My husband and I just got back from a couple of weeks in Finland and Sweden. We spent most of our time on tiny islands in the Baltic without any reliable Internet access. Regular posting will resume tomorrow.
General
Pluto is a planet once again
[In case it wasn’t obvious: April Fool! -Ed.]
In a surprising reversal this week, members of the International Astronomical Union voted to reinstate Pluto’s status as a planet. This overturns the IAU’s 2006 decision to reclassify Pluto as a ‘dwarf planet’ following the adoption of an official definition of what constitutes a planet, which excluded Pluto.
Speaking on behalf of the IAU, one member is quoted as saying, “People were surprisingly passionate about Pluto’s status. The pressure from the general public to re-admit it to the ‘planet club’ was so great, we just couldn’t ignore it. Welcome back, Pluto.”
Welcome to SixDay Science
SixDay Science is motivated by a love for all science, an unwavering devotion to the scientific method, and a deep faith that the disciplined search for truth has the power to lift humankind in ways we can barely imagine. We must promote and defend science because the ultimate fate of our species may well be determined in the 21st century by what science succeeds or fails to accomplish. We are faced with dwindling resources, great conflict within and among societies, and a growing spiritual void that includes but is not limited to a disabling pessimism and loss of direction around the world.
At the very least, science must find new ways to produce and deliver energy in ways that meet the needs of a growing world population while protecting the environment. Biologists must find more effective ways to fight the diseases that ravage much of humankind. And the behavioral and social studies must become true sciences by developing viable theories about individual and collective behavior. The current imbalance between the physical and behavioral sciences is probably the greatest threat we face. In this regard, people of the 21st century are like three year olds with loaded guns.
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