KTVU [http://www.ktvu.com/news/21605721/detail.html]:

Just weeks after NASA's L-CROSS mission analyzed a plume of debris generated by the impact of a satellite into a crater on the moon's south pole, NASA scientists will announce that the findings suggest the presence of frozen water at the site of impact.

Via CNN [http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/11/13/water.moon.nasa/index.html]:

Anthony Colaprete said at the start of his comments to reporters, "Indeed, yes, we found water."

"The discovery opens a new chapter in our understanding of the moon," NASA said in a written statement.

http://james.freehoster.co.cc/is.html
I will listen carefully to all your comments.

Abstract: Some inexplicable statistical variations in Nobel Prize laureates natal data are reported and discussed, and additional data is examined afterward. The observed strong correlation with Quaoar position (+5.69 standard deviations) is probably caused by correlation of Quaoar position with an unknown non-trivial solar, lunar or terrestrial cycle. It is well known that some space weather conditions influence human health, but the possibility of influence on long-term physiological and/or psychological characteristics since birth is still under question. If observed on other similar data, e.g. Wolf Prize laureates or Ramon Magsaysay awardees, the effect can be considered astroanthropological. Otherwise this study will help to better understand the reasons of astrological and similar beliefs, and to prevent circulation of such anti-scientific beliefs in future.

Comments: All databases and the source code are included.
I know that the majority of physicists and astronomers would say that these data don't make sense and therefore can't be correct. Though other examples of inexplicable data are well known, e.g. Pioneer anomaly, the Kuiper cliff, the Eridanus Supervoid.

Where could this article be published? If you have any idea, please share.

By Claire Bates
Last updated at 10:01 AM on 11th November 2009

Tomorrow morning at 7:30am EDT, the upper stage of a Centaur rocket will impact upon a crater on the Moon's South Pole, creating a large plume of minerals... and hopefully water ice. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) will scan the plume and fly through it, sending data back to Earth as rapidly as possible.

Four minutes later, LCROSS itself will impact nearby, creating another plume.

The plumes will be visible from Earth, but you'll need a 10" diameter telescope or better to see them. Alternatively, you can watch the event live on NASA TV, which streams to the Web (or its own cable channel, depending on your provider's lineup). Take a look at NASA's LCROSS Viewer's Guide for more details.

There will probably be videos on YouTube after the fact, as well... I'll try to remember to snag one and post it here after I get home from work.

Enjoy!

In a daring experiment in Europe, scientists used mosquitoes as flying needles to deliver a "vaccine" of live malaria parasites through their bites. The results were astounding: Everyone in the vaccine group acquired immunity to malaria; everyone in a non-vaccinated comparison group did not, and developed malaria when exposed to the parasites later.

The study was only a small proof-of-principle test, and its approach is not practical on a large scale. However, it shows that scientists may finally be on the right track to developing an effective vaccine against one of mankind's top killers. A vaccine that uses modified live parasites just entered human testing.

MORE

Forty years ago tonight, two men walked on the Moon.

Think about that.

People. Fellas with whom you might have gone to school. Buddies from the service. One of those pilot fellas from down the street who was always buzzing the neighborhood.

They went to the Moon.

They went, and I think that's awesome. I'm insanely jealous, because I want to go, too. Here in the US, we're at a bit of a crossroads as far as space exploration is concerned.

What do you folks think?

( Questions on Spaceflight )

I just checked with a moderator and he said it was ok to post.

( Second Symposium on Astrosociology at SPESIF 2010 )

Of particular note is that the Medical Astrosociology section is in real need of papers, if there is even the slightest chance you might be interested, please contact me. I found out less than a week ago that I'm to chair it, if there are papers. Of course they tell me this right before the initial deadline so I didn't get a chance to do any publicity since I wasn't originally planning on attending the conference.

If you know of any students that are currently working in any area that combines social sciences and outer space that might want to present some work (either a paper or presentation), have them send in an abstract. I think there is the option of a poster as well. Feel free to pass this on to any other person or other faculty that might be interested. And yes, we accept things that are "weird" so try us.

