Weekend Grab Bag
October 14, 2012
Here are links to recent science findings and claims sure to stimulate thinking and further research.
VIEW HEADLINES ONLY
Supernova Dating and Classification Is Not Simple
September 30, 2012
Bang! goes a star. Watch how fast its contents move, and you know the date, right? Watch its light curve, and you know the type, right?
Planets and Moons Beneath the Surface
September 29, 2012
Can science peel back the surfaces of objects to see what's underneath? Can they go under the observations to find the explanations?
Earliest Galaxy Points Out Flaws in Secular Cosmology
September 23, 2012
More evidence points to a fully-formed universe very soon after the beginning.
Star Chemistry Constrains Habitable Zone
September 8, 2012
The chemistry of a parent star can have drastic effects on the habitability of an earth-like planet.
Turning Astrobiology Surprises Into Evolutionary Fiction
September 2, 2012
There's never been a surprise that a good astrobiologist hasn't been able to spin into an evolutionary tale.
Origin-of-Life Researchers Excited Over Nothing
August 30, 2012
The phrase "building blocks of life" is pregnant with misinformation.
Curiosity Set to Explore Mars
August 6, 2012
Having survived its nail-biting entry, descent and landing, the Curiosity rover is ready to roll on Mars.
Scientific Ignorance Becomes Apparent
July 18, 2012
Two reports indicate that what we know we don't know vastly exceeds what we think we know.
Stellar Dust Disk Vanishes in 3 Years
July 7, 2012
According to widely accepted theory, planets evolve from orbiting dust disks surrounding stars. If so, planets trying to form in the dust around one young star didn't have much time. The disk evaporated within 3 years.
Scientific Markers Can Mislead
June 26, 2012
In historical sciences, observable phenomena are often used as indicators of past phenomena. Some recent examples show how these can mislead researchers.
Too Hot to Handle: Io and Enceladus
June 12, 2012
Two moons in the solar system are turning up the heat on beliefs that they could be billions of years old.
Venus Transit Recalls Adventures of Yore
June 5, 2012
Today's transit of Venus, in which our sister planet appears to cross the disk of the sun, will be the last till 2117. As observatories and millions of people watch the rare planetary alignment, few may know the stories of astronomers who predicted them and explorers who risked life and limb to observe them.