“Forty, perhaps 50 percent of our political beliefs seem to have a basis in genetics,” said Hibbing, whose studies were included in Jost’s analysis. While genetics are unlikely to “hardwire” people into being liberal or conservative, Hibbing said that genes could make people more or less likely to have certain values or react to situations in a particular way.

There really is gene for "dumbass!"

Political Preference Is Half Genetic - Yahoo! News

Maximum high temperatures of 41 degrees Fahrenheit that persisted for about a week in Antarctica caused a melt intense enough to create an extensive ice layer.

Evidence of melting was found up to 560 miles inland from the open ocean, farther than 85 degrees south (about 310 miles from the South Pole) and higher than 6,600 feet above sea level.

That's a lot of melting in some very inhospitable to melting areas. The word for the day is "YIKES!" On the plus side, I don't live in a coastal area, so imminent flooding isn't an issue for me, but losing Greenland would be a 20' rise in sea levels, and should all Antarctica go (not terribly likely) that would be 200'. What is entirely possible at the South Pole though would be "sluicing," where a partial melt causes large chunks of the ice sheet there to thin or snap off. That would be bad. A 10' rise in sea levels would cause all sorts of issues worldwide.

California-Sized Area of Ice Melts in Antarctica - Yahoo! News

More nuclear fun! That great big semi-circular blue spot that looks sort of natural? Nope! That's the crater left Castle Bravo in 1954.

bikini - Google Maps

And now, teh cool. The things that look like blackheads or pox scars? It's the Nevada nuclear test range. You can really zoom in on some of these.

Google Maps - Nevada Acne

an expansion is already underway in the state-of-the art lobby, where grunting dinosaurs and animatronic humans coexist in a Biblical paradise.

Immediately after the pleasent events shown in the diorama, the velociraptor whirled, killing and devouring young Abdul and D'Mo, showing once and for all, God really does like little christian white kids the best...

Dinosaurs, humans coexist in U.S. creation museum Reuters.com

The following catalog of misconceptions, along with responses, is therefore offered for scholars who may well find themselves confronting voices whose amplitude and frequency exceed their wisdom.

The Case for Evolution, in Real Life

The first study to combine computer models of rising temperatures with records of the ancient climate has indicated that sea levels could rise by up to 20ft (6m) by 2100, placing millions of people at risk.

Thank you Mr. Bush for trying to actually make this even worse.

Britain, UK news from The Times and The Sunday Times - Times Online

Emory University psychologist Drew Westen put self-identified Democratic and Republican partisans in brain scanners and asked them to evaluate negative information about various candidates. Both groups were quick to spot inconsistency and hypocrisy -- but only in candidates they opposed.

When presented with negative information about the candidates they liked, partisans of all stripes found ways to discount it, Westen said. When the unpalatable information was rejected, furthermore, the brain scans showed that volunteers gave themselves feel-good pats -- the scans showed that "reward centers" in volunteers' brains were activated. The psychologist observed that the way these subjects dealt with unwelcome information had curious parallels with drug addiction as addicts also reward themselves for wrong-headed behavior.

Now this is damn interesting...

Study Ties Political Leanings to Hidden Biases

The researchers believe Tempel 1's surface ice used to reside inside the comet and became exposed over time. It's also thought that occasional geyser-like blasts of dust and vapor, called jets, send the ice outward. Once ejected, the ice crystals can become incorporated into the luminous coma, a cloud of material surrounding the main body of the comet, or the ice can become part of its tail.

The same team previously reported that Tempel 1's interior also contained an abundance of organic material and suggested the comet may have originated in a region of the solar system now occupied by Uranus and Neptune.

Ice AND organic matter? I'd love to see the Discovery Institute's explanation for this one.

Water Ice Detected on Comet's Surface - Yahoo! News

A complete foot reveals that archaeopteryx had an extensible claw on its second toe, which is a hallmark of raptors, but is absent in all known birds. Its first toe, or "hallux", is also at the side of the foot and not reversed as it is in perching birds, which use it to grasp branches

And now, a missing link between birds and dinosaurs.

New Scientist Breaking News - Oldest bird had dinosaur feet