OT: The Universe's "Dark Energy" Explained?
SCIENCE NEWS! And... potentially revolutionary! If this is proven, yesterday will go down as one of the turning-point days in our understanding of the Universe. And, perhaps more importantly, undoubtedly result in a new character in MCU Phase 9.
"Dark energy," which makes up about 70% of the entire Universe's energy, has been a total mystery. It's what is pushing the Universe apart -- why the Universe is expanding faster and faster. We discovered its existence right around our last football natty, but have had no idea what it is. (For the record, about 5% of the Universe is matter -- you, me, footballs, Jim MF Harbaugh [OK maybe not Jim] -- and about 25% is dark matter, which causes galaxies to bind together but does not interact with electromagnetic force so its "invisible" to us.)
A team of physicists came out yesterday with a theory about Dark Energy. Amazingly, it (1) explains what Dark Energy is, (2) requires NO new laws of physics or particles or forces, (3) works within Einstein's laws of general relativity, and (4) is based on observational evidence (a gold standard -- it's not just theory, it's theory backed up by data).
I attach some articles below that attempt to explain it better. Here is the headline: As the Universe expanded, supermassive black holes (in the centers of the original galaxies) expanded too. This expansion increased their energy -- by a LOT. This increase of energy inside black holes IS the "dark energy." These scientists measured it because an increase in energy means an increase in mass (E=mc2), and they have observational proof that black holes have had otherwise-unexplained increases in mass over time -- 700% to 2000% increases.
But wait, there's more! This theory ALSO explains away one of the great mysteries of black holes -- that they must have a "singularity" in their very middle. Math hates singularities because it requires division by zero. This theory implies that black holes don't have singularities but have "vacuum energy." (Don't ask me to explain, I don't get that either, but they said it, sooo...)
OFC, other scientists be like meh or pffft, this is flavor of the day, it'll pass, there are too many "but... but..." responses to this theory. One obvious one is: Hey, if supermassive black holes have so much gravity that they suck everything towards them, how are they also pushing away everything in the Universe? While counterintuitive, I have to say, it strikes me as vaguely consistent with our growing understanding that space and time are not independent of particles and energy, but are inherently all part of the same underlying structure, we just don't yet understand it. Stupid humans.
Further reading to explain:
https://www.space.com/black-holes-create-dark-energy-first-evidence
https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/a42941836/scientists-find-source-of-dark-energy/
February 17th, 2023 at 9:01 AM ^
This is the Mgoblog difference
Here are the top 5 stories on RCMB:
- Tragedy Discussion - Politics Allowed with limits - understandable and good topic
- What if the gunman was Mazi Smith instead of Anthony McRea? - seriously?
- Just canceled my subscription to the NYTimes (shame on them!) - kind of the opposite of this post
- Purdue - "Justin Feagin"
- MGoBlog Imploding Part V - How is this a 5 part thread? Rent free
At least the top 5 topics on 11 warriors are OSU football related (and CFB risk which you should join to keep pace because they certainly are trying)
February 17th, 2023 at 9:19 AM ^
Re: what if it were Mazi...well...if my mother had balls she would be my father.
February 17th, 2023 at 9:42 AM ^
Either that, or you wouldn't be here.
February 17th, 2023 at 12:07 PM ^
There are some black holes in your theory. But in the spirit of yesterday's discoveries, I'm just gonna let you parade around happy in the conviction that your daddy is your real daddy.
February 17th, 2023 at 3:56 PM ^
Don't give them any new topic ideas.
February 17th, 2023 at 9:10 PM ^
That’s not guaranteed in 2023
February 17th, 2023 at 9:28 AM ^
I wonder what their grievance is with the NYTimes, but I don't wonder enough to actually go over there and check. Based on the first post you listed, it sounds like they have a "no politics" rule, and because I can think of a million different reasons anybody across the political spectrum would have an issue with the NYTimes, I have to assume their reason is something stupid.
February 17th, 2023 at 9:47 AM ^
I believe the NYT anger is because during their coverage of the shooting, the Times referenced the Nassar scandal. Screenshot below:
IMO, definitely seems out of place and unwarranted when you're reporting on the murdering of students
February 17th, 2023 at 10:03 AM ^
This is indeed a great reason to be upset with the NYTimes. I take back what I said.
February 17th, 2023 at 10:04 AM ^
Ya think? Sometimes the Times, and others, can be utterly tone deaf.
Kids are murdered randomly. Seems like the perfect time to rehash Larry Nasser. Who thinks like that?
February 17th, 2023 at 10:43 AM ^
The NYT.
They've been coasting on unearned prestige for way too long. They're a tabloid that takes itself seriously.
RCMB is right to complain here, and when RCMB has legit complaints about your coverage, FFS, why does anyone still take the NYT seriously?
February 17th, 2023 at 10:51 AM ^
RCMB is right here, but the NYT isn't a tabloid. They're a newspaper trying to survive in the age of internet news, shortened attention spans, and clicks. Some news outlets were built for that, like the NY Post.
February 17th, 2023 at 11:03 AM ^
The NYT being the most obscenely overrated news publication dates from well before the dawn of the Internet.
They've always been a tabloid. The only difference has been polish, which they leverage heavily to distinguish themselves from the gutter talk of the NYP. FFS they were literally founded by a politician and a banker.
February 17th, 2023 at 11:18 AM ^
The NYT is one of the only media outlets in any form still doing true investigative journalism. It's a huge entity with thousands of writers, so inevitably there are going to be clunkers from time to time. But to call them a tabloid is to either 1) grossly misunderstand the meaning of that word 2) grossly misunderstand what the Times actually does, or 3) both
February 17th, 2023 at 11:33 AM ^
Found the NYT editor mgoblog account...
