Astrology has been around for thousands of years and some swear by its insights, while others dismiss it as a wacky pseudoscience. So can astrology and the scientific community co-exist? By Rujula Photo by Nastya Dulhiier on Unsplash Astrology refers to the observation of the movements of stars and celestial bodies and the use of these to interpret common human affairs and the natural world. The experts in this area are called astrologers. They observe and interpret star, planetary and constellation movements in order to foretell the future of each respective zodiac sign. Many of the instruments used by astrologers are astronomical and some methods more astrological, such as large sundials of zodiac signs. Such instruments exist and are in use in, for example, India. Astrology originated in Mesopotamia and traveled to India. At the time when there was no distracting light pollution, skies were clear and people began to see patterns and shapes among the stars and then to predict what those movements might mean. So astrology is thousands of years old, not just the latest internet fad. It developed its western form in Egypt and In India the skill was named Vedic Astrology. It might be seen as a middle point between mythology and astronomy. It was seen as kind of science, although when science developed more, many started to increasingly question astrology. The history of science is filled with many intense debates. For example, when Galileo Galilei, a famous Italian scientist, brought scientific concepts to the church, people were enraged. They thought he was advocating against the central role of God. Throughout history people have longed for something to hold on to, something to believe in. And science is definitely not that. It always changes with new evidence and is uncertain. Many people, especially in countries like India, believe in God and mythology along with science, so they can potentially experience the benefits of both. Whereas they feel that science can’t always explain all things and how they work, mythology has an explanation, a narrative, for everything. It gives humans a dream, a possibility to hold on to meaning. Scientists are often totally against astrology, arguing that it offers no logical explanations. They believe that astronomers can use reason to work through their misunderstandings but astrologers can’t. Another argument used it that astrologers claim to know the position of planets but historically failed to find the positions of Uranus and Neptune, which were later found by scientists. In the end, astrology gives no clear evidence that stars and planets actually affect our futures and behaviors. Instead, it uses mythology, stories and ideas which are hard to prove with science. Science doesn’t have any explanation for this. Another reason is false predictions. Jeane Dixon is an example of a famous astrologer who made many false predictions. She predicted that Richard Nixon would win the 1960 elections but he did not win. Now there are a lot of reasons for why astrological predictions are fake 90% of the time. This is because 90% of those astrologers are not actually astrologers. In ancient times only sages used to have and this knowledge. whereas nowadays people state they are astrologers just by watching YouTube videos. There are many apps and websites that claim to teach you astrology. For example:- The Pattern. Astrology is not an easy art but a very easy way to gain money. Many people pretend to be fortune tellers just to get money out of people. More causes of false prediction are:-
Now let’s see through the astrological point of view. Many astrologers don’t agree with the criticisms. They are not interested in defending astrology on the grounds of science. They say that they never said it was a science. The thing that makes astrology interesting is the way the story is told, the way the astrologer tells you your own data. Astrology is a mysterious kind of skill. It is supposed to be the pleasure of interpretation that counts. So trying to prove it with logic kind of misses the point of it. Also, the systems are thousands of years old and were developed by spiritual gurus and saints. It is pretty hard to cross-question a system that has been around for so long and prove it. It would mean that you are questioning the work of all those people who spiritual communities are devoted to. Plus, there have been many failures but also astrologers who have made accurate predictions. Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash In the end, having these perspectives really is an interesting facet of our lives. The debate between astrology and science has been here for a long time, but that’s the fun of it. It gives you a choice to make. They each have their own scope and space in our lives. Science is young, has achieved amazing things and can do wonders in the future. Astrology, meanwhile, speaks to our past and can keep us pushing for meanings in the future. Maybe in the future there will be a way of explaining astrology, especially considering the neuroscience research being carried out now on things like meditation to explore what power there is beyond our conscious minds. We have come a long way and will continue to search for more. Maybe in the future science and astrology will finally be at peace. In the meantime, let’s celebrate having these different perspectives and choices.
