Ongoing important Science news thread

[burn_this_city]

I'll have to check out the new science centre. I haven't been to the old one since it was called the planetarium.

[CaptainCrunch]

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

You've convinced me.
I will cetainly visit the new Planet-arim!

[troutman]

Science publishing: The trouble with retractions

A surge in withdrawn papers is highlighting weaknesses in the system for handling them.

http://www.nature.com/news/2011/1110...l/478026a.html

It is reassuring that retractions are so rare, for behind at least half of them lies some shocking tale of scientific misconduct — plagiarism, altered images or faked data — and the other half are admissions of embarrassing mistakes. But retraction notices are increasing rapidly. In the early 2000s, only about 30 retraction notices appeared annually. This year, the Web of Science is on track to index more than 400 (see 'Rise of the retractions') — even though the total number of papers published has risen by only 44% over the past decade.

Perhaps surprisingly, scientists and editors broadly welcome the trend. "I don't think there's any doubt that we're detecting more fraud, and that systems are more responsive to misconduct. It's become more acceptable for journals to step in," says Nicholas Steneck, a research ethicist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

[scotty2hotty]

^^^

Increased competition promoting early publishing?

Increased pressure from funding to come up with specific desired results?

Both?

[troutman]

Must Watch: Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Pamela Gay, and Lawrence Krauss discuss our future in space
http://io9.com/5851956/

The video, originally shot back in July at TAM 2011 Las Vegas, is of a panel featuring Bill Nye, astronomers Neil DeGrasse Tyson & Pamela Gay, and theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss—and the entire discussion is moderated by Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait. The subjects raised are consequential, the discussions thought provoking, and the opinions of the panelists refreshingly diverse (and often conflicting).
Among the topics addressed:

• NASA's next Mars Rover, Curiosity (which is slated to launch next month)
• The dawn of privatized spacecraft
• China's Independent forays into space (and their exclusion from the ISS)
• The geopolitical climates responsible for NASA's conception inception
• The search for aquatic life on Jupiter's moon Europa
• The James Webb Space Telescope

[pylon]

Originally Posted by troutman

Must Watch: Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Pamela Gay, and Lawrence Krauss discuss our future in space
http://io9.com/5851956/

The video, originally shot back in July at TAM 2011 Las Vegas, is of a panel featuring Bill Nye, astronomers Neil DeGrasse Tyson & Pamela Gay, and theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss—and the entire discussion is moderated by Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait. The subjects raised are consequential, the discussions thought provoking, and the opinions of the panelists refreshingly diverse (and often conflicting).
Among the topics addressed:

• NASA's next Mars Rover, Curiosity (which is slated to launch next month)
• The dawn of privatized spacecraft
• China's Independent forays into space (and their exclusion from the ISS)
• The geopolitical climates responsible for NASA's conception inception
• The search for aquatic life on Jupiter's moon Europa
• The James Webb Space Telescope

New evidence has come to light that the vast, ice-encrusted oceans of Europa may be harboring Earth-like life that lives on the oxygen-rich waters. Time to plan your extraterrestrial fishing trip? Maybe.

So what would you be willing to pay for the first slab of ET sushi?

[troutman]

Originally Posted by pylon

New evidence has come to light that the vast, ice-encrusted oceans of Europa may be harboring Earth-like life that lives on the oxygen-rich waters. Time to plan your extraterrestrial fishing trip? Maybe.

So what would you be willing to pay for the first slab of ET sushi?

"ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT EUROPA ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE”

(One of the most memorable quotes from Arthur C Clarke's 2010)

[Thor]

OMG Trout fata my TAM talk!

Glad you did, your link will probably snag more people to actually watch that terrific discussion. Damn ADHD generation!

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Thor

OMG Trout fata my TAM talk!

Glad you did, your link will probably snag more people to actually watch that terrific discussion. Damn ADHD generation!

Will our women believe we are going to Las Vegas for science talk?

