There’s been a lot of buzz recently about a new device that can provide thrust to an object without a corresponding counter-thrust. If true, this would violate a fundamental tenet of physics known as conservation of momentum. Claims of this kind of thing show up all the time “because of the tremendous possibilities if they succeed.” They never work, but in this case there are experiments that claim measurable results. Experiments that have been repeated by multiple teams. Does that mean this effect is real? No.
Not a Crackpot
There’s a new article at Nautilus that asks “Do We Have the Big Bang Theory All Wrong?” It outlines a “radical” new idea that the cosmic microwave background isn’t due to cosmic inflation, but rather to virtual particles in vast emptiness of space. There’s an old saying that if the title of your article is a question, and the answer is no, then you probably shouldn’t write the article. In the article the author chose to portray Hans-Jörg Fahr, the proponent of the idea, as a lone genius who questions the established model of cosmology, and who is definitely not a crackpot. Fahr is compared to Halton Arp, Sir Fred Hoyle, and even Hannes Alfvén (who won a Nobel prize for his work on magnetohydrodynamics, which is central to modern astrophysics). These scientists were all clearly brilliant, and they were definitely not crackpots. They were just wrong.
Magnetic Reversal
The magnetic field of the Earth is often portrayed as a large magnet that runs through the center of the Earth, with the magnetic poles located basically at the north and south poles of the Earth, but this is only a rough approximation. Earth’s magnetic field is generated in its core. The core of the Earth has a solid central region surrounded by a fluid outer region. This outer region undergoes convection, and its motion generates the magnetic field through what is known as a dynamo effect.
Copy Pasta
Something is amiss in the universe. There appears to be an enormous deficit of ultraviolet light in the cosmic budget. Or, so I’m told. I was asked by a few readers about a new study showing there is less light in the universe than expected. They heard of this from various articles showing up on the web. Like this one …
Impossible Dream
Imagine working on a project to mine asteroids, or mapping a billon stars in our galaxy, or using the next generation of space telescopes to study the atmospheres of possibly habitable exoplanets. Imagine going to the Moon, or even Mars. Those are dreams you can make real.
Signs and Portents
In 1066 a comet appeared in the sky, larger than Venus, and unusually bright. Like many comets, its appearance was taken as an omen. This happened to be the same year as the Battle of Hastings, in which the Anglo-Saxon King Harold II clashed with Duke William II of Normandy in a battle which sealed the Norman conquest of England. After the battle it became clear that the comet was an omen of William the Conqueror’s victory, which is commemorated in the Bayeux Tapestry. The comet is included in the tapestry, as you can see.
Dark Matters
You’ll notice the graph above is fit to the dark matter model, but not any alternative model. This was done intentionally, and it helps to feed the fires of sensationalism in science reporting. Unfortunately it makes it much harder to convey what’s really going on. These results were hyped, intentionally, and they shouldn’t have been.
Hype It Up
Here’s a headline for you: Physicists find black holes in globular star clusters, upsetting 40 years of theory This story (and others with similar titles) has been making the rounds of science fans. So how does this upset 40 years of theory? It doesn’t.