21 NOV 2017 by ideonexus
The Increasing Chemical Complexity of the Cosmos
The ancient origins of stars, planets and life may be viewed as a sequence of emergent events, each of which added to the chemical complexity of the cosmos. Stars, which formed from the primordial hydrogen of the Big Bang, underwent nucleosynthesis to produce all the elements of the Periodic Table. Those elements were dispersed during supernova events and provided the raw materials for planets and all their mineralogical diversity. Chemical evolution on Earth (and perhaps countless other plan...
1 31 MAY 2015 by ideonexus
Flatland Science: Dimensions
What and where is Flatland? A Square gives
us several interesting answers, many of th
contradictory. We know that it’s flat, big (but
how big?), and very thin, the most important question
of all is “how thin?” A lot depends on the answer…
A Square himself eliminates the version that’s easiest
for three-dimensional readers to understand; a world
that’s thin – maybe only a few atoms thick - but
nevertheless has some physical height. It would have
some sort of solid or semi-solid base, with eve...Folksonomies: science fiction otherness
Folksonomies: science fiction otherness
1 
notes
notes19 DEC 2013 by ideonexus
Accelerating Knowledge
The rate at which man has been storing up useful knowledge about himself and the universe
has been spiraling upward for 10,000 years. The rate took a sharp upward leap with the
invention of writing, but even so it remained painfully slow over centuries of time. The next
great leap forward in knowledge—acquisition did not occur until the invention of movable
type in the fifteenth century by Gutenberg and others. Prior to 1500, by the most optimistic
estimates, Europe was producing books at a r...Toffler describes and quantifies the increasing production of information in human civilization and its implications.
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... 1 notes
notesIf they were slightly different, the Universe wouldn't look the way it does.
13 DEC 2011 by ideonexus
Carbon VS Silicon Life
Though one might imagine "living" organisms such as intelligent computers produced from other elements, such as silicon, it is doubtful that life could have spontaneously evolved in the absence of carbon. The reasons for that are technical but have to do with the unique manner in which carbon bonds with other elements. Carbon dioxide, for example, is gaseous at room temperature, and biologically very useful. Since silicon is the element directly below carbon on the periodic table, it has simi... 1 notes
notesWhile we can imagine living computers, it is hard to imagine silicon life spontaneously forming in the universe.
29 MAR 2011 by ideonexus
Requirements for a Science Bible
Creating a permanent record of our civilization may not be as difficult as we imagine. What we need is a primer on science, clearly written and unambiguous in its meaning—a primer for anyone interested in the state of the Earth and how to survive and live well on it. One that would serve also as a primary school science text. It would be the scientific equivalent of the Bible. It would contain practical information such as how to light a fire, and things to wonder about when it was lit. It wo...
1 What are some of the most basic and important things that would need to go into a completely introductory book on Science?
24 FEB 2011 by ideonexus
Science Doesn't Concern Itself With What Doesn't Exist
Science doesn’t concern itself with the non-existence of something. The periodic table of imaginary things would be too big for a classroom- infinitely big in fact, and rather pointless. It’s not trying to prove the non-existence of anything supernatural. All it knows is there is no scientific proof of anything supernatural so far. When someone presents a jar of God it will test it. If it finds some evidence of “godness” it will follow the evidence till it knows everything it can.
The fact t... 1 notes
notesRicky Gervais describing why science only concerns itself with discovering truth, not what should be done with that truth.
