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03-17-2014, 05:14 PM | |
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Scientists find cosmic ripples from birth of universe
Scientists find cosmic ripples from birth of universe
Published March 17, 2014 Astronomers have discovered what they believe is the first direct evidence of the astonishing expansion of the universe in the instant following the Big Bang -- the scientific explanation for the birth of the universe some 13.8 billion years ago. Scientists believe that the universe exploded from a tiny speck and hurled itself out in all directions in the fraction of a second that followed, beginning just 10 to the minus 35 seconds (roughly one trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second) after the universe's birth. Matter ultimately coalesced hundreds of millions of years later into planets, stars, and ultimately us. And like ripples from a ball kicked into a pond, that Big Bang-fueled expansion caused ripples in the ancient light from that event, light which remains imprinted in the skies in a leftover glow called the cosmic microwave background. Scientists still don’t know who kicked the ball. But if confirmed, the newfound ripples would be amazing proof of what has long been mere theory about what happened in those first millionths of a second. “The implications for this detection stagger the mind,” said Jamie Bock, professor of physics at Caltech, laboratory senior research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and project co-leader. “We are measuring a signal that comes from the dawn of time.” "It would be the most important discovery since the discovery, I think, that the expansion of the universe is accelerating," Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb, who is not a member of the study team, told Space.com. He compared the finding to a 1998 observation that opened the window on mysterious dark energy and won three researchers the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics. The groundbreaking results came from observations by BICEP2, a telescope at the South Pole, of the cosmic microwave background -- a faint glow left over from the Big Bang. Beginning a fraction of a fraction of a second after the universe's birth, according to the current theory, space-time expanded incredibly rapidly, ballooning outward faster than the speed of light. The afterglow from that expansion is called the cosmic microwave background, and tiny fluctuations in it provide clues to conditions in the early universe. For example, small differences in temperature across the sky show where parts of the universe were denser, eventually condensing into galaxies and galactic clusters. Since the cosmic microwave background is a form of light, it exhibits all the properties of light, including polarization. On Earth, sunlight is scattered by the atmosphere and becomes polarized, which is why polarized sunglasses help reduce glare. In space, the cosmic microwave background was scattered by atoms and electrons and became polarized too. “Our team hunted for a special type of polarization called ‘B-modes,’ which represents a twisting or ‘curl’ pattern in the polarized orientations of the ancient light,” said Bock. The team presented their work at a press conference Monda at Harvard -- the discovery of that characteristic pattern of polarization in the skies, which they called proof of the gravitational waves across the primordial sky. “This work offers new insights into some of our most basic questions: Why do we exist? How did the universe begin? These results are not only a smoking gun for inflation, they also tell us when inflation took place and how powerful the process was,” Harvard theorist Avi Loeb said. |
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03-17-2014, 05:17 PM | #2 |
Space Cadet and Aczabel
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Saw this. I hate all this photographic evidence of the Big Bang. First thing you know people aren't going to believe the TV show any more.
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Thanks, Trump for the civics lesson. We are learning so much about RICO, espionage, sedition, impeachment, the 25th Amendment, order of succession, nepotism, separation of powers, 1st Amendment, obstruction of justice, the emoluments clause, conflicts of interest, collusion, sanctions, oligarchs, money laundering and so much more. |
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03-17-2014, 05:21 PM | #3 |
Has a particular set of skills
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Wellll how we work on debunking the scientific misinformation out of bullshit mountain first?
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03-17-2014, 06:04 PM | #4 |
Don't Tease Me
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Blasphemy!!!
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03-17-2014, 06:28 PM | #5 |
Not A Terrorist
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Move along. Nothing to see here. Keep it moving. Have a nice day.
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Pork...the other white meat.
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03-17-2014, 06:30 PM | #6 |
Veteran
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Until we find other species.... Then they can say it replicated.
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03-17-2014, 06:31 PM | #7 |
MVP
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Stanford professor being told the big news.
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03-17-2014, 06:32 PM | #8 |
Changes pants while driving
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Broncos just signed Cosmic Ripples to a three year 5.2 million dollar contract.
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03-17-2014, 07:05 PM | #9 |
Beyond the Rapids
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"My wife still has plenty of ripples from her births too, heyooooo"
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03-17-2014, 07:11 PM | #10 |
I like Pie!
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There is no God, the speaker cries,
Don't let your thoughts be chained. This Universe evolved itself, The world is self-contained, Just then an urchin in the crowd a skillful pebble throws, which accidentally lands upon the atheistic nose. "Who threw that stone" the speaker roars; at which the cockney elf, intuitively keen, retorts "No one ! it frew itself." So a pathetic casualty discomforted and worse goes home to meditate upon this causeless Universe ! author unknown Last edited by Buzz; 03-17-2014 at 07:14 PM.. Reason: author unknown |
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03-17-2014, 07:12 PM | #11 |
Sprinkle in some Mahomes
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Ruffles have ridges.
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03-17-2014, 08:14 PM | #12 |
The Boom Boom Room
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Science, **** Yeah!
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03-17-2014, 09:08 PM | #13 |
Changes pants while driving
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Call me when they discover the Cosmic Nipples.
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03-17-2014, 09:13 PM | #14 |
Iowa B1G West Champs
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03-17-2014, 09:24 PM | #15 |
Damnit Peg
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The State of Kansas disagrees with this.
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