Geology – Page 55

VIEW HEADLINES ONLY

Crater Count Dating Still Unreliable

May 22, 2012

Worries about the crater count dating method, widely relied upon to infer ages of planetary surfaces, began emerging in 2005. Those worries have not subsided; they have only grown worse. Crater numbers may have nothing to do with age.

Astronomy

Earth's Magnetic Field Less Sustainable than Thought

May 17, 2012

Geophysicists have found that their favored dynamo theory for Earth's magnetic field is less stable than thought, leaving them wondering how our planet sustained its magnetic field for "geologic time."

Dating Methods

Rapid Undersea Geology Observed

May 14, 2012

An undersea volcano near the Cook Islands was observed to grow and shrink rapidly in a fortnight, rivaling the rapid changes in Vesuvius and Mt. St. Helens.

Darwin and Evolution

Earth Myths with a Sprinkling of Data

May 3, 2012

Some recent articles on dating methods show that tiny bits of data can be used to generate whoppers.

Dating Methods

Planetary Radiometric Dates 1/3 Younger

May 1, 2012

The half-lives of radioactive isotopes may not be as well-known as thought. One decay rate frequently used to date solar system objects had to be adjusted down to 66% of its former assumed value, impacting theories of planet formation.

Astronomy

Planet Theories vs. the Evidence

April 26, 2012

Planet theorists are putting up a valiant fight against new findings, but in some cases, the evidence seems to be winning.

Dating Methods

Paradigm Shift: Impact Didn't Kill Dinosaurs

April 24, 2012

A new study casts doubt on whether asteroid impacts led to extinctions. It's based on re-interpreting geological evidence used to identify impacts. This finding, if sustained, would undermine the theory that an impact killed off the dinosaurs and a later impact led to the extinction of many large mammals. Even more significant, an overturn of the impact hypothesis would illustrate that scientists are capable of going off on wrong tangents for decades.

Astronomy

Saturn Moons Continue to Shine

April 23, 2012

Saturn just passed opposition on April 15, making it a good viewing object from Earth this season. Amateur observers with telescopes may be able to make out the moons Titan, Rhea, Dione, Iapetus, Tethys, and Enceladus. They may look like beautiful little gems from Earth, but from the Cassini spacecraft in orbit at Saturn, they are no less than astonishing. Recent observations of these moons add to the astonishment.

Geology

Cambrian Explosion: Sedimentary, My Dear Flotsam

April 20, 2012

"Then something happened." Question: are you reading a science article, or a fictional screenplay? Are you in the Science Department or the Humanities Department? Are you in the lab or the theater? Find out in today's episode of "Explain the Cambrian Explosion."

Biology

Dinosaurs Display Death in Watery Grave

February 16, 2012

Many dinosaur fossils show the animals with neck arched backward. This appearance is so common, it has been dubbed the "dinosaur death pose." Various theories have been invoked to explain it: dessication and final death throes among the most common. A study with chickens shows the arching neck is the automatic response of immersion in water.

Darwin and Evolution

OOL for Landlubbers

February 12, 2012

No part of the universal evolutionary scenario gets more overhauls than the origin of life. Some say it began in the sea, some on the land. Some say it began at the bottom of the sea; others say that is the worst place for life to get going. The latest idea favors freshwater hot springs on land.

Darwin and Evolution

More Reasons to Doubt Scientific Pronouncements

February 11, 2012

It’s unsettling to hear scientists say that long-held beliefs might be wrong, but that’s the nature of science. Scientific “findings” are tentative, not absolute. Some see this as a strength of science, but unless actual progress is demonstrated, that strength is called into question. Recent news casts doubt on various scientific methods and beliefs that had been trusted for a long time.

Astronomy

Lunar Upsets Challenge Paradigms

January 27, 2012

Forty years after the last moonwalkers came home, new discoveries about the moon are calling into question what scientists know about our celestial partner. But is it legitimate for scientists to invoke mystery forces when a favored theory faces falsifying evidence?

Dating Methods

Geologists 750% Wrong in Death Valley

January 23, 2012

A volcanic explosion in northern Death Valley occurred 800 years ago, not 6,000, “far more recently than generally thought,” according to new dating estimates. The event that created Ubehebe Crater is so recent, in fact, geologists think another devastating explosion could happen today.

Cell Biology

Oozing Life Up Against All Odds

January 20, 2012

The origin of life clearly requires a major leap in complexity, but not just any complexity. A conglomerate rock is complex, but not alive. Life has functional complexity – the ability to selectively take in materials to grow, move and reproduce. Life also requires growth, but not just any growth. Fire grows and reproduces, but is not alive, whereas a living cell grows and reproduces according to internal programmed instructions. Evolutionists think the origin of life by natural causes is a tractable problem that will eventually be solved. Let’s see a couple of examples of how their work is coming along.

All Posts by Date

[archives type="yearly" cat_id="34"]