Life
Life remains the greatest mystery of science. How did it start? Nobody knows. Does it exist elsewhere? Nobody knows. Now that astronomers have discovered planets orbiting other stars, the second question has taken on some added urgency, helping to spawn an entire new field called astrobiology. For now, astrobiologists are the only scientists I can think of who are more clueless than biologists, because they ask both of the biggest unanswered questions (the two above), whereas biologists mostly realize they have their hands full with the first one.

Sex
Bet you didn't expect to see this entry on a list devoted to space topics. It is here for a compelling reason and with substantial justification: We don't know why sex began. Scientists have long been mystified as to why early life forms switched from asexual reproduction -- which avoids all the complications of monogamy, entirely sidesteps partnering, and enjoys the benefits of cloning -- to sexual reproduction, with its inherent burden of getting hitched, at least for a time. A study in 2001 suggested the stress of repeated asteroid or comet impacts may have fueled the world's first lust, albeit microbial, elevating sex to the level of cosmic mystery (where I suspect many intelligent beings had placed it all along).

Other universes
Here's how space author Andrew Chaikin prefaced an article on this topic: "The irresistible, mind-boggling fantasy comes to just about everyone, sooner or later: What if everything we knew, our whole universe, was just a speck of dust on someone's shoulder?" I've long had a similar thought, but I always imagined our universe as a molecule in the thumbnail of a lumbering giant, whose arm has been swinging forward ever since the Big Bang. Whatever, we have no clue whether our universe is the only one, or one of many. I'm just hoping the giant never smashes his thumb with a hammer (or wipes the dust mote from his shoulder).

Dark matter
"We’ve known that it exists for more than 25 years," says astronomer Virginia Trimble of the University of California Irvine. "But we don’t know what the hell it is." Astronomers do know that something is out there, filling up "space" and adding to the gravity budget of the universe. They know this because without this as-yet-unseen dark matter, galaxies wouldn't hold together.

Dark energy
This one makes dark matter seem simple. "Frankly, we just don’t understand it," says Craig Hogan, an astronomer at the University of Washington at Seattle. "We’re completely clueless … about it." Dark energy's effects are plain as day, however: The universe is accelerating at an ever-increasing pace; something invisible is serving in an anti-gravity capacity over large distances, quite literally pulling the cosmos apart.

Planet X
The purported 10^th planet makes an appearance in our Hoax section below, but it belongs here in the Mystery section, too, because there may in fact be another planet-sized object out beyond Pluto. If one exists, searches that are underway or planned will turn likely it up. And you can bet that a great debate will ensue over whether to call the object a planet or not. By one astronomer's definition, there are several additional planets, all round and orbiting the Sun but smaller than Pluto. Other scientists call these either asteroids or Kuiper Belt Objects.

Hypernovae
Now and then, astronomers detect unfathomable discharges of energy from deep space. The bursts are brief, and astronomers are still trying to figure out what causes them. The leading speculation is that when a star explodes as a supernova, a lot of the energy escapes along two narrow beams that shoot out along the axis of the star's rotation. If a beam is aimed at Earth, the chance observation boosts an otherwise "normal" supernova to hypernova status.

The scary sounds of meteors
Just ask Chuck Bonner about the loud whistling noise, the buzz, and then the green fireball streaking across the sky. I don't know what it was either, nor do scientists who've looked into Bonner's account and other claims of loud noises associated with meteors.

So why is there no South Star?
There is. Mystery solved.

"At the edge of the universe …"
There's just one problem with this oft-used phrase: The universe has no edge. To fathom how this could be, imagine an expanding balloon. Now put some ants on the balloon and ask them to find the edge. Try as they will, scurrying around, the ants will never reach an edge. Just one frustrating aspect to our mind-boggling universe.

The Sun has a companion, Nemesis
This one nearly belongs in the Hoax category, below, because fringe writers frequently claim the thing has been found. Facts do not bear this out, but there are real scientists looking into the possibility that the Sun has a stellar companion. Importantly, no one has proved there isn't a dim star, possibly a brown dwarf, orbiting the Sun. Brown dwarfs are considered failed stars, but stars nonetheless. They radiate very little energy, and almost no visible light, so they're not easy to find.

