Global Warming? The Data say YES...

Eva Thaddeus , writing for the Coalition for Excellence in Science and Math Education (CESE) in the March 5th Albuquerque Journal, says "Science has been politicized. But science is not politics. In politics everybody has an opinion, and facts to back it up, and the democratic process is supposed to decide who is right and who is wrong. Most of us feel free to pick and choose our political opinions, and feel justified in our belief that our opinions are as good as anybody else's. ... For 10 years, I have been a member of the New Mexico Coalition for Excellence in Science and Math Education. This group includes scientists, engineers and educators. During that time, I have seen the group move from diverse opinions about global warming to general agreement. The reason? A group conspiracy? No, the evidence has become overwhelming. Human-caused global warming is changing the climate. Mainstream science is increasingly, urgently trying to tell us so. We ignore its voice at our peril. ..."

Source: http://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/guest_columns/042157208638opinionguestcolumns03-04-10.htm

Darwinius masillae is NOT ancestral to Hominids...

ScienceDaily reports on March 3rd that "A fossil that was celebrated last year as a possible "missing link" between humans and early primates is actually a forebearer of modern-day lemurs and lorises, according to two papers by scientists at The University of Texas at Austin, Duke University and the University of Chicago. In an article now available online in the Journal of Human Evolution, four scientists present evidence that the 47-million-year-old Darwinius masillae is not a haplorhine primate like humans, apes and monkeys, as the 2009 research claimed. They also note that the article on Darwinius published last year in the journal PLoS ONE ignores two decades of published research showing that similar fossils are actually strepsirrhines, the primate group that includes lemurs and lorises. 'Many lines of evidence indicate that Darwinius has nothing at all to do with human evolution,' says Chris Kirk, associate professor of anthropology at The University of Texas at Austin. 'Every year, scientists describe new fossils that contribute to our understanding of primate evolution. What's amazing about Darwinius is, despite the fact that it's nearly complete, it tells us very little that we didn't already know from fossils of closely related species.' ..."

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100302131719.htm

But the Asteroid DID Wipe Out the Dinosaurs...

The BBC reports on March 4th that "An international panel of experts has strongly endorsed evidence that a space impact was behind the mass extinction event that killed off the dinosaurs. They reached the consensus after conducting the most wide-ranging analysis yet of the evidence. Writing in Science journal, they rule out alternative theories such as large-scale volcanism. The analysis has been discussed at the 41st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) in the US. A panel of 41 international experts reviewed 20 years' worth of research to determine the cause of the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) mass extinction, around 65 million years ago. The extinction wiped out more than half of all species on the planet, including the dinosaurs, bird-like pterosaurs and large marine reptiles, clearing the way for mammals to become the dominant species on Earth. Their review of the evidence shows that the extinction was caused by a massive asteroid or comet smashing into Earth at Chicxulub on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. ..."

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8550504.stm

Also: http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/dinosaur-killing-asteroid-100304.html

Psychic Surprised by SEC Lawsuit...

A psychic surprised? That shouldn't be possible, unless psychics aren't able to, say, predict the future. The NY Times reports on March 4th that "He calls himself “America’s Prophet,” a psychic, trained by Nepalese monks in the art of time travel, who can foretell the future of the stock market. But to the authorities, Sean David Morton is simply a fraud — and a really, really bad psychic. In a case that seems ripped from the pages of the satirical newspaper The Onion, the Securities and Exchange Commission sued Mr. Morton for securities fraud on Thursday, claiming he swindled more than $6 million from investors by promising them 'piles of money,' along with spiritual happiness. 'I have called ALL the highs and lows of the market giving EXACT DATES for rises and crashes over the last 14 years,'' Mr. Morton claimed at one point, according to the documents filed in connection with the case. ..."

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/05/business/05psychic.html

NEW POSTINGS AT NMSR...

MARCH 2010 PUZZLE - "Thar She Goes!"
http://www.nmsr.org/puzzles.htm

MARCH 2010 NMSR REPORTS ON-LINE - New Puzzles, Patents, WonderQuest, MORE!
http://www.nmsr.org/pdfnews.htm

NMSR's Science Watch - The End is HERE!!

NMSR's Science Watch, SATURDAYS at 2:00 PM on 1350 AM Progressive Talk

Science Watch is LIVE on March 6th, 2010!
Hosts Dave Thomas and Kim Johnson, on
"The End is HERE!" (This is the Last Show)

We'll reminisce on the 4-year run of Science Watch.

MORE:
http://www.nmsr.org/goradio.htm

NMSR Science Watch is NOW ON PODCAST!!!
http://www.nmsr.org/podcast.htm