Comments on: Help discover dark matter in the universe, win money http://www.kurzweilai.net/help-discover-dark-matter-in-the-universe-win-money Accelerating Intelligence Thu, 20 Jun 2013 06:18:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: NakedApe http://www.kurzweilai.net/help-discover-dark-matter-in-the-universe-win-money/comment-page-1#comment-52028 NakedApe Mon, 12 Nov 2012 00:57:00 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=169666#comment-52028 Our editor is a very intelligent lady! In a basic Astronomy course I took, the professor showed us how galaxies spin as if a much greater gravitational force was acting upon them than could be accounted for by visible matter alone. There is no current gravitational theory to account for this except to postulate there is a mass of matter we cannot perceive --- hence Dark Matter. Why do people so often want instant truth from science or they throw the baby out with the bathwater? Science is a process of discovery and I, for one, hope to live long enough to learn the answers to some of the profound questions that we are asking today. In the meantime, I am thrilled to be alive at this fascinating time of human existence. Our editor is a very intelligent lady! In a basic Astronomy course I took, the professor showed us how galaxies spin as if a much greater gravitational force was acting upon them than could be accounted for by visible matter alone. There is no current gravitational theory to account for this except to postulate there is a mass of matter we cannot perceive — hence Dark Matter.

Why do people so often want instant truth from science or they throw the baby out with the bathwater? Science is a process of discovery and I, for one, hope to live long enough to learn the answers to some of the profound questions that we are asking today. In the meantime, I am thrilled to be alive at this fascinating time of human existence.

]]> By: Editor http://www.kurzweilai.net/help-discover-dark-matter-in-the-universe-win-money/comment-page-1#comment-49758 Editor Wed, 07 Nov 2012 01:45:41 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=169666#comment-49758 Actually, dark matter was originally hypothesized to account for discrepancies between calculations of the mass of galaxies, clusters of galaxies and the entire universe and calculations based on the mass of the visible "luminous" matter. See http://www.kaggle.com/c/DarkWorlds for current thinking. Note that the scientific method calls for looking for observations that falsify, rather than prove, an hypothesis or theory. There is no "proof" or absolute "truth" in science. Actually, dark matter was originally hypothesized to account for discrepancies between calculations of the mass of galaxies, clusters of galaxies and the entire universe and calculations based on the mass of the visible “luminous” matter. See http://www.kaggle.com/c/DarkWorlds for current thinking. Note that the scientific method calls for looking for observations that falsify, rather than prove, an hypothesis or theory. There is no “proof” or absolute “truth” in science.

]]> By: Art White http://www.kurzweilai.net/help-discover-dark-matter-in-the-universe-win-money/comment-page-1#comment-49744 Art White Wed, 07 Nov 2012 01:08:39 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=169666#comment-49744 Aka Looking for The big dark fudge factor of the big bang failed theory at the wrong end of the telescope. Aka Looking for The big dark fudge factor of the big bang failed theory at the wrong end of the telescope.

]]> By: Mortran http://www.kurzweilai.net/help-discover-dark-matter-in-the-universe-win-money/comment-page-1#comment-49713 Mortran Tue, 06 Nov 2012 23:44:44 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=169666#comment-49713 We have a highly speculative theory here and now we are looking for observations to prove it. Shouldn't science work the other way around? First there should be an observation, and then we should look for a theory to explain it. We have a highly speculative theory here and now we are looking for observations to prove it.
Shouldn’t science work the other way around? First there should be an observation, and then we should look for a theory to explain it.

]]> By: YourNameHere http://www.kurzweilai.net/help-discover-dark-matter-in-the-universe-win-money/comment-page-1#comment-48994 YourNameHere Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:40:39 +0000 http://www.kurzweilai.net/?p=169666#comment-48994 ...And donate the money to the poor people in Caracas. …And donate the money to the poor people in Caracas.

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