The Sun gets fatter as it sets
Nope. It just looks that way. Here's what really happens: When the Sun gets low on the horizon, its light becomes more noticeably refracted by Earth's atmosphere, because the light has to travel through more of it. Light from the bottom of the Sun travels through just a bit more atmosphere than light from the top of the Sun, and it is refracted slightly upward, making the Sun appear squashed, or rolled up like a window shade. The fact that it looks fatter, instead of shorter, is an illusion, one that works with the Moon, too:

The Moon is bigger when on the horizon
Sorry. It just looks bigger. Scientists aren't sure exactly why, but they think it has to do with our perception as well as our conception of how the sky is shaped. We imagine (without realizing it) the sky to be like an upside-down, not-to-deep bowl. So space objects near the horizon surprise us, because our minds expect them to be farther away.

Meteors burn up due to friction
This falsehood is often reported by mainstream media, which explains why it never goes away. In fact, a meteor vaporizes due to something called ram pressure. Air in front of an incoming space rock or speck of dust is compressed and heated, like the air in a handheld tire pump.

A comet toppled ancient civilizations
Myths are often rooted in real events, and the dictionary says a myth may or may not be based on fact. That's the case with this one. Nobody knows when the last major comet or asteroid struck Earth, or whether it happened recently enough to have altered human history in a big way. But Biblical stories, apocalyptic visions, ancient art, and some recent scientific data all point to the possibility that a series of calamitous events occurred around 2350 BC, wiping out several advanced societies in Europe, Asia and Africa. Could it have all been caused by a disintegrating comet that struck in stages? Ah, that's the stuff of myth, at least for now.

There is no gravity on the Space Station
It might look that way, but actually there's just a cool trick going on. The station, like any satellite, is in a perpetual state of falling back to Earth. It is also conveniently moving sideways, which keeps it from falling and sets up a state of equilibrium, which feels like zero-g to an astronaut.

The Hubble Space Telescope pictures are totally real
I need to be careful here, so as not to spawn any silly hoaxes. Hubble images are real, but they are not always showing reality, whatever that is. Many of the beautiful "objects" photographed by the orbiting observatory involve mere wisps of gas that cannot actually be seen by the human eye. Astronomers let Hubble gather light for many seconds or minutes to tease out the features of, say, a nebula. Then photo processors use the popular software program Photoshop to apply colors to the three filtered images that Hubble provides (the light is actually captured and beamed to Earth as grayscales, not color). All this is then combined to make a pretty picture that scientists find more useful for its distinct coloring. With infrared images, colors from the visible spectrum have to be applied, otherwise we'd have pictures of nothing, as far as our human eyes could tell.

The Moon landing never happened
This has to be the most ridiculous suggestion ever related to the Space Age. It is a hoax of grand proportions (suggesting that NASA carried out a hoax of even grander proportions). Believers are unlikely to be swayed, but if you're on the fence, click the above link to get an account of the facts.

Planet alignments bring gravitational doom
There is a very compelling argument against this claim: It didn't happen. Doomsayers predicted that an alignment of the planets in the year 2000 would rattle Earth and kill bunches of us. It's not often an astronomer calls something "a load of crap," but that was the case regarding the millennium prophecies surrounding the alignment. It wasn't the first time doom had been forecast because planets were lining up, and it probably won't be the last. Here's what was supposed to happen on May 5 of 2000: Severe weather was to rival Noah's tale, earthquakes were to crush cities, the Sun was to act up and Earth's axis was supposed to tilt. Whatever. Let's move on to something more plausible:

The "Face" on Mars
There are four salient facts related to this hoax: NASA started it; it's patently false; believers will never give up; I will get nasty e-mail for calling them mere "believers." The first suggestions that a hill in the Cydonia region of Mars appeared to have human features came from NASA scientists when they released the Viking photo in 1976. In hindsight, they could be said to have publicly ruminated a bit too much and have caused the agency to pay for their press-release ponderings ("…errors comprise part of one of the 'eyes' and 'nostrils' on the eroded rock that resembles a human face near the center of the image") ever since.

