biggest breakthrough of the next 50 years

glenc (Glen) · #1 23-11-2006, 07:11 AM

From New Scientist
What will be the biggest breakthrough of the next 50 years? As part of our 50th anniversary celebrations we asked over 70 of the world's most brilliant scientists for their ideas.
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/...ecasts/dn10580

Paul Davies forecasts the future

One of the great outstanding scientific mysteries is the origin of life. How did it happen? When I was a student, most scientists thought that life began with a stupendous chemical fluke, unique in the observable universe. Today it is fashionable to say that life is written into the laws of nature - easy to get started and therefore likely to be widespread in the universe. The truth is, nobody has a clue. It could be either extreme, or somewhere in the middle.

We may soon know the answer, though. The clincher would be the discovery of a second genesis on another planet, such as Mars. There is an easier possibility, however. If life really does form readily then we might expect it to have started many times over on Earth. There could be aliens right here, under our noses. Most life is microbial, and you can't tell just by looking whether a microbe is "our" life or alien. You need to analyse the chemical innards. The search for terrestrial aliens has only just begun. If they are here, they could be identified soon. And the discovery that all life on Earth did not, after all, have a common origin would virtually prove that we are not alone in the universe.
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/...he-future.html

xelasnave · #2 23-11-2006, 07:26 AM

Glen that is fantastic stuff you have made my day... rather I will be tied up all day reading all the branches of expectations.
I used to think educating one self would lead to a time when you knew everything but its a case of the more you know the more you realise that there is still more to know than you first understood.
I read so much but it is like trying to fill the Grand Canyon using a sugar scoop.
Something I wonder about life and I am convinced it must exsist elsewhere is..will we find it based on something other than carbon ( there is speculation by others of silicon for example) and the other is I find it fascinating that all life on Earth is sortta the same a dog and a human are not that different ..you can look at anything and they have arms and legs just differently arranged..we all seem to be made from the one plan just the dimentions are different. Is there another plan out there I wonder.
Well I am very happy I can busy myself for hours if not interupted with meaningless work... and may leave tonight to go home..I hope I hope I hope.
alex

xelasnave · #3 23-11-2006, 07:32 AM

mmmm imagine if life does not exist anywhere but on Earth and somehow we could comprehend such a fact..how would it make you feel that we are it...it would worry the life out of me I doubt I could handle such knowledge... make one turn religious immediatley I expect.
mmmm I think someone has slipped a red frog in my tea.
alex

Apocrisiary (Michael) · #4 26-11-2006, 04:14 PM

I don't think the discovery of life elsewhere will be a tremendous event. No doubt it has evolved and gone extinct numerous times in quiet corners of Solar systems just in our galaxy alone not to mention the Universe overall.
The big scientific discovery just around the corner will come when the large Hadron collider in CERN is switched on. We will see multiple dimensions come tumbling out of unfathomably small particles.
Hey Alex it might even unlock some secrets about that bugger GRAVITY.
Dark matter will need no further explanation as the total amount of mass in the universe will be revealed tied up inside these multiple dimensions.
We might even get a grand theory of everything.....which will be pretty close to a Simpson's quote...."Maybe its all just a bunch of stuff that happened".
However it turns out it is all amazing to think about and spectacular to observe.

Doug · #5 26-11-2006, 06:26 PM

Quote:

There is an easier possibility, however. If life really does form readily then we might expect it to have started many times over on Earth.

Are we dealing with medievalism here?
Wasn't it that French bloke, (the one that gave us high speed milk) that disproved spontaneous generation of life?

Alex, I'm sure that even if it could be shown absolutely that life is unique to this planet, many would find another comfort zone other than religion.

cheers,
Doug

xelasnave · #6 26-11-2006, 06:57 PM

"Alex, I'm sure that even if it could be shown absolutely that life is unique to this planet, many would find another comfort zone other than religion."
Doug I was figuring that we could be Gods

"Hey Alex it might even unlock some secrets about that bugger GRAVITY"
Well one man cant go on building a road if someone does not lend a hand. I am a particle man I like the idea that at some level we get to a 4 dimentional pool table where everything is perfect and the balls all perfectly round

The dominance of particles means the dominace of probabilities the possiblitiy of infinite supply of particles means an infinite supply of gravity so they have plenty to work with

alex

Doug · #7 26-11-2006, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Doug I was figuring that we could be Gods

But I thought you wanted to avoid religun Alex; now you want to be an LDS?

