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.
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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.
Left-Handed Amino Acid Puzzle Remains
July 28, 2012
A new suggestion of how life ended up with left-handed amino acids comes up short.
Asteroids as Water Balloons Gave Us Oceans
July 23, 2012
Planetary scientists are looking to asteroids as the source of Earth's water – not from evidence, but from desperation.
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.
Our Poisonous Moon: Better from a Distance
July 13, 2012
The moon stabilizes Earth's axis and regulates the tides, but enjoy it from a distance. Now there are more reasons you wouldn't want to live there.
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.
SETI Gets Good Press
June 25, 2012
For an enterprise that has failed for 50 years, SETI gets good press. There are many worthy enterprises on the planet; what is it about SETI that gets honorable mention with nary a critical word?
Beethoven Rolls Under Darwin
June 18, 2012
Beethoven may indeed be rolling in his grave, but not for the reasons some Darwin-loving reporters think.