Artist and self-styled experimental philosopher Jonathon Keats is hoping to persuade the art world to join scientists in the Copernican Revolution—nearly 5 centuries late. In 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus made the humbling observation that the Earth revolves around the sun. Modern physicists often cite the “Copernican principle” that, as nature’s rules are the same everywhere, the human viewpoint isn’t unique. Continue reading The Story Is Dead. Long Live the Story.
Category Archives: Outlets
Greenland ice-melt map gets the cold shoulder
Glaciologists and climatologists are racing to correct an error in the latest edition of The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World, which they say overstates the extent of ice loss in Greenland over the past 12 years.
The 13th edition of the atlas was released on 15 September. The map’s publisher, London-based HarperCollins, said in a press release that it had “had to erase 15% of Greenland’s once permanent ice cover” since the previous edition in 1999. But researchers, who contend that the number is not backed up by scientific evidence, are worried that the error will undermine their credibility. Continue reading Greenland ice-melt map gets the cold shoulder
NASA to Launch Guidelines to Protect Lunar Artifacts
NASA is unlikely to be the operator of the next spacecraft to land on the moon, but the U.S. space agency is considering sending along some red tape.
As dozens of private teams race to return to the moon as soon as next year, spurred on by $30 million in prize money from Google and the X Prize Foundation, NASA is wrestling with how to safeguard the historic and scientific value of more than three dozen sites containing remnants of America’s golden era of space exploration, including the spot where Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. left the first footprints on the lunar surface. Later this month, the agency plans to issue what it calls “recommendations” for spacecraft, or future astronauts, visiting U.S. government property on the moon. Continue reading NASA to Launch Guidelines to Protect Lunar Artifacts
Iceland Directs Avalanche Funds Into Volcano Risk Studies
Iceland’s natural hazards experts can now use part of a special avalanche risk assessment fund to study the dangers posed by the country’s many volcanoes, which seem to be growing more active. At the end of last week, the country’s parliament approved a resolution from the Ministry for the Environment allowing Iceland’s Meteorological Office, which is responsible for forecasting natural hazards, to shift more of its focus toward preparing for volcanoes. The office anticipates it may take more than a decade to fully assess Iceland’s volcanic risks, but it will initially devote an estimated $2 million* over the first 3 years to kick-start the project. Continue reading Iceland Directs Avalanche Funds Into Volcano Risk Studies