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Put the Weather Balloon Back In The Box

Put the Weather Balloon Back In The Box
Really? Sushi and beer "in space"? What's next? What the hell is going on with this weather balloon craze? It seems that everything from beer to sushi is being sent “into space” these days. There’s only one problem… weather balloons don’t go into space! Launching...

On Gingrich’s Moon Base Plan (and Why It Won’t Happen)

On Gingrich’s Moon Base Plan (and Why It Won’t Happen)
A base on the Moon? That would be awesome! But it can't be done for profit... yet (ESA). For more on this topic, you can listen to me chat with BBC 5live’s Dotun Adebayo (from “Up All Night” on Jan. 28 — at 1hr 26mins into the show) and check out the Al Jazeera article (“Gingrich...

The Day Aliens Invaded… [UPDATE]

The Day Aliens Invaded… [UPDATE]
UPDATE (Mon. 9:50 a.m. PT): Shocker. NASA refutes Hoover’s claims. Apparently his paper failed peer review for publication in the International Journal of Astrobiology… in 2007! More here: “NASA Refutes Alien Discovery Claim — Discovery News” Original post: On Saturday,...

It’s Official: “2012″ Sucked

It’s Official: “2012″ Sucked
Just in case you didn’t know, Roland Emmerich’s 2012 wasn’t the best of movies. Actually, from a science perspective, it sucked. It sucked in so many ways that I can’t be bothered to list why it sucked (so have a read of my Discovery News review instead). Now, I’m happy...

Who Cares if Ashton Kutcher is Preparing for Armageddon?

So, it’s 2011. A brand new year. Who knows what it holds? Actually, I know what it holds. Trolls. In fact, 2011 will henceforth be the Year of the Troll. (Not the Year of the Rabbit, sorry Bun-bun.) I’ve noticed a rather crazy uptick in the number of anti-science diatribes and wet doomsday...

Life on Mars? Only in The Sun.

Life on Mars? Only in The Sun.
In its haste to become the first newspaper to print the “NASA: Evidence of Life on Mars” headline, the UK’s Sun website caused a stir last week. Not only was this headline incorrect, it was a wee bit irresponsible. For starters, no evidence for life has been found on the Red Planet....

Indonesia ‘Meteorite’ Wiped Out a House… Or Not.

Indonesia ‘Meteorite’ Wiped Out a House… Or Not.
A week after Israel played host to the amazing burning ‘meteorite’, another report is coming in about a ‘meteorite’ strike in East Jakarta, Indonesia. (Note the use of the famous ‘skeptical quotes’.) On Thursday, a falling object crashed through the roof of a house...

NASA’s Asteroid Mission: Scary but Useful

NASA’s Asteroid Mission: Scary but Useful
Things have been moving fast for NASA in recent weeks, culminating in President Obama’s inspiring speech at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday. I haven’t commented on the new direction for the US space agency’s direction thus far as I’ve needed some time to digest the ramifications...

Warning, Over-Hyped Title Alert: But It’s A Frackin’ SUPERNOVA!

Warning, Over-Hyped Title Alert: But It’s A Frackin’ SUPERNOVA!
"SuperNova" by Shadow-Trance (DeviantArt) I’m not kidding, last week was a huge mess of a supernova doomsday circus. It was like whispering “there’s a bomb under your chair” to the person next to you in a crowded theater and then watching the resulting flood of people...

What’s NASA’s Biggest Accomplishment of 2009? It’s Still Here.

What’s NASA’s Biggest Accomplishment of 2009? It’s Still Here.
A space station in the movie '2001: A Space Odyssey.' It's hard to believe that by 2015 we might not have any manned outpost in orbit (sci-fi writers never saw that coming). I was only half joking when I tweeted, “Vote for your favorite NASA accomplishment in 2009: http://bit.ly/83xWlJ...
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