^CategoryScience

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
August 28, 2022

Categorized
Philosophy, Physics, Science

Tagged
Big Bang and Webb findings, Big Bang's religious implications, Brian Koberlein on Big Bang, Don Lincoln on Big Bang, Infinite universe problem, James Webb Space Telescope, James Webb telescope and Big Bang, Sabine Hossenfelder on Big Bang}

Astrophysicist: Webb Finds May Bring “Revolutionary Changes”

_{It doesn’t disprove the Big Bang, says Brian Koberlein… but read the fine print. And Fermilab’s Don Lincoln gets the religious implications all wrong} _{News

August 28, 2022

5

Philosophy, Physics, Science}

Recently, the James Webb Space Telescope started sending back observations about our universe that started quite the tizzy. Did the Big Bang even happen? More focused: If it happened, did it happen when and how the conventional story runs? At Universe Today, astrophysicist Brian Koberlein tries to put the matter in perspective: Most significantly, it has found more galaxies and more distant galaxies than there should be, and that could lead to some revolutionary changes in our standard model. Our current understanding is that after the big bang the universe went through a period known as the dark ages. During this period the first light of the cosmos had faded, and the first stars and galaxies hadn’t yet formed. Webb Read More ›

Social media concept. Corona virus fake news concept. Scale on red background

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
August 10, 2022

Categorized
Censorship, Media, Science

Tagged
Cameron English, Clickbait, Error correction as science goal, Liar's Dividend, Misinformation and clickbait, Science incentive structure, Science incentives and questionable claims}

Why Misinformation Comes From the Top as Well as the Bottom

_{At Big Think, Cameron English asks us to look at the incentives for academic scientists to publish questionable research that gains widespread attention.} _{News

August 10, 2022

4

Censorship, Media, Science}

Cameron English, Director of Bio-Sciences at American Council on Science and Health, offers a useful take on the need felt by some in power to crack down on Misinformation: The uncomfortable truth is that academic scientists routinely publish questionable research that attracts widespread media attention, adding to the morass of “inaccurate information” circulating online. If we want to get this problem under control, we need our trusted sources to quit releasing untrustworthy information. Cameron English, “‘Trusted’ Sources Spread Anti-Science Nonsense, Too” at Big Think (August 4, 2022) But the fact is, untrustworthy information pays: It is true that researchers live and die by their grants; they either “publish or perish,” as the old saying goes. Often, that means academic scientists Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
July 30, 2022

Categorized
Science

Tagged
China Moon base proposal 2027, Eric Hedin on moon pits, Extraterrestrial life, Goldilocks Zone and balmy moon pits, Lunar pits, Moon pits, NASA Moon base proposal 2024}

NASA Finds Spots on the Moon With San Francisco Temperatures

_{No, this news is NOT from the “Strange News” tabloid at the checkout counter; it really happened and it is good news for proposed moon bases} _{News

July 30, 2022

4

Science}

Talk about a “fairy godmother” find: NASA-funded scientists have discovered shaded locations within pits on the Moon that always hover around a comfortable 63 F (about 17 C) using data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft and computer modeling. The pits, and caves to which they may lead, would make thermally stable sites for lunar exploration compared to areas at the Moon’s surface, which heat up to 260 F (about 127 C) during the day and cool to minus 280 F (about minus 173 C) at night. Lunar exploration is part of NASA’s goal to explore and understand the unknown in space, to inspire and benefit humanity. Bill Steigerwald, “NASA’s LRO Finds Lunar Pits Harbor Comfortable Temperatures” at NASA Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Wesley J. Smith
Date
July 26, 2022

Categorized
Philosophy, Relationships, Science

Tagged
Alzheimer origin, Anthony Fauci (flipflops), Autism and research fraud, Deborah Birx, Deepfakes (in science journals), Depression (seratonin levels doubted as cause), Featured, Francis Collins on lockdowns, Human embryo cloning and research fraud, Photoshopping in science journals, Science fraud, Trust in science, Trust in science tested by scandals}

Trust in Science? Fraud Now Claimed re Key Alzheimer Paper

_{Autism and COVID-19 research have also been marred by misrepresentation, raising issues about what “trust in science” should mean} _{Wesley J. Smith

