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I remember when heart transplants were front-page international news, not local human interest stories: and when polio vaccinations were new. I really do not miss the 'good old days.' I remember them, and they weren't. I also remember when cryonics was 'science fiction stuff,' not a highly-experimental and controversial medical procedure. I probably won't live long enough to see whether it works. But if you're young enough: you might.... ...Since I'll be talking about life, death, and medical practices, I'd better start by saying that I'm a Christian: a Catholic. Like it says in the Apostles Creed , "I believe in ... the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting." I'll be explaining why I don't see a conflict between that belief and trying to save lives.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

(From N. F. Gier, University of Idaho; adapted from an illustration in the New American Bible: St. Joseph Edition; used w/o permission.) (A Mesopotamian cosmology, about two dozen centuries back.) 'The Bible says Earth is flat.' If you live in America, and haven't heard that as a reason for rejecting Christianity: you're not paying attention. Word seems to be getting around, though that the "dark" ages were anything but. I've discussed post-Roman Europe, science, and autopsies, before. ( January 22, 2016 ; August 28, 2015 ; August 15, 2014 ) About Earth being flat — I've yet to run into a Christian who says that; although I did meet one who informed me that our sun goes around Earth, not the other way around. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Chameleons may be more famous for changing color than for their rapid-fire tongues: but today I'll be talking about both.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

The BEAM Bigelow Aerospace habitat module, will be launched toward the International Space Station (ISS) today: if all goes well. BEAM is packed in the Dragon spacecraft's pressurized section. This cargo run also carries supplies for the ISS crew, and for several dozen of the roughly 250 experiments planned for Expeditions 47 and 48. ( SpaceX press kit ) After getting attached to the ISS and inflated, BEAM will mostly just sit there for at least two years: empty except when someone in the ISS takes samples and swaps out radiation sensors. I think that's a good idea, since BEAM is testing technology for Bigelow Aerospace rental properties in low Earth orbit. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Syn 3.0, developed by the Ventner Institute, has fewer genes than any 'wild' bacteria. The 'artificial' microcritter is another important step in understanding how life works. On the other side of the Atlantic, folks in the United Kingdom will be deciding what to do about a bureaucratic SNAFU and their national DNA database.... ...I've seen attitudes toward science and technology shift from silly optimism to equally-silly pessimism. I am reasonably certainly that mutant safflowers won't destroy civilization. On the other hand, ethics matter as much now as they ever did.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Scientists and engineers in BAE Systems' Project Greenglow are trying to control, or sidestep, gravity. Back on my side of the Atlantic, scientists at NASA's Eagleworks say they've successfully tested prototype RF resonant cavity thrusters and a warp field generator. Other scientists are skeptical. Very skeptical.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Some scientists say they've learned that a 300,000,000-year-old whatsit was a very early version of lampreys. That, Neanderthal DNA, and a newly-analyzed Tyrannosaur, gave me something to talk about today.... ...I'll do my usual explanation of why God's design choices don't offend me: but first, a recap of why I don't miss the 'good old days.'... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

We're learning more about why ichthyosaurs died out. Climate change was almost certainly involved: but it wasn't our fault, and I'll get back to that. Long before the first not-quite-an-ichthyosaur made the transition from land back to Earth's ocean, a tiny little fungus came ashore and started turning rock into soil.... ...First, though, my usual spiel about why I'm not upset that Earth isn't flat , Adam and Eve aren't German , and poetry isn't science .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Analyzing what we've been learning about other planetary systems, some scientists say that maybe Earth is unusual, after all: maybe. Other scientists found another maybe-habitable planet less than 14 light-years away. Maybe planets like Earth are common: again, maybe.... ...I like living in a world where last year's list of known planetary systems is obsolete. Some folks don't. I'll talk about Copernicus and Sacred Scripture — right after my usual harangue about using our brains.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Climate change is in the news: again. Scientists tracked where tiny critters called phytoplankton have been living: which may help us understand what's happening in Earth's ocean. Other scientists reconstructed glyptodont DNA: confirming that the Volkswagen-size mammals were armadillos: big armadillos.... ...Being offended by our increasing knowledge of how this universe works is an option: but not a sensible one, I think. Neither is getting upset over what sort of creatures we are.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

