This week in science: Centauri dream'in

Image courtesy L. Calcada, N. Risenger, ESO/skysurvey.org, and The Planetary Society

We've found super earths and hot Jupiters, diamond planets and water planets, even signs of planets around super nova remnants. But the earth-sized planet[s] that may have been found hiding in data in this binady system is unique and always will be. It's the closest star system to earth:

'There is not a more exciting result for an individual star, even with the long line of spectacular results from the last 2 decades. The indication that our nearest neighbor has rocky planets is incredible. Furthermore, statistical results from the NASA Kepler mission suggest that where there is one, there are usually several rocky planets. This leaves open the possibility of a terrestrial planet in the habitable zone ' in fact, I think this strengthens the speculative possibility of a habitable world in the [Alpha Centauri] system.'

This planet is cooked. But it's just a matter of time now, folks, before we find an earth-like planet orbiting dead center in the Goldilocks zone of an alien star somewhere, and it won't stop there. There are probably millions of them.

• So according to crazy Joe Walsh, there isn't a single recent case of ectopic pregnancy or placental abruption, or a dozen other potentially fatal complications, known to medical science?
• Clearly we need less job-killing regulation and meddling Big Gubmint oversight on already over burdened U.S. companies ...  

• Hats off to ABL from Balloon Juice, the Cole monster explains her new role injecting science and reason into the war on women's health.
• Actually, there is one reason why teabagging jerks would support an abortion: to save the political life of the philandering father:

A pro-life, family-values congressman who worked as a doctor before winning election as a Tea Party-backed Republican had an affair with a patient and later pressured her to get an abortion, according to a phone call transcript obtained by The Huffington Post.