3255: Planetary Science

Planetary Science

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Title text: The research was overseen by the Institutional Review Board, which is what I named my surfboard.

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Explanation

This is one of 44 incomplete explanations: This comic was found on a planet with internet on it! If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

This is presented as a scientific article in which astronomers claim to have discovered "signs of liquid water on the surface of a terrestrial planet in the habitable zone" -- however, as the accompanying photos (four people on a beach, of whom two are sitting under an umbrella and one is making sand castles) show, the planet in question is Earth. This would not be considered a noteworthy discovery.

There is value in using Earth as an example of a planet in a habitable zone, such as testing life-detection experiments in remote inhospitable environments or as a proxy for future astronomical observations, but not in-situ photographic investigation. Maybe the astronomers should have brought their spectrometer on vacation.

An institutional review board is a committee of researchers which ensures that research carried out at their institution is ethical. In the title text, this is referenced to be the literal name of a surfboard, which is a board used for the recreational activity of surfing, not serious academic activities.

Transcript

This is one of 27 incomplete transcripts: Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

[A journal entry is shown, with 3 sections of blurred text, and 2 pictures - On on the top-right showing 2 Jills and Kidballs playing at the beach, and another at the bottom-left showing the sea.]

[Title of journal article:] Evidence of liquid water on the surface of a terrestrial planet in the habitable zone

[caption below text:] Planetary science journals have asked astronomers to please stop submitting their vacation photos.

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Discussion

Hey I discovered sentient creatures on the planet! --Kirinhatchi (talk) 14:37, 5 June 2026 (UTC)

"Sentient" :D :D 130.76.187.47 14:58, 5 June 2026 (UTC)

I used to think there was intelligent life. Then they elected Trump. Barmar (talk) 15:39, 5 June 2026 (UTC)

Earth can be used as a test case for detectors of life. If your method is not detecting life on earth, then your detector produces too many false negatives. For instance the galileo space probe was tested with Earth during a fly-by, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_project#Remote_detection_of_life_on_Earth. --2001:4091:A241:81DC:E857:F66B:684E:C4FD 18:25, 5 June 2026 (UTC)
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