Star Warts: Planets Rebel Against Theory
August 5, 2020
Things in space don't always cooperate with theoretical expectations.
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Ceres Looks Seriously Young
September 20, 2018
Asteroids should not be so active. This one was, and is.
Pluto Rivals Earth in Geological Complexity
September 14, 2018
Call it what you will, Pluto is a planet of surprises. Its active geology is second only to Earth's, say two planetary scientists.
What’s Pluto Been Dune? Making Young Sand Dunes
June 4, 2018
Sand dunes were surprising enough on Titan, but et tu, Pluto? and young, recent dunes? Scientists couldn't believe their eyes.
Ring Around the Dwarf Planet Says ‘I’m Young’
October 13, 2017
You can't declare something old just because your worldview requires it to be old.
Dawn of a Young Ceres
September 10, 2016
The largest asteroid has a problem: she's too young to get a date.
Juno How Old the Solar System Is?
July 6, 2016
Everyone knows the solar system is 4.5 billion years old. Everyone, that is, except Nature herself.
Pluto May Be Erupting
November 10, 2015
Two mountains that look like giant volcanoes hint at current activity on Pluto.
Will Pluto Surprise Scientists?
July 9, 2015
First-time encounters have a long history of shocking planetary scientists with unexpected features. It's about time for Pluto.
What to Look for at Pluto
June 3, 2015
As New Horizons closes in on Pluto for its July 14 encounter, what questions should be asked?
8.7 Million Species Is Not a Scientific Fact
August 24, 2011
Human beings love to classify things. We pigeonhole items into bins of our own making, for whatever the reason, to give us a feeling of having things organized and understood. Do our pigeonholes reflect categories that are “out there” in nature, or are they constructs of our own minds? Science reporters are announcing in bold print that there are “8.7 million species on Earth,” but a look at the fine print shows the error bars to be so enormous, there is more error than data. What does this imply about the scientific validity of human classification schemes?