Saturday, April 02, 2011

NASA scientist Richard Hoover wins Pigasus Award

This is one award no scientist really wants to win: the Pigasus Award, awarded by the James Randi Educational Foundation to someone who promotes nonsense. NASA scientist Richard Hoover, who claimed to find sign of life in a rock from Mars, received the honor. Um...I mean dishonor.

Randi gave five awards, including one to Dr. Oz, a doctor trained in medical science who now promotes all sorts of silly notions. A past Pigasus winner, televangelist Peter Popoff, took home another Pigasus award.

Many decades ago, the Harvard Lampoon gave out the "Natalie Wood Worst Actress of the Year Award." Natalie Wood surprised everyone by showing up to collect it.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Andrew Wakefield is the most disgusting of these loathsome woo-mongers. Thanks to him and his C-list celebrity stooges, children are dying of preventable diseases.

-Adam R.

Anonymous said...

It should be pointed out the Richard Hoover is group leader of the Astrobiology group at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and received a gold medal from the society of optical engineers (SPIE) in 2009 for accomplishments in optics.
Obviously, some people found Hoover's evidence that we are not alone in the universe 'disquieting and bothersome.' Some have even accused Hoover of "intellectual panspermia."
I therefore propose that "The Great Randi" receive the
"Pope Urban VIII Award for Achievements in Inquisition and Geocenterism" in recognition of his efforts to suppress "Bruno-esque" opinions and defend our specie's primacy in the cosmos.

The Madhatter