Skimming the Headlines

“Scientists say giant asteroid could hit the earth next week, causing mass devastation.” [i]  That headline screamed across the online news feed on July 9^th, Saturday a week ago.  The opening sentences of the story were these: “Scientists have discovered a massive asteroid that is on course to hit the Earth next week and are scrambling to find a way to divert the object.  The asteroid has been named 2016-FI and measures approximately 1 km across. If it strikes a populated area, it could wipe out entire cities and potentially devastate an entire continent.”