Science Squabbling

gravity - how does that work ?

well hopefully they'll tell us today

next week - magnets

Imagine a big rubber sheet, in three dimensions.

And in this sheet, are all the planets and stars and stuff in the universe.

And also on this sheet, in very faint letters, is written the word "Gravity", made out of tiny magnetic unicorns.

All there is to it.

Potentially very exciting day... Can't wait to hear what's been happening at CERN since they've turned the LHC back on...

Unicorns?
I think you'll find they're Pegasii.

I'm not sure anyone, in the whole history of the internet, has used the Latinate plural of Pegasus before.

Well done.

Today is all about LIGO. I thought.

Are you playing the fool?

I was channeling Alan.

Lucky man.

Needed an 'also' in there...

I am also very excited about new discoveries at the large hadron collider, you Michael Jackson jacket wearing motherfucker...

😐

👏💥🌚😂

Well. I've never been so insulted.

#actualselfie

well hopefully they'll tell us today

In Milestone, Scientists Detect Gravitational Waves As Black Holes Collide

researchers say they have detected rumblings from that cataclysmic collision as ripples in the very fabric of space-time itself

This was pretty awesome from a few days ago:

China's nuclear fusion machine just smashed Germany's hydrogen plasma record

Now physicists in China have announced that their own nuclear fusion machine, called the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), has produced hydrogen plasma at 49.999 million degrees Celsius, and held onto it for an impressive 102 seconds.

Gravitational wave discovery:

This is so beautiful. The mind of man dreams up a theory and rigorously calculates a mathematical description.

100 years later one of its most subtle predictions is confirmed via Black holes, light years, lasers (which didn't exist then) and incredible ingenuity of man.

In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing in any religious text ever written or imagined that can rival this for jaw dropping beauty and wonder.

Go humans. Go rationality. Go scientific method. You guys totally rock.

Yeah, but how can something so complex as man come about?

Indeed

From absolute chaos comes amazing complexity. There is no need for a creator.
I found this ted talk very interesting
https://www.ted.com/talks/david_christian_big_history?language=en

I think @Chalfie had his tongue in his cheek when he said that...

Yes I think so, but that talk is interesting regardless.

Still, there is the question of what started the big bang.

Thanks I'll definitely watch it.

Although, I need to be better at combating confirmation bias and watch stuff I don't already agreed with, too!

Quantum fluctuations in another dimension. Apparently. But definitely not God, no definitely not .
A Universe from nothing is quite an interesting read.

.

hydrogen plasma at 49.999 million degrees Celsius

Seems like an odd number. Maybe they need a thermometer which goes to over 50 million just to make sure it wasn't pressed up against the end stop.

This bit's even more impressive:

has produced hydrogen plasma at 49.999 million degrees Celsius, and held onto it for an impressive 102 seconds.

I can't hold onto a plate that's been in the microwave for 102 seconds.