What is a planet, nanotechnology and the day after ET land

Welcome! First-time visitors may want to read the Jan. 1 entry to gain a better understanding of the blog's format.
g Stars - The Hubble Space Telescope has spotted of a collection of galaxies with more variety than a candy store. See article.
g Abodes - The new claim that a 10th planet has been discovered in our solar system has set off a fresh round of debate and international talks aimed at defining the most vexing term in astronomy: the word planet. See article.
g Life - A historic expedition of Census of Marine Life explorers to the planet's most northern reaches has revealed a surprising density and diversity of Arctic Ocean creatures, some believed new to science. News of the marine discoveries in the far north coincides with announcement of seed funds for a matching effort in the Antarctic. See article.
g Intelligence -Men whose masculinity is challenged become more inclined to support war or buy an SUV, a new study finds. See article.
g Message - Here’s a nice primer on the SETI@home project plus some information about how to download the program.
g Cosmicus - When it comes to taking the next "giant leap" in space exploration, NASA is thinking small - really small: Nanotechnology. See article.
g Learning - How are key concepts of astrobiology treated in science fiction? See article. Note: This article is from 2001 and intended to be used as part of a classroom lesson.
g Imagining - In nearly all popular science fiction dramatizations on television, most of the alien protagonists look remarkably like humans. In "Star Trek," if you forgave the Vulcan's their ears (and their hair-styles), the Klingons their foreheads and the Bajorans their ridged noses you'd think that they were all human. After all, they have two legs, two arms, 10 fingers and toes, two ears, two eyes and a nose. And while arms and eyes are universals, two arms and two legs are parochial. See article.
g Aftermath - How would humans react the day after ET landed? A nationwide survey by the Roper Organization in 1999 found that the following: “...one out of four Americans think most people would “totally freak out and panic” if such evidence were confirmed. See article.

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