Category: Science

Curiosity lives!

NASA Scientists are giving the Curiousity Mars Rover’s landing two thumbs up. Scientists displayed the Rover’s first two photos, saying it appears to have landed in a flat area. Aug. 6

via NASA Scientists: Mars Landing 'Beautiful' – YouTube.

Peter Hadfield responds to Global Warming denialist Anthony Watts regarding a fictitious invitation to debate from Christopher Monckton.

For the sake of Anthony Watts, who has a genuine hearing issue (no, this isn’t sarcasm, it’s a genuine condition) and I understand the problems he has listening to my videos, I’ll explain what this one is about. A recent statement on wattsupwiththat.com claimed that I won’t debate Monckton face-to-face. This is a complete fabrication. I have never been invited to debate him face to face and have never declined such an invitation. It was Mr. Monckton who withdrew from an online debate that wattsupwiththat hosted, and he has written to tell me he is too busy to debate. If he is only willing to respond to the evidence when he can see my face then of course I will be delighted to present my evidence to him face-to-face. I have asked wattsupwiththat to correct this misrepresentation, but they have not done so, and they won’t publish my very polite requests for them to do so. And since they say they will delete any messages that make a reference to me, it seems no one else is allowed to point out the error either.

So I am doing so in this video, with my usual mix of politeness, decency and good humor. I have no idea why the wattsupwiththat crew dislike me so intently, and why they defend Monckton so assiduously, but as long as they continue to print falsehoods, refuse to issue corrections and censor comments I guess we will never know.

SOURCE:

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/04/23/why-there-cannot-be-a-global-warming-co…

via Correcting misinformation about a face-to-face debate.wmv – YouTube.

Uncertainty: something to be both humble and proud of & if that seems like cognitive dissonance, please watch DPRJONES’s video before you conclude that with finality.

The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science http://richarddawkins.net/Taped live on Feb 4, 2012 by http://www.youtube.com/user/ShirleyFilmsIn conjunction with the Origins Project at ASU http://origins.asu.edu/- Show quoted text -there are still some edits and color correction to be done but we wanted to have the YouTube version out as soon as possibleJoin critically-acclaimed author and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and world-renowned theoretical physicist and author Lawrence Krauss as they discuss biology, cosmology, religion, and a host of other topics. The authors will also discuss their new books. Dawkins recently published The Magic of Reality: How We Know What’s Really True, an exploration of the magic of discovery embodied in the practice of science. Written for all age groups, the book moves forward from historical examples of supernatural explanations of natural phenomena to focus on the actual science behind how the world works.Krauss’s latest book, A Universe from Nothing: Why There is Something Rather than Nothing, explains the scientific advances that provide insight into how the universe formed. Krauss tackles the age-old assumption that something cannot arise from nothing by arguing that not only can something arise from nothing, but something will always arise from nothing.Founded in 2008, the ASU Origins Project is a university-wide transdisciplinary initiative aimed at facilitating cutting edge research and inquiry about origins questions, enhancing public science literacy, and improving science education. Since its inception, the Origins Project has brought the world’s leading scientists, including Nobel Prize winners, to Tempe to explore origins questions. The Origins Project has hosted workshops and public events that have focused on questions as fundamental as the origin of the universe, how life began, the origins of human uniqueness, and the origins of morality.

via Something From Nothing – a conversation w/ Richard Dawkins & Lawrence Krauss – ASU Feb 4, 2012 – YouTube.

One of the golden oldies of science denial is the “impending ice age” myth.

As usual, the climate denial noise machine distorts what an actual scientist says about his research — That there is no prediction of any ice age. – mini, maxi, little, big or or otherwise.

via Myth of the Mini Ice Age – YouTube.