Works Cited An, et al. “Why Astrological Predictions Fail at Times? - Times of India.” The Times of India, timesofindia.indiatimes.com/astrology/horoscope/why-astrological-predictions-fail-at-times/articleshow/68205126.cms. “Astrology Fails the Test of Science (2).” Www.truthmagazine.com, www.truthmagazine.com/archives/volume34/GOT034263.html. Accessed 11 Apr. 2024. “Development of Astrology from Ancient to Modern Times | Britannica.” Www.britannica.com, www.britannica.com/summary/astrology#:~:text=It%20originated%20in%20Mesopotamia%20(c. Dufrin, Moriah. “Astrology & Christianity: What Does the Bible Say about the Zodiac and Horoscopes?” Journey Homeschool Academy, 8 Aug. 2022, journeyhomeschoolacademy.com/astrology-christianity-what-does-bible-say-zodiac-horoscopes/#:~:text=Believing%20in%20the%20power%20and. “Exploring Astrology: Is It Science?” The Times of India, 4 Mar. 2024, timesofindia.indiatimes.com/astrology/others/exploring-astrology-is-it-science/articleshow/108212192.cms. “How Astrology Evolved, from Mesopotamia to Instagram | the Backstory | the New Yorker.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpk5QFt8h2w. “How Does Astrology Work? Here’s Everything You Should Know!” AstroTalk Blog - Online Astrology Consultation with Astrologer, 23 July 2023, astrotalk.com/astrology-blog/how-does-astrology-work-insideastro-iakc7/. “Jantar Mantar Jaipur- Tourism, Facts, History, Jantar Mantar.” Www.indiaeasytrip.com, www.indiaeasytrip.com/jantar-mantar-jaipur.html. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024. “Why Is It That 90% of Astrological Predictions Are Inaccurate?” Quora, 2019, www.quora.com/Why-is-it-that-90-of-astrological-predictions-are-inaccurate. Accessed 11 Apr. 2024.
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Plastics are now as much part of the world as we are. They have permeated every aspect of our lives. We know how microplastic is found on the most remote mountain peaks, darkest caves, and the depths of the ocean floor, but only now is the truth about microplastics inside of us being unveiled. By Cora Photo by Sören Funk on Unsplash In the next 60 seconds, one million plastic bottles will be purchased world-wide and two million plastic bags will be produced. By the end of this year, we will have produced enough plastic wrap to go around the equator ten times according to the New York Times. The problem with this man-made creation is that plastics disappear and instead forever litter our world. The UN estimates that the 400 million metric tons produced annually will remain on Earth, often breaking down from plastics into microplastics. Scientists have recently discovered microplastics inside our food and even in the air we breathe this second. They are now in our lungs, our guts, our blood, and even our brains, as well in breast milk. Nienke Vresekoop, a microplastic researcher, claims that immune cells that come into contact with microplastics die three times faster than the ones that don’t. Microplastics are woven into our systems like a poison. It does not matter your religion, age, race or status; we cannot escape this new kind of pollution. A fascinating new documentary called Plastic Pollution came out on March 13th (and will soon be released on Netflix) about how microplastic gets inside of us and the health risks that stem from this. As one of the interviewees says, "It's everywhere." Some of the most remote places in the world have around 4% of microplastic in the dust. More than 1,000 metric tons of microplastic is also deposited in those remote places annually by wind and rain. So plastics are now even in the air we breathe, no matter the place, climate, or altitude. There is increasing evidence that microplastics contribute to and may even cause a wide range of diseases now found in the modern world. Inflammation, cancer, heart disease, inflammatory bowl disease, rheumatoid arthritis, genotoxicity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and autoimmune diseases may all be worsened by microplastics inside of our bodies. Microplastics travel up the food chain, from one animal to the next and are also woven into our systems through plants, grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables that need soil to grow. The soil is contaminated with these plastics and when the plants take in the moisture from the soil, many small microplastics enter the plant systems. Also when it rains, the chemicals in the microplastics seep out and poison the soil, which then gets into the roots of the plants and into our systems when we consume the plants. Photo by Gabriel Jimenez on Unsplash Ziya Tong, the co-director of the Discovery Channel says, “It’s not like we need some remarkable new invention to address the problem. We just have to use less plastic.”
