LGP Science Thread

[tifosi77]

Also spent the last 5-10 minutes of the program going on and on about Carl Sagan which was odd.

I actually thought that was fantastic. In all honesty, I'm hopeful that in a generation there will be another reboot of 'Cosmos' and the host of that version will have Tyson's Google Calendar entry with their meeting date from 2012 on it. The point of these shows is to inspire, not just to educate.

[count2infinity]

I just found it odd, that's all.

[AlexPKeaton]

The Bruno stuff was completely ridiculous. The show ran like 40 mins and they took 1/4th of the show to deal with a non-scientist who happened to guess a little bit of astronomy correctly? I mean they went a LONG way out of their way just to attack Middle Age Catholicism.

[Letang Is The Truth]

this may be a dumb question, but relating to alien life, why do we assume that another life form requires water for life? isnt it possible that there is something else out there? im not at all familiar with elements and compounds throughout the universe but seems shortsighted to think that life has to be just like us?

[columbia]

this may be a dumb question, but relating to alien life, why do we assume that another life form requires water for life? isnt it possible that there is something else out there? im not at all familiar with elements and compounds throughout the universe but seems shortsighted to think that life has to be just like us?

For example:
http://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=7603" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Letang Is The Truth]

precisely. couldnt think of their name - forgot about the ole archaebacteria

[count2infinity]

this may be a dumb question, but relating to alien life, why do we assume that another life form requires water for life? isnt it possible that there is something else out there? im not at all familiar with elements and compounds throughout the universe but seems shortsighted to think that life has to be just like us?

because that's what we're familiar with... carbon based life forms. There are researchers out there looking into making inorganic DNA. It's interesting, but the reason people think water is required for life is because that's how it is here, and if that's how it is here, then there's at least a chance that's how it is everywhere else.

[columbia]

Get excited – spider silk finally looks ready for commercialization
http://io9.com/get-excited-spider-silk- ... 1539849661" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[tifosi77]

this may be a dumb question, but relating to alien life, why do we assume that another life form requires water for life? isnt it possible that there is something else out there? im not at all familiar with elements and compounds throughout the universe but seems shortsighted to think that life has to be just like us?

because that's what we're familiar with... carbon based life forms. There are researchers out there looking into making inorganic DNA. It's interesting, but the reason people think water is required for life is because that's how it is here, and if that's how it is here, then there's at least a chance that's how it is everywhere else.

Yeah, I think it's a case of water/carbon life being easiest for us to detect and also for feeding the pipedream of 'inhabitable worlds'.

[columbia]

Some good space pr0n:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/flickr/gal ... 6780345900" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Letang Is The Truth]

that is awesome

[Letang Is The Truth]

also - how are these images generated? is it just a snap shot from the hubble or does it piece together various data points to generate? and it would be really interesting to see the scale for each one

[pittsoccer33]

I watched an interview with NDT on youtube and they threw out some facts of how many people in America don't belive in evolution - that just shocked and saddened me. Even among the [allegedly enlightened] Democrats only something like 60some% believe in evolution.

I don't understand why religion and science can't coexist. I guess I do because of fundamentalists and idiots like Todd Akin, and thats extremely sad.

[count2infinity]

"It's only a theory."

[Dickie Dunn]

I watched an interview with NDT on youtube and they threw out some facts of how many people in America don't belive in evolution - that just shocked and saddened me. Even among the [allegedly enlightened] Democrats only something like 60some% believe in evolution.

I don't understand why religion and science can't coexist. I guess I do because of fundamentalists and idiots like Todd Akin, and thats extremely sad.

A friend of mine grew up in Iron City, TN which is on the border of Tennessee and Alabama. His stories were always a combination entertaining and interesting. Neighborhood meth labs, over the top racism, drunken hunts for bigfoot. A lot of stereotypical redneck stuff. The story I found most astonishing was his estimation that the overwhelming majority of people in the area where he grew up don't believe in dinosaurs because they're not in the bible.

Sometimes people are just dumb.

[pittsoccer33]

Deism needs to make a comeback

[Gaucho]

Portolan Charts 'Too Accurate' to be Medieval

http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/648-po ... e-medieval

[Shyster]

Unfortunately, SpaceX's resupply mission to the ISS that was supposed to launch this last weekend has been delayed a couple weeks due to possible contamination in the Dragon's "trunk" cargo area. The delay totally screws up the logo for the mission, which included a Shamrock for St. Patty's day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SpaceX_CRS-3.png" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[viva la ben]

Portolan Charts 'Too Accurate' to be Medieval

http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/648-po ... e-medieval

Obviously a gift from aliens.

[count2infinity]

Watched the second episode of cosmos last night. Was way better than the first episode. More obvious pot shots at religion, but still a pretty decent episode. Hopefully this is the route they start to take of showing the wonders of the Earth and Universe rather than showing stories of humans and how they discovered such wonders.

[columbia]

Big Bang's Smoking Gun Found
http://news.discovery.com/space/astrono ... 140317.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[columbia]

[tifosi77]

Big Bang's Smoking Gun Found
http://news.discovery.com/space/astrono ... 140317.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is actually quite cool.

WATCH: Physicist Gets 'Smoking Gun' Proof Of His Theory
[youtube][/youtube]

5 Sigma.

[columbia]

Dinosaur dubbed 'chicken from hell' was armed and dangerous
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014 ... nzu-wyliei" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[columbia]

[youtube][/youtube]