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Poe’s Law: Mississippi River Monster Edition

Nathan Taylor, Why Astronomers and Journalists should pay heed to Biologists about ET.

Years ago I wrote something that mentioned similar issues: Extraterrestrial Intelligence: A skeptical view. This was long before the Kepler space probe. However, Taylor seems to be saying the fundamentals of the issue have not changed ( Read more... )

You Just Brought Back Measles in NYC

From a pediatrician:

It is because I never want patients in my office to contract vaccine-preventable illnesses ... that patients whose parents refuse to vaccinate them are not welcome in my practice. I cannot entirely eliminate the potential for disease exposure between children who come to see me, but I can ( Read more... )

Monkey business
Most Americans reject young-earth creationism. But the share of Republicans who believe that humans evolved fell from 54% in 2009 to 43% last year. Democrats, do not look so smug: your lot are likelier to believe in UFOs, ghosts and astrology. Also, that the moon landings were faked, that the CIA introduced crack to inner cities and ( Read more... )

No, You Won’t Be Able to Float on Zero G Day

Well no, actually, it didn’t. But once a myth lurches into life, there’s no stopping it
...the epidemiologist Mark Nelson from the University of Tasmania, Australia, designed a formal trial of the curse based on protocols for testing the effects of drugs. He compared people who were in the tomb at key times with people who were in Egypt but not in ( Read more... )

And it IS a spaceship.

UFO widely seen in Middle East skies, linked to Russian missile test has an update from James Oberg, explaining that the spiral does not indicate a failed launch, but is a deliberate feature needed for the trajectory the Russians wanted.

Families Who Reject Inoculations Told to Find a New Physician

Samoan Minoans from Ancient Crete. This is just plain nuts, but, as the RogueClassicist said, "it's fun to say 'Samoan Minoan'"