July 26, 2022

6

Philosophy, Relationships, Science}

[This article is republished with permission from The Epoch Times (July 26, 2022) where it appeared under the title “Scientists Are Destroying Our Trust in Science.”] A just-published exposé in the journal Science claims that a seminal study on the causes of Alzheimer’s disease may contain falsified data. The 2006 report concluded that Alzheimer’s is caused by a buildup of a certain type of plaque in the brain—a finding that has guided research into cures for Alzheimer’s ever since. But now, critics claim that the original authors “appeared to have composed figures by piecing together parts of photos from different experiments” calling their conclusions into significant question. If true, this is a scientific scandal of the worst order. As the Science article Read More ›

Exploration of new worlds, space and universe, new galaxies. Planets in backlight. Exoplanets. Solar systems. 3d rendering

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
July 23, 2022

Categorized
Science

Tagged
Brown dwarfs, Earth (as fine-tuned for life), Earth 2.0 concept, Earth 2.0 Telescope (ET), Exoplanets (life on exoplanets), Exoplanets that are Earth-like, ExoPlaSim planet modeling system, James Webb Space Telescope, Jian Ge, Pulsars}

Exoplanets: As the Data Streams Back… the Picture Comes In

_{China is now focusing on the search for a planet like Earth, using the Earth 2.0 Telescope (ET). Astronomer Jian Ge believes his team can find 17} _{News

July 23, 2022

5

Science}

In recent exoplanet news: ● China is now focusing on a search for a planet like Earth: Most likely, such a planet does exist, but in the relatively nascent field of exoplanet research, no one has yet been able to find it. That is not for lack of trying. Kepler spent nine years searching over 150,000 stars, and while it detected almost 3,000 new exoplanets, none met the criteria of being Earth-sized in the habitable zone of a sun-like star. Bad luck might have played a role – the new paper’s authors even calculated that statistically, Kepler probably should have found at least one Earth-sized planet in a habitable zone. Andy Tomaswick, “An Ambitious Plan to Find Earth 2.0” at Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
July 23, 2022

Categorized
Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Bias (in evaluating information), COVID-19 and trust in science, Trust in science}

Claim: If Science Were Properly Presented, Trust Would Grow!

_{The ideas examined in these four short essays all assume that scientists are exempt from the bias and self-interest that governs everyone else} _{News

July 23, 2022

5

Philosophy, Science}

Here’s the fourth short essay on an interesting summary at a science news site of a paper that bemoans the decline of trust in science. The summary did a good job — perhaps unintentionally — of typifying in itself the reasons so many people distrust claims made on behalf of science. Earlier, we covered: obliviousness to the damage created by science dogmatism; failing to recognize internal weaknesses; and the fear that the more the public knows, the more problems we will find. The summary concludes with the view that science needs to be presented in the right, targeted learning style: 4. Information is not being presented in the right learning style This problem is the most straightforward of the four Read More ›

Diverse business people hiding faces behind papers sheets with question marks, standing in row in office. Identity and equality employee at work, candidates waiting for job interview, recruitment.

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
July 19, 2022

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Philosophy, Science

Tagged
COVID-19 and trust in science, COVID-19 public policy, Science knowledge and trust, Trust in science}

Researchers: If We Tell Folks More About Science, They Trust Less

_{Part 3: The researchers argue that doubts about science arise from conflict with beliefs. The many COVID-19 debacles suggest other causes…} _{News

July 19, 2022

4

Medicine and Health, Philosophy, Science}

We’ve been looking (here and here) at a summary at a science news site of a paper that bemoans the decline of trust in science. The author did a good job and doubtless means well. But the outcome — unintentionally — typifies the reasons so many people distrust claims made on behalf of science. For example, the third factor for distrust that we are asked to consider is that information we learn from science sources can go against our personal beliefs: “Scientific information can be difficult to swallow, and many individuals would sooner reject the evidence than accept information that suggests they might have been wrong,” the team wrote in their paper. “This inclination is wholly understandable, and scientists should Read More ›

Young amateur football fan supporters cheering with confetti watching local soccer cup match at stadium - Friends people group on green t shirts having excited fun on sport world championship final

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
July 18, 2022

Categorized
Media, Medicine and Health, Psychology, Science, Social Media

Tagged
COVID-19 and science distrust, Media choices and political values, Tribal loyalty among researchers, Tribal loyalty as source of science distrust}

Researchers: Distrust of Science Is Due to Tribal Loyalty

_{In Part 2 of 4, we look at a claim arising from a recent study: We blindly believe those we identify with, ignoring the wisdom of science} _{News