Here are some important things to note.

There will be student rates, but any interested student would have to confirm with the head of the conference on what those rates are. There is also a coattending student discount that is even cheaper, but their professor has to be at the conference as well.
Also the $50 reading fee that the head of the conference is trying to charge for papers only is going to be waived for most people so try to not worry about that.

I just uploaded the pdf to my website so you can view everything if you want to... Astrosociology sessions. If you are submitting a paper, abstract, or title to any of these sessions I would really appreciate being CCed. I can also help you decide where your paper goes if you are unsure. You can use my gmail address : melsmarsh AT gmail

Crossposted to callsforpapers

June 30th, 2009 by Britt Kennerly

Ken A. Ham President and Chief Executive Officer of Answer in Genesis stands with a mechanical Utahraptor at The Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, in 2007. For a group of paleontologists, a tour of the Creation Museum, which has been dubbed a "creationist Disneyland," seemed like a great tongue-in-cheek way to cap off a serious conference.

For a group of paleontologists, a tour of the Creation Museum seemed like a great tongue-in-cheek way to cap off a serious conference.

But while there were a few laughs and some clowning for the camera, most left more offended than amused by the frightening way in which evolution -- and their life's work -- was attacked.

"It's sort of a monument to scientific illiteracy, isn't it?" said Jerry Lipps, professor of geology, paleontology and evolution at University of California, Berkeley.

"Like Sunday school with statues... this is a special brand of religion here. I don't think even most mainstream Christians would believe in this interpretation of Earth's history."

The 27 million dollar, 70,000-square-foot (6,500-square-metre) museum which has been dubbed a "creationist Disneyland" has attracted 715,000 visitors since it opened in mid-2007 with a vow to "bring the pages of the Bible to life."

Its presents a literal interpretation of the Bible and argues that believing otherwise leads to moral relativism and the destruction of social values.

Creationism is a theory not supported by most mainstream Christian churches.

Lisa Park of the University of Akron cried at one point as she walked a hallway full of flashing images of war, famine and natural disasters which the museum blames on belief in evolution.

"I think it's very bad science and even worse theology -- and the theology is far more offensive to me," said Park, a professor of paleontology who is an elder in the Presbyterian Church.

"I think there's a lot of focus on fear, and I don't think that's a very Christian message... I find it a malicious manipulation of the public."

Phil Jardine posed for a picture below a towering, toothy dinosaur display.

The museum argues that the fossil record has been misinterpreted and that Tyrannosaurus rex was a vegetarian before Adam and Eve bit into that sin-inducing apple.

Jardine, a palaeobiologist graduate student from the University of Birmingham, was having fun on the tour, but told a reporter that he was disturbed by the museum's cartoonish portrayal of scientists and teachers.

"I feel very sorry for teachers when the children who come here start guessing if what they're being taught is wrong," Jardine said.

Arnie Miller, a palentologist at the University of Cincinnati who was chairman of the convention, said he hoped the tour would introduce the scientists to "the lay of the land" and show them firsthand what's being put forth in a place that has elicited vehement criticism from the scientific community.

"I think in some cases, people were surprised by the physical quality of the exhibits, but needless to say, they were unhappy with things that are inaccurately portrayed," he said.

"And there was a feeling of unhappiness, too, about the extent to which mainstream scientists and evolutionists are demonized -- that if you don't accept the Answers in Genesis vision of the history of Earth and life, you're contributing to the ills of society and of the church."

Daryl Domning, professor of anatomy at Howard University, held his chin and shook his head at several points during the tour.

"This bothers me as a scientist and as a Christian, because it's just as much a distortion and misrepresentation of Christianity as it is of science," he said.

"It's not your old-time religion by any means."

I'd like to see this community become a bit more active--and interactive--and I'd like to start posting more items for discussion with greater frequency. To get things moving, though, I'd like to examine the internal dynamics of our own dear little Society first.

So... who's out there, and what do you like?

