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Space scientist apologizes for shirt that prompted sexism debate

ABOVE: British physicist Matt Taylor says he’s sorry if his choice of shirt offended anybody 

BERLIN – British physicist Matt Taylor brimmed with excitement as the European Space Agency’s Philae lander successfully separated from the Rosetta spacecraft, showing off a colorful tattoo on his thigh of both, while proclaiming “we’re making history.”

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But it was his garish bowling shirt that attracted more attention than the unconventional Rosetta project scientist’s words or ink — a collage of pinup girls in various states of undress.

Summarizing the firestorm, the Guardian proclaimed in a blog post: “ESA can land their robot on a comet. But they still can’t see misogyny under their noses.”

On Friday, Taylor — wearing a non-descript navy-blue ESA hoodie — offered an unsolicited apology.

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“I made a big mistake and I offended many people,” he said. “And I’m very sorry about this.”

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