July 18, 2022

5

Media, Medicine and Health, Psychology, Science, Social Media}

Recently, a paper lamenting the decline of trust in science was discussed at ScienceAlert, a science news site. In representing the paper—doubtless accurately — for a lay audience, the write-up embodies the causes of legitimate public distrust. That is worth dissecting in more detail. Yesterday, we looked at the write-up in light of the government responses to COVID, which were all too often panicked reactions rather than trustworthy guidance. Then, in the wake of the debacle, the White House chose to set up a Disinformation Board to target non-government sources of alleged disinformation — which could only deepen existing distrust. We press on. The second point of four raised at ScienceAlert is that tribal loyalty is thought to create distrust Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
July 17, 2022

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Philosophy, Science

Tagged
COVID-19 and trust in science, Jay Richards on COVID panic, Science and trust, Trust in science}

Why Many Now Reject Science… Do You Really Want To Know? Part 1

_{COVID demonstrated — as nothing else could — that the “science” was all over the map and didn’t help people avoid panic} _{News

July 17, 2022

5

Medicine and Health, Philosophy, Science}

A recent science news media release is an excellent and mercifully short illustration of what’s wrong with science today. That can’t have been what the study authors were trying to do but never mind. From ScienceAlert, we learn that distrust in science is a “massive problem” and that it has four sources. Here, let’s deal with their first source: First, they say, we have grown to distrust the information source: “Pro-science messages can acknowledge that there are valid concerns on the other side, but explain why the scientific position is preferable,” says Philipp-Muller. Tessa Koumondoros, “These 4 Factors Can Explain Why So Many People Are Rejecting Science” at ScienceAlert (July 16, 2022) The paper requires a fee or subscription. What? Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
July 3, 2022

Categorized
Philosophy, Science

Tagged
Biological role (proposed new term for function), Emmanuel Ratti, Function (concept in biology), Pierre-Luc Germain, Purpose in life forms}

Can We Eliminate the Idea of Function From the Study of Life?

_{The question is, can biology journals take away what they did not give, without harming their own enterprise?} _{Denyse O'Leary

July 3, 2022

3

Philosophy, Science}

We tend to assume that our values come in part from the careers we follow. Often, that’s true. If a given mindset works well at work, we may try it at home. But that process can work in reverse. We can start with a mindset and try to graft it onto our work. With mixed results. That seems to have happened in some quarters in biology. For example, the term “function” in life forms is linked historically with the idea that life forms show evidence of design. Therefore, philosopher Emmanuel Ratti and molecular biologist Pierre-Luc Germain argue, biologists shouldn’t use it: The notion of biological function is fraught with difficulties — intrinsically and irremediably so, we argue. The physiological practice Read More ›

little bird flying out of bird cage, think outside the box

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
July 3, 2022

Categorized
Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Physics, Science

Tagged
Casey Luskin, David Snoke, Featured, Free will and morality, Free will and quantum mechanics, Free will vs. determinism, Jerry Coyne, John Bell (Bell's inequalities), Michael Egnor, Science and free will}

Why Free Will Is Philosophically and Scientifically Sound

_{As Michael Egnor points out in a recent podcast, it has been nearly a century since determinism was toppled in physics} _{News

July 3, 2022

10

Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Physics, Science}

In “Neurosurgeon Michael Egnor: Humans Have Free Will” a recent podcast at ID the Future, geoscientist Casey Luskin discussed science-based arguments against free will with neurosurgeon Michael Egnor (13:05 min). Are these arguments a serious challenge or are they just wishful thinking on the part of materialists? Here’s a partial transcript: Casey Luskin: Now I want to continue our conversation, Dr. Egnor, from the previous podcast, where we were talking about your debates on evolution news and views, responding to Dr. Jerry Coyne, the well known evolutionary biologist from the University of Chicago. Coyne is what you might call an honest atheist in that he’s willing to admit the implications that atheism and Darwinian materialism have for concepts like free Read More ›

Parasaurolophus in the Forest - Two Parasaurolophus dinosaurs browse on foliage of the Montezuma Cypress tree as Cronopia mammals scrurry to safety.

