The Rapture and Bosh of Glittering Generalities
January 16, 2013
Grand scenarios of cosmic evolution sound angelic, but the devil is in the details. Neil Shubin needs to get real.
VIEW HEADLINES ONLY
Cosmology's Lumpiness Problem "Defies Theory"
January 12, 2013
A record-breaking structure in the universe "defies theory," the news said, ignoring that theory has been defied for decades since smaller large structures were found (the lumpiness problem).
Astronomy Grab Bag
December 29, 2012
For year's end, here's a clean-out of astronomy articles—from planetary science to cosmology—to motivate further inquiry.
Globular Clusters Look Young and Old: Is This Scientific Explanation?
December 19, 2012
Globular clusters supposedly all formed at the same time long ago, but some look young. How do astronomers rescue the belief that they are ancient groupings of stars?
Flaky Cosmic Notion Gets Good Press
November 26, 2012
Does the universe grow like a giant brain? If anyone but a scientist said that, it would be in the cartoons.
Darwin for Congress
November 9, 2012
Over four thousand citizens of a Georgia district voted for Charles Darwin for Congress.
Shining Light on Dark Energy
October 21, 2012
Fifteen years after cosmologists proposed the existence of dark energy, they have learned nothing about it. In “Cosmology: Out of the Darkness,” Matthew Chalmers discussed the current thinking of Brian Schmidt, who shared the Nobel prize in 2011 for discovering cosmic acceleration (actually, an inference based on light from supernovae; see 9/30/2012). “Fifteen years after […]
Weekend Grab Bag
October 14, 2012
Here are links to recent science findings and claims sure to stimulate thinking and further research.
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?
Earliest Galaxy Points Out Flaws in Secular Cosmology
September 23, 2012
More evidence points to a fully-formed universe very soon after the beginning.
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.
Dark Matter Remains Missing
July 21, 2012
The most sensitive test to date for dark matter in the form of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) has turned up nothing.
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.