Cycloidal Ridges on Europa: A Xenoarchaeological Analogue

When seriously considering the possibility of xenoarchaeology as a practicable science, I’ve proposed (as have others) the endeavor to be deeply interdisciplinary. Solid archaeological methodologies will need to be complemented with and modified by a strong foundation in planetary science. I also often suggest that the practice of xenoarchaeology will find its most frequent utility in “debunking” rushed, […]

New ideas on the altar of science

How are ideas that had once been considered speculative best adopted into the practice of serious scientific investigation? How are speculative ideas most effectively graduated from the realm of science fiction and introduced into scientific discourse? By what benchmarks of conceptual “distance” are speculative concepts evaluated before being considered too fringe for serious consideration? These are questions with which I find myself […]