what is this? ph1600: introductory astronomy lecture 25: ufos and pseudoscience
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PH1600: Introductory AstronomyLecture 25: UFOs and PseudoscienceStudy: Chapter 20 in The Cosmos book Next Lecture: None: Please take Online Final Exam
School: Michigan Technological UniversityProfessor: Robert Nemiroff
Book: The Cosmos by Pasachoff & FilippenkoOnline Course WebCT pages:
http://courses.mtu.edu/
This class can be taken online ONLY, class attendance is not required!
You are responsible for…
Reading the book One chapter per “quiz period” Anything from that chapter can appear on
quizzes or tests, even if I never mention them during my lecture(s)
This quiz period covers Chapters 18 APODs posted during the semester
APOD review every week during lecture Completing the Quizzes and Final
Chapter 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18 & 19 quizzes already due
Chapter 20 Quiz incorporated into Final Exam See WebCT at http://courses.mtu.edu/ for
details
UFOs
Unidentified Flying Objects Never yet confirmed to be
intelligent aliens from another planet
“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”
A Lenticular Cloud Over New HampshireCredit & Copyright: J. D. Rufo, J. Koermer, Plymouth State College
APOD: 2003 April 30
Pseudoscience
Why is pseudoscience popular? Scientists are unpopular authority
figures Unelected Self-proclaimed, unavailable “Not like you and me” It is cool to say “they” are wrong
Urban Legends Eggs stand on end at equinoxes?
Examples of Pseudoscience
Astrology UFO-logy Moon landing “hoax” Creationism
Intelligent design, etc. Ask: Why don’t most universities teach
creationism? Ask: Why does the Pope believe in evolution?
“Face on Mars” Many recent criticisms of global warming
Goals of Pseudoscientists
Create doubt Everything is “only” a theory “My theory is just as good as yours” “Scientists are trying to undermine religion” Practiced sound bites Hard data “is there,” will be presented “later”
Furthers own political agenda
Science: Predictability and Reproducibility
A scientific theory Makes testable predictions Based on reproducible results Passes “peer review”
Occam’s Razor A scientific theory should be no more
complicated than it needs to be
Mars Then and NowCredit & Copyright: Tom Ruen, Eugene Antoniadi,
Lowell Hess, Roy A. Gallant, HST, NASAAPOD: 2003 November 12
Mars Express: Return to CydoniaCredit: G. Neukum (FU Berlin) et al., Mars Express, DLR APOD: 2006 September 26
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