discuss Science & Technology news & discussion

[CraigD]

Post and discuss interesting articles & videos about science and technology.

You don't need to be an expert - just interested in the wonders of modern science, technology, and the history of these fields.

Please keep it rational, and post articles from reputable sources.
Try not to editorialise headlines and keep the copy to just a paragraph with a link to the original source. When quoting excerpts from articles, I think the best method is to italicise the copy, and include a link to the source.

Have some fun with your comments and discussions... just keep the sources legitimate.

Other threads:
The Break Room has a number of other popular threads, so there is no need to post material here that is better suited to these other threads:

- Covid19-Coronavirus updates and news
- Conspiracy Thread Free For All
- The *religious* discussion thread

Please enjoy!

 

[CraigD]

A Decade of Discoveries at the Large Hadron Collider

It’s been 10 years since the first particles smashed into each other at the world’s biggest scientific experiment, the Large Hadron Collider. Scientists from each of the four giant experiments - ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb - reflect on what they've learned over the past decade and what they hope to discover in the next.

A great (but long) video from The Royal Institution, founded in 1799 and instrumental in the advancement of science.

More information:

https://home.cern/science/accelerators/large-hadron-collider

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider

 

[CraigD]

New study details atmosphere on 'hot Neptune' 260 light years away that 'shouldn't exist'

...the results are just a first step into a new phase of exoplanetary exploration as the study of exoplanet atmospheres steadily moves toward smaller and smaller planets.

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-atmosphere-hot-neptune-years-shouldnt.html

 

[koolishman]

The world’s best solar power schemes now offer the “cheapest…electricity in history” with the technology cheaper than coal and gas in most major countries.

That is according to the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2020. The 464-page outlook, published today by the IEA, also outlines the “extraordinarily turbulent” impact of coronavirus and the “highly uncertain” future of global energy use over the next two decades.

Reflecting this uncertainty, this year’s version of the highly influential annual outlook offers four “pathways” to 2040, all of which see a major rise in renewables. The IEA’s main scenario has 43% more solar output by 2040 than it expected in 2018, partly due to detailed new analysis showing that solar power is 20-50% cheaper than thought.

So, officially, solar energy is cheapest in history now.

 

[CraigD]

The world’s best solar power schemes now offer the “cheapest…electricity in history” with the technology cheaper than coal and gas in most major countries.

That is according to the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2020. The 464-page outlook, published today by the IEA, also outlines the “extraordinarily turbulent” impact of coronavirus and the “highly uncertain” future of global energy use over the next two decades.

Reflecting this uncertainty, this year’s version of the highly influential annual outlook offers four “pathways” to 2040, all of which see a major rise in renewables. The IEA’s main scenario has 43% more solar output by 2040 than it expected in 2018, partly due to detailed new analysis showing that solar power is 20-50% cheaper than thought.

So, officially, solar energy is cheapest in history now.

Well, as for solar photovoltaic modules, the technology and manufacturing is improving. Swanson's Law states that solar cell prices fall 20% for every doubling of industry capacity.

 

[koolishman]

Well, as for solar photovoltaic modules, the technology and manufacturing is improving. Swanson's Law states that solar cell prices fall 20% for every doubling of industry capacity.

You have to thank Elon Musk too, for his project down under.

 

[CraigD]

Youi have to thank Elon Musk too, for his project down under.

Yes... Elon promised and delivered in record time!

How Elon Musk's big Tesla battery is changing Australia's power landscape
The world's biggest lithium-ion battery - built by tech billionaire Elon Musk's company Tesla last year [2017] - has survived its first summer in South Australia's mid-north.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-06/tesla-battery-outperforms-coal-and-gas/9625726

Tesla boss Elon Musk pledges to fix SA's electricity woes in 100 days 'or free'
The boss of Tesla and Space X has made an intriguing pitch - declaring his company could install a battery farm capable of "fixing" the system within 100 days, or else do it for free.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03...k-pledges-to-fix-sas-electricity-woes/8344084

 

[koolishman]

Yes... Elon promised and delivered in record time!

How Elon Musk's big Tesla battery is changing Australia's power landscape
The world's biggest lithium-ion battery - built by tech billionaire Elon Musk's company Tesla last year [2017] - has survived its first summer in South Australia's mid-north.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-06/tesla-battery-outperforms-coal-and-gas/9625726

Tesla boss Elon Musk pledges to fix SA's electricity woes in 100 days 'or free'
The boss of Tesla and Space X has made an intriguing pitch - declaring his company could install a battery farm capable of "fixing" the system within 100 days, or else do it for free.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03...k-pledges-to-fix-sas-electricity-woes/8344084

That was an audacious promise. Kind of "make-or-break" Elon's image. And got tremendous press for him and boosted solar image.

