Okay, let's face it. Religion hasn't always had the best relationship with science. Without even thinking about it, I can think of a bunch of times where religion has stood directly opposed to the progress of science. Remember when Galileo was put under house arrest for his heretical views that the sun was actually the center of the universe? Or when religion denied evolutionary theory? Oh wait...

So with such a antagonistic and troubled history, how can religion began to help science progress even further? In order to discover how, we must begin by taking a look at the issue of faith and knowledge. One of the most frustrating things about religion to most scientists is that everything is explained away by God. How was the universe made? God. Why does earth have life on it? God. Why have humans advanced so much further than other animals? God.

You can begin to see the pattern here. When we are faced with questions "beyond" our human understanding religion makes the claim that we just need to trust in God. We need to have faith that it is God who made the universe. An example of this is when we look at what happens to particles when we break them into their smallest pieces. As scientists continue to break the atom more and more, we find that the particles become unpredictable, almost like they have a personality of their own. If you take these subatomic particles and separate them, they will respond to stimuli in the same way at the same time. There is something invisible that connects them.

So how do we explain this phenomenon? God has designed the universe this way... at least according to religion. But this is where we see how religion truly impacts and encourages science. While the religious may be satisfied to reason that God has created things this way, the scientist should look at this situation and push themselves to understand more about the phenomenon.

When we don't understand something, we always point to a higher power. The scientist should step in and take a look at what is happening and try to help explain why exactly something occurs. If science always stopped because religion pointed to God, then we would never know half the things we know. The reason that religion helps science is because it helps sets the agenda for what we should be studying next. There are three possible reactions that a scientist can have when they hear the explanation that God causes it.

1. Get pissed because it is not an adequate explanation and grow more spiteful towards religious people.
2. Ignore the religious people as crazies and move on with life.
3. Take it as a challenge to try and discover why it is that it happens.

It is option number 3 that really pushes humanity forward. While it may not be for the most positive reasons, religion does motivate the scientist to discover more about the universe. It is things like this that really highlight the power of the human spirit, of the spirit to make things happen.

I know I've talked about religion and science in this post as if they are incompatible, but I do not think this is the case. It is more of an issue of how they interact with one another instead of choosing one over the other. This is a topic for another day. Instead of people who are prone to hating on religious communities because of their beliefs, they should take it as a challenge to understand the universe even more. When science then understands the phenomenon, this pushing the religious community to claim God for a new phenomenon and then the cycle continues. It is through this that we can continue to discover more about the universe. Like in capitalism, a little competition never hurt anyone.

I'm not sure what is up with my obsession with the end of the world lately, but as promised in the podcast a couple of weeks ago inspired by this article from NPR, here is the official mathematical formula I have derived through scientific research. Use this formula to predict what the chance of dying from a solar flare is in your specific location at the time of calculation.

The variables and constants defined, then explanation.

• d = Probability of the chance of destruction via solar flares
• l = The latitude of your location
• g = The longitude of your location
• c = Current temperature in Celsius
• r = Tone's random/constant: A random number between 1-10
• s = The speed of light: 299,792,458 m/s

By calculating this formula, you will arrive at a probability of how likely it is that you will be destroyed by solar flares, otherwise known as d.

First, we take the absolute value of the latitude (l) plus the longitude (g) of your current location. The reason for this is because one's location has a direction impact on your position to the sun, thus increasing your chances of being engulfed in a solar flare. Obviously.

Then you multiply this value by the current temperature of where you are. It is very important that you use the current temperature, otherwise you will not get accurate results. Simple logic follows that the hotter it is, the more likely that the sun will kill you.

The next step is to multiply by r, Tone's random constant. Because a lot of catastrophic projections involve wild speculation, it is only appropriate to include your own wild speculation. Thus, feel free to choose any number between 1 and 10. It makes for the best science. Look it up.

Finally you take this value and divide it by s, the speed of light. This is because the chance of destruction is directly impacted by how quickly the solar flares will advance towards the earth. You can't argue with science. I encourage you to try this equation to see your chance of imminent destruction by solar flares.

For example. the absolute value of my latitude and longitude is 67.767. I then multiply that by 8.889 (for the temperature) and then multiply that by 7 (a good lucky number). This results in 4,216.667. Divide this by the speed of light, and you get .000014. This means that I have a .0014% chance of dying from a solar flare at this moment. 

You're welcome. Use this information wisely. Tell your mom you love her.

The biggest story I'm sure everyone heard about last week was Toyota's issue with their cars. There was a problem that caused the car to be unable to slow down and continue accelerating. Some people are infuriated by this because of the safety issues, but it's not all bad (NASCAR anyone?). Perhaps this is a good sponsorship opportunity for Tiger Woods. Can't you see the ads now? "If I had a Toyota, my wife would've never known."

Obama released his lastest proposed budget for science in the United States. Almost every organization saw an increase in funds in this budget, all except for one: The Center for Disease Control. This is even as NASA sees a $500,000,000 increase. Because everyone knows that once you get out into space, disease ceases to exists. Because of this discovery, health clinics across the country are offering flu shots filled with "space." What harm could come out of that? 

As talks for the next Bourne movies are falling apart, Damon has reportedly said that Bourne IV may be a reboot, looking at the early years. Think "The Birth of Jason Bourne: The High School Years." Major plot points will be Bourne beating up the local school bullies with only a telephone book, breaking into the school to change his grades, and dying his latest girlfriend's hair black.

The Unannounced Expansion: We Just Want Your Money... Seriously, There's Nothing New in This ExpansionFinally, The Sims turned 10 years old last week! The Sims has changed the way that we view video games and what exactly a video game experience can be. It has allowed people to take control of other people's lives and live out that ultimate "What if...?" scenario. Something else The Sims has pioneered? Nickel and dimming you to death with expansion packs. Thanks for that...