Pasadena, Calif. - NASA unveiled the landing sites Friday where it hopes to land twin rovers on Mars in January to look for geological evidence that the Red Planet was once a warmer, wetter place hospitable to life.

Fifty years ago, James Watson and Francis Crick resolved the structure of DNA. Today, we celebrate their achievement, which changed the face of science

Federal agents in Tucson, Ariz., yesterday seized nearly a ton of marijuana concealed inside a pair of sport utility vehicles painted to perfectly match the marked U.S. Border Patrol vehicles that search for illegal aliens and illicit drugs along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Russian fat cat creams the rest - Feb 25th, 2003

Russia has its fair share of mafia fat cats, but it also has what may be the fattest pet cat in the world.

Congolese Kill Teachers Accused of Ebola Spell - Feb 25th, 2003

BRAZZAVILLE (Reuters) - Congolese villagers have stoned and beaten to death four teachers accused of casting an evil spell to cause an outbreak of the deadly Ebola disease that has killed nearly 70 people, a local official said Friday.

Fire crews save naked man cuffed to toilet - Feb 25th, 2003

It is not every day that Wichita firefighters find a panicky, naked man handcuffed to a toilet in a motel room just set on fire.

Sunbather Critical After Being Run Over by Police SUV - Feb 25th, 2003

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A French tourist was in critical condition early Monday, two days after her sister was killed when a police sport utility vehicle ran the women over as they sunbathed on a beach.

US snowboarder slides to death down hotel handrail - Feb 25th, 2003

NAGANO -- An American pro snowboarder fell 15 meters to his death early Sunday morning after sliding down the handrail of a fourth-floor staircase at a hotel he was staying, police said.

Alligator Bites Fla. Woman's Arm Off - Feb 25th, 2003

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- An 8-foot alligator surprised a woman who was working in her yard and bit her arm off, according to a Local 6 News report.

Sex.com: Internet Will Not be Crippled - Feb 25th, 2003

Sex.com Monday scoffed at VeriSign's claims that the Internet is so unstable that the appellate court victory by Sex.com in its lawsuit against the registrar "would cripple the Internet and jeopardize the national economic benefit for e-commerce."

SADDAM Hussein's senior bodyguard has fled with details of Iraq's secret arsenal. His revelations have supported US President George W. Bush's claim there is enough evidence from UN inspectors to justify going to war

CHARLESTON, S.C. — One lawmaker said he has a compromise for the debate over "Choose Life" license plates for South Carolina -- "Choose Death" tags.

Three hurt, pilot safe when American U-2 spy plane crashes in S. Korea - Jan 30th, 2003

SEOUL, South Korea -- An American U-2 spy plane crashed Sunday in South Korea, injuring three people on the ground. The Air Force pilot ejected safely.

Georgia Southern student may have meningitis - Jan 30th, 2003

An 18-year-old Georgia Southern University freshman from Gwinnett County has been admitted to a Savannah hospital with a probable case of bacterial meningitis.

Kazaa strikes back at Hollywood, labels - Jan 30th, 2003

Sharman Networks, owner of the popular Kazaa file-swapping software, has launched a legal counterstrike against the major record labels and Hollywood studios, asserting that they have “obscenely” abused their copyright powers.

US Probes Recording-Industry Web Site Hack Attack - Jan 30th, 2003

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Web site of the U.S. recording industry's trade group remained offline Tuesday, as federal officials probed the source of the hacking attack that has rendered the site unreachable since Friday.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Disruptions from the weekend attack on the Internet are shaking popular perceptions that vital national services, including banking operations and 911 centers, are largely immune to such attacks.

Verizon must turn over name of music downloader - Jan 28th, 2003

The recording industry can get its hands on the name of an Internet user who downloaded more than 600 songs in a single day, a federal judge has ruled.

Hilary Rosen, chief executive officer of the Recording Industry Association of America, will step down from her post by the end of this year, the organization says.

NFL fines Raiders $50,000 for violating media policy - Jan 24th, 2003

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - The Oakland Raiders were not going to make it through Super Bowl week without antagonizing the NFL.