 

[CraigD]

NASA to Announce New Science Results About Moon

NASA will announce an exciting new discovery about the Moon from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) at a media teleconference at 12 p.m. EDT Monday, Oct. 26. Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-announce-new-science-results-about-moon

Any guesses what the big news is?
And no, it's probably not aliens!

 

[koolishman]

NASA to Announce New Science Results About Moon

NASA will announce an exciting new discovery about the Moon from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) at a media teleconference at 12 p.m. EDT Monday, Oct. 26. Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-announce-new-science-results-about-moon

Any guesses what the big news is?
And no, it's probably not aliens!

Water?Ice?

 

[CraigD]

Water?Ice?

atmosphere?

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LADEE/news/lunar-atmosphere.html

 

[CraigD]

What's the tallest THING we've ever built? How tall will we EVER be able to build?

 

[Cal2]

Is this a trick intelligence test?
I don't wish to click on a link that includes '#buyit' in the URL

I was wondering if someone was going to bring that up. : )

 

[Cal2]

How tall will we EVER be able to build?

I haven't followed this so I don't know where things are at now, but something I came across a few years ago:

"So what I'd like to do for my moonshot here is I'dlike you to imagine a world where the next generationairplanes are just as powerful as they are today,but they weigh as little as a toy airplane.Or imagine a world where you havethis car that you drive home, and then when you get home,it's light enough where you would put it on the roof.I don't know why you would want to put a car on the roof,but you'd put it up somewhere.And the last example I'd like to show youis imagine a world where the Golden GateBridge, or any bridge that you'd like to construct,the entire overall amount of materialsthat are used for this constructioncould fit in the palm of your hand.And this sounds a little bit like science fiction, right?Well, we think that we figured outa way how we possibly can bring this world closer to reality.And what I'd like to do now is to show you how."

Video text: http://www.allreadable.com/7466Acre

 

[Cannuck]

Being that it's Sunday, I thought I would bring a little 'spirited' discussion into the equation:

What Science Says About the Existence of God

The laws of science, as we know them at present, contain many fundamental numbers, like the size of the electric charge of the electron and the ratio of the masses of the proton and electron…. The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life. - Hawking, Stephen

The existence of God explains why there is something rather than nothing; it explains the intelligibility and order of the universe; it explains the continuing existence of the universe; it explains the beginning of the universe; it explains the inherently mathematical nature of the universe; it explains the existence of the laws of nature; it explains the beauty in the universe and the relationship between mathematical beauty and truth; it explains the existence of information; it explains the existence of free will and the ability to recognize good and evil; it explains religious experience; it explains the fine-tuning in the astro-physics of the universe that allows for conscious life; and it explains why thoughts have the capacity to produce true beliefs. Atheism lacks an adequate, coherent explanation for any of these things. - Overman, Dean L.

https://thenewamerican.com/what-science-says-about-the-existence-of-god/

 

[Mister Funsky]

Any guesses what the big news is?

Liquid/molten core.

 

[Cannuck]

A Decade of Discoveries at the Large Hadron Collider

It’s been 10 years since the first particles smashed into each other at the world’s biggest scientific experiment, the Large Hadron Collider. Scientists from each of the four giant experiments - ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb - reflect on what they've learned over the past decade and what they hope to discover in the next.

I've been wondering about some of these experiments. If we consider the microverse is greater than the universe, by colliding these sub-atomic particles, could we not be disturbing the natural order without actually knowing? Could science be rupturing the microcosmic fabric, creating energy ripples disturbing the time/space continuum? Those atomic-particle colliders could well be producing similar but opposite effects to that of large nuclear bombs that crack earth's atmosphere. That's top-secret experimental stuff.

 

[koolishman]

Being that it's Sunday, I thought I would bring a little 'spirited' discussion into the equation:

What Science Says About the Existence of God

The laws of science, as we know them at present, contain many fundamental numbers, like the size of the electric charge of the electron and the ratio of the masses of the proton and electron…. The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life. - Hawking, Stephen

The existence of God explains why there is something rather than nothing; it explains the intelligibility and order of the universe; it explains the continuing existence of the universe; it explains the beginning of the universe; it explains the inherently mathematical nature of the universe; it explains the existence of the laws of nature; it explains the beauty in the universe and the relationship between mathematical beauty and truth; it explains the existence of information; it explains the existence of free will and the ability to recognize good and evil; it explains religious experience; it explains the fine-tuning in the astro-physics of the universe that allows for conscious life; and it explains why thoughts have the capacity to produce true beliefs. Atheism lacks an adequate, coherent explanation for any of these things. - Overman, Dean L.

https://thenewamerican.com/what-science-says-about-the-existence-of-god/

The question then becomes, why should God exist?

