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LoveCraft's Adjectives
Joined: 08/14/01
Posts: 247
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Have astronomers inadvertently aged the universe?
Saturday, November 24, 2007 at 8:50 AM
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. . . there is an odd feature of the theory that philosophers and scientists still argue about. In a nutshell, the theory suggests that we change things simply by looking at them and theorists have puzzled over the implications for years.
They often illustrate their concerns about what the theory means with mind-boggling experiments, notably Schrodinger's cat in which, thanks to a fancy experimental set up, the moggy is both alive and dead until someone decides to look, when it either carries on living, or dies. That is, by one interpretation (by another, the universe splits into two, one with a live cat and one with a dead one.)
New Scientist reports a worrying new variant as the cosmologists claim that astronomers may have accidentally nudged the universe closer to its death by observing dark energy, a mysterious anti gravity force which is thought to be speeding up the expansion of the cosmos.
The damaging allegations are made by Profs Lawrence Krauss of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and James Dent of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, who suggest that by making this observation in 1998 we may have caused the cosmos to revert to an earlier state when it was more likely to end. "Incredible as it seems, our detection of the dark energy may have reduced the life-expectancy of the universe," Prof Krauss tells New Scientist.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/11/21/scicosmos121.xml&CMP=ILC-mostviewedbox 
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Subtronik
Joined: 01/14/03
Posts: 1193
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RE: Have astronomers inadvertently aged the univer
Saturday, November 24, 2007 at 9:37 PM
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Seriously man, isn't the planet crazy enough as is? 
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Michael Chocholak
Joined: 01/14/04
Posts: 135
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RE: Have astronomers inadvertently aged the univer
Monday, November 26, 2007 at 11:44 AM
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in addition to "simply changing things by looking at them" Misha and Brian Aldiss used to have an ongoing discussion about whether writers influence reality with what they write. another writer friend of ours wrote a story earlier this year which involved a neighboring universe. I read the story last night. this morning in the news I find that this summer, scientists found a hole in the universe which may be... a neighboring universe;
http://www.teentoday.co.uk/2007/11/26/has-first-evidence-of-another-universe-been-seen/
Que la musique sonne - Edgard Varese
You don't need a mouth to communicate, you don't need rules to create. Anything is a potential instrument. Play it. - MC
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reconsiderate
Joined: 09/29/07
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 76
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RE: Have astronomers....
Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 4:07 PM
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This is the kind of stuff I love thinking about. What these people are talking about is changing consciousness. And changing consciousness means changing perception, which means that you wind up noticing more... at least, noticing different things.
All possible universes are simultaneously present, just as all the files on your computer are simultaneously present. Using psychological mechanisms that our species doesn't understand all that well yet, we call specific realities into being in exactly the same way that you can call a file on your computer into being by double clicking on it. And of course, you aren't really calling it into being, since it already exists. All you're doing it calling it into the realm of your perception.
So, if scientists have "inadvertently aged the universe" by studying dark matter, all they've really done is openned up a few new files on the great database server that is our universe... metaphorically speaking. They haven't doomed us or anything like that. If anything, they've just made us more educated and aware, which is what scientists are supposed to do. So much respect to them for doing a good job. 
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Michael Chocholak
Joined: 01/14/04
Posts: 135
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RE: Have astronomers inadvertently aged the univer
Saturday, December 8, 2007 at 10:20 PM
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exactly
I had to come back to this. I have no problem with the premise, but the conclusion bothers me.
Quote:Incredible as it seems, our detection of the dark energy may have reduced the life-expectancy of the universe
if dark matter has a negative impact on the universe, why can't our observation of it therefore hold it in check - a positive outcome of observation? why does observation need to be a negative simply because it confirms existance (and our assumptions of its effects)? quantum physics would leave that aspect open ended. back to schrodinger.
Que la musique sonne - Edgard Varese
You don't need a mouth to communicate, you don't need rules to create. Anything is a potential instrument. Play it. - MC
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Kylo
Joined: 02/16/05
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 787
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RE: Have astronomers inadvertently
Sunday, December 9, 2007 at 3:29 AM
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It's pretty cool that this conversation uncovers a really important idea:
My reality is highly affected by my mind. Although I am here, and sifting through life- I can't see what is ahead of me in time; around, or understand etc. But I feel control only because I choose to...
And 100% of choosing has a lot to do with feedback feelings from the environment.
.... um... I lost myself.
Philosophy always makes ya go in circles... Shroedingers' cat is dead btw.
lol
it's 3:30 in the morning, I am hitting the hammock!
"Energizer bunny arrested- charged with battery."
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reconsiderate
Joined: 09/29/07
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 76
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RE: Have astronomers inadvertently aged the univer
Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 8:30 AM
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Just in case anyone is into it: the 6th circuit of consciousness. 'nuff said.
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playforchrissy
Joined: 01/23/08
Posts: 6
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RE: Have astronomers inadvertently aged the univer
Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 3:04 PM
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This is very interesting information
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