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
July 2, 2022

Categorized
Science, Science Fiction

Tagged
Alida Bailleul, Dinosaur soft tissue, DNA (ancient finds), Fossil mammoth baby, Hadrosaur tissue find, Jack Horner, Jurassic Park concept, Mary Schweitzer, Michael Crichton}

Where We Stand Today With Jurassic Park

_{There have been a number of unexpected finds of from dinosaurs besides bones; some paleontologists dig hopefully} _{News

July 2, 2022

5

Science, Science Fiction}

The recent find of a complete, well-preserved baby mammoth was greeted with gasps: She’s over 30,000 years old, and yet her preservation is astounding: She has her skin, her tiny tusk nubs, her toenails, and her little tail. She still has tufts of fur, and her trunk—with its prehensile tip—is complete and malleable. Looking at the initial photograph from where she was found at a Yukon gold mine, she looks like she only recently met her demise. Jeanne Timmons, “‘Gasps’ as Scientists Reveal Preserved Baby Woolly Mammoth” at Gizmodo (July 2, 2022) It’s easy to see why: And the find naturally renews questions about resurrecting much, much older extinct life forms through via recovered DNA. Never mind whether it’s a Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
June 29, 2022

Categorized
Military, Science, Science Fiction

Tagged
Camero, Sensing through walls (technology), Xaver-1000}

New Military Technology Can “See” Through Walls

_{Military? How long before our nosy civilian neighbors have one?} _{News

June 29, 2022

2

Military, Science, Science Fiction}

Xaver 1000TM, a new gadget from Israel-based imaging specialist firm Camero, doesn’t provide a video of what’s going on behind the wall; it detects and pinpoints evidence of activity: The technology can display live objects, behind walls, in such high resolution that it can detect whether a person is sitting, standing, or lying down, even if they have been motionless for a significant period. Specific body parts are also detectable, the company said. Operating it is easy and requires minimal training, Shephard Media reported, and it only requires a single user to make use of a simple interface on an embedded 10.1-inch touchscreen display. It can penetrate through most common building materials, Camero-Tech said. Joshua Zitser, “New Israeli military technology Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
June 28, 2022

Categorized
Philosophy, Religion, Science, Social Media

Tagged
Bacteria, Casey Luskin, Darwinian evolution theory, Evolution, Featured, Human brain (as complex), Isaac Asimov (on human brain), Jerry Coyne, Michael Egnor, New Atheism, Orac (pseudonym), Panda's Thumb (blog), Positivism, Rubik's cube (and specified complexity), Scientism, Specified Complexity, Steven Novella, Why Evolution is True (blog)}

When a Neurosurgeon and a Biologist Keep On Arguing…

_{… we suspect some pretty basic science issues are involved} _{News

June 28, 2022

11

Philosophy, Religion, Science, Social Media}

In a recent ID: The Future podcast (June 24, 2022) Casey Luskin interviews pediatric neurosurgeon Michael Egnor on his blogosphere debates with evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne. Egnor, who has authored many research papers, espouses a non-materialist view of the mind — and of life in general — with which Dr. Coyne, a committed atheist, emphatically disagrees. Here’s a partial transcript from “A Brain Surgeon Debates Evolutionist Jerry Coyne and Other Atheists”: Casey Luskin: We’re going to talk about these debates you’ve had with Dr. Coyne and others. Some of the arguments you’ve made, I think, have been very compelling. But before we get into that, I’d like to ask, why do you focus your writing so much on Dr. Jerry Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Eric Holloway
Date
June 24, 2022

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Science, Work

Tagged
Blake Lemoine (Holloway's view), Chatbots (LaMDA), Crowdworkers and LaMDA, Featured, LaMDA (claims for sentience), LaMDA (claims for understanding), Sentience and AI}

Google’s Chatbot LaMDA Sounds Human Because — Read the Manual…

_{What would you expect LaMDA to sound like? Whales? ET? I propose a test: “Human until PROVEN otherwise”} _{Eric Holloway

June 24, 2022

9

Artificial Intelligence, Science, Work}

Recently Google employee Blake Lemoine caused a media storm over the LaMDA chatbot he was working on, that he claims is sentient (it feels things like a human being). A heavily edited transcript has been released that shows him and a collaborator having a very coherent conversation with LaMDA. Many have been quick to dismiss his claims about the chatbot’s sentience, accusing the Googler of falling prey to the Eliza effect: anthropomorphizing a probability distribution over words (thus believing that he is talking to a human). The accusation is that Lemoine generated a large number of dialogs, then edited down the exchange to create a coherent narrative. Google placed Lemoine on leave, technically for breaking the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that Read More ›