( LJ-Cut, for the sake of Friends Lists everywhere )

Bill Nye "The Science Guy" was booed in Waco, Texas for suggesting the Moon did not generate its own light, but reflected light from the sun.

Trouble started when the children's entertainer brought up Genesis 1:16, which reads: "God made two great lights -- the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars," and pointed out that the lesser light was actually a reflector.

At this point, several people in the audience stormed out, including woman with three small children who shouted, "We believe in God!" and left.

Nye was taking part in McLennan Community College's Distinguished Lecture Series, giving talks on global warming, Mars exploration, and energy consumption, but it was the moon thing that got them.

According to Morgan Matthew, "This story originally appeared in the Waco Tribune, but the newspaper has mysteriously pulled its story from the online version, presumably to avoid further embarrassment."

This is the link: http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/04/06/04062006wacbillnye.html

Baby chicks do basic arithmetic (link with video)

Baby birds can do arithmetic, say researchers in Italy.

Scientists from the universities of Padova and Trento demonstrated chicks' ability to add and subtract objects as they were moved behind two screens.

Lucia Regolin, an author of the study said the animals "performed basic arithmetic" to work out which screen concealed the larger group of objects.

The findings are reported in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

( Read more... )

Earlier today, there was an earthquake in the vicinity of the Pacific islands of Tonga.

The island is located immediately adjacent to the Tonga Trench, a region where the Pacific tectonic plate is subducting--being pushed under--the Tonga and Australia plates. This process often generates notable volcanic and seismic activity, and is what drives the "Ring of Fire."

The earthquake, about 200 km SSE of the islands of Tonga, had a magnitude of 7.9 and a depth of 34 km.

I find this notable because there are pictures and video of recent volcanic eruptions in the area that are simply spectacular. Enjoy. :-)

An international team of bundled-up scientists will soon set off for Antarctica’s interior in a quest to learn about the continent’s most massive and mysterious mountain range; although the Gamburtsev mountains are as high and mighty as Europe’s Alps, even the tallest peak is buried beneath 2 miles of ice. Now, during the southern hemisphere’s summer, the researchers will investigate how the Gamburtsevs formed in a place where scientists say no mountains should be.  (more...)

A follow-up article.

The best part is the comments.  You have to read the comments.

Hello! I just joined, so please excuse me (and correct me) if this post is out of line with the usual/desired content:

I'm by no means qualified to discuss the theory in detail, but the concept of parallel universes has always fascinated me and has driven me to seek out related information. This morning, however, I stumped myself when I woke up and asked, "If anything that can happen is happening in some other universe, and there are infinite universes to correspond with every possibility, then couldn't there be a universe in which parallel universes don't / could not exist? And if so, wouldn't that undo all other universes, rendering them void?"

Can anyone help me out here? Am I missing something crucial?

Thank you!

On the advice of irishspongie, I'm posting this here in hopes of reading more interesting comments than the discussions of which one is more f*ckable that I'm getting on my journal. :P

On the left, a reproduction of the original work that a friend (leaving her anonymous since she didn't post this publicly) found in a fine art catalog.

On the right, the original work itself.






Notice anything different?

I wish I had something witty to say about this, or that I could just laugh it off as signs of the times. But it's actually sorta depressing.

This is not surprising:

Staff Finds White House in Technological Dark Ages

There is a strange interface of politics, government and technology at play here - a tech-savvy presidential campaign finding itself suddenly without Facebook or access to outside e-mail accounts (not to mention Obama's loss of his Blackberry) must require a dramatic shift in mental gears.

Should the White House be updated to the 21st century? Thinking about government agencies like the FBI or the CIA's inability to process the vast amounts of information available to them, one would think it was time for an overhaul of the system.

The Washington Post's point about transperancy is a good one, too,  though I find it funny that in this dy and age we expect a minute-by-minute blog-like update of the White House website. It's like soceital expectatins are vastly outpacing many institutions' ability to keep up. One of my professors last semester said that he can't even reach students by e-mail anymore - everyone is on Facebook!