Iraq 'preparing to use chemical weapons' - Jan 24th, 2003

Iraqi documents obtained by the BBC appear to suggest that the country's president, Saddam Hussein, is preparing to use chemical weapons against western troops in the event of war, it was reported today.

Yes, babies do watch TV - Jan 24th, 2003

Infants receive emotional stimuli from box: Study They decode social cues much earlier than once thought

The United States is using laser scanning technology to map every contour of iconic landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore, so they can be quickly rebuilt if destroyed by terrorists.

French Finally Prove Gulf War Syndrome Caused by "Cocktail" Inoculations - Jan 20th, 2003

"Rather than help the media in its never-ending quest to lay misleading smoke screens around the true origins of Gulf War Syndrome, General Roquejoffre appears to have used his statement to finally isolate and expose the real villain behind the debilitating and sometimes lethal disease..."

Nasa prepares for nuclear-powered leap towards Mars - Jan 20th, 2003

PRESIDENT BUSH is to authorise Nasa to develop a hugely expensive nuclear- powered spacecraft that would take just two months to reach Mars.

A clear manifestation of US exceptionism is a December 27 editorial in the New York Times deploring "Hong Kong's current drive to enact insidious security legislation that threatens its people's freedoms".

Tinkering with clouds - Jan 4th, 2003

Researchers say evolving technologies could allow manipulation of major weather patterns. But should humans tamper?

Turtles die in record number - Jan 4th, 2003

ST. PETERSBURG - Sea turtles died in record numbers in 2002 for the second year in a row, biologists from the Florida Marine Research Institute announced Thursday.

PARIS - The head of the company claiming to have created the world's first cloned human told French television Thursday that a second cloned baby would be born somewhere in Europe in the next few days.

STANFORD, California, January 2, 2003 (ENS) - Hundreds of plant and animal species around the world are feeling the impacts of global warming, although the most dramatic effects may not be felt

Internet Use in U.S. Homes Routine - Jan 2nd, 2003

WASHINGTON - The Internet has become a staple source of information for American households about health care, government services and potential purchases, a survey to be issued on Monday finds.

Myths of Cloning Distort Reality, Scientists Say - Jan 2nd, 2003

NEW YORK - The claim that a human being has been cloned for the first time has fueled concern that science fiction is about to become reality.

China Aims to Put Man in Space This Year - Jan 2nd, 2003

BEIJING - China said Thursday it plans to launch its first manned spacecraft in the second half of this year, starting a countdown for its ambitions to become the third country capable of putting people in space.

Climate change puts nature on the move - Jan 2nd, 2003

Gradual warming over the past century has forced a global movement of animals and plants northward, and it has sped up such perennial spring activities as flowering and egg hatching across the globe: two signals that the Earth's species are dramatically responding to a minute shift in temperature, according to two studies published today.

Dec. 28 — Americans have grown sharply more fearful about the new year ahead, in terms of both their personal outlook and the world's in general, an ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll has found. Two prime factors appear to be at play: the possibility of war with Iraq, and the condition of the nation's economy.

The year’s top 10 space mysteries - Dec 29th, 2002

The funny thing about discoveries is that they often produce new mysteries, too. This year was no exception, as many remarkable space science findings generated puzzling problems for astronomers to look into.

NASA Testing K9 Rover In New 'Marscape' For Future Missions - Dec 29th, 2002

NASA scientists and engineers are testing new technologies using a K9 rover in a newly built 'Marscape' test facility in preparation for future missions to Mars.

Iraq Shoots Down US Recon Robot - Dec 29th, 2002

"The sky eagles and the courageous men manning anti-aircraft artillery downed a US Predator reconnaissance aircraft which flew in from Kuwaiti airspace to violate our airspace," the spokesman said.

Ten-year-old boy dies after wind storm - Dec 29th, 2002

SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- Utility crews scrambled to restore power Saturday to tens of thousands of homes and businesses left in the dark after a deadly storm whipped the coasts of Washington and Oregon.

Telescope Tips: How to Use a New Scope and Where to Point It - Dec 29th, 2002

Over the years when I’ve spoken with amateur astronomers about their interest in the sky, most have said that it could be traced back to receiving their first telescope at Christmas time.

