Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
I’m feeling a bit better today, though perhaps not so chipper as to guarantee a surfeit of posts. Like Maru, I do my best. It’s Tuesday, August 7, 2018, and National Raspberries and Cream Day. (All things told, I prefer strawberries and cream.) News of the day: Trump has finally admitted, after lying about it … Continue reading Tuesday: Hili dialogue
A new work week has begun: it’s Monday, September 18, 2017, and I’m still jet-lagged, sleepless, and unaccountably low. I will try to struggle through. First-year students are arriving on campus with their parents, having begun their orientation period last Saturday, while classes start on September 25—early this year. It’s National Cheeseburger Day, which I … Continue reading Monday: Hili dialogue
Reader Tom C. calls our attention to a big announcement today, and he speculated a bit about it: There’s a NASA press conference regarding something cool on Mars at 11:30 EDT. I’m hoping for HD images of brachiopod-like fossils embedded in a dry stream bed, but I’ll bet on the discovery of liquid water on … Continue reading Big announcement by NASA about Mars today: 11:30 a.m. EDT
Lots of folks have gone gaga about the discovery of salty water on the surface of Mars, and the excitement centers on one thing: the possibility that there could be life there. Well, we can’t rule out life yet, but the four Mars Rovers haven’t found any. What they have found are organic chemicals on the planet and sedimentary rocks … Continue reading Water on Mars: what does it mean?
by Matthew Cobb We’ve featured the amazing images from the HiRISE Mars orbiter before. Here’s a stunning crater that was captured in 2011, on the slopes of Pavonis Mons, one of the massive extinct volcanoes on the Red Planet.: Shane Byrne at the HiRise site run jointly by the University of Arizona says that the … Continue reading A Martian cavern – or is it?
by Matthew Cobb @MarsCuriosity (the tw*tter feed of Curiosity rover) just posted this image of Gale Crater on Mars, taken on 11 December by the Mars HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) Camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which we’ve featured here a number of times. Given how much fun everyone has been having with … Continue reading Spot the Curiosity rover!
By Matthew Cobb I have been spending quite some time recently helping scientists study the spiders of Mars. Not Ziggy Stardust’s band, nor, sadly, actual spiders, but strange geological formations in the Martian Antarctic. Like this Or this And above all these: Over at planetfour.org they have put millions of these images on line, obtained … Continue reading Spend some time with the spiders of Mars and help science!
by Matthew Cobb Ever wanted to feel like you were flying high above the surface of Mars, looking down on the landing site of one of the most amazing feats in the history of technology? Grab your red/cyan 3-D glasses and have a look at this image (click to see full size version). This picture … Continue reading Mars – in 3D!