[photon]

http://scienceblogs.com/startswithab..._put_up_or.php

For those still following the neutrino thing, they're altering the experiment to remove one of the concerns.

[troutman]

The Fabric of the Cosmos

Acclaimed physicist Brian Greene reveals a mind-boggling reality beneath the surface of our everyday world. Airing November 2, 9, 16, and 23, 2011 on PBS

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics...he-cosmos.html

The Fabric of the Cosmos, a four-hour series based on the book by renowned physicist and author Brian Greene, takes us to the frontiers of physics to see how scientists are piecing together the most complete picture yet of space, time, and the universe. With each step, audiences will discover that just beneath the surface of our everyday experience lies a world we’d hardly recognize—a startling world far stranger and more wondrous than anyone expected.

Brian Greene is going to let you in on a secret: We've all been deceived. Our perceptions of time and space have led us astray. Much of what we thought we knew about our universe—that the past has already happened and the future is yet to be, that space is just an empty void, that our universe is the only universe that exists—just might be wrong.

Interweaving provocative theories, experiments, and stories with crystal-clear explanations and imaginative metaphors like those that defined the groundbreaking and highly acclaimed series The Elegant Universe, The Fabric of the Cosmos promises to be the most compelling, visual, fun, and comprehensive picture of modern physics ever seen on television.

[troutman]

Alien-friendly zone gets extended

http://www.skymania.com/wp/2011/10/a...-extended.html

M dwarf stars are more plentiful than solar type stars, which means there is a good chance of finding a life bearing planet around an M dwarf star. They are much cooler than the Sun and they emit light at much longer wavelengths, which could result in the habitable zone being extended by up to 30 per cent. At longer wavelengths snow and ice reflect less light, and this reflectivity is known as albedo.

The outer edge of the habitable zone is typically defined as the point where carbon dioxide starts to condense. Decreasing the albedo results in this point being pushed outwards. These new revelations have no impact on the inner edge of the habitable zone, which is the point where the oceans evaporate, as any ice and snow cover would be too small to influence the albedo significantly.

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

Originally Posted by scotty2hotty

^^^

Increased competition promoting early publishing?

Increased pressure from funding to come up with specific desired results?

Both?

Certainly both are a factor. I think that much more is being done in large collaborative groups now, with many of the people not being scientists (research techs) or MDs without scientific training. That ends up propagating lazy / misinterpreted data in significant ways.

[Ozy_Flame]

Not so much important as it is awesome:

http://www.geekologie.com/2011/10/th...ish-caught.php

It was actually caught next to a nuclear power plant in Argentina.

[Yasa]

Glass with no glare!

http://www.intomobile.com/2011/10/28...bile-devices/?

[MelBridgeman]

WE ARE OFF THE HOOK!!!!

Humans not to blame for all Ice Age mammals' demise

http://www.cbc.ca/news/offbeat/story...tinctions.html

[ShaolinFlame]

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/...nding-physics/

Fabric of the Cosmos with Brian Greene starts tonight - A 4 part Nova miniseries on PBS.

I've read most of Elegant Universe and I'm really excited for this miniseries adapted from his new book. Unfortunately I doubt I have the initiative to slug through another one of his books though.

I would highly recommend tuning in.

[Stumptown]

I just hope Nova does a better job with this one than they did with Elegant Universe. I saw Brian Greene after that came out, while he was on the book tour for Fabric of the Cosmos, and he wasn't shy about expressing his disappointment for how it came out. I think it was really badly dumbed down and repetitive. I'll watch this one just because I have an enormous geek crush on him, but don't expect to learn anything. Still waiting for his latest to come out in paperback, I'm tired of lugging big hardcovers around.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

WE ARE OFF THE HOOK!!!!



http://www.cbc.ca/news/offbeat/story...tinctions.html

White man still killed all the Indians though. It was partial revenge for the sabretooth tigers and mastadons.