 

[Cannuck]

The question then becomes, why should God exist?

The article states, if one wants to try to prove that God exists, one should rely on known facts to build a case for His existence. So the question becomes, “Is this possible?”

Hawking said, "The laws of science, as we know them at present, contain many fundamental numbers, like the size of the electric charge of the electron and the ratio of the masses of the proton and electron. The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life."

The most convincing mathematical argument said to prove the existence of God is the “fine-tuning argument”. It essentially says that life in a universe can only occur if the physical parameters of the universe are very similar to how they actually are in our universe; even small changes would mean no life was possible, indicating the presence of a guiding hand.

Non-believers say, “life will find a way”.

 

[CraigD]

Being that it's Sunday, I thought I would bring a little 'spirited' discussion into the equation:

What Science Says About the Existence of God

The laws of science, as we know them at present, contain many fundamental numbers, like the size of the electric charge of the electron and the ratio of the masses of the proton and electron…. The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life. - Hawking, Stephen

The existence of God explains why there is something rather than nothing; it explains the intelligibility and order of the universe; it explains the continuing existence of the universe; it explains the beginning of the universe; it explains the inherently mathematical nature of the universe; it explains the existence of the laws of nature; it explains the beauty in the universe and the relationship between mathematical beauty and truth; it explains the existence of information; it explains the existence of free will and the ability to recognize good and evil; it explains religious experience; it explains the fine-tuning in the astro-physics of the universe that allows for conscious life; and it explains why thoughts have the capacity to produce true beliefs. Atheism lacks an adequate, coherent explanation for any of these things. - Overman, Dean L.

https://thenewamerican.com/what-science-says-about-the-existence-of-god/

I spent too many years brooding over these thoughts, trying to mesh the philosophy and physics in my small mind:

If God set the stage by creating the initial conditions - the math or quantum laws - that triggered the Big Bang and expansion of the universe, that introduces the issue of determinism where the future is already written, and there is no free will.

Or, perhaps He stepped back and allowed chance to govern after setting the initial conditions?

Or perhaps Creation was just a random event, where the initial conditions had to be right for it to occur at all?

I'm happy to simply exist and enjoy life as best I can at this point

 

[CraigD]

Perhaps we need to redefine this thread as Science, Technology and Philosophy???

 

[CraigD]

I've been wondering about some of these experiments. If we consider the microverse is greater than the universe, by colliding these sub-atomic particles, could we not be disturbing the natural order without actually knowing? Could science be rupturing the microcosmic fabric, creating energy ripples disturbing the time/space continuum? Those atomic-particle colliders could well be producing similar but opposite effects to that of large nuclear bombs that crack earth's atmosphere. That's top-secret experimental stuff.

Eddie's in the Space Time Continuum?

 

[CraigD]

NASA to Announce New Science Results About Moon

NASA will announce an exciting new discovery about the Moon from the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) at a media teleconference at 12 p.m. EDT Monday, Oct. 26. Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-announce-new-science-results-about-moon

Any guesses what the big news is?
And no, it's probably not aliens!

9 hours to go...
Any other theories on the big announcement from NASA about the Moon discovery?

 

[CraigD]

I haven't followed this so I don't know where things are at now, but something I came across a few years ago:

"So what I'd like to do for my moonshot here is I'dlike you to imagine a world where the next generationairplanes are just as powerful as they are today,but they weigh as little as a toy airplane.Or imagine a world where you havethis car that you drive home, and then when you get home,it's light enough where you would put it on the roof.I don't know why you would want to put a car on the roof,but you'd put it up somewhere.And the last example I'd like to show youis imagine a world where the Golden GateBridge, or any bridge that you'd like to construct,the entire overall amount of materialsthat are used for this constructioncould fit in the palm of your hand.And this sounds a little bit like science fiction, right?Well, we think that we figured outa way how we possibly can bring this world closer to reality.And what I'd like to do now is to show you how."

Video text: http://www.allreadable.com/7466Acre

How far off are we from actually using nano-tubes to start building as mentioned in this video?

 

[koolishman]

9 hours to go...
Any other theories on the big announcement from NASA about the Moon discovery?

I have to go with water/ice as U.S is planning manned missions again. Or massive deposits of some mineral.

Could be shedding more light into origin of moon also.

 

[CraigD]

I have to go with water/ice as U.S is planning manned missions again. Or massive deposits of some mineral.

Could be shedding more light into origin of moon also.

Yes, something that can obviously be picked up by SOFIA infrared observation.