CNN anchor questions whether global warming to blame for asteroid

The threat of global warming may stretch so far beyond Earth that it affects meteorites millions of miles away in space -- at least according to one CNN anchor.

“Talk about something else that’s falling from the sky and that is an asteroid. What’s coming our way? Is this an effect of, perhaps, of global warming, or is this just some meteoric occasion?” CNN’s Deborah Feyerick asked Bill “The Science Guy” Nye, head of the Planetary Society, in a Saturday segment.

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Feyerick, who had earlier quizzed Nye about the possible link between global warming and the weekend snowstorm, was referring to Asteroid 2012 DA14, which will whiz within 17,000 miles or so of Earth on Feb 15. The asteroid’s relatively close trajectory on its latest pass of Earth has been extensively covered in recent weeks.

“No, no, no, no,” Nye replied to the spaced-out question, before gracefully extending Feyerick a lifeline by saying “except it’s all science. The word meteorology and the word meteor come from the same root, so, uhh…”

Several of Nye’s fellow scientists were less diplomatic.

“Nye was good enough to respond with what sounded like a non-sequitur … instead of saying, ‘No, dummy,’” noted Popular Science’s website.

“Dinosaurs unavailable for comment,” one person slyly commented on Twitter.

Most asteroids are leftovers from the formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago, noted Space.com, making it impossible for it or anything else hurtling through space to be affected by changes in Earth’s atmosphere.