Exposing PseudoAstronomy is a podcast hosted by Stuart Robbins. (Stuart is a postdoctoral researcher in astronomy whose focus is on planetary geophysics). I highly recommend it. He just posted the latest episode: Podcast Episode 83: David Sereda’s Claims Clip Show,...
Science & Theology
Templeton Foundation Funding Search for Alien Spacecraft … Really
The Templeton foundation has awarded $200,000 to astronomer Geoff Marcy (UC-Berkeley) to see if he can detect alien spacecraft passing in front of distant stars. Before you laugh, Marcy is easily the most famous astronomer among those detecting extra-solar planets....
100 Year Starship: DARPA Funding Warp Drive Propulsion Project
Popular Science recently published an article of interest to fans of UFO inquiry (and of course, The Facade ). Although it’s dated April 1, it’s an article about a real event and real project. Here’s the opening paragraph of the PopSci piece: Last...
DNA as Indicative of Intelligent Design: New Peer-Reviewed Journal Article with a SETI Twist
The Uncommon Descent blog reports that “in the planetary science journal, Icarus, two scientists argue that the genetic code bears the hallmarks of an intelligent cause.” The blog quotes the abstract which reads in part: It has been repeatedly proposed to...
More Functions for Junk DNA
In another blow to the “junk DNA is vestigial extraterrestrial DNA that proves aliens made us” buffoonery, Science Daily recently posted an overview of a new scientific paper in the peer-reviewed journal Genome Biology that demonstrates that junk DNA is...
Helpful Summary of the “God Particle”
The UFO Trail (a blog I recommend following) posted a helpful summary of the Higgs-Boson particle (“God particle”) discovery. It’s brief and covers the salient points, including the regrettable hype.
Sorry, But I Just Can’t Get Excited About the “God Particle”
Okay, I’m not a physicist, so there’s going to be an enthusiasm gap from the get-go. Still, I guess that the new “discovery” (if that’s an accurate label; still seems to be some level of uncertainty there) of the Higgs-Boson “God...
Validating Signs of Intelligence (Where We Want to Anyway)
What if someday we detect a signal from outer space that turned out to be the Fibonacci sequence? Would that be proof of extraterrestrial intelligence? Be careful how you answer!
Extraterrestrial Life Comes from Earth?
The Uncommon Descent blog has some pull quotes from an article from the Technology Review/Physics Archive blog entitled, “The Amazing Trajectories of Life-Bearing Meteorites from Earth that make that point. This is the idea that, when earth was struck by space objects...
Intelligent Design and Nobel Laureates
From time to time I post on intelligent design (ID) here, as that perspective on origins could be (and has been) offered as a backdrop for any intelligent ET life that might be found out in the universe someday. That is, the Designer would also have designed alien...
News Flash: Junk DNA Isn’t Junk — And It’s Human
A month ago I appeared on Coast to Coast AM. I’ve been on the show many times, and when I’m a guest, I try to set up a hub on my homepage for listeners to get quick access to areas on my websites and blogs that will no doubt come up in the course of the...
Of Sophistry and Antagonism Toward Fine-Tuning
I found this recent post entitled, “ Is This the Dumbest Ever ‘Refutation’ of the Fine-Tuning Argument Ever ?” worth the read (and a bit funny). It’s about some very poor thinking on the part of British philosopher Anthony Grayling with...
Another Scientist Expresses Skepticism Over Cardinal Doctrine of All ET Religions
Astrophysicist John Gribbon’s new book Alone in the Universe: Why Our Planet Is Unique was recently reviewed in the Wall Street Journal. The reviewer refers to the book as “grimly plausible” and notes that Gribbon has a firm grasp on something...
Dueling Turin Shroud Studies
Yesterday on Dec 19, an Italian scientific team published the results of a study that they believe demonstrates the authenticity of the Turin Shroud. The UK Telegraph reports that the team “conducted a series of advanced experiments which, they claim, show that...
The Higgs-Boson Hype
I like to post on things like this every so often to remind readers that science can be marred by, and married to, hype. I was reading through some recent posts by mathematician Peter Woit on his Not Even Wrong blog this morning and came across several items worth...