The one, the only…Dark Matter! Direct evidence of dark matter has been found. At least according to the press release by NASA. I do not pretend to fully understand this topic, but I think it is the height of coolness that there’s all this stuff out there that we can’t detect except by inference. Of …
Category Archives: Science & Space
Pluto, redux?
Well! As posted here, and here, I’ve been talking about this whole “Planet” thing. Now there’s more development. Apparently the IAU is revising their revised revision again, and might eliminate Pluto from the planet list, dropping back to the 8 “classical” planets, and number all other bodies that would have previously been called “planet” into …
We've got 12 Planets!
It’s official! The voting membership of the IAU has accepted the draft definition of “Planet.” This means that we’ve got three new planets, with many many more to come. Ceres, the planet formerly known as an asteroid, takes the coveted fifth planet position away from Jupiter. Charon, the planet formerly known as Pluto’s satellite, is …
Pluto, Plutons, Plutonium, Plutae?
The International Astronomical Union has posted a draft definition of “planet” that will serve to define our solar system and all others for all time! Well, not exactly, as Phil Plait over at badastronomy.com points out quite well. The rules boil down thus: 1) It’s got to be big enough to be spherical due to …
Intelligent Smoking?
Doing my morning read of the NY Times headlines email, I noticed the following article, “A Warning on Hazards of Secondhand Smoke.” Inside this article is found, “I am here to say the debate is over: the science is clear,” Dr. Carmona said at a televised news conference… Whoah! Whoah! Science? Since when does science …
Summer Solstice
Tomorrow is the summer solstice, known as the first day of summer to Americans. Why do we call this the first day of summer? Weather-wise, it’s more like the end of the first third of summer. Oh well… I trolled for some Solstice Superstitions. Most of them hark to druidish type things, and were too …
Mr. Socky Speaks Truth!
If you want to know The Truth as Mr. Socky, a.k.a. The Gummit, speaks it, please follow this link to Pharyngula. I promise that you’ll be amused. (Or insulted. I was amused.)
McDonalds and Education
I ate a McDonald’s Happy Meal last weekend. On the bag the meal came in were various fun and exciting things to do! Some involved dinosaurs (always a good item) and some involved space and rockets! Woo hoo! Go McDonalds! However, there was a quote that said, “You can jump 6 times higher in space!” …
Does God exist?
Apparently, God does not exist. Here is the empirical proof.
Honest Science
I’ve seen this before, but it still makes me laugh. Especially: This relation between temperature and resistivity can be shown to be exponential in certain temperature regimes by waving your hands and chanting “to first order”.