There was some hype about the NASA conference the other day, where astronomers announced they had found at least 7 Earth-sized planets orbiting the same star 40 ly away. This discovery outside of our solar system is rare because the planets have the winning combination of being similar in size to Earth and being all temperate, meaning they could ( Read more... )

While we're still on the War on Reason topic...

Kyrie Irving believes the Earth is flat

"This is not even a conspiracy theory," Irving said during the podcast. "The Earth is flat. What I've been taught is that the earth is round. But if you really think about it from a landscape of the way we travel, the way we move and the fact that, can you ( Read more... )

Hitting straight on the monthly topic. Indeed, it's a horse I've been flogging for, like, forever. I'd argue that the current anti-scientific trend among modern societies largely comes from the fact that science is not about knowing "The Truth"(TM), it's about looking for a better understanding of reality. Which implies a great deal of uncertainty ( Read more... )

Scientists just made a breakthrough by creating the first human-pig embryo that could revolutionize healthcare

...The ultimate goal of this type of work is to grow human organs inside of other animals as a means to ending the organ shortage that is costing thousands of Americans - who need a transplant - their lives each year.

Well, not just ( Read more... )

Turns out, in the Russian city of Novosibirsk there's a monument dedicated to all the millions of mice who've perished in DNA tests throughout the history of science. Something like a Mice Holocaust Memorial.


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...Although it probably won't come to that, by the looks of it.

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A large number of scientists have signed a petition in the French daily Le Monde. They argue that industry proponents are trying to sow the same doubts about endocrine disruptors as they did regarding the causes behind climate change. And it may well be working.

Here's the petition:
http://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2016/11/29/let-s-stop-the- ( Read more... )

...The best possible option may surprise you. And no it's not the most obvious one, namely jumping at the moment of impact. You can't possibly guess the exact moment of impact, and you'd still end up falling heavily on your feet (or some other part of your body that you can't anticipate).


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