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Psychologists tell us that the practice of lying is universal (or nearly so) amongst humans. They also tell us this practice begins at a very young age. Parents with toddlers, or with long memories of having had toddlers, may well be able to relate to that. However, the object of this thread is...

The authors of a recent PNAS paper describe its significance as follows: "We have identified a pattern of tectonic deformation on Venus that suggests that many of the planet’s lowlands have fragmented into discrete crustal blocks, and that these blocks have moved relative to each other in the...

A radio signal apparently originating from the Proxima Centauri system, our nearest neighbour is being investigated. The character of the signal suggests it is technological, or some hitherto unknown and unpredicted natural phenomenon. The researchers are seeking local explanations, so far...

The discovery is announced of several currently unexplained radio sources, in circular patterns at estimated distances of around one billion light years. More information here, Unexpected Circular Radio Objects at High Galactic Latitude. In this BBC video Ray Norris, lead author, speculates...

This BBC article, Iconic Puerto Rico telescope to be dismantled amid collapse fears outlines the history of this important resource within radio astronomy. I wondered why, once dismantling is complete, a robust rebuild could not be implemented. I suspect that advances in technology that enable...

The title give you the gist of it. This BBC article gives you some details. My suspicion is, once those cicadas see what a mess is going on "upstairs", they will head back underground just as fast as they can. :)

Most of the threads regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, with several honourable exceptions, seem to have been low on facts and high on rhetoric, speculation and opinion. The linked research paper, Projecting hospital utilization during the COVID-19 outbreaks in the United States, published in PNAS...

The title is self-explanatory. You can find the article here. The BBC report notes that "Scientists have taken a step forward in their ability to decode what a person is saying just by looking at their brainwaves when they speak. They trained algorithms to transfer the brain patterns into...

Several of you will be familiar with the suggestion that the flooding of the Black Sea basin several millenia ago, when a seaway to the Mediterranean through the Boshporus was established, may have given rise to the tales of a global flood as recounted in the Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh and in...

I respectfully suggest all readers of the attached link approach it with an open mind and any agenda firmly locked in a time-vault. That way they might learn something interesting. (Or not. Life is strange that way.) Linda Thunströma, and Shiri Noy "The value of thoughts and prayers" PNAS...

Oumuamua No.2? It seems likely, but this time much larger and not the intriguing elongate geometry. It's still on its way sunward, so plenty of time for observations. More here on the BBC site and The Minor Planet centre.

Nature reports "Analysis of two fossils from a Greek cave has shed light on early hominins in Eurasia. One fossil is the earliest known specimen of Homo sapiens found outside Africa; the other is a Neanderthal who lived 40,000 years later." The article is available here, or in pdf form here...

This is an elaborate way of dealing with another matter, so do be patient. I shall be as concise as my tired brain will allow. Well, of course the Big Bang theory (BBT) is not nonsense, but I don't believe in it. Why not? Aren't these two statements contradictory? (And why is this in the...

In trying to track down information on William Dembski's dissertation for a PhD at the University of Illinois at Chicago I ran across this. It's an announcement that he is officially retiring from ID. It's a short announcement, but here is an even shorter extract that contains the gist of it...

I tend to put String Theory, Voodoo and Economics in the same category and it's not a very positive one. Discuss.

I try not to be selfish, but I really don't want to wade through scores of threads to find a focused discussion on the matters that currently interest me. I'm sure that each of the points I may raise have likely been raised multiple times before. That being the case feel free to point me to any...

This paper by Kraus, Rucker and Richerson identifies an important gap between perception and reality. It is published in the current issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America. Here is the abstract: The present research documents the widespread...

In the thread on dinosaur feathers Juvenissun issued the challenge to another member: " Dare you to argue geology with me?" I accepted the challenge. Unfortunately Juvenissun's idea of arguing geology appears, thus far, to involve a series of juvenile questions in the style of a Victorian...