Category Archives: Discursive Detours

A catch-all category

TRAPPIST-1 and the Mysterious Pea Pod Planets

There may have been times when one generation’s world was much like another’s. This is not one of those times. Science textbooks of my youth included speculation that Earth’s mountains exist because our planet has been cooling and shrinking. One … Continue reading

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“…When You Come Into Your Kingdom”

Jesus had been run back and forth between Caiaphas’, Pilate’s and Herod’s places; tortured, and nailed to a cross on Golgotha. (Matthew 26:47–27:2; Mark 14:53–15:41; Luke 22:66–23:49) No question about it. He was having a really bad day. No, that’s … Continue reading

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Active Volcano on Venus: Before and After Images

Venus is dead as a doornail as far as life is concerned. Life as we know it, at any rate, and already I’m drifting off-topic. Geologically, though, we’ve known that there’s still metaphorical life in Venus. Or was, until very … Continue reading

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Edited Twins, Genetic Engineering and Bioethics

Gene-editing rules showed up in my news feed last Monday. So, indirectly, did genetically-edited twins who, as far as I know, are still alive. If I’d known how little I’d be able to verify about Dr. He Jiankui’s famous (or … Continue reading

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Snow Cruiser, Moon Buggies, Mars Tractors

I started writing about the Antarctic Snow Cruiser, “one of the colossal engineering flops of history”. Or, my opinion, a basically good design that was rushed into service. The Snow Cruiser and Little America III reminded me of imperial ambitions … Continue reading

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