(via APS – What’s new by Robert L. Park – Friday, 21 Jan 05) Last Friday, the reach of man extended 900 million miles to the surface of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. It stands as one of the most notable voyages of exploration in history. Carried piggyback on Cassini since 1997, the European … Continue reading “Titan vs. Low Earth Orbit”
Category: Science
Alternative Warning Labels for Textbooks
(from the countering creationist idiocy dept.) (via Pharyngula) Textbook disclaimer stickers: I like the idea of printing these stickers and sending them to students in school districts that pass or are trying to pass these silly textbook disclaimer laws.
Illudium PU-36
(via APS – What’s New by Bob Park – April 16, 2004) HAFNIUM-178: JUST WHEN YOU THINK LIFE CAN’T GET ANY SILLIER. The cover of Popular Mechanics for May proclaims the dawn of the age of atomic airplanes powered by miniature nuclear reactors. These are not old-fashioned fission reactors. These are the new “quantum nucleonic … Continue reading “Illudium PU-36”
Religion vs. Science
From the SKEPTIC mailing list: First, the Christian: How do you know your god exists? The Bible says so. How do you know the Bible tells the truth? I have faith. What if the Bible is wrong and your god doesn’t exist? That’s impossible. Now the physicist: How do you know charge comes in discrete … Continue reading “Religion vs. Science”
HAFNIUM-178 BOMB: SOME BELIEVE IT, BUT FEW HAVE SEEN IT
(via APS – What’s New by Bob Park – October 24, 2003) Some in the Pentagon apparently choose scientific beliefs the way they choose to be Methodists, or Democrats or Chicago Cubs fans. Claims that the Hf-178 isomer can be triggered to release its stored energy by irradiating it with X-rays found plenty of fans … Continue reading “HAFNIUM-178 BOMB: SOME BELIEVE IT, BUT FEW HAVE SEEN IT”
SPACE RACE: SHENZHOU-5 VERSUS MERCURY-5
(via APS – What’s New by Bob Park – October 17, 2003) On Wednesday, China successfully launched the Shenzhou-5 space capsule into orbit with taikonaut Yang Liwei on board and returned him safely to Earth after 14 orbits. The first American to reach orbit, John Glenn, circled Earth a mere three times in the Mercury-5 … Continue reading “SPACE RACE: SHENZHOU-5 VERSUS MERCURY-5”
Benford on the Future of Space Exploration
Gregory Benford weighs in on what should be done in the aftermath of the Columbia accident.
AAAS Releases Statement on Intelligent Design
Dear NCSE friends & supporters, The board of directors of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) released a “Resolution on Intelligent Design Theory” that states, in part, that Whereas, the ID movement has failed to offer credible scientific evidence to support their claim that ID undermines the current scientifically accepted theory of … Continue reading “AAAS Releases Statement on Intelligent Design”