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
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?
Hopes for Wet Mars Diminished
September 11, 2012
The clays on Mars that were thought to be indicative of a wet past could, instead, be formed by volcanoes.
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.
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.
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.
Titan Lake News: Throwing Caution to the Wind
June 15, 2012
Planetary scientists cautiously suggested the possible presence of an equatorial lake on Saturn's moon Titan. You wouldn't know that from the headlines.
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.