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(Phys.org)—Until recently, the years 774 and 775 were best known for Charlemagne's victory over the Lombards. But earlier this year, a team of scientists in Japan discovered a baffling spike in carbon-14 deposits within the rings of cedar trees that matched those same years. Because cosmic rays are tied to carbon-14 concentrations, scientists around the world have wondered about the cause: a nearby supernova, a gamma ray burst in the Milky Way or an intense superflare emanating from the Sun? Now, Adrian Melott, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Kansas and Brian Thomas, KU alumnus and professor...

CNSNews.com) - A federal judge in Kansas has ruled that Washburn University did not violate the constitution by prominently displaying a sculpture that mocks the Catholic faith. The sculpture, entitled "Holier than Thou," shows a Roman Catholic bishop with a grotesque facial expression wearing a miter that resembles a phallus. Washburn's Campus Beautification Committee, whose stated goal is to make the Topeka campus "one of the most beautiful campuses in Kansas," chose to display the statue. The Thomas More Law Center, a public interest law firm, sued the university after it refused to act on complaints by Catholics, including the...

A federal judge in Kansas ruled a university's prominent display of a sculpture that mocks the Catholic faith did not violate the Constitution. Washburn University's sculpture, entitled "Holier than Thou," depicts a Roman Catholic bishop with a grotesque facial expression wearing a miter that resembles a phallus. The Topeka school's Campus Beautification Committee selected the display to help fulfill its goal of having "one of the most beautiful campuses in Kansas." After refusing to act on complaints brought by numerous Catholics, including the archbishop of Kansas City, a lawsuit was filed by the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Thomas More Law Center....

Below is the most pertinent excerpt of the string of e-mails currently flying fast and furious among Catholic educators in the state (e.g., high schools who will be boycotting the campus for recruiting visits), outraged alumni and religious. Don't know if this has actually been "news" in the area but I'd appreciate a link, if so. Among other factual circumstances that you will glean from the materials I am providing to you are the following: (A) The sculpture in question is a bust of a man in a bishop's miter sculpted into the shape of an erect penis. It has...