The headline “Vatican: It’s OK to believe in aliens” is misleading, but the article is OK. Essentially, the Catholic faith has no real heartburn with science.
Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican’s chief astronomer said in an interview published Tuesday.
The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.
…
Funes said science, especially astronomy, does not contradict religion, touching on a theme of Pope Benedict XVI, who has made exploring the relationship between faith and reason a key aspect of his papacy.
The Bible “is not a science book,” Funes said, adding that he believes the Big Bang theory is the most “reasonable” explanation for the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter.
I have many fond memories of Raiders of the Lost Ark. My dad was a weekend projectionist at the local theater, so I got to see that movie for free over and over and over and over and … well, you get the idea.
The two sequels so far were mediocre at best, but I am looking forward to the next movie coming out later this month. With that in mind, an intrepid reporter decided to ask real archaeologists what they thought of good ol’ Indiana Jones. My favorite part:
“I wish he’d take more notes and things. What’s his publication record?”
Congratulations to UCF for their acquisition of a supercomputer: Supercomputer puts UCF in big leagues.
The WorldWide Telescope looks like a cool toy. Anyone had a chance to play with it yet?
I was worried when Prof. George Coyne left the director’s post, but so far the new fellow sounds good. Still, very tough act to follow.