Big Bang? What Big Bang, I didn't hear one, did you?

[Mephistopheles]

Not me they don't I'm one of a kind...

 

[Titch]

What are you made of then?

 

[Mephistopheles]

Bullshit, mostly...

 

[Titch]

Oh ... Smelly then. But still silicates and carbon.

 

[Mephistopheles]

And straw..

 

[Jen]

No silicates in my body. I'm all natural and don't believe in 'augmentation'!

 

[Titch]

??

 

[Mephistopheles]

Maybe it was a big silent but deadly that came out of gods bottom...

 

[Bill Boddy]

There's an interesting article on the Beeb web site. It's about the search for dark matter and why the LHC in Cerne could detect it now it has been upgraded again. The annoying thing about the article is that it's a puff for the Horizon programme that was on last (Tuesday) night. It wasn't there at lunchtime so I didn't see the notification until the programme was over.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31912381

 

[siffert_fan]

Does that mean it might be on youtube tomorrow?

 

[Bill Boddy]

Could be, it was repeated tonight though.

 

[Sakari]

My self perceived Buddhist point of view to the debate.. "who gives a fuck".

 

[Titch]

The program on the search for dark matter/ energy was fascinating. It pointed up the huge differences between the theorists and those that try to make the theories work. It also pointed up how little we actually know.

 

[Bill Boddy]

.... It also pointed up how little we actually know.

As I remember round about 1990 scientists were saying that we knew pretty well all there was to know about the universe; they just needed to find more matter and that would be that.

But then I have a book which states categorically that the smallest particle is an atom.

 

[cider_and_toast]

I was watching Buzz Aldrin on Stargazing live, tonight. I think it's safe to say that the wheel is spinning but the mouse has long since passed away.

 

[siffert_fan]

The program on the search for dark matter/ energy was fascinating. It also pointed up how little we actually know.

That is one of the things that I have enjoyed the most about my career at NASA--although the programs that I have been privileged to work on have increased mankind's knowledge exponentially, the primary thing they have proven is that our lack of knowledge is truly profound. The more we learn, the more questions are raised!

The very concept of dark energy is so counter intuitive to me that I really do doubt its existence, but the questions raised by our observations have to be answered. It should prove a fascinating future for science!