I loved this SMBC. It echoes something I've observed before, that some physicists have disdain for philosophy, while often engaging in it themselves. Hovertext: "Philosophy is dumb, unless it comes out of the mouth of a physicist." Click through for full sized version and red button caption. via Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. I've discussed the question before … Continue reading SMBC: What if the universe is made of math?
Tag: Physics
Einstein, Schrodinger, and the reluctance to give up hard determinism
Ethan Siegel on his Starts With a Bang blog has an interesting review of Paul Halpern's new book on Einstein and Schrodinger, and their refusal to allow the implications of quantum physics to dissuade them from idea that the universe is strictly deterministic. It's an interesting post and one that I recommend reading in full. … Continue reading Einstein, Schrodinger, and the reluctance to give up hard determinism
Dark energy may be less energetic than previously thought
This is interesting. Astronomers discovered dark energy, the energy causing the rate of expansion rate of the universe to speed up, by looking at large numbers of Type 1a supernovae. Type 1a supernovae are white dwarfs (collapsed stars after their fusion has gone out) that explode. What causes a previously stable white dwarf to explode? … Continue reading Dark energy may be less energetic than previously thought
SMBC: Apologies by discipline
Click through for full sized version. via Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. STRICT REDUCTIONIST: Anyway, apologies are an evolutionary survival mechanism and therefore just an illusion.
Dark matter might cause neutron stars to collapse into black holes
ratamacue0 called my attention to this interesting article on the possibility of dark matter "eating" neutron stars: Dark matter: Devourer of stars | Ars Technica. Neutron stars are collapsed stars that have used up all of their fusion fuel. Typically what happens at that point in a star's life is that they collapse, but the extent of … Continue reading Dark matter might cause neutron stars to collapse into black holes
I would draw a similar graph for FTL and knowledge of physics
Click through for full sized version and the red button caption. via Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. Sometimes, learning science means discovering the constraints reality puts on us, and that part isn't always fun.
The movie ‘Interstellar’ and wormholes
The other day, I did a post on interstellar exploration which linked to one by Sten Odenwald on the problems with interstellar travel. Well, he posted some follow-up remarks, expressing some surprise at the response, doubling down on the aspects of the limitations of interstellar travel he identified, and urging people to be optimistically realistic. (I predict he'll get … Continue reading The movie ‘Interstellar’ and wormholes
New interpretation of quantum physics: Many Interacting Worlds
There's a new interpretation of quantum mechanics: Scientists propose existence and interaction of parallel worlds: Many Interacting Worlds theory challenges foundations of quantum science -- ScienceDaily. This new interpretation appears to be similar to the MWI (Many Worlds Interpretation) where quantum superpositions don't collapse, but spread, creating what amounts to new universes. However, in this theory, … Continue reading New interpretation of quantum physics: Many Interacting Worlds
Biology uses quantum effects.
When I first saw this article by Jim Al-Khalili and Johnjoe McFadden, my skeptical reflex kicked and I was, well, skeptical. Often when quantum mechanics gets mentioned with biology, it's questionable material. But I've seen enough of Al-Khalili's other work, and as President of the British Humanist Association, I'm not inclined to think he's subject to being … Continue reading Biology uses quantum effects.
Multiverse theories: “meta-cosmology”?
Marianne Freiberger reports on a discussion she had with Bernard Carr on whether or not multiverse theories are science. He has a suggestion for how we should classify these theories. With the possibility for indirect evidence in the future, maybe we shouldn't dismiss the multiverse as mere speculation, especially since it has many features that are … Continue reading Multiverse theories: “meta-cosmology”?
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