homehome Home chatchat Notifications


NASA calls out climate change deniers on Facebook

It’s glorious and depressing at the same time: NASA used its official Facebook account to shut down one user who was misrepresenting climate science: It’s climate change denial 101: you take some random fact, gobble it up without even thinking about it, add in some buzzwords to make it look more scientific and spit it […]

Mihai Andrei
April 18, 2016 @ 11:13 am

share Share

It’s glorious and depressing at the same time: NASA used its official Facebook account to shut down one user who was misrepresenting climate science:

It’s climate change denial 101: you take some random fact, gobble it up without even thinking about it, add in some buzzwords to make it look more scientific and spit it out as loud as possible. But this guy went a bit further: he went for the old “NASA said this” – which of course, is simply not true. Not only did NASA never assert that fossil fuels are cooling the atmosphere, but they very much in agreement with the rest of the scientists (read: everybody) who understand that climate change is driven by humans.

But don’t take my word for it, check out just a few articles published on the NASA website:

  • Coal and Gas are Far More Harmful than Nuclear Power readsHuman-caused climate change and air pollution remain major global-scale problems and are both due mostly to fossil fuel burning.
  • A blanket around the Earth quotes results from the IPCC: In its Fourth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of 1,300 independent scientific experts from countries all over the world under the auspices of the United Nations, concluded there’s a more than 90 percent probability that human activities over the past 50 years have warmed our planet.
  • Discussing the virtual consensus regarding human-driven climate change, this NASA article reads: Multiple studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals show that 97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree: Climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities. In addition, most of the leading scientific organizations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position.

They’ve made it abundantly clear several times, yet people still misrepresent them and spread false information. I’m glad someone at NASA wrote such a firm reply, but I’m quite sad they had to do it. I wish people would understand the reality of man-made climate change, even though it’s difficult to swallow.

NASA then went on in the comment section to put in place another user who claimed that the space organization “fudges numbers:”

For the sake of clarification, these views likely stem from a previous study which found that some aerosols released by burning fossil fuels can temporarily cool localized areas by reflecting more radiation. The overall effect though is still overwhelmingly warming.

share Share

This 5,500-year-old Kish tablet is the oldest written document

Beer, goats, and grains: here's what the oldest document reveals.

A Huge, Lazy Black Hole Is Redefining the Early Universe

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a massive, dormant black hole from just 800 million years after the Big Bang.

Did Columbus Bring Syphilis to Europe? Ancient DNA Suggests So

A new study pinpoints the origin of the STD to South America.

The Magnetic North Pole Has Shifted Again. Here’s Why It Matters

The magnetic North pole is now closer to Siberia than it is to Canada, and scientists aren't sure why.

For better or worse, machine learning is shaping biology research

Machine learning tools can increase the pace of biology research and open the door to new research questions, but the benefits don’t come without risks.

This Babylonian Student's 4,000-Year-Old Math Blunder Is Still Relatable Today

More than memorializing a math mistake, stone tablets show just how advanced the Babylonians were in their time.

Sixty Years Ago, We Nearly Wiped Out Bed Bugs. Then, They Started Changing

Driven to the brink of extinction, bed bugs adapted—and now pesticides are almost useless against them.

LG’s $60,000 Transparent TV Is So Luxe It’s Practically Invisible

This TV screen vanishes at the push of a button.

Couple Finds Giant Teeth in Backyard Belonging to 13,000-year-old Mastodon

A New York couple stumble upon an ancient mastodon fossil beneath their lawn.

Worms and Dogs Thrive in Chernobyl’s Radioactive Zone — and Scientists are Intrigued

In the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, worms show no genetic damage despite living in highly radioactive soil, and free-ranging dogs persist despite contamination.