Comments on: Science Friday: Interstellar Mothballs + Hunted Wolves + Subglacial Lakes + Mini Robots + Molecular Snapshot + more

By: Duane

Duane — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:02:04 +0000

I love Science Friday and wish I had more time to always read it.

By: Kayla Iacovino

Kayla Iacovino — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 07:28:40 +0000

@27 Yes, you are right. #15 is making a reference to the television show HOUSE MD.

By: NCC-73515

NCC-73515 — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:30:45 +0000

Re: #15
“It’s not lupus.”
I’m a zoologist and if you don’t believe me, try wiki or any other reliable source of your choice. ;)
The name is Canis lupus.

By: dmduncan

dmduncan — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:03:43 +0000

Regarding the one way ticket to Mars idea I have only to quote that animated Guinness beer commercial:

BRILLIANT!

And if the gov’t doesn’t want to take chances sending people to their doom on Mars, how about getting a Mars X-Prize going after the lunar challenge so the people who want to take that risk can make the choice for themselves?

Or to quote my favorite Captain of my favorite Starship:

“…I must point out that the possibilities, the potential for knowledge and advancement is equally great. Risk… risk is our business! That’s what this Starship is all about… that’s why we’re aboard her!”

By: dmduncan

dmduncan — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:35:03 +0000

I’m not opposed to the hunting of wolves. I just think it should be a fair fight. The hunter puts his teeth and nails up against the Wolf’s teeth and nails and we all live with the outcome.

By: Bianca Shepard

Bianca Shepard — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:15:06 +0000

What a beautiful wolf you have pictured! Is there no alternative to killing? Hey, smart people, start thinking!

By: Horatio

Horatio — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:11:09 +0000

Re: One way ticket to Mars.

I think its also important to consider that a one way trip to Mars doesn’t necessarily mean a death sentence for astronauts. I’m reminded of Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars-Green Mars-Blue Mars trilogy where the first colonists were considered permanent.

By: Kayla Iacovino

Kayla Iacovino — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:41:02 +0000

I’m glad to see a lot of people supporting the wolves. That’s always been a very important issue to me. Thanks, as always, for the comments!

By: Daoud

Daoud — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:55:05 +0000

#18 You’re right!… we should seriously consider sending Obama and Congress to Mars. ;)

I too do not understand why it would be so important to send them back to Earth. :D

By: Daoud

Daoud — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:54:01 +0000

#16 Death by Mars [tm]. It’s an interesting concept, indeed. Not unlike the cyanide pills given to early lunar astronauts purportedly in the event their missions would cause them to be stranded on the Moon, in orbit, or to fail re-entry and “bounce” off into space. Except here, they could work to manage to live out a couple decades at the end of their lives on Mars.

Europeans would probably be the first to do this, as euthanasia’s much farther along in terms of acceptance. (Oregonians, too, eh?)

For childless scientists in their later years, it could be a really attractive option as soon as the 2040’s to live out one’s days on Mars. But I think it will be the Europeans and Chinese before the US….

#17 Wisenheimer, eh? I’ll play. When hasn’t Star Trek been about overpopulation of a species (Mark of Gideon, Trouble with Tribbles, etc.) and societal-environmental damage (STVI:TUC, Let That Be Your Last Battlefield, For The World Is Hollow…, etc.). Ah hah! Perhaps Colonel “Green” was the ultimate CZAR for environmentalist movements in 21st century Earth. He did plan to off half the population after all for eugenic reasons… See, there you go.

#n = {6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15} LOL, WTF? IDIC but OMG! Get a BBS!

And mothballs aren’t methane, they’re naphthalene. Methane’s a gas, a/k/a farts. Stop farting!