A headline, "TED 2016: Space archaeologist wins $1m to find hidden sites" caught my eye this week, and so did news about a very hot Super-Earth's atmosphere.... ...Science? In a 'religious' blog?? During Lent??! I don't see a problem with that. But as I keep saying — I think this universe is billions , not thousands, of years old; Earth isn't flat ; Adam and aren't German ; poetry isn't science ; and thinking is not a sin .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Some cyanobacteria — pond scum — swim toward brighter areas. Scientists didn't know how the microorganisms could tell where the light is, until now. Other scientists discovered four new species of an odd-looking sort of critter: including one that looks like a purple sock. I'm fascinated by this sort of thing, your experience may vary.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Stories like " Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet " and " Red Dwarf 's" Dave Lister singing "...Lived an old plutonium miner / And his daughter Clementine..." probably didn't help make asteroid mining seem like a serious idea. Then there's the 1966 Outer Space Treaty treaty: a tribute to the high ideals, and international politics, of the '60s. The idea was that anything we find outside Earth's atmosphere would belong to everyone. Nifty idea, not entirely wrong, and I'll get back to that. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Humans sleep , which shouldn't be surprising. Just about all critters with brains sleep: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish — even insects and nematodes experience something like sleep. Poets and playwrights have written of sleep.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Some scientist think globular clusters aren't good places to look for neighbors. Others took a fresh look at the data, crunched numbers, and pointed out that parts of globular clusters might be better spots for interstellar civilizations that the boonies where we live. Meanwhile, someone with a lot more money that I'll ever see decided to spend some of it on a systematic search for extraterrestrial intelligence. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

The Curiosity Mars Rover sent a 'postcard' from Mars, a 360-degree view of dunes and a mountain in Gale Crater.... ...As usual, I'll ramble on about science, technology, and being human before getting to the interesting stuff: assuming that you think a robotic selfie from Mars is interesting. Not-entirely-as-usual, I wasn't finished rambling when I started the 'postcard' stuff, so this post has an afterword. I've done that before.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Robots have orbited Mars, landed there, driven around, taken pictures, and studied Martian rocks. But humanity's exploration of Mars has been by proxy: Nobody's gotten farther from Earth than Lunar orbit. That could change before 2040. NASA has worked out a step-by-step plan for getting humans back into deep space: provided that Congress doesn't change its mind. Even if that happens, my guess is that it wouldn't be long before someone else decides that people should act like humans.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

First of all: Merry Christmas! I'll have something more seasonally-appropriate ready by Sunday. That's the plan, at least. Today I'll be talking about spaceships, practical and otherwise: and why NASA cancelled InSight's March 2016 launch.... ...Instead of trying to analyze the reasons, I'll just get started with the December 1938 issue of Amazing Stories, Columbus, Robert Goddard, the Hanseatic League, and why airlines don't use disposable airplanes — not necessarily in that order.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Scientists following up on Kepler observations learned that a bit over half of the objects tentatively identified as giant planets are brown dwarfs or stars. We've also learned that Saturn's moon Enceladus has a vast ocean under its icy surface: with all the ingredients needed for life.... ...If you've read my 'science' posts before, you know why I think Earth isn't flat ; the universe is billions , not thousands, of years old; poetry isn't science ; and thinking is not a sin .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

That's part of a picture from New Horizons: a sample from the highest-resolution images the spacecraft has started sending back. We're pretty sure that the mountains are frozen water, and the flat parts softer "ice:" probably including frozen nitrogen. The first journal paper using New Horizons' flyby data was published in October: but there's a great deal left to study, and even more still stored on New Horizons. ( November 13, 2015 ) Other scientists think they've found evidence that those bright spots in Occator Crater are frozen water, exposed when something hit Ceres. If they're right, the impact(s) happened recently. I'll get back to that. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .