Topic: =/\= 1st confirmed habitable zone exoplanet! dark matter free theory, huge weta!

[stoneyface]

very exciting news today from the kepler team. NASA has confirmed that first "smack dab in the middle" of the habitable zone exo-planet! kepler 22b is the current name of this planet (no we are not naming it pandora! pandora was a moon silly!). since i cannot do justice to this story alone, i will just give a couple links, including the official one. also please see the other thread started on this subject as i don't want to take away from that poster's glory here: http://www.dynaverse.net/forum/index.php/topic,163392205.0.html

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/news/kepscicon-briefing.html
http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-planet-found-in-habitable-zone-111205.html

i ran across another interesting story today.  an italian scientist has stated that he has a new theory on galactic rotational curves that he says means that dark matter "does not matter". i am very skeptical. i just don't buy his "math" and his theory. but read for yourself and decide on your own...
read here: http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-12-dark.html
and here: http://www.universetoday.com/91520/astronomy-without-a-telescope-could-dark-matter-not-matter/

finally a neat story from new zealand. there is a large insect in new zealand call the "weta". well there is also a type of weta known as the "giant weta" that has been thought extinct at one point. a scientist has found the largest giant weta ever found! it has a wingspan of 7 inches! my one friend said it looks like starship troopers come to life! see the picture and read the article here: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3972007/Worlds-biggest-ever-insect-found-called-the-Weta-Bug.html