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A New Theory on Mapping the New World By Guy Gugliotta Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, October 7, 2002; Page A07 In 1507, a group of scholars working in France produced an extraordinary map of the world, the first to put the still-recent discoveries of Columbus and others into a new continent separate from Asia, and to call that continent "America." With the Waldseemuller map, the New World was born. But there was something else. What would later come to be called South America and Central America were surprisingly well-shaped, not only on the east coast, where explorers had already...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 October 7 The Galaxy and the Quasar Credit: R. Knacke (Penn State Erie) et al., Hubble Heritage Team, NASA Explanation: Is the galaxy in the center connected to the quasar on the upper right? Disagreements about systems like this have raged for decades and have been used to challenge the foundations of modern cosmology. Some believe that the quasar Markarian 205 was recently ejected from galaxy NGC...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 September 29 Venus: Just Passing By Credit: Galileo Project, JPL, NASA Explanation: Venus, the second closest planet to the Sun, is a popular way-point for spacecraft headed for the gas giant planets in the outer reaches of the solar system. Why visit Venus first? Using a "gravity assist " maneuver, spacecraft can swing by planets and gain energy during their brief encounter saving fuel for use at...

JOSEPH SOBRAN THE LIBERAL THEORY OF CAUSATION WASHINGTON -- Martin Luther King's "dream" has become America's nightmare. Ever since the Civil Rights movement began blaming white Americans for the sufferings of blacks, black crime -- especially black-on-white crime -- has exploded. Whatever King and his ilk intended, black thugs across the country got the message that they could murder, rape and rob with some covert sympathy from black leaders and white liberals. It's high time the black leadership took responsibility for the Willie Hortons they have spawned. If you buy this argument, you should have no trouble buying the argument...

August 6, 2002 Skulls Found in Africa and in Europe Challenge Theories of Human OriginsBy JOHN NOBLE WILFORD wo ancient skulls, one from central Africa and the other from the Black Sea republic of Georgia, have shaken the human family tree to its roots, sending scientists scrambling to see if their favorite theories are among the fallen fruit. Probably so, according to paleontologists, who may have to make major revisions in the human genealogy and rethink some of their ideas about the first migrations out of Africa by human relatives. Yet, despite all the confusion and uncertainty the skulls...

Reprinted from ScienceDaily Magazine ...Source:             NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center Date Posted:    Thursday, August 01, 2002Web Address:   http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/08/020801080835.htm Chandra Discovers "Rivers Of Gravity" That Define Cosmic Landscape NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has discovered part of an intergalactic web of hot gas and dark matter that contains most of the material in the universe. The hot gas, which appears to lie like a fog in channels carved by rivers of gravity, has been hidden from view since the time galaxies formed. "The Chandra observations, together with ultraviolet observations, are a major advance in our understanding of how the universe evolved over the last 10 billion...

June 24, 2002 Peering Over Einstein's Shoulders Seeking still more complete descriptions of the workings of spacetime, scientists are testing the boundaries of the special theory of relativity By JR Minkel After a century, Einstein's special theory of relativity, which describes the motion of particles moving at close to the speed of light, has held up remarkably well. But as scientists probe the edges of the current knowledge of physics with new tests, they may find effects that require modifications on the venerable theory. Several current theories, designed to encompass the behavior of black holes, the big bang and the...

So God's really in the details?By EMILY EAKINNew York Times Economists use probability theory to make forecasts about consumer spending. Actuaries use it to calculate insurance premiums. Recently, Richard Swinburne, a professor of philosophy at Oxford University, put it to work toward less mundane ends: He invoked it to defend the belief that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. "For someone dead for 36 hours to come to life again is, according to the laws of nature, extremely improbable," Swinburne told an audience of more than 100 philosophers who had convened at Yale University for a conference on ethics and...

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Doctors are taking a close look right now about a possible nearby connection between Michael J. Fox and his battle with Parkinson's. Fox and three other cast members on a TV show filmed in Vancouver, B.C., all now have Parkinson's. Fox's legacy includes being the quirky kid from the TV show "Family Ties" and the star of the movie trilogy "Back To The Future." Most recently he was the guy who made us laugh on "Spin City." The world was shocked when the actor was diagnosed at the young age of 30. "This is a disease people...