LGP Science Thread

[DocEmrick]

Antimatter trapped for 17 minutes... and we are still alive to talk about it!

http://techland.time.com/2011/06/06/lig ... ?hpt=hp_t2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And I'm sure after that, the U.S Government showed up, and this will never be heard of again.

[Kraftster]

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/11157/1151336-129.stm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good read. Greene's pretty good at dumbing down quantum physics for the masses. I read most of Fabric ofthe Cosmos and some of Elegant Universe.

[Corvidae]

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/11157/1151336-129.stm

Good read. Greene's pretty good at dumbing down quantum physics for the masses. I read most of Fabric ofthe Cosmos and some of Elegant Universe.

Fabric of the Cosmos was an excellent read. I skipped the Elegant Universe because it seemed to have a much heavier focus on String Theory. The way I see it, if I'm going to risk catching my brain on fire trying to understand something so damn complicated it needs to have a better chance of actually being true (or at least testable).

[DocEmrick]

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/11157/1151336-129.stm

Good read. Greene's pretty good at dumbing down quantum physics for the masses. I read most of Fabric ofthe Cosmos and some of Elegant Universe.

Fabric of the Cosmos was an excellent read. I skipped the Elegant Universe because it seemed to have a much heavier focus on String Theory. The way I see it, if I'm going to risk catching my brain on fire trying to understand something so damn complicated it needs to have a better chance of actually being true (or at least testable).

There's only a few people who can grasp the full scope of String Theory in the world, even after it's explained in semi-laymen's terms, a near impossibility on it's own.

I'll have to check out Fabric of the Cosmos though, just looked it up on Amazon; looks great.

[columbia]

They are both excellent reads and you are right about the dumbing down part, Kraftster.
Even with that, it can be pretty hard to grok.

[Kraftster]

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/11157/1151336-129.stm

Good read. Greene's pretty good at dumbing down quantum physics for the masses. I read most of Fabric ofthe Cosmos and some of Elegant Universe.

Fabric of the Cosmos was an excellent read. I skipped the Elegant Universe because it seemed to have a much heavier focus on String Theory. The way I see it, if I'm going to risk catching my brain on fire trying to understand something so damn complicated it needs to have a better chance of actually being true (or at least testable).

There's only a few people who can grasp the full scope of String Theory in the world, even after it's explained in semi-laymen's terms, a near impossibility on it's own.

I'll have to check out Fabric of the Cosmos though, just looked it up on Amazon; looks great.

Yeah, you are right about that. I find that books like FotC and EU reach a point where the theory is too heavily rooted in the actual math for it to be comprehensible to a lay person. That's where I, admittedly, couldn't finish FotC. Maybe that's not true of some people, but, in general, I really need to understand the underpinnings of theory at some point. Its like memorizing the fact that .5 = 1/2 but not understanding the math behind it. I know kids in high school that memorized stuff (or tried to) but had no theoretical understanding.

I wish I could go back to school to get a degree in physics. And probably psychology. And probably an advanced degree in philosophy. And maybe if I could squeeze in med school while I was at it, that would be great. Sigh...

[columbia]

I wish I could go back to school to get a degree in physics. And probably psychology. And probably an advanced degree in philosophy. And maybe if I could squeeze in med school while I was at it, that would be great. Sigh...

I remember having that feeling around the time I was graduating; wanting to stick around and finish out a few other majors.
It's still appealing, but I think it had more to do with being about becoming an adult.

[Corvidae]

This is still my favorite cosmology book - Death By Black Hole by Neil deGrasse Tyson

...in no small part because when I read it I hear him narrating it.

[DocEmrick]

I wish I could go back to school to get a degree in physics. And probably psychology. And probably an advanced degree in philosophy. And maybe if I could squeeze in med school while I was at it, that would be great. Sigh...

The math is where it gets so confusing, it takes a truly gifted mind to grasp it. That's what I'm working on right now; getting the theories behind the math in order to apply them to the actual physics.

Hopefully, one day, all humans will be privy to; and understand the information present in the String Theory, perhaps even theories like the Electric Universe Theory.

I think it was recently I was reading that an area of the galaxy was discovered that basically disproves the Big Bang theory, lending credence to different and new possibilities for our existence.

[Kraftster]

I know I've talked up this book before on here, but Equations of Eternity by David Darling is a really excellent fast, fast read on these topics. I thought it was really well done, I've read it a couple times, once cover to cover on a flight to Denver. Easily worth the little bit of time it takes to get through it.

[Kraftster]

I wish I could go back to school to get a degree in physics. And probably psychology. And probably an advanced degree in philosophy. And maybe if I could squeeze in med school while I was at it, that would be great. Sigh...

I remember having that feeling around the time I was graduating; wanting to stick around and finish out a few other majors.
It's still appealing, but I think it had more to do with being about becoming an adult.

Haha, I'm sure part of it is wanting that easy student life back. Just so much to learn, so little time on this planet. Such a shame.

[Kraftster]

Dug in to David Deutsch's 'The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World' this weekend. Really interesting read so far. I wanted to excerpt the one part that does a nice job of putting the size of the universe into perspective (not that its really possible).

Just to set the stage, he is addressing what he refers to as the Principle of Mediocrity (there is nothing significant about humans in the cosmic scheme of things) and specifically Hawking's statement that humans are just "chemical scum on the surface of a typical planet that's in orbit around a typical star on the outskirts of a typical galaxy."

