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| Double trouble for dinosaurs:Did more than one meteorite strike cause their demise? |
Double meteorite strike 'caused dinosaur extinction'
The dinosaurs were wiped out 65 million years ago by at least two meteorite impacts, rather than a single strike, a new study suggests.
Previously,scientists had identified a huge impact crater in the Gulf of Mexico as the event that spelled doom for the dinosaurs.Now evidence for a second impact in the Ukraine has been uncovered.This raises the possibility that the Earth may have been bombarded by a whole shower of meteorites.The new findings are published in the journal Geology by a team lead by Professor David Jolley of Aberdeen University.When first proposed in 1980, the idea that a meteorite impact had killed the dinosaurs proved hugely controversial. Later, the discovery of the Chicxulub Crater in the Gulf of Mexico, US, was hailed as "the smoking gun" that confirmed the theory.
Jama Idle Ibrahim and five others chased the USS Ashland and opened fire on it before being captured, court papers said.He pleaded guilty to piracy-related charges in Norfolk, Virginia, and faces 30 years in jail. Five other Somalis also face charges over the attack.Prosecutors said it was Norfolk's first piracy-related conviction in 150 years."Modern-day pirates must be held accountable," said Neil MacBride, prosecuting.
If you're the parent of a Christian teenager, Kenda Creasy Dean has this warning:Your child is following a "mutant" form of Christianity, and you may be responsible.Dean says more American teenagers are embracing what she calls "moralistic therapeutic deism." Translation: It's a watered-down faith that portrays God as a "divine therapist" whose chief goal is to boost people's self-esteem.Dean is a minister, a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and the author of "Almost Christian," a new book that argues that many parents and pastors are unwittingly passing on this self-serving strain of Christianity.She says this "imposter'' faith is one reason teenagers abandon churches."If this is the God they're seeing in church, they are right to leave us in the dust," Dean says. "Churches don't give them enough to be passionate about."
Somali pirate admits attacking US warship
Jama Idle Ibrahim and five others chased the USS Ashland and opened fire on it before being captured, court papers said.He pleaded guilty to piracy-related charges in Norfolk, Virginia, and faces 30 years in jail. Five other Somalis also face charges over the attack.Prosecutors said it was Norfolk's first piracy-related conviction in 150 years."Modern-day pirates must be held accountable," said Neil MacBride, prosecuting.After making a deal with the authorities, Ibrahim pleaded guilty to attacking to plunder a vessel, engaging in an act of violence against people on a vessel, and using a firearm during a crime of violence.Both Ibrahim and the authorities had agreed to a 30-year jail term, and he faces a sentencing hearing on 29 November.Earlier this month a judge had dismissed a piracy charge - which carries a mandatory life sentence - against Ibrahim and his five alleged accomplices.The gang had chased the USS Ashland in a skiff in the Gulf of Aden on 10 April, opening fire on it.US Navy personnel returned fire, killing one Somali and wrecking the men's skiff, prosecutors said.But the judge dismissed the more serious piracy charge because the group had not robbed, boarded or taken control of the US Navy ship.Somalia has been ravaged by internal conflict for two decades, and pirates have flourished amid the lawlessness.Foreign countries have generally been reluctant to try suspects in their own countries, so pirates are often allowed to go free after an unsuccessful attack.
More teens becoming 'fake' Christians
If you're the parent of a Christian teenager, Kenda Creasy Dean has this warning:Your child is following a "mutant" form of Christianity, and you may be responsible.Dean says more American teenagers are embracing what she calls "moralistic therapeutic deism." Translation: It's a watered-down faith that portrays God as a "divine therapist" whose chief goal is to boost people's self-esteem.Dean is a minister, a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and the author of "Almost Christian," a new book that argues that many parents and pastors are unwittingly passing on this self-serving strain of Christianity.She says this "imposter'' faith is one reason teenagers abandon churches."If this is the God they're seeing in church, they are right to leave us in the dust," Dean says. "Churches don't give them enough to be passionate about."What traits passionate teens share
Dean drew her conclusions from what she calls one of the most depressing summers of her life. She interviewed teens about their faith after helping conduct research for a controversial study called the National Study of Youth and Religion.They have a lot to say. They can talk about money, sex and their family relationships with nuance.
The study, which included in-depth interviews with at least 3,300 American teenagers between 13 and 17, found that most American teens who called themselves Christian were indifferent and inarticulate about their faith.The study included Christians of all stripes -- from Catholics to Protestants of both conservative and liberal denominations. Though three out of four American teenagers claim to be Christian, fewer than half practice their faith, only half deem it important, and most can't talk coherently about their beliefs, the study found.Many teenagers thought that God simply wanted them to feel good and do good -- what the study's researchers called "moralistic therapeutic deism."Some critics told Dean that most teenagers can't talk coherently about any deep subject, but Dean says abundant research shows that's not true."They have a lot to say," Dean says. "They can talk about money, sex and their family relationships with nuance. Most people who work with teenagers know that they are not naturally inarticulate."