Cheers,
Doug

xelasnave · #8 27-11-2006, 12:39 AM

It could be a tuff job but someone may have to do it

..
But I would love that one of the sats out there picks up a message from others out there sent eons in the past on an assumption that beings like us may come upon their utterance. Telling us nothing other than they are intelligent and indicate a different approach to the cards life deat them..and maybe a picture of their sister

.
It is doubful but what news that would be..how would we comprehend it.. but it would be nice to hear that before one leaves this place

.
alex

monoxide · #9 27-11-2006, 12:47 AM

we will never figure it out completely, the real problem is even if someone puts out a theory of everything that is actually correct, there will be people that wont believe it because it doesnt fit with their own beliefs and keep driving the search coming up with more wacky theories that will be accepted also. personally i dont have my own theory or agree that any certain one is right because i just cant comprehend the physics behind some of them and just because it doesnt seem rational doesnt mean it doesnt happen. hell, look at quantum physics thats just weird stuff.

too many chefs in the kitchen, the driving force behind getting answers now imho is to get your name on a plaque

just to really mess with your head, if the big bang theory is correct, how the hell did the singularity get there in the first place? before you answer, think of this.. how did (insert your answer) get there also? theres a lot of strange stuff going on, ie. the law that says matter cannot be created nor destroyed (same with energy) but in that case the big bang didnt happen and black holes cant exist

confused yet? if not well, look at the string theory and you soon will be

Tj

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #10 27-11-2006, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xelasnave

But I would love that one of the sats out there picks up a message from others out there sent eons in the past on an assumption that beings like us may come upon their utterance. Telling us nothing other than they are intelligent

I can just imagine the message Alex.

"Our Planet is going to self-destruct in 100 years. Please come and rescue us so we can live on, and pass on our amazing technology and cures for everything"

sent from 101 light-years away!

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #11 27-11-2006, 01:06 AM

and of course NASA will send back a message saying:

"Hang on, here we come. Just give us directions"

xelasnave · #12 29-11-2006, 05:58 PM

What an interesting problem..well of course we will help.. thats us all over look at all the people around the world we help.. not the starving millions but that fool thousands of miles from land pursuing a luxury sailing race..we can save him ...we can save anybody not just everybody.
alex

xelasnave · #13 29-11-2006, 06:02 PM

How the heck did singularity get there in the first place???
I wonder I really wonder how. Do you mean how can we have nothing and then have something that grew a trillion time in under s second and finially became infite (I cant figure how many times you have to multipy by a trillion to get infinity)...or something else perhaps, ?
alex

Doug · #14 29-11-2006, 06:55 PM

Alex, you got the Aspirin handy?

A singularity, according to Prof N Ryte, is a single dimension, or more properly not a dimension, rather, that state in which any one of the three dimensions is missing. With the coming into effect, or the establishment of the missing dimensions, be it one or both, the three dimensional universe 'is' from that genesis point on. He also reminded me that time is not an issue because with the appearing of three dimensions, time just 'is'. He said that properly studied, it becomes obvious how time is merely an expression of existence, not a dimension in its own right. Given these basic precepts, the right functioning mind should be able to understand how and why time is irrelevant to the actual size of the universe.

I think what he is getting at is that when the universe appeared, it was limitless(?), yet time exists as a measurable quantity throughout those limitless vistas.
I queried this idea in the light of an expanding universe and he just muttered something about underachievers, and seemed to just loose himself in some notes.

xelasnave · #15 29-11-2006, 10:51 PM

At least quantum fluctuations in nothing has not crept in. A fluctuation between positive and negative I heard somewhere mmmmm looks good on paper...
As to time I spend a lot of it thinking about it. T is required in space time calculations as a factor but again it is for humans trying to grasp and quantify something. I personally put my money on steady state with no start and no begining and then I dont have to worry about concepts I can not accept. Dont worry that is my problem and I dont have to pass any exams so it matters not if I am right or wrong..thank goodness. AND most of all by taking T out of the picture at least I am sortta considering one frame... just deep.
alex

ispom · #16 30-11-2006, 05:50 AM

imho
the most important problems,
which are to be solved in the next 50 years:

stop the population explosion !
and
the first nuclear fusion power stations as power supply systems!

skies2clear · #17 30-11-2006, 10:33 AM

Tj, I concur! As Paul Davies said, "truth is, nobody has a clue", including Paul Davies.
But everything taught in school is right! Right! hmmm...
As time goes by, we'll find out more, hopefully not more confusing! And then, perhaps some of those things taught in educational institutions and universities as fact today, will be seen as theories that were wrong.(maybe I should be committed to an institution!)

If time is "...merely an expression of existance, and not a dimension in it's own right", maybe an important point to all of this is, without conscious existance, there is no comprehension of time, or anthing else for that matter! Maybe consciousness started it all off....The chicken or the egg first, and so on..

Maybe Paul Davies is an alien? Or maybe I am, and trying to mislead everyone.

I think the flu is an alien that constantly morphs. Ha Ha!

Just having a bit of fun! And boy, do we need to have some laughs with the way we are treating this planet lately. Proper balance with important issues it seems, is not something the human race (and those aliens amongst us) is endowed with.

xelasnave · #18 02-12-2006, 03:03 PM

We need to start building battle stars to meet the foe that will come..we need to be ready ..out posts need to be inplace..mmm and all that yellow cake is now the property of the Outter Space Control Program..we cant have that good stuff wasted on Earth.. our space program will need all it can get.
As crazy as that sounds the most difficult problem facing man is how to occupy them all...Wars have been the way of the past but lets hope something new comes along... we need a program and I just thought building battle stars would be good to have up and running and would employ billions.
alex