Tomorrow's Retractions, Today
 

This fuck-pas comes courtesy the Associated Press: "Researchers said Thursday they have identified the remains of Nicolaus Copernicus by comparing DNA from a skeleton and hair retrieved from one of the 16th-century astronomer's books. The findings could put an end to centuries of speculation about the exact resting spot of Copernicus, a priest and astronomer whose theories identified the Sun, not the Earth, as the center of the universe." It's a pretty remarkable discovery, made all the impressive by the fact that Copernicus, writing in Commentariolus, concluded neither the Sun nor the Earth was the center of the universe, and only that the Sun was the center of the solar system. [via Hoystory]

Nov 25, 2008 · 1 views (beta) · Link · 1 Response
Tagged: , ,
Fark Facebook Digg StumbleUpon Del.icio.us Reddit
Comments (1)

No. 1 · Grrr

And beware smug holier-than-thou bloggers bitching about scientific illiteracy when they can't be bothered to read the sources they cite. The english translation of the introduction of the Commentariolus, (which can be found here ( http://dbanach.com/copernicus-commentarilous.htm ) says:

"All the spheres revolve about the sun as their mid-point, and therefore the sun is the center of the universe."

You can also try searching for the word "universe" in the translation to "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium" Copernicus' major work on the topic. ( http://www.webexhibits.org/cal.....nicus.html )

Copernicus, for all his genius, had no concept that the universe was anything more than the solar system plus a fixed celestial sphere of stars.

Posted: Nov 25, 2008 at 11:05 am · @Reply · [Flag?]
Leave a Comment

It's easier to leave comments when you register for an account. It's quick.

Already have an account? Then log in!

NEW: You can add images to your comment by clicking here and entering the URL of the picture.

 
Scroll Posts
News Anchors to Start Dressing for the Job They Don't Want « Next — Prev » Book Publisher Puts Reason for Existing on Hold
Jossip Home | Advertise | Copyright 2009 Jossip Initiatives