California Town Sells for $1.78 Million on eBay - Dec 29th, 2002

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - An 82-acre town in northern California sold on eBay Inc. on Friday for $1.78 million, a strong price considering the sellers called the place a "fixer-upper" and the first bidder had only wanted to pay $5,000 for it.

Raelians seek path to human immortality - Dec 29th, 2002

MONTREAL -- Rael, the spiritual guru behind the world's first alleged human clone, says his Quebec-based cult is already turning to the next chapter in the quest for human immortality -- deathbed cloning.

Group claims 1st human clone - Dec 29th, 2002

HOLLYWOOD, FLA. -- Ushering in either a brave new world or a spectacular hoax, a company founded by a religious sect that believes in space aliens announced Friday that it has produced the world's first cloned human baby.

U.S. global warming emissions in biggest decade drop - Dec 29th, 2002

WASHINGTON — U.S. greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming fell by 1.2 percent last year, the largest decrease in a decade, due in part to slow economic growth and a milder winter, the government said recently.

An alternative to reservoir construction - Dec 29th, 2002

It is no secret in Texas that Tarrant County's Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex is growing exponentially and that having an adequate water supply is of mounting concern.

'Human shields' head for Iraq - Dec 29th, 2002

A convoy of anti-war activists, likely to include dozens of British volunteers, will leave London next month to act as human shields protecting strategic sites in Iraq.

Unmanned drones will guard U.S. coastlines - Dec 29th, 2002

NEW YORK - Aerial drones have had starring roles in the war on terrorism, but a new generation of the flying robots is going to be deployed to patrol the U.S. coastline for drug smugglers, refugees and ships in distress.

Navy plan on dolphins faces flak - Dec 29th, 2002

One of the most peace loving creatures, the dolphins, are becoming the victims in a war not of their making. While many other countries are discontinuing the use of dolphins to plant mines on enemy ships and submarines, the Indian Navy has plans of training them to do the dangerous job.

Pluto is undergoing global warming, researchers find - Dec 27th, 2002

(OLD NEWS) BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Pluto is undergoing global warming, as evidenced by a three-fold increase in the planet’s atmospheric pressure during the past 14 years, a team of astronomers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Williams College, the University of Hawaii, Lowell Observatory and Cornell University announced in a press conference today at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) Division for Planetary Sciences in Birmingham, AL.

Former hacker Mitnick headed back online next month - Dec 27th, 2002

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man the federal government once labeled "the most wanted computer criminal in U.S. history" has won a long fight to renew his ham radio license and next month can resume surfing the Internet.

A baby has been born through cloning, French scientist and member of the Raelian sect Brigitte Boisselier has told AFP.

Mysterious Oak Island up for sale - Dec 27th, 2002

French crown jewels, pirate treasure chests said to be buried there

Humans on Mars 'by 2025' - Dec 27th, 2002

Europe is considering sending humans to the Moon, Mars and beyond within the next few decades.

Meteorite 'ready-made home' for life - Dec 27th, 2002

CNN) -- Strange organic bubbles in one of the oldest known meteorites could have served as habitats for primitive microbes on our planet, according to a NASA study.

REDFORD, N.Y. –– A mild earthquake shook upstate New York on Wednesday and was believed to be an aftershock of the April tremor that jolted the Northeast.

Senator praises Osama, criticizes U.S. - Dec 25th, 2002

Seattle, WA – Today The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver reported that U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) told a group of local students that Osama bin Laden had done good things for Afghanistan and the Third World, and asked whether the people of poverty-stricken countries would have a better view of the United States if we had followed bin Laden’s example.

Lewis & Clark Revisited: Satellite Archeology Digs Out The Past - Dec 25th, 2002

The U.S. Congress made an Apollo-like decision nearly 200 years ago to dispatch an expedition of explorers into uncharted territory. Back then the financial bar to probe the unknown was a bit lower than the $25 billion needed to hurl human adventurers to the Moon.

