Sally Ride
My conversation with Dr. Sally Ride, who became a hero as the first American woman in space in 1983.
Phil Plait vs. Jenny McCarthy
My friend Dr. Phil Plait has been taking on Jenny McCarthy lately. Why does an astronomer (and one of the web’s top science bloggers) have a problem with a has-been actress? Turns out McCarthy is part of the anti-vaccination movement, and has been going around proclaiming that vaccines cause autism — a claim that has […]
When Pigs Flu
Yesterday, I saw a man walking down the street wearing a surgical mask. He was not headed into the operating room, nor was he a Michael Jackson impersonator. He was just another addle-brained American who bought into the swine flu panic. The media deserves much of the blame. The panicky tone of coverage this week […]
Space Night
Astronaut Sandra Magnus blogs about the Earth at night as she sees it from the International Space Station — a vivid description of thunderstorms, city lights, and twinkling stars above. And she only gets that view every 45 minutes!
Abstaining From Evidence
Rationality and reason were under attack again this week on many fronts. In Phoenix on Monday night, thousands of people reported seeing some eerie red lights floating in the sky, and many assumed it must be some sort of alien spacecraft. By Wednesday, a man came forward and admitted that it was all a hoax […]
Merging in Space
The Justice Department has approved the merger of the two satellite radio companies, Sirius and XM. Now the FCC must okay the deal, which is likely. I don’t know what this will mean for consumers — I don’t subscribe to either service — but I do know that it means fewer jobs, a subject I’m […]