Deutsch challenges this and says that humans, where we are in the universe, what its like, etc. is anything but typical.

"What is a typical place in the universe like? Let me assume that you are reading this on Earth. In your mind's eye, travel straight upwards a few hundred kilometres. Now you are in the slightly more typical environment of space. But you are still being heated and illuminated by the sun, and half your field of view is still taken up by the solids, liquids and scums of the Earth. A typical location has none of those features. So, travel a few trillion kilometres further in the same direction. You are now so far away that the sun looks like other stars. You are at a much colder, darker and emptier place, with no scum in sight. But it is not yet typical: you are still inside the Milky Way galaxy, and most places in the universe are not in any galaxy. Continue until you are clear outside the galaxy - say, a hundred thousand light years from Earth. At this distance you could not glimpse the Earth even if you used the most powerful teleccope that humans have yet built. But the Milky Way still fills much of your sky. To get a typical place in the universe, you have to imagine yourself at least a thousand times as far out as that, deep intergalactic space. (emphasis mine)

What is it like there? Imagine the whole of space notionally divided into cubes the size of our solar system (!!). If you were observing from a typical one of them, the sky would be pitch black. The nearest star would be so far away that if it were to explode as a supernova, and you were staring directly at it when its light reached you, you would not see even a glimmer (!!). That is how big and dark the universe is. And it is cold" at that background temperature of 2.7 kelvin, which is cold enough to freeze every known substance except helium.

And it is empty: the density ofa toms out there is below one per cubic metre. That is a million times sparser than atoms in the space between the stars, and those atoms are themselves sparser than in the best vacuum that human technology has yet achieved. Almost all the atoms in intergalactic space are hydrogen or helium, so there is no chemistry. No life could have evoled here, nor any intelligence. Nothing changes here. Nothing happens. The same is true of the next cube and the next, and if you were to examine a million consecutive cubes in any direction the story would be the same. (emphasis again mine)."

Crazy.

I stopped reading this book for several reasons, partly because of frustration with the author's lack of concern for constructing a viable defense to challenges to his "theories", but this is one of my favorite excerpts that really strikes a sense of awe in the reader (or in me at least!).

[columbia]

New solution can help 'permanently get rid of germs':
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14045387" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A new anti-microbial treatment that can make clothing - including smelly socks - permanently germ-free has been developed by US scientists.

The spray-on solution can be applied to existing garments, according to the team from the University of Georgia.

It is designed to offer low cost protection for healthcare facilities, such as hospitals.

[obhave]

Genetic research confirms that non-Africans are part Neanderthal:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/ ... 071411.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[count2infinity]

Genetic research confirms that non-Africans are part Neanderthal:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/ ... 071411.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

just got done reading that... interesting read. I had read something a long time ago that scientist found Neanderthals to be gingers...

[AlexPKeaton]

Genetic research confirms that non-Africans are part Neanderthal:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/ ... 071411.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well that throws a monkey wrench into a lot of political correctness dogma.

[Point Breeze Penguins]

Jared Diamond FTW

[doublem]

Genetic research confirms that non-Africans are part Neanderthal:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/ ... 071411.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well that throws a monkey wrench into a lot of political correctness dogma.

What does that mean?

[AlexPKeaton]

Genetic research confirms that non-Africans are part Neanderthal:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/ ... 071411.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well that throws a monkey wrench into a lot of political correctness dogma.

What does that mean?

The Guns Germs and Steel theory of why Africa was extremely underdeveloped might have to throw in genetics which most people completely dismissed as a non-factor.

[Point Breeze Penguins]

Genetic research confirms that non-Africans are part Neanderthal:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/ ... 071411.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well that throws a monkey wrench into a lot of political correctness dogma.

What does that mean?

The Guns Germs and Steel theory of why Africa was extremely underdeveloped might have to throw in genetics which most people completely dismissed as a non-factor.

In all seriousness doublem if you have not read it "Guns, Germs, and Steel" may be one of the most important books written in the last 20 years.

http://tinyurl.com/6bb3wcu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I also recommend his "follow-up" Collapse

http://tinyurl.com/3tj2ajn" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[obhave]

totally nerding out by reading "The Disappearing Spoon" which is about the development of the periodic table. Tons of anecdotes about each element, the scientists associated with them, and many other things. Only partway through, but I would recommend it.

[count2infinity]

totally nerding out by reading "The Disappearing Spoon" which is about the development of the periodic table. Tons of anecdotes about each element, the scientists associated with them, and many other things. Only partway through, but I would recommend it.

it's a fantastic book... would recommend it to anyone that is planning on going into the sciences or just likes science.

[Rylan]

Napoleon's Buttons was a good book about the chemistry behind some historical events.

[doublem]

OH, NOT SO TOUGH ANYMORE. I was mocked for telling people here that addiction is a brain disorder. I'm waiting for, I'm sorry.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44147493/ns ... klkumHh6Sp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Addiction now defined as brain disorder, not behavior issue

[columbia]

OH, NOT SO TOUGH ANYMORE. I was mocked for telling people here that addiction is a brain disorder. I'm waiting for, I'm sorry.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44147493/ns ... klkumHh6Sp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Addiction now defined as brain disorder, not behavior issue

This needs to be a controversial topic of thee week.