Current Events

  • Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm
    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm rep...Read more

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    Atmospheric CO2 Level Tops 400 ppm

    During the week of May 13th, the CO2 level at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii topped 400 ppm repeatedly. Daily levels of CO2 can vary due to weather, and there are seasonal trends as well. The level of atmospheric greenhouse gases continues to increase, now over 120 ppm since the Industrial Revolution began. For more on the Keeling Curve, see http://keelingcurve.ucsd.edu/. Find out more about greenhouse gases and warming.
  • Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley
    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Io...Read more

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    Massive Tornado Outbreak on Tornado Alley

    The week of May 19 brings dozens of tornadoes to Tornado Alley in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. On May 20th, a massive tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, devastating communities - destroying over 100 homes and hitting two elementary schools and a hospital - with many casualties and deaths. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues suffering from these storms. For more on the May 20th storms, see the NOAA Storm Prediction Center Storm Report.
  • Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education
    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of ...Read more

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    Kansas Legislator Proposes Bill to Outlaw Sustainability Education

    A bill has been introduced in the Kansas legislature this week that would prohibit the promotion of sustainability. Here is a link to the one-page bill: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2366_00_0000.pdf. See report on Bloomberg News.
Portrait of Nicholas Copernicus
SPL/Photo Researchers

Nicholas Copernicus

Nicholas Copernicus was a Polish asrtonomer who lived between 1473-1543. A long time ago, people believed that the Earth was the center of the universe.

Copernicus changed this belief when he introduced a model of the solar system that was centered around the sun. He claimed that all the planets, including Earth, moved in orbits around the sun.


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Science, Evolution, and Creationism

How did life evolve on Earth? The answer to this question can help us understand our past and prepare for our future. Although evolution provides credible and reliable answers, polls show that many people turn away from science, seeking other explanations with which they are more comfortable....more

Ptolemy

Ptolemy was a Greek astronomer who lived between 85-165 A.D. He put together his own ideas with those of Aristotle and Hipparchus and formed a unified model of the universe. Ptolemy believed that the...more

Johan Kepler

Johan Kepler was a German astronomer who lived between 1571-1630. Kepler used Tycho Brahe's observations of Mars to show that planetary orbits are not circular, but, in fact, elliptical (or shaped like...more

Motions of the Planets

For many years, people believed that the Earth was the center of the universe, that the Earth didn't move and that the planets, Sun, moon, and the stars moved on spheres around the Earth. Astronomers such...more

Tycho Brahe

Tycho Brahe was a Danish astronomer who lived between 1546-1601. For over twenty years he made observations of stars, comets, and planets in the night sky. Tycho also built the first observatory but did...more

Nicholas Copernicus

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Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian artist and scientist who lived between 1452-1519. While he is best known as a painter, Leonardo mostly worked for the military. He made sketches of tanks, airplanes, and...more

Galileo Galilei

Galileo Galilei was an Italian astronomer and physicist who lived between 1564-1642. He was the first person to use a telescope to look at the heavens, and discovered craters in the moon. Galileo found...more

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