View from the North 40: Science is taking us forward, even into history

Science news this week was dominated by NASA’s DART spacecraft colliding with an asteroid on purpose and proving that mankind can deviate the course of an asteroid — while simultaneously dashing the dreams of oil-rig workers everywhere that they alone will be able to save earth, “Armageddon”-style, from a killer asteroid in the future.

That’s right, all current and prospective roughnecks in the oil and gas industry can officially stop practicing their space walk — which is an astronaut thing, not a dance move — and their vocal debuts for both “Leaving on a Jet Plane” and...