Space – Page 66

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Wishing ET Upon a Star

July 19, 2010

What are the odds of finding extraterrestrials? That subject has been discussed ad infinitum, but David Shiga at New Scientist thinks the odds just went up. “Solitary suns like ours are not as rare as we once thought, boosting the likelihood that there are other life-friendly solar systems in the universe.” It should be noted […]

Cosmology

Dark Energy: Can a Theoretical Entity Be Measured?

July 17, 2010

The redshift of galaxies has been measured for some 90 years, but the existence of “dark energy” was postulated only recently – in the late 1990s. It was needed to explain unexpected dimness of the most distant galaxies, as measured by Type Ia supernovae. Some cosmologists claim they are measuring dark energy – others say […]

Early Man

Tricks to Preserve Deep Time

July 15, 2010

It’s not always easy to prove that things are very, very old. After all, no one has ever experienced deep time (millions and billions of years). The key is to maintain a public “feeling” in the oldness of things. Once that feeling is in place, some pretty major tweaks can be made by the experts […]

Solar System

Are Saturn’s Rings Evolving?

July 10, 2010

Can ring particles grow into moons? And is that how planets grew from rings around stars?

Astronomy

Using Aliens to Titillate the Public

June 28, 2010

Geologists cannot even figure out our own planet (next headline), but some of them claim to know a lot about other planets – their geological history, and even their prospects for life. Is it fair to tease the public with the L-word life when so much remains to be understood on the ground under our […]

Cosmology

How Well Do We Know What Stuff Is Made Of?

June 17, 2010

When we think of the “hard sciences,” physics usually tops the list. A closer look at what physicists think the universe is made of, though, hardly makes the science look hard. Look at this headline on PhysOrg, for instance: “Study finds there may be multiple ‘God particles’”. The title refers, of course, to the famed […]

Dumb Ideas

The Limits of Scientific Speculation

June 14, 2010

How far can a scientist speculate and get a respectful hearing, just because he or she is a scientist? One case to examine is a story on PhysOrg, “The Chance for Life on Io” (see also Astrobio.net). Jupiter’s innermost large moon Io might be considered the last place to look for life. It is the […]

Cosmology

Could Cosmology Be Based on Flawed Calibrations?

June 11, 2010

This is the era of “precision cosmology,” we have been told (09/20/2004 04/13/2007). Especially since the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), measurements of faint deviations in the cosmic microwave background have reached exceptional detail (02/14/2003, allowing cosmologists to discriminate between cosmological models and, hopefully, provide insight into the nature and origins of the universe. But […]

Solar System

Making Model Earths

June 8, 2010

Modeling how the earth got here can be fun. One doesn’t have to be right, just creative. There are certain accepted paradigms to work within, and certain accepted constraints that are taken as a given. Beyond that, there is a lot of leeway. This is illustrated by two teams who published in two different journals […]

Origin of Life

Not Life on Titan Again

June 7, 2010

Something weird is going on at the large moon of Saturn. “What is Consuming Hydrogen and Acetylene on Titan?” teased a press release from Jet Propulsion Laboratory”s Cassini mission: Two new papers based on data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft scrutinize the complex chemical activity on the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan. While non-biological chemistry offers […]

Physics

Jupiter Scores Another Hit

June 5, 2010

Amateurs saw Jupiter get struck by something again on June 3. Last year, an asteroid also hit the giant planet. Good thing Jupiter caught it and not Earth. The asteroid, believed to be about 500 meters across, left a scar as big across as the Pacific Ocean. National Geographic and the BBC News have photos […]

Cosmology

Science Explains Why the Universe Exists

May 29, 2010

They’ve done it again – those clever scientists have figured out why the universe exists. What would we ever do without them? Michael Bolen at Yahoo News had to share the good news, “Scientists discover explanation for why the Universe exists.” Space.com explained it as a victory in an ancient contest: “Why We Exist: Matter […]

Darwin and Evolution

How Science Is Done: Upsetting Applecarts

May 19, 2010

Hardly a week goes by without some scientific finding upsetting an applecart – a long-held belief. Often, those beliefs are scientific theories taught in textbooks by science professors. Defenders of science say that this is the way science works. It’s a self-correcting process, they argue; it’s to be expected that new data will lead to […]

Origin of Life

Titan Continues to Surprise Saturn Scientists

May 16, 2010

Since reaching Saturn in 2004, the Cassini spacecraft has now made 68 flybys of Titan, the large smog-shrouded moon. Space.com highlighted a recent picture showing the rings appearing to bisect the moon. What are some of the latest findings of this alien world – the only moon in the solar system with a substantial atmosphere? […]

Astronomy

Are There Limits to Scientific Speculation? A Royal Case

May 2, 2010

Question: When does science become like a priesthood? Answer: When its practitioners engage in speculation on big questions impossible to verify with empirical observations. Is this what the chief astronomer in Britain is doing? Sir Martin Rees certainly would not have thought of himself as a priest as he wrote an article for […]

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