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'Civilization on Mars' Claims Debunked

StarEmperor writes "Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait has finally taken some time to debunk conspiracy theorist Richard Hoagland's claims about life on Mars. There's also a CNN story about this here."

10 of 379 comments (clear)

  1. actually, not really debunked by muyThaiBxr · · Score: 3, Informative

    Actually, the claims aren't really debunked, instead, Plait attacks Hoaglands credibility.

    Oh, and this article is old, there's already a rebuttal over at Enterprisemission

  2. Con-artist by Kenrod · · Score: 2, Informative

    Hoagland is a con-artist who got lucky a long time ago and decided to parlay his scant credibility into an industry built on duping clueless dreamers out of their money. He's the Wade Cook of science.

    --
    Good heavens Miss Sakamoto - you're beautiful!
  3. Scientific Compacency by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Isaac Asimov once wrote:

    quote:"For one thing Velikfovskianism, and indeed, any exoheretical view that becomes prominent enough to force itself on science, acts to puncture scientific complacency-and that is good. An exoheresy may cause scientists to bestir themselves for the purpose of reexamining the bases of their beliefs, even if only to gather firm and logical reasons for the rejection of the exoheresy-and that is good too. An exoheresy may cause scientific activity which, in a serendipitous fashion, may uncover something worthwhile that has nothing to do with the exoheresy-and that is very good, if it happens."

  4. What I don't get is... by mangojuice · · Score: 4, Informative

    ...why in earth would NASA want to cover up such a thing?

  5. Buy his book, it's quite good. by Hamster+Lover · · Score: 4, Informative

    If you enjoy his web site and the service he provides to the public buy his book, Bad Astronomy.

    The link to his book on Amazon can be found here

    He covers a wide range of misconceptions, myths and outright falsehoods about astronomy and associated topics. My favorite topic he covers is the "Apollo Moon Landing Hoax". He gives the subject an excellent treatment.

  6. Re:people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Unfortunately his definitions are wrong.

    I am a born-again evangelical Christian. That is to say, those are the terms I would use to describe myself, and my church describes itself as Evangelical.

    I also believe that creationists are nuts, that modern science makes it impossible to take the whole of the Bible literally, and that God may only have played a minimal part in evolution, although I still find Him irreplacable as an explanation for what caused the Big Bang to happen.

    Please don't use the term "evangelical" when you mean "fundamentalist". The two mean entirely different things. It's as bad as saying "socialist" when you mean "Stalinist", or using "capitalist" to mean "oppressive and exploitative", or "gay" to mean "stupid"... or "stupid" to mean "ignorant", come to that.

    All those words are used in those ways in colloquial contexts, but that doesn't mean it's at all acceptable to use it that way when you're trying to make a serious point about real issues. There are indeed fundamentalist Christians who believe that everything scientists say is a direct assault on Christianity and probably directly inspired by Satan, but using "evangelical" to describe that group does nobody any favours.

  7. Re:Science education..... by cozziewozzie · · Score: 2, Informative

    Sorry for double post, but before I forget...

    Dieting is generally a bad idea for weight loss (although useful for other purposes). The reason for this is that the body which is starved reacts by breaking down muscle tissue instead of fat. It tries to keep as much fat as possible as a response to the lack of food. This is why you see people diet for a long time and still have fat all over their body even after their muscle loses all definition.

    In fact, the best way to lose weight is to cut down on fat (obviously), eat more carbohydrates and do it regularly (no starving yourself in the evening and such) and eat a reasonable amount of protein. Then do a lot of aerobic exercise (steppers, jogging, long-distance swimming and similar). You need carbohydrates to be able to withstand the exercise without feeling dead (most of it gets burnt during this process) and protein to support and rebuild the muscles as they get hit by the exercises.

  8. The face was just a mesa by Gary+Destruction · · Score: 2, Informative

    This was proven almost 3 years ago. And the terrain on Mars isn't exactly flat, either.

  9. Re:Science education..... by Concerned+Onlooker · · Score: 2, Informative
    People are apt to believe weird things for a number of reasons. Here is an Amazon review of a book, "Why People Believe Weird Things" by Michael Shermer that sums it up:
    Few can talk with more personal authority about the range of human beliefs than Michael Shermer. At various times in the past, Shermer has believed in fundamentalist Christianity, alien abductions, Ayn Rand, megavitamin therapy, and deep-tissue massage. Now he believes in skepticism, and his motto is "Cognite tute--think for yourself." This updated edition of Why People Believe Weird Things covers Holocaust denial and creationism in considerable detail, and has chapters on abductions, Satanism, Afrocentrism, near-death experiences, Randian positivism, and psychics. Shermer has five basic answers to the implied question in his title: for consolation, for immediate gratification, for simplicity, for moral meaning, and because hope springs eternal. He shows the kinds of errors in thinking that lead people to believe weird (that is, unsubstantiated) things, especially the built-in human need to see patterns, even where there is no pattern to be seen. Throughout, Shermer emphasizes that skepticism (in his sense) does not need to be cynicism: "Rationality tied to moral decency is the most powerful joint instrument for good that our planet has ever known." --Mary Ellen Curtin

    --
    http://www.rootstrikers.org/
  10. Re:Science education..... by genecutl · · Score: 2, Informative


    1) Instant (using the ATP stores in the muscles themselves)
    2) Anaerobic (without oxygen): This generally is done by burning carbohydrates in your body
    3) Aerobic (using oxygen): This is burning fat with the presence of oxygen.


    Sorry, that's incorrect. Carbohydrate metabolism has two steps: glycolysis which is the anaerobic part and the citric acid cycle (aka TCA cycle, aka Kreb's cycle) which is the aerobic part. When your body uses carbs it goes through both glycolysis and the citric acid cycle as long as it can. When a tissue starts running out of oxygen, such as when you are running for a while and your oxygen supply can't keep up, you can't do TCA, so glucose metabolism stops at the end of glycolysis and produces lactic acid. The buildup of lactic acid is what gives you the sensation of burning in your muscles. Fat and protein metabolism does not go through glycolysis, only TCA, which happens when you are low on carb stores.