Craters: Seeing Fake Patterns
March 18, 2017
Biologists build on models from geologists who build on models from planetologists. But what if the bottom model is false?
VIEW HEADLINES ONLY
Secular Ocean Theory Evaporates
January 26, 2017
The divination experts see a new vision emerging from meteorites, portending disaster.
What You Are Not Being Told About Earth's Magnetic Field
January 23, 2017
All you need to know is right here: (1) scientists don't understand it, and (2) without it we would be dead. Read more if you dare.
Moon Bombarded by Crashing Theories
January 10, 2017
Strange things happen on our nearest neighbor. Stranger things happen in the heads of theorists trying to figure out our nearest neighbor.
Our Super Moon Is Not an Accident
November 13, 2016
A finely-tuned collision to form Earth's vital moon is tantamount to a miracle.
Moon Just Got 100-fold Younger
October 12, 2016
New study of craters shows that moon's surface gets churned every 81,000 years, not every million years.
Moon Origin Story Collapses
September 13, 2016
In a one-two punch, discoveries undermine the accepted story of the moon's origin and its subsequent history.
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.
Titan Ethane Still Missing, and Other Planetary Puzzles
May 7, 2016
We update the problem of Titan's missing ethane and other challenges to billions of years.
Rearranging Deck Chairs on Sinking Planet Theories
April 27, 2016
Supernovas come in handy as theory rescue devices.
Titan Takes the Age Stage
April 4, 2016
Saturn's giant moon has prompted a flurry of new science papers. Can anyone keep it billions of years old?
New Earthrise Is a Stunner
December 24, 2015
Take a look at this image from a lunar orbiter on the 47th anniversary of the historic Apollo 8 "Earthrise" photo.
Tilted Planets Throw Theories Off Kilter
November 30, 2015
An example of how data can be framed as success or failure, depending on the reporter's spin.
Origin-of-Life Speculation Goes Off the Rails
October 21, 2015
Astrobiologists and their accomplices in the media are finding life everywhere where it isn't or couldn't be. Time to call in the science rangers.
Pounding Headaches for Solar System Dates
October 19, 2015
It's hard to tell when things crashed into each other.
Astrobiology: The Joy of Being Wrong
August 18, 2015
An astrobiologist looks forward to the day when everything he says is totally wrong.
Where Are the Earth's Impact Craters?
July 13, 2015
The number of impact craters on Earth is almost negligible compared to Mars and the moon. Can erosion explain this?
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?
Moon Origin Models Require Cheating
June 1, 2015
You can't get Earth's moon from a planetary collision without quasi-miraculous tweaks to the models.
Moon, Mercury, and Magnetic Fields
May 8, 2015
After the crash of MESSENGER, magnetic fields in the solar system have become a key topic for planetary science.
Solving Moon Origin Unsolves the Last Solution
April 9, 2015
The moon's origin has been "demystified," scientists are claiming. That's what they said last time.
Water Worlds Tempt with Life, Not Youth
March 13, 2015
More and more planets and moons are suspected of having liquid water, but what should be the logical implications?
Solar System Reversals
February 9, 2015
The planets keep going around, but theories about them often stop and go backward or sideways. When nothing else works, send in the impactors!
Full Moon Has Magnetic Secret
December 5, 2014
Ponder this under tonight's full moon. Scientists now say the moon once had a magnetic field stronger than Earth's is now.
Comet Lander Working, But Not Optimal
November 13, 2014
Rosetta's Philae lander hopped twice before landing in the shade in a tilted position, but the instruments are working.
Mercury, Moon May Still Be Erupting
October 17, 2014
Two objects that should be old and dead show surprising activity. Other indications of youthfulness in the solar system are noted.
Lunar Impact: Major Moon Basin Was Not a Big Hit
October 8, 2014
The theory of how the largest impact basin on the moon was formed has been turned upside down.
Moon Still Has Hot Core
August 23, 2014
Japanese scientists have determined that a soft, hot core remains in the center of the moon, contrary to expectations.
Enceladus Geysers Still Unexplained
July 31, 2014
The number of geysers has topped a hundred on Saturn's overactive moon. How could they be sustained for billions of years?
Lunar Tunes: Do Impacts Ring a Bell?
June 12, 2014
By looking at current dust and craters, cosmologists think they can hear the echoes of an impact that created the moon. Is that lunar, or looney?