It is quite amazing.
We observe and measure and learn and come up with a theory that seems to fit with what we think we know.
Then we find a way of observing better and or measuring better and instantly the whole theory collapses.
It must be an astonishing science to be involved with, as unlike other areas where the big stuff is pretty much understood and we are looking at small incremental increases in knowledge Cosmology stands everything on it’s head at regular intervals.
Lots of connotations and re thinking required if this all proves true. One of the counter arguments against advanced extra terrestrial life is how long it took for life to form on Earth after the big bang. The argument proposes that for life forms to be considerably more advanced there hasn’t been enough time.
I think I’m living proof that there has…
The really big difference is that of all the physical sciences cosmology is the most completely ‘observational’. There are almost no experiments that we can do to probe the system we’re studying either because (stating the obvious) the physical scale is too large or because the events we’re interested in happened in the distant and unreproducible past. All we can do is make observations.
2 Likes
Timescale is probably the weakest argument against advanced extraterrestrial life - life happened on Earth pretty soon after surface conditions stabilised sufficiently (and - ironically - in conditions that would be inimical to present-day life). Plus, our solar system is fairly young at 4.6Ga - the oldest known are three times as old (~13.8Ga).
Technological life really dragged its heels, due (counterintuitively) to a lack of sufficiently harsh conditions - the change from a broadly benign ‘greenhouse’ climate to a cooling, drying, desertifying climate ~30Ma during the Oligocene drove evolutionary change in Primates that increased brain size and promoted the need for more complex social interaction, increased tool-use, the need for clothing, lasting shelter, &c. &c. Even then it was another 10 million years before tool use became widespread and began to demonstrate ‘cultural’ trends…
Of course, that’s how things went on Earth. We have a characteristically anthropogenic assumption that Earth was optimal for the development of life. Truth is there will be planetary systems where conditions are more favourable to the development of life as we know it. We have no clue if other, perhaps vastly-different pathways to life are possible - they may even be much more common, happen faster, and have more scope for advancement.
Looking at the fucking mess we’re making of absolutely everything rn - I doubt truly advanced life would count us as members of their club. I suspect that if we are observed at-all, it’s in much the same way as we would observe a sub-optimal ant colony that is wracked with disease and warfare and disaster, but all of its own making…
3 Likes
As straplines for AA go, this is unfuckwithable.
6 Likes
Just popped up on t’newsfeed…
Someone should make a tonearm with it!
“Gets stronger when hit by JB”
1 Like
Gamma rays . . .
1 Like
That’s a lot of black…
1 Like
It’s so sad that kids these days would have never seen the goatse thread or even know what it is 
2 Likes
Back innaday, maymays meant something…
1 Like
Mathematicians invent new hat
2 Likes
Sort of sciency stuff happening shortly:
Update: not today
5 Likes
Before Tok Tic; Insta-Face and Book-Gram dumbed shit down, we had concise programmes like this. Very much ‘of it’s time’ but still cool …
1 Like
And this. Which so far is the best program I’ve watched regarding Valves…
2 Likes
Maths anyone?
I used to like Penrose tiles years ago - genius physicist Roger Penrose use to play about creating tiles that tessellated, no gaps, but didn’t repeat.
A few months ago, a team created the “hat” - a tile that tessellated aperiodically with its mirror image…
https://twitter.com/cs_kaplan/status/1637996332475359232?t=p-S7Q06myS-elLBaK7eKwA&s=19
Now the same team has found a single tile that does it all: an aperiodic monotile.
https://twitter.com/mathyawp/status/1663419011789631488?t=WTqiuonEQW21EciGkmK_Ag&s=19
4 Likes