Female politician talking on media press conference, public relations, event

^{Type
post

Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 20, 2022

Categorized
Media, Philosophy, Religion, Science

Tagged
Carl Sagan, David Klinghoffer, Nicholas Wade on COVID origin, Nicholas Wade on science writing, Population bomb claims, Sabine Hossenfelder, Science writers, Science writers and credulity, Steven Novella on science writing}

Why Science News Sucks — A Response to a Disgusted Physicist

_{There are reasons why science journalists can't usually be skeptical in the way that other journalists can. Here are some of them} _{Denyse O'Leary

June 20, 2022

7

Media, Philosophy, Religion, Science}

In her usual forthright manner, theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder asks, by blog post and Youtube video, “Why does science news suck so much? It’s hardly an original question but among her suggested answers are some thoughtful reflections, including 9. Don’t forget that science is fallible A lot of media coverage on science policy remembers that science is fallible only when it’s convenient for them. When they’ve proclaimed something as fact that later turns out to be wrong, then they’ll blame science. Because science is fallible. Facemasks? Yeah, well, we lacked the data. Alright. But that’d be more convincing if science news acknowledged that their information might be wrong in the first place. The population bomb? Peak oil? The new ice Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
June 2, 2022

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Environment, Physics, Science

Tagged
Computers and environmental issues, Exascale, Frontier Supercomputer, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Quintillion}

World’s Fastest Computer Breaks Into the Exascale

_{How fast? “If each person on Earth completed one calculation per second, it would take more than 4 years to do what an exascale computer can do in 1 second.”} _{News

June 2, 2022

4

Artificial Intelligence, Environment, Physics, Science}

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee announced earlier this week that its Frontier Supercomputer, having broken the exascale barrier, is the world’s fastest. It can do more than a quintillion calculations per second: The Frontier supercomputer at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory earned the top ranking today as the world’s fastest on the 59th TOP500 list, with 1.1 exaflops of performance. The system is the first to achieve an unprecedented level of computing performance known as exascale, a threshold of a quintillion calculations per second. Frontier features a theoretical peak performance of 2 exaflops, or two quintillion calculations per second, making it ten times more powerful than ORNL’s Summit system. News, “Frontier supercomputer Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
May 7, 2022

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science

Tagged
Alternative universe concept, Extraterrestrials (contact), Space (crime in space)}

Canadians Forbidden To Murder in Space and Other ET Stories

_{Some astronomers are blasting out messages to aliens; others say it would take too long for them to respond} _{News

May 7, 2022

5

Arts & Culture, Science}

Alien watch: Canadians forbidden to murder in space and other stories The Canadian government buried it in other news re the federal budget: Buried deep within the legislation implementing Canada’s 2022 federal budget is a Criminal Code amendment that would explicitly extend Canadian criminal jurisdiction to the cosmos… “A Canadian crew member who, during a space flight, commits an act or omission outside Canada that if committed in Canada would constitute an indictable offence is deemed to have committed that act or omission in Canada,” reads the measure included in Bill C-19, the 443-page document implementing the provisions of the 2022 federal budget. Basically, the amendment means that if a Canadian commits a criminal offence while in space, they’ll be Read More ›

Robot with Artificial Intelligence observing human skull in Evolved Cybernetic organism world. 3d rendered image

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
March 5, 2022

Categorized
Biology, Science

Tagged
Human beings (future changes), Ian Tattersall (on future humans), Matthew Skinner (on future humans), Nicholas R. Longrich (on future humans), Nick Bostrom (on future humans), Vandana Gupta (on future humans)}

Experts Guess: How Might Humans Change Over the Next 10,000 Years?

_{So much has changed in the past few thousand years that the past may not be a reliable guide to the future} _{News

March 5, 2022

6

Biology, Science}

Evolutionary biologist Nicholas R. Longrich thinks he knows how human beings will change in the next 10,000 years: It’s hard to predict the future. The world will probably change in ways we can’t imagine. But we can make educated guesses. Paradoxically, the best way to predict the future is probably looking back at the past, and assuming past trends will continue going forward. This suggests some surprising things about our future. We will likely live longer and become taller, as well as more lightly built. We’ll probably be less aggressive and more agreeable, but have smaller brains. A bit like a golden retriever, we’ll be friendly and jolly, but maybe not that interesting. At least, that’s one possible future. Nicholas Read More ›