New clues to ancient Mississippi culture - Dec 25th, 2002

To a visitor walking up a slight rise to the tracks' end at a pile of dirt and two makeshift worktables, it appears that no one is home. Suddenly, a hand hefting a bucket sprouts from the ground, vanishes, and is replaced by a human

Mexico to Exploit Consular Offices to Issue Drivers Licenses to Illegals - Dec 24th, 2002

State Dept. Permits Mexico to Exploit Consular Offices Across U.S. to Issue Drivers Licenses & Bank Accounts to Illegal Aliens

To all those Chicken Littles clucking frantically about the imminent threat of a terrorist attack on U.S. computer networks, a new report says: Knock it off.

Bombs Away: Airport Security Hole - Dec 22nd, 2002

Bad news for airline passengers this holiday season: Despite heightened security measures implemented since Sept. 11, airports still do not systematically screen luggage or passengers for explosives.

Even NASA Unsure How to Counter Claims of Faked Moon Missions - Dec 22nd, 2002

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) -- Is that the moon or a studio in the Nevada desert? How can the flag flutter when there's no wind on the moon? Why can't we see stars in the moon-landing pictures?

Curse of the Mummy's Tomb Broken - Dec 22nd, 2002

LONDON (Reuters) - King Tutankhamen's infamous "curse of the mummy's tomb," supposed to have killed off many of those involved in the opening of the pharaoh's tomb 80 years ago was a myth, Australian researchers say.

XP Flaw Puts MP3, Windows Media Files at Risk - Dec 22nd, 2002

Thanks to a newly found flaw in Windows XP, two of the most popular audio file formats can be used by crackers to take control of remote PCs. Users only need to hover their mouse pointers over the icons for malicious MP3 or Windows Media files to execute the attacker's code, Microsoft Corp. said in a bulletin published Wednesday.

Bush Administration to Propose System for Monitoring Internet - Dec 22nd, 2002

The Bush administration is planning to propose requiring Internet service providers to help build a centralized system to enable broad monitoring of the Internet and, potentially, surveillance of its users.

Floating 'spider webs' fill Galveston skies - Dec 21st, 2002

GALVESTON -- Galveston residents are still trying to figure out what caused the skies over their coastal city to literally be filled on Friday with floating strands of wads that looked like spider webs.

Microbes Rain Down from Space? More Support for Controversial Theory - Dec 21st, 2002

A controversial finding last year of microbes high in Earth's atmosphere and thought to have come from space gained another scientist's support this week.

Atlantis Still Alive - Dec 21st, 2002

They live in their underwater cities and sometimes frighten people

Survey Says U.S. Confused About Smallpox - Dec 21st, 2002

Survey Finds Many Misconceptions About Smallpox, but Public Wants to Take Vaccine

Missing: four tons of nerve gas, 8.5 tons of anthrax, and assorted nuclear bomb parts - Dec 21st, 2002

The United States pushed the world closer to armed conflict last night when Colin Powell, the Secretary of State, asserted that Iraq's declaration on its weapons capacities "totally failed" to meet the conditions laid down by the United Nations. The document, he said, was nothing more than "a catalogue of flagrant omissions and recycled information."

Global Warming Emissions in Biggest Decade Drop - Dec 21st, 2002

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming fell by 1.2 percent last year, the largest decrease in a decade, due in part to slow economic growth and a milder winter, the government said on Friday.

Surprise Comet Streaks Into Solar System - Dec 21st, 2002

Astronomers have received a holiday bonanza in the form of the arrival of a previously unknown comet that has entered our part of the solar system.

Moon's 'youngest' crater discovered - Dec 21st, 2002

Astronomers have discovered the only known lunar crater to have been formed in recorded history.

Endangered whales win right of way - Dec 21st, 2002

Endangered whales are to be given right of way in North Atlantic waters after collisions with ships became the primary cause of their death.

Norwalk-like virus symptoms detected in Southern Oregon - Dec 21st, 2002

ROSEBURG - Illnesses caused by a Norwalk-like virus have been reported in three Douglas County senior care facilities and one elementary school.

Neil Armstrong: Much progress since Wright brothers - Dec 21st, 2002

(CNN) -- The Wright brothers made history 99 years ago this week, ushering in a new era with their series of manned flights. Only six decades later, another adventurer from Ohio, Neil Armstrong, took the first steps on the moon.