If you need a quick read about where we stand on some of the major scientific issues of our time, The New York Times has recently put out the 25th Anniversiary Edition of Science Times in which they “pose 25 of the most provocative questions facing science.” Some of them I do not think should be on the list, but nevertheless, there are others that mosty definitely should, with decent, succinct responses.
The site requires you to create an account with a username and password to gain access to the otherwise free content. I’ve had mine for years without any more trouble, though. Click on the big question mark if you only want the questions.
I sent a copy of the “Will Humans Ever Visit Mars?” answer to Glen. For those who haven’t read it, it looks at the ideas of the founder of the Mars Society, Robert Zubrin. Zubrin believes that we could send machines ahead of human beings to Mars to sort of set things up, and he’s very optimistic about the costs of getting people there. Glen responded that Zubrin, whom he knows, is “kind of a fanatic” and that while he feels Zubrin is too simplistic about his plans to get people to Mars, he’s great at stirring up enthusiasm.