saving pluto

 

We, the signatories herein, comprising of concerned citizens of the world strongly object to the decision and seek the IMMEDIATE REVERSAL of the Result of the IAU Resolution votes to demote Pluto from a planet to a ‘dwarf planet’. Furthermore, experts like University of Tennessee Physics Professor Bill Blass who still considers Pluto to be a planet (see WBIR.com article) and NASA’s head of New Horizons mission to Pluto, Dr Alan Stern ridicules the definition and states that it would have never passed ‘peer review’ (see BBC article) are some who are opposed to the IAU’s decision.

We trust that the International Astronomical Union (IAU) will take into account the feedback of the concerned citizens and experts seriously enough to consider the reversal of their decision to demote Pluto.

Sincerely,

Go to Please save Pluto 

fruits or cancer

People who eat a diet high in fruit and low in meat reduce their risk of developing colon cancer, researchers reported on Wednesday.

Eating more fruits or having colon cancer… Tough call…

good for the head

Scientists have uncovered the first concrete evidence that playing music can significantly enhance the brain.

Enhance, uh ?

working can kill you

Office workers who spend long hours at their desk may be more prone to potentially fatal blood clots than passengers on long-haul flights, according to research cited Monday.

Could a boss/company be held responsible for a fatal blood clots of one of its employee ?

Will anyone from the HR of a company panic about it and make sure everyone move often enough ?

The problem was most common in the information technology industry and in call-centres, he added.

Now, when you’re disturbed while dinner, we can say that we hope this annoying caller will die from blood clots.

And geeks might anguish even more about dying before getting laid…

antioxidants don’t help you live longer

Antioxidant vitamins taken by tens of millions of people around the world won’t lead to a longer life, according to an analysis of dozens of studies that adds to evidence questioning the value of the popular supplements. The large review of separate studies on thousands of people found no long-life benefit from vitamins A, E and C and beta carotene and selenium.

 

Soooooooooooooo………….. I can eat all the burgers and fries I want ?

losers aren’t good lovers

A woman’s assessment of the attractiveness of a man is influenced by how other women view him.

Among females in other species, “mate choice copying” has already been spotted among guppies (fish), Japanese quail (bird) and zebra finches (bird), but this is the first time the phenomenon has been confirmed among humans.

So, women aren’t much brighter than a bird ???

be a nerd for free

 

As far as I know, this is the first case of intellectual philanthropy from an university: the MIT OpenCourseWare. This prestigious university gives the opportunity to do online classes for free. Not only in science but in arts and humanities. Great.

on our way to waterworld

If further global warming reaches 2 or 3 degrees Celsius, we will likely see changes that make Earth a different planet than the one we know. The last time it was that warm was in the middle Pliocene, about 3 million years ago, when sea level was estimated to have been about 25 meters (80 feet) higher than today.

More…

chemical structure of man’s best friend

taller means smarter ?

 

 

According to a new study, taller people would be smarter. That’s nice to hear when you’re 6 feet 2.

But strangely, in a comic duo, the taller is often the dumb one: Astérix and Obélix, Laurel and Hardy, Terrence Hill and Bud Spencer, Itchy and Scratchy…

So, the small ones have nothing left for themselves ?

pluto, 1930-2006

Well, to me Pluto will always be a Planet. I refuse to unlearn this. This is ridiculous: for 76 years, Pluto has been a planet. My grandfather, my father and I learned Pluto was a planet and then, the astronomers changed their mind. Sorry, too late. We could argue it also takes about 76 years for an astronomer to get laid, but it wouldn’t help the debate.

How many books are now inaccurate ? How much school, college and university libraries will have to spend to replace their dictionaries, encyclopedias, scientific books ? Actually, I’d be curious to know how many still have documents about USSR…

pluto

If it turns out Pluto is not a planet anymore, do I have to do my grade school again ?

mass extinction

Obese people face a higher risk of passing out — or worse — during heat waves.

Then the global warming may solve the obesity plague.

an anti-stupid pill

A German scientist is working on an anti-stupid pill. If commercialized, this guy just might become the richest man on Earth…

watch out, kid

The Perils of Being Huge: Why Large Creatures Go Extinct

Hum. Is it the purpose of any specie to eventually evolve in a way it becomes so big it collapse ?