Irish Trojan in Tennessee

Tunguska asteroid was smaller than previously believed

By Brendan Loy

This story is a couple of days old, but I neglected to post it earlier. Scientists have discovered some fascinating new details about the Tunguska explosion of 1908:

“The asteroid that caused the extensive damage was much smaller than we had thought,” says Sandia [National Laboratories] principal investigator Mark Boslough of the impact that occurred June 30, 1908. “That such a small object can do this kind of destruction suggests that smaller asteroids are something to consider. Their smaller size indicates such collisions are not as improbable as we had believed.”

Because smaller asteroids approach Earth statistically more frequently than larger ones, he says, “We should be making more efforts at detecting the smaller ones than we have till now.”

Indeed. (Hat tip: InstaPundit.) More after the jump about what the scientists learned.

With Chow out, is it Oregon's Belotti to UCLA?

By David K.

LA Daily News is reporting that Oregon Coach Mike Belotti has met with UCLA officials regarding the Bruins' head coaching position. Norm Chow, former USC offensive guru, has announced he is not interested in the job (followed by a collective sigh of relief from Trojan nation). Rick Neuheisel, the scourge of both the Colorado and Washington programs, is also still in the running.