There is no escaping the grasp of microplastic pollution. It is in every corner of the world and every inch of land. We cannot bar our doors and look away any longer. We cannot pretend this is nothing when we are poisoning ourselves and our world. In making the earth our dumping ground, we are shattering any hope we have of a healthy future. In high-stakes, high-profile space exploration, success can raise the profile of countries and companies. and lead to important scientific breakthroughs.. But when things go wrong, there's also nowhere to hide. By Ameet 5. The Euclid Spacecraft space doodles The European Space Agency spent over a decade working on its Euclid mission before it met the skies in July. 2023 The Euclid spacecraft is a space telescope that is capable of making fine measurements of the shapes of galaxies up to 10 billion light years away. Euclid searches for the gravitational influence of dark matter and dark energy on the shapes of galaxies and of space itself. However, while commissioning Euclid’s instruments, the ESA ran into a problem. The Fine Guidance Sensor - designed to hold Euclid’s Visible Instrument on target when viewing a star field - wasn’t working properly. This caused the instrument to wobble while recording an image. As a result of this, an image taken in October looked like one of a star field with a bright, looping, lasso-like trail. Also, the camera was moving and the sparkler was a sun. Fortunately, no stars or telescopes were harmed during this and a software update fixed the problem. 4. NASA unable to open the OSIRIS-REX asteroid sample container Imagine spending 1.16 billion dollars on a bottle of Coke and then not being able to open the cap. It’s an unbelievable scenario, but it is the best way to describe the frustration of NASA’s science team. The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REX) was launched in 2016 to take a sample from an asteroid near Earth called Bennu and bring it back to the Earth. This was a highly complex mission that was somehow pulled off with extremely flawless precision. It entered the Earth’s atmosphere again on September 24th, 2023 and landed in the Utah desert. Unfortunately, once the sample was placed in the Johnson Space Center, they had a massive problem.. 2 of the 35 fasteners sealing the capsule couldn't be removed. *Update: the asteroid was finally opened by the team in January of this year after four months of embarrassment and frustration. 3. Two astronauts lose a tool bag in space Have you ever had a time when you were fixing a machine, put down the screwdriver, and then couldn’t find the screwdriver? Well, NASA astronauts didn’t just lose a screwdriver, they just lost a full tool bag. In space. On November 1, 2023, NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara spent more than six hours on a spacewalk to fix the exterior of the International Space Station. After that, NASA posted an update that said, “During the activity, one tool bag was inadvertently lost.” Now, the tool bag is one of the 36,000 pieces of space debris that orbit the Earth at lightning speeds of 17,000 miles per hour. 2. Russia's moon dreams dashed Russia’s Roscosmos launched Luna-25 on August 10 2023 which was hoped to soft land near the lunar South Pole, but failed and crash landed near it. It was also hoped that it would reach the moon just a few days before India’s Chandrayaan-3 did. This was supposed to give Russia pride after the Ukraine war, but after the Luna-25 crash landed, this was further dented. India's successes hardly helped.... 