Agreed! So much of what we've seen of mars already is endless expanses of rocks on a plain. I've still always been interested in it, I mean, it IS the surface of another planet and all...everything we've learned from those other missions has been fascinating. But this is the first bit that looks like it would be…

Look, as a long time fan of the Reefer, I am in no way appalled or concerned by this study. I am 100% pro cannabis, but kids shouldn't be smoking it any more than they should be drinking.

Good enough for me! As long as they're out there someday. I DO trust that the current version will be pretty damn cool though

I'm not a big fan, I lean more to the 'toontown in an earthquake' side of the opinion, but I do have to admit that that is VERY cool, and the very definition of good architecture.

Just someone leak a picture of del Toro's Smaug, is all I ask. And maybe some trolls. If Prince Harry's bum can make it out to the internet in 5 minutes flat surely this is not too large a request.

Pretty sure I saw something like that when I was in college at a Grateful Dead show.

Too late:

It was a joke, meant to provoke thought about how such a realization would shape our culture if it were discovered to be true, and on that level I guess it worked because quite a lot of people have very strong thoughts about it apparently. For an offhand comment it has got the most replies of any comment I've ever…

I'm not sure I get you, because that's actually a very good example of the point I was making. We eventually came around to the realization that even savages...now 'indigenous persons' ...were no less intelligent (and self-aware) and every bit of deserving of human rights as the 'civilized' persons of the world.…

Yeah me too, too bad for them that they taste so good, especially with BBQ sauce

Also, I forgot to add, cool as hell! That is something to be proud of. I can't wait to see what the JWST has in store for us!

I have watched all of them but the last two. I have been reading the summaries for the whole time too. My logic is not flawed, I am extrapolating final data points from a much larger set to a logical conclusion.

Interesting! I stand corrected. Nice that we have come so far that unfolding mirrors in space is one of the 'easier' things to do

I am all for science, and I find research (and articles) like this fascinating, but I think we should do the right thing and abandon this line of scientific inquiry right now. Eventually we're going to find out that earthworms, flies and cockroaches are self-aware and then what will we do?

Um..."Human called Rodger demonstrates self-awareness despite having sustained catastrophic damage to the areas of the brain that scientists previously hypothesized were responsible for self-awareness."

I think you meant 'from prehistoric powerhouse to modern hellhole'

Thank you. I was specifically thinking of 'Battlefield Earth', where they actually have the technology to zap anywhere instantaneously, and are able to watch something they did in the past (won't say what because: spoilers...it's actually a pretty decent book never mind how awful the movie was) because they are able…

Well conceptually, there is a place in the universe where you could point a telescope at Earth and watch our history unfold. Unfortunately, it is N light years away, N being however long ago whatever you wanted to watch was. If you had a strong enough 'scope, and could instantly teleport yourself 65 light years away…

It will be launched in a much more compact form, and will unfold like a flower in the spring (sorry NASA makes me all poetic, especially as of late).

Not big enough to avoid being killed by the Space Bees and fed to their young. I hope she can run in those heels.