Thursday, October 2, 2008

science blurb...Is the Earth special?

from FoxNews:

"Earth may be trapped in an abnormal bubble of space-time that is particularly devoid of matter."

"But if we happened to be in a portion of the universe with less matter in it than normal, then the space-time around us would be different than it is outside, because matter warps space-time."

"This idea that we live in a void would really be a statement that we live in a special place," Clifton told SPACE.com. "The regular cosmological model is based on the idea that where we live is a typical place in the universe. This would be a contradiction to the Copernican principle."

blurbat: Even Einstein refused to believe evidence because of an ideological filter until it became impossible not to accept it: "University of California astrophysicist George Smoot explains that Einstein’s main problem with an expanding universe was its implication of a beginning. A beginning pointed to a beginner beyond scientific investigation. However, once experimental data proved that the universe really was expanding, Einstein admitted his error, calling it “the biggest blunder of my life.”"