Science tends to leave us with unanswered problems and is generally underdetermined by the evidence (good article in SEP on line on this). As an example, the GEO600 gravitational wave detector in Hanover, Germany, has not yet detected any gravitational waves. As a consolation prize, it may instead have uncovered the ultimate nature of reality. Craig Hogan at the Fermi Lab has asked how we might test the idea that everything we see as physical reality is the result of a kind of projection from the boundary of the universe. This is known as the holographic principle.
The information held at the boundary is not smooth, but composed of "bits", each one occupying an area that corresponds to the most fundamental quanta of distance in the universe. This is the Planck length, around 10-35 metres – far too small for us to see the individual bits. When this information is projected into the volume of the universe, however, each bit gets magnified. That means we might just be able to see pixellation in space-time. The kinds of scales involved still mean it would only be detectable in the most sensitive instruments we have – such as the gravitational wave detectors looking for the ripples in space-time caused by violent cosmological events such as the collision of two black holes. Hogan worked out how the pixellation might manifest itself for GEO600 and sent his result to the researchers there. By strange coincidence, the GEO600 team had been having problems with "noise" in their detectors. But here's the kicker: the noise had uncannily similar characteristics as Hogan's anticipated signal. Is it indeed the result of information that resides at the edge of the universe? Needless to say, the answer may only come after the instrument is upgraded to make it even more sensitive, a step that is due to be completed this time next year. There are wads of such problems about: Radiation left from the big bang is still glowing in the sky – in a mysterious and controversial pattern. Something unseeable and far bigger than anything in the known universe is hauling a group of galaxies towards it at inexplicable speed. Space probes using Earth's gravity to get a slingshot speed boost are moving faster than they should. Call in dark matter. The fusion of two distinct evolutionary lines is not supposed to work – but the seas are teeming with chimeras that prove it can. Fatigue? Do you feel insects under your skin? Seen any strange fibres sprouting from your body? Then you've got a disease that's not supposed to exist. During 1997, US undersea monitoring equipment heard a series of sounds far louder than any whale song. They were never heard again. The big bang should have created matter and antimatter in equal amounts – so why didn't the universe disappear in a puff of self- annihilation? The universe only contains a third as much lithium as it's supposed to. High-energy radiation from a gamma-ray burst reached Earth 4 minutes later than the lower-energy rays. That's not how Einstein said it would be. Why do magnetic poles always come paired as north and south, never alone? How a diagnosis of terminal illness can come true – even if it's wrong. The Eocene and Hologram thingies are also examples. New Scientist will let you see these examples free at its website. My own take on this stuff concerns why we operate in common sense with the illusion science is about "certainty". I don't go much for 'god-stuff' as everyone will know. Science has destroyed religious fables as some kind of easy truth, but seems often fixated on questions of ultimate reality and the unexplained - all much more interesting to me that the dorks so concerned with UFOs so much part of our media hype. Pat's god in Kaliber Yawn Space is an interesting speculation and religion generally has some interesting things to say about self-deception (as in whether we are listening to god or the devil pretending to be god - etc.) I suspect Slip's pen-knife will be very important to the aliens who find it - though I do seriously wonder what the religious impulse might become if we could listen to science other than as a demon and recognise the tolerance and speculation essential to science reasoning. I have the feeling that a decent politics might well bring about the conditions for such a way of living. On 4 Sep, 15:53, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > I might have guessed Slip would be my Admundsen on this! > > On 4 Sep, 15:21, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I am somewhat seriously concerned we don't really have the big issues > > under general public scrutiny. Perhaps we could write a book Slip, > > with cryptic clues on the location of your Swiss Army Knife and the > > temptation of a reward for the first of the horde that buy the book at > > 10% of our net? A world stupid enough not to understand how serious > > the weather is must be stupid enough to buy into to the book. No > > doubt we should write the book during sipping sessions round at Chris' > > place. > > > On 3 Sep, 18:12, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Actually Arch, I've already sun bathed at the North Pole, fact is I > > > really can't wait for the caps to melt down again completely because > > > it seems I left my Swiss Army knife and a good pari of sunglassed up > > > there. I'm sure they'll be well preserved. > > > The signs of the melting polar caps tell a grim tale, for example look > > > at > > > this.........http://www.gemzies.com/img_photos/melting_polar_ice_caps_global_warmi... > > > Further studies and scientific indicators reveal a stark truth > > > regardless what global warming critics have to say. We might all be > > > living like this > > > soon..........http://go635254.s3.amazonaws.com/redgreenandblue/files/2009/03/flood.jpg > > > > Whether I'll be around to retrieve my knife and glasses is another > > > issue altogether! > > > > On Sep 3, 8:06 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > The Eocene ran from 56 million to 34 million years ago, much longer > > > > than humans have existed unless science is just a Bishop Usher > > > > memeory. Geological evidence from the early and middle part of this > > > > period offers troubling news: the average temperature in the tropics > > > > at this time could have been as high as 40°C while the poles were at > > > > temperatures of 15 or 20°C. None of our climate models accounts for > > > > how this "Eocene hothouse" might have arisen (New Scientist, 21 June > > > > 2008, p 34). This is bad news for life on Earth. For a start, any > > > > tweaks we make to our climate models to account for it will produce > > > > scarier predictions of warming. Secondly, it suggests that there is no > > > > feedback mechanism that will stabilise a warming world against runaway > > > > climate change. And third, there is geological evidence for plant > > > > extinctions in the Eocene. If the modern Earth goes the same way and > > > > plants in the tropics start dying, that will provide yet another way > > > > for atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to rise faster. The Eocene > > > > hothouse anomaly suggests that our worst-case scenario is probably > > > > optimistic to say the least. Human contributions have been puny in > > > > comparison. The only place safe to sun-bathe may well be Santa's back > > > > garden and the elves have already staked out the sun beds as surely as > > > > early-rising Germans in Majorca. This makes me wonder whether the > > > > secret primaries are politicians go through involve such matters as > > > > pissing in the wind contests. > > > > > I'm agnostic in the sense I can't disprove the existence of some kind > > > > of god (to be honest I think 'something' we don't construe well is > > > > likely and is likely to have nothing to do with our fables around the > > > > world). Information such as the above and a lot of basic science we > > > > are all part of is at bottom what I believe in. The elves, of course, > > > > only appear when Chris and I share his magic brew whilst teasing > > > > Flying Harringtons on the days we devote to world domination in our > > > > off-shore bunker created by skimming Craig's massive profits as owner > > > > of this group (some believe Craig is only a fictitious Patsy we have > > > > set up in case the IRS rumble us). In light of the above, there are > > > > real questions about Dawkins telling us god probably doesn't exist and > > > > we should just get on with life. What signs do we show of a form of > > > > lie that takes the real information above seriously? --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