1. Space X's Starship explodes again On November 18, 2023, SpaceX made a second attempt of their uncrewed test flight of Starship and the Super Heavy Booster. Shortly after its launch, the Super Heavy Booster ended in a massive explosion over the skies of Texas. The investigation suggested that SpaceX thinks that the Starship exploded thanks to a self-destruct mechanism in the flight’s termination system, which gets triggered if the rocket steers off course. This is not an ideal second attempt for the world’s largest and most powerful rocket; which Elon Musk is supposedly going to use to take humans to Mars. Works Cited Beard, Stephen. “Where Did I Put That? Astronauts Who Lost a Tool Bag Can’t Get It Back Because It’s in Orbit.” USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2023, www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2023/12/02/astronaut-lost-tool-bag/71719486007/. Accessed 15 Mar. 2024. Kelvey, Jon. “The 8 Most Epic Space Fails of 2023.” Inverse, 25 Dec. 2023, www.inverse.com/science/best-epic-space-fails-of-2023. Accessed 29 Feb. 2024. Leapublished, Robert. “ESA Scientists Finally Resolve Glitch That Caused Euclid Spacecraft to “Doodle” through Space.” Livescience.com, 12 Oct. 2023, www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/dark-matter/esa-scientists-finally-resolve-glitch-that-caused-euclid-spacecraft-to-doodle-through-space. Accessed 29 Feb. 2024. NASASpaceNews. “How NASA Overcame the Challenge of Opening the Asteroid Sample.” Www.youtube.com, 20 Jan. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnhSs55fik4. Accessed 24 Mar. 2024. NDTV. “Russia’s Luna-25 Probe Left 10-Metre Wide Crater on Moon after Crash: NASA.” NDTV.com, 1 Sept. 2023, www.ndtv.com/world-news/russias-luna-25-probe-left-10-metre-wide-crater-on-moon-after-crash-nasa-4347946. Accessed 15 Mar. 2024. News, A. B. C. “What to Know about NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission.” ABC News, 24 Sept. 2023, abcnews.go.com/US/nasas-osiris-rex-asteroid-sample-return-mission/story?id=103408191. Accessed 29 Feb. 2024. Pattison, Chris. “What’s Wrong with Euclid Space Telescope?!” Www.youtube.com, 1 Nov. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFjZP4F0IKM. Accessed 14 Mar. 2024. Snider, Mike. “Test Flight for SpaceX’s Massive Starship Rocket Reaches Space, Explodes Again.” USA TODAY, 18 Nov. 2023, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/11/18/spacex-rocket-test-flight/71634256007/. Accessed 15 Mar. 2024. The Federal. “Astronauts Lose $100,000 Tool Bag in Space | the Federal.” Www.youtube.com, 13 Nov. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpAFSaLcnHE. Accessed 14 Mar. 2024. The Indian Express. “Luna 25 Crash: Russia’s Moon Mission Ends in Failure as Luna-25 Spacecraft Crashes on Lunar Surface.” Www.youtube.com, 20 Aug. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v7euhZ83Ew. Accessed 14 Mar. 2024. The Launch Pad. “BREAKING! Russia Luna-25 Has Crashed into the Moon.” Www.youtube.com, 20 Aug. 2023, m.youtube.com/watch?v=MLJJECq6MrM. Accessed 14 Mar. 2024. The Wall Street Journal. “Watch: SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Explosion on Second Try | WSJ.” Www.youtube.com, 18 Nov. 2023, m.youtube.com/watch?v=KCH0NH1tt5k. Accessed 15 Mar. 2024. Reporting by Connie “Data analysis is a critical aspect of conservation efforts and we have a wave of new scientists ready to use their skills to help limit human's impact on the natural world.” - Mr. Peter This Grade 8 ESS project was an investigation into whether or not there was a chance that sea turtles could go extinct in the future. From analyzing graphs about the connection between temperature and the gender of sea turtles, to graphs about hatching success and water content within the sand, we found that hot sand temperatures are found to affect embryonic development to become a female, and wet sand composition is found to affect embryonic development to become a male. The rising temperatures caused by climate change have unbalanced the populations of female and male sea turtles, therefore affecting the rate of reproduction. Students came to the conclusion that the extinction of sea turtles in the future may thus become a reality in just a few years if action is not taken to reverse current trends. You can read my full evaluation report on the worrying data here. |
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