Astronomers React to Pluto's Planetary 'Demotion'

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Several Johns Hopkins University astronomers described a decision Thursday to strip Pluto of its planetary status as a "muddled" ruling that is unlikely to settle ongoing debates over how to define a planet and whether the term should apply to Pluto. In an informal poll, only one astronomer was pleased to hear about Pluto’s new status.


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All News summaries for August 25, 2006

Palm oil clearing swathes of forest in Indonesia's Papua: Greenpeace

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Palm oil companies are clearing massive swathes of untouched forest in Indonesia's remote easternmost Papua region, environmental group Greenpeace said Friday.

Researchers Study Coastal Hazards of Increasing Wave Heights, Rising Sea Levels

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(PhysOrg.com) -- While hurricanes Gustav and Ike were pummeling the Gulf Coast with rains and record flooding, researchers at Oregon State University were studying why wave heights in the Pacific Ocean have been increasing ...

Scientists resolve long-standing puzzle in climate science

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(PhysOrg.com) -- A team led by Livermore scientists has helped reconcile the differences between simulated and observed temperature trends in the tropics.

Mars Odyssey Shifting Orbit for Extended Mission

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(PhysOrg.com) -- The longest-serving of six spacecraft now studying Mars is up to new tricks for a third two-year extension of its mission to examine the most Earthlike of known foreign planets.

Volcanic eruption signals simulated in lab for first time

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(PhysOrg.com) -- For the first time, seismic signals that precede a volcanic eruption have been simulated and visualized in 3-D under controlled pressure conditions in a laboratory. The ability to conduct such simulations ...