Bolshoi Simulations of the Universe
This is a visualization of the Bolshoi Simulation, an attempt to chart the evolution of the large-scale structures in the universe using the data from the cosmic background radiation. (“Bolshoi” means “great” or “grand” in Russian.) From i09: The Bolshoi supercomputers create this simulation of the large-scale structure of the universe by first examining the data [...]
CERN Lectures on Cosmology and Particle Physics
Full playlist: http://www.youtube.com/user/iasedu#grid/user/3AE3501C40563650 Lecture One: Introduction to Cosmology Lecture Two: Dark Matter Lecture Three: Dark Energy Lecture Four: Thermodynamics and the Early Universe Lecture Five: Inflation and Beyond
Faster than light story highlights the difference between science and religion
Most physicists believe, as Einstein proposed, that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum. You might say that some, like Jim Al-Khalili who promised to eat his shorts if this was proved untrue, hold this belief religiously. But the recent fuss over the possible existence of faster-than-light neutrinos illustrates precisely [...]
CERN finds neutrinos can travel faster than light, seeks confirmation
The OPERA1 experiment, which observes a neutrino beam from CERN2 730 km away at Italy’s INFN Gran Sasso Laboratory, will present new results in a seminar at CERN this afternoon at 16:00 CEST. The seminar will be webcast at http://webcast.cern.ch. Journalists wishing to ask questions may do so via twitter using the hash tag #nuquestions, or via the [...]
I Approve This Apocalypse
Finally, an apocalyptic prediction I can get behind. Here’s a better look at the sign: Originally from Sam Tells Stories. via I Approve This Apocalypse | Unreasonable Faith.
Exoplanet near Gliese 581 star ‘could host life’
The Gliese star hosts four confirmed planets and may host as many as six. A red dwarf star 20 light-years away is again providing hints that it hosts the first definitively habitable planet outside our Solar System. The planet Gliese 581d is at the colder outer edge of the “Goldilocks zone” in which liquid water [...]
NASA’s Gravity Probe B Confirms Two Einstein Space-Time Theories
NASA’s Gravity Probe B (GP-B) mission has confirmed two key predictions derived from Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, which the spacecraft was designed to test. The experiment, launched in 2004, used four ultra-precise gyroscopes to measure the hypothesized geodetic effect, the warping of space and time around a gravitational body, and frame-dragging, the amount [...]
Our Real Universe is 250 Times Bigger than What We Observe
Is our universe infinite or closed? Because the visible Universe is expanding, the most distant visible things are much further away than its estimated 14-billion year age. In fact, the photons in the cosmic microwave background have traveled a cool 45 billion light years to get here. That makes the visible universe some 90 billion [...]
David Christian – Big History – TED 2011
Backed by stunning illustrations, David Christian narrates a complete history of the universe, from the Big Bang to the Internet, in a riveting 18 minutes. This is “Big History”: an enlightening, wide-angle look at complexity, life and humanity, set against our slim share of the cosmic timeline. via David Christian – Big History – TED [...]
