Category Archives: Current events

2013: A look ahead

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Alex R. Howe

Happy New Year to all! Traditionally, the beginning of the year is a time to reflect and to look ahead, so here’s a look at what’s coming in 2013. March: Comet PANSTARRS could be the brightest comet since 2008, possibly … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, General | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on 2013: A look ahead

2012 in review: science, fiction, and other cool stuff

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

As 2012 draws to a close, people around the world are looking back at everything that happened over the past year. Probably the most memorable story in science was the landing of NASA’s Curiosity rover on Mars, and for good … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, General | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 2012 in review: science, fiction, and other cool stuff

It’s (not) the end of the world as we know it, part 2

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

In my last post, I explained how the end of the Mayan calendar is not a harbinger of the end of the world. However, you’ve probably seen stories about other predictions, even scientific predictions, that say something very bad will … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Debunking, Doomsday predictions | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on It’s (not) the end of the world as we know it, part 2

It’s (not) the end of the world as we know it

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

By now, you’ve probably heard that on December 21, 2012, just two weeks from today, the ancient Mayan calendar will run out, and the world will end! This is approximately as silly as thinking the world will end on December … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Debunking, Doomsday predictions | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on It’s (not) the end of the world as we know it

Italian scientists found guilty of manslaughter for failing to predict deadly earthquake

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

Today, an Italian court convicted six seismologists and one government official of manslaughter for failing to predict a magnitude-6.3 earthquake that struck the city of L’Aquila on April 6, 2009, killing 309 people. They have been sentenced to six years … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Geology | Comments Off on Italian scientists found guilty of manslaughter for failing to predict deadly earthquake

Yes, there is a planet at Alpha Centauri!

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

Science fiction fans the world over are vindicated as astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have discovered a super-heated planet in the Alpha Centauri system. Better yet, it’s almost the same size as Earth! Alpha Centauri is a triple … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Planets | Comments Off on Yes, there is a planet at Alpha Centauri!

Felix Baumgartner’s World Record Skydive

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

On Sunday, Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner made a parachute jump from a high altitude balloon and became the first human to break the sound barrier unassisted as part of the Red Bull Stratos mission. Breaking the sound barrier isn’t that … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Space exploration | Comments Off on Felix Baumgartner’s World Record Skydive

SpaceX makes first contracted delivery to the International Space Station

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Alex R. Howe

Space Exploration Technologies, better known as SpaceX, has successfully launched its Dragon space capsule to the International Space Station (ISS), completing the first of 12 resupply missions under its $1.6 billion contract with NASA. Dragon delivered replacement parts for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Current events, Space exploration | Comments Off on SpaceX makes first contracted delivery to the International Space Station