29 MAR 2012 by ideonexus
The Delicate Balance of the Forces of the Universe
the universe would be a vastly different place if the properties of the matter and force particles were even moderately changed. For example, the existence of the stable nuclei forming the hundred or so elements of the periodic table hinges delicately on the ratio between the strengths of the strong and electromagnetic forces. The protons crammed together in atomic nuclei all repel one another electromagnetically; the strong force acting among their constituent quarks, thankfully, overcomes t...If they were slightly different, the Universe wouldn't look the way it does.
17 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
Discovery of the First Pulsar
In 1967, British scientists found a much nearer intense radio source turning on and off with astonishing precision, its period constant to ten or more significant figures. What was it? Their first thought was that it was a message intended for us, or maybe an interstellar navigation and timing beacon for spacecraft that ply the space between the stars. They even gave it, among themselves at Cambridge University, the wry designation LGM-1 - LGM standing for Little Green Men. However, they wer...Designated LGM-1 for "Little Green Men" because it gave off a repeating radio signal.