Astronomers at IAU Congress in Prague reached agreement that the planets and planet like-bodies in the Solar System (and in other solar systems) will be categorized into three groups, meaning that Earth is still a planet, but...
Read MoreIn the first open discussion of the redefinition of the meaning of planet (held today in Prague), the proposal set forth by the Executive Committee of IAU was voted down by planetary scientists by a vote of 60 to 40! According...
Read MoreIt appears so! According the redefinition of the meaning of planet, Pluto and Charon would be the only double planet system in the Solar System. At least according to the proposed redefinition. According to IAU’s new...
Read MoreOn Tuesday, August 22 at the International Astronomical Union Conference in Prague, the IAU Executive Committee will hold a general meeting to discuss the meaning of the concept of planet. As in an earlier post, the definition...
Read MoreWe recently traveled to New England by air for a family visit, and to attend antiques shows held during the “New Hampshire Antiques Week.” Because of the terrorist threat in London, we decided to drive back to...
Read MoreI recently heard a science teacher say that the astronmers’ current debate and formulation of a new definition for a planet was great because it could be used to teach students about the nature of science. Right on! In a...
Read MoreTuesday’s vote in the State School Board elections in Kansas resulted in the ouster of the conservative majority which favored putting evolution under review (and only evolution—no other science concepts and ideas...
Read MoreYes, Kansas is back in the news again regarding the nature of science, evolution, and the Kansas State School Board. Elections for half of the seats on the board are next Tuesday. In a New York Times article, Evolution’s...
Read MoreSince the recent bill proposed by the Senate to support embryonic stem cell research through NIH funding, and the subsequent veto by the President, considerable discussion has ensued from each side of the issue. Today’s...
Read MoreThere was an interesting article in today’s New York Times, The Unfailing Belief in the Power of Teaching by David M. Herszenhorn. It’s a story about Andres Alonso, whose family, when he was 12, fled Cuba and settled...
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