We're Not Alone! (1 Viewer)

[Tom Rhea]

If there does turn out to be a planet with life on it orbiting this star, can we change its name to something other than 55 Cancri? It sounds like an address in a neighborhood I'd rather not go to.

 

[Jack Briggs]

There is science, and there is science as interpreted by FOX Network Television ("Is it? Could it be? Judge for yourself!").

Soon after the Apollo 13 spacecraft started dying, Flight Director Chris Kraft cautioned everybody in Mission Control to "remain calm, and not do any guessing." He was very soberly aware that the flight crew's fate was in the hands of physics. No guessing allowed when attempting to deal with nature.

This particular system is one of Dr. Marcy's greatest discoveries so far. And I sure wish there were a way to accellerate the timetable for NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder program.

The next generation is in store for some magnificent discoveries. Who knows how glorious the coming decades will be?

 

[Dennis Reno]

Tom - how about "2548 Oak Street"?

 

[Holadem]

Without scientific evidence, how can you engage in science?

It's called vision.

You can very easily engage in science without evidence. One may have a theory which claims life must exist in the Sun. Setting out to prove that absurd theory is engaging in science. Should one actually prove it, then engaging in science without evidence would have turned out to be rewarding. I have no example off hand but it has been done countless times. You don't start the search with the evidence, you end it with it.

Needless to say, I am a firm believer of forms of life that are nothing like we know.

--
Holadem

 

[Jack Briggs]

Should one actually prove it, then engaging in science without evidence would have turned out to be rewarding.

How can one "prove" something without evidence?
(Not busting yer chops, Holadem--that other thread be damned! But there seems to be a flaw here. No offense intended. )

 

[Holadem]

None taken. I will get you elsewhere (where are the 2001 bashers when you need them?! )
I should have said "should one eventually prove it".
My point is the scientific process includes the search for evidence.
--
Holadem

 

[Jack Briggs]

Oh, got you. I see what you mean. So your revenge must wait for another day!

 

[Julie K]

My point is the scientific process includes the search for evidence.

No, the scientific process is observation.
One then builds theories based on what is observed. If these theories are upheld then one tries to make predictions based on that theory and then go and make observations to see if those predictions are correct or not.
Look, let's say I have a theory that a certain horror writer in the early twentieth century, living in Providence Rhode Island, was actually in communication with an alien being trapped in a giant city on the bottom the South Pacific ocean. Let's say I have buckets of money and mount an expedition to search for evidence of this city and being. Is that science?
No. It's nonsense. There is no accepted scientific theory that would suggest such a thing. This is akin to saying wouldn't it be cool if there were life in the Sun - hey, let's look for it and call it science. (This is what Jack calls FOX "science")
What science is: flying ultra precise clocks on the ISS in order to test certain predictions of string theory and to test certain elements of Special Relativity since particle physicists are having a little difficulty with some of those elements. Flying these clocks in space will allow one to see if there are preferred directions in space (which some string theories predict) and if the clock rate remains constant or not.
I hope the difference in background and attitude between these two little expeditions into seeking evidence/observations is clear.
(PS: Sorry Jack. Those references just keep popping out - really, it must be the voices in my head coming from Yuggoth )

 

[Jack Briggs]

That writer. I dare say you are in love with his craft. And if MVP awards were handed out to standout performers in HTF threads, you'd win for this one.

 

[Julie K]

That writer. I dare say you are in love with his craft.

Ah, guilty as charged
I recently got a very cool mousepad with a stunning image of that city rising from the depths so the influences are a bit stronger now than usual. (Hmmm, I suppose that writing that a mousepad is cool might just indicate I need a better life...oh well.)
Anyway, that gentleman from Providence was quite a skeptic himself.