A list of reasons we do it that have nothing to do with, you know, space. It gets back to my theme that “exploration” is not an end in itself; it’s a means. But we have to decide what we’re trying to accomplish, and kumbaya isn’t sufficient.
Category Archives: General Science
The First Americans
How did they get here? Apparently not across the Bering land bridge.
It’s interesting to see how much “science” has been overturned since I was kid, about things like dinosaurs, space and human migration. I suspect that the same will occur in nutrition and climate.
Cats
Humans’ strange love affair with them.
Our current cat is the weirdest one we’ve ever had. She’s very social, and has never attacked us, other than nipping at my calves occasionally when she wants to be fed. In fact, that’s the only way she communicates orally; she never talks. I know her vocal cords work, because she will have discussion with other cats, but with us she’s silent, unless you squeeze her. It’s a problem in fact, because if she gets stuck in a closet, we’d never know, unless she bangs on the door. She also has a genetic defect that created a kink in her tail, making her look like a squirrel, so this may be another one.
Freeman Dyson
A fascinating interview. I agree with him that the PhD system needs an overhaul. Seeking one has ruined many lives.
Extraterrestrial Life
I’m at a workshop on how to look for it at UC Irvine, so posting will be light today.
Tardigrades
They’ve figured out how they avoid radiation damage, and humans may be able to do it, too.
Life In The Solar System
The top eight places to look for it. Not including earth, of course.
I think that Carolyn Porco thinks that Enceladus is a better candidate than Europa, but it’s a lot harder to get to.
The Real War On Science
Yes, it comes from the Left and (as with racism) always has. And when they accuse the Republicans of it, it’s simply the usual projection from them. I’ve offered to debate Chris Mooney, too, but I suspect he knows he wouldn’t do well.
[Update a while later]
More thoughts from Judith Curry. And I agree with her that Mooney’s Storm World was (surprising to me, after the polemical Republican War On Science) a good book.
[Update a while later]
This seems sort of related: The global warming “consensus” falls strongly on the side of skeptics:
Taken together, these four skeptical groups numerically blow away the 36 percent of scientists who believe global warming is human caused and a serious concern.
One interesting aspect of this new survey is the unmistakably alarmist bent of the survey takers. They frequently use terms such as “denier” to describe scientists who are skeptical of an asserted global warming crisis, and they refer to skeptical scientists as “speaking against climate science” rather than “speaking against asserted climate projections.” Accordingly, alarmists will have a hard time arguing the survey is biased or somehow connected to the ‘vast right-wing climate denial machine.’
I’ve often written this, but anyone still using the “97%” number is either a demagogue, or ignorant. And when they use it, it’s a strong signal that their opinions can be safely ignored.
[Early afternoon update]
Thoughts from John Tierney himself, where he briefly discusses the unwillingness of the Left to debate him.
Animals Living In Our Houses
As that great philosopher Homer J. Simpson once said, “Animals are crapping in our houses, and we’re cleaning it up. That’s not America! It’s not even Mexico!”
Seriously I’d say that we domesticated dogs, but cats (along with grass) domesticated us. And it’s worth noting, which the article doesn’t, that cat’s haven’t really been domesticated; they too have been tamed, and generally require taming from birth. Feral cats, after a certain age, regardless of their ancestry, will generally remain wild.
Alpha Centauri
I think this is the future of space science.