ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 160

A Rail Gun the Size of Manhattan Could Reveal the Secrets of the Higgs Boson

By Paul Sutter Nobody messes with the Large Hadron Collider. It’s the supreme particle smasher of the present age, and nothing can touch its energy capabilities or ability to study the frontiers of physics. But all glory is transitory, and nothing lasts forever. Eventually, somewhere around 2035, the lights at this 17-mile-long (27 kilometers) ring of …

CRISPR cuts turn gels into biological watchdogs

By Ewen Callaway Is there anything CRISPR can’t do? Scientists have wielded the gene-editing tool to make scores of genetically modified organisms, as well as to track animal development, detect diseases and control pests. Now, they have found yet another application for it: using CRISPR to create smart materials that change their form on command. The shape-shifting materials could be used to …

Trump sees all U.S. Jews as Israelis because his Christian Zionist allies do, too

By Talia Lavin The first recorded Jewish resident of North America arrived in 1585. His name was Joachim Gans, and he was a metallurgist from Prague, recruited by Sir Walter Raleigh to accompany would-be colonists to what would become Virginia. But the Roanoke colony was short-lived, and Gans soon departed, leaving behind a few lumps …

This Megachurch Is ‘Glamorizing’ Conversion Therapy on Instagram

By Nico Lang “Can a person leave homosexuality behind?” That was the question posed on Monday by Bethel Church, a nondenominational, charismatic church located in Redding, Calif — asked its follow Counting an estimated 9,000 members, the church espouses fringe beliefs that have proven controversial even in the evangelical movement, with dedicated ministries devoted to Faith Healing and Dead …

The Solar System’s Loneliest Planets, Revisited

By Shannon Hall On August 25, 1989, in Pasadena, Calif., NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory was bustling with activity. Scientists, reporters and even a bona fide rock star, Chuck Berry, had flocked to the facility’s mission control to commemorate the moment the Voyager 2 spacecraft flew shy of 5,000 kilometers above Neptune’s north pole the previous …

Utah Mormon official removed from local position after voyeurism arrest

By Aysha Khan The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has removed a Utah church official after he was charged with taking photos of a woman undressing in a Tennessee clothing store. “This type of behavior is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated from any Church member,” Eric Hawkins, a spokesman for The Church of …

A Supernova Was Hiding in Antarctica’s Snow

By Katherine Kornei Earth is continuously plowing through extraterrestrial dust. Tens of thousands of tons of the stuff, mostly from asteroids and comets, settles all over the planet every year. We are the shoulder to a universe of dandruff. But even the faintest detritus has a story to tell. Recently, scientists analyzed dust collected from …

Trump is weaponizing evangelicals’ mistrust. And he’s succeeding.

By E.J. Dionne Jr. Are the dominant voices of white evangelical Christianity in the United States destined to be angry and defensive? Is President Trump making sure they stay that way? I found myself asking these questions after I read my Post colleague Elizabeth Bruenig’s revealing and deeply reported essay about her journey to Texas to probe …

NASA Has Committed to a Rocket for the Europa Mission—and It Won’t Be Ready on Time

By Jillian Kramer Just weeks after NASA’s Europa Clipper mission quietly received a formal commitment to a final cost and timeline from the agency, it looks increasingly like the spacecraft will not fly on its legally mandated megarocket, the Space Launch System (SLS)—at least, not in the timeline outlined by Congress—documents and experts confirm. Because of the …

Southern California Atheist Group Raising Funds To End Alzheimer’s Disease

By Richard Wade For the last 11 years, the Santa Clarita Atheists and Freethinkers (SCAF) has gradually grown in size and vitality, and I have had the great privilege to be the group’s leader for the last three of those years. Even in “liberal” southern California, not believing in the local god can have serious social and …