Italian and Puerto Rican descent. Santa Maria worked various jobs as a teenager, including being employed at a head shop, a bakery, CiCi's Pizza, as well as in retail. In her youth, she was also involved in gymnastics.

Dave Rubin

Dave Rubin (born David Joshua Rubin; June 26, 1976) is an American comedian, talk show host, and television personality. He is the creator and host of political talk show The Rubin Report, part of Ora TV and formerly of The Young Turks Network. He previously hosted the The Six Pack podcast and radio show on Sirius XM Radio.

Rubin is known for his political satire and political commentary. He targets many topics including political correctness, free speech, politics, mass media, religion, foreign affairs, and the ideological split between liberals and the progressive movement. He has been influential in popularizing the phrase "Regressive left."

Early life

Dave Rubin was born in Brooklyn, New York, spent his adolescence in Syosset, New York, and resided for 13 years on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. He is of Jewish descent and the oldest of three siblings. In 1994, Rubin graduated from Syosset High School. In 1998, he earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Binghamton University, in Vestal, New York.