February 17th, 2023 at 12:16 PM ^
I've been complaining about the Times--and listening to people complain about it--for half a century. But your criticism is so crazily broad-brush. To compare, take the Wall Street Journal; its editorial stance is about as far from mine as could possibly be. But there are 100s of journalists working, many on staff, many of them of all stripes politically, to publish important, credible investigative work there.
The Times helped Bush sell the Iraq War, with lies. It's long been a favored source for information, and disinformation, that the CIA wanted inserted in the American mind, and for the eastern establishment to parrot. It's also been outlet for tens of thousands of liberal, progressive and--yes--conservative journos to publish their work.
Washington Post? Owned by the head of Amazon, guy who's hardly my cup of tea. But with more international reporting, day to day, than most any other paper. USA Today? Well, okay. . .
The point, in the end, is that you have got to learn to read, critically. To have enough education about how things work TO read critically. To read lots and lots else. There are LOTS of people invested in that not happening.
Tabloid refers to the shape of a paper, btw. The Times has been more of a broadsheet. Personally, I scan the front page, read about the arts, go to the international news pages (which has articles in Spanish, too), and avoid the icky, icky, icky fashion advice and society weddings. Read the conservative columnists to keep my brain working, even when I disagree with them. They run The Athletic now, too.
We've long had this really dumb idea about neutral reporting. No one anywhere else in the world fantasizes that that's real. We all have stakes in the stories we tell. The news business is an awful dying beast here, but the truth. . . is out there. You just gotta find it for yourself. It's not gonna be handed as some kind of pablum that everyone digests together, is "truth," and agrees is delicious. These people are trying to make money.
For my moola, the Times--and many liberals--spend way too much time reacting to the growth of the conservative outlets. Go out, get the damn stories, tell them. Let the chips fall where they may.
February 17th, 2023 at 2:06 PM ^
Well said.
February 17th, 2023 at 3:18 PM ^
Yes indeed. The presence of sus content does not characterize the publication itself as a tabloid. The obliteration of nuance in the public discourse may be the internet's gravest sin, but there are so many to list I don't want to think about it.
Anyway. Reminds me of this essay by Asimov. Discuss amongst yourselfs.
February 17th, 2023 at 12:23 PM ^
Nyt has always taken itself seriously, and at one time it may have lived up to its own standard, but it has long been completely captured by ideologues who eat their own dogshit. It survives on subscriptions as a boutique newspaper for a very small demographic. At least the Post knows what it is--and it's much more entertaining, interesting, and fun.
February 17th, 2023 at 1:33 PM ^
It's impressive that almost every single part of this is wrong.
February 17th, 2023 at 5:21 PM ^
It really is. Even after consuming a small sampling of articles from papers such as the NYT, WaPo, and WSJ I would think any objective observer would note a profound difference relative to less prestigious papers and even more difference with the writing and editing at tabloids like the NY Post.
It's just a tired, bad take. The best US writers/editors work for those big 3 (maybe add the Economist's US operations though it's a UK-based publication), and it shows-- the writing is for educated adults, which is rare in today's media.
February 17th, 2023 at 1:28 PM ^
Hmm.....I wonder why it's still a dream job for the best journalism students. Maybe they know something you don't.
February 17th, 2023 at 5:22 PM ^
Best journalism students? You mean the ones who attend Ivy League schools and their ilk? I suspect there is an outstanding journalism student at somewhere like Iowa State or Western Kentucky who would never get an interview, much less a job, at the NYT.
February 17th, 2023 at 5:56 PM ^
I'm just curious if you think Michigan grads fall under "their ilk"? I do. I absolutely think journalists who graduated from Michigan are in the same echelon as Ivy grads.
February 17th, 2023 at 10:44 AM ^
"Who thinks like that?"
You may temporarily place your mental health at risk when doing do, but you need to think like some (not all) of the people at the NYT who make these decisions.
Remember that they're partly an advertising framework. Also remember that, to some people, every news piece is an opportunity to promote their worldview. Look closely and you'll notice.
February 17th, 2023 at 11:58 AM ^
You are correct. "Who thinks like that" was meant rhetorically. The NYT, like just about all mass media today, is an advocate for some world view or another. The problem I have with the NYT isn't really the world view they most align with but rather their insistence that the alignment does not exist.
February 17th, 2023 at 9:47 AM ^
Could be about a controversial op Ed that was published I think in the last couple of days.
February 17th, 2023 at 10:41 AM ^
I don’t think RCMB would care that the NYT is transphobic.
February 17th, 2023 at 11:35 AM ^
i didn't read it, but did the NYT say they were actually afraid? that would be very unique, indeed.
February 17th, 2023 at 11:49 AM ^
More "in defense of"
February 17th, 2023 at 6:19 PM ^
Who cares about some op ed. plenty of newspapers print op eds that I don’t agree with but I don’t cancel my subscription. If it’s about the trans nonsense, is that really something worth canceling a subscription over?? If so, Lol, JK Rowling’s opinion is really not that controversial and the op ed was more defending her. I had zero problem with it.
February 17th, 2023 at 10:00 AM ^
I’m fairness to RCMB (haha) the Mazi thread was roundly ridiculed and denounced
February 17th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
Did their Moms take it down yet???
February 17th, 2023 at 10:36 AM ^
I just don't get the need to constantly take shots, especially in a time like this. Keyboard morons exist everywhere, including here.
February 17th, 2023 at 12:10 PM ^
I thought this was the source of Dark Matter in the Universe:
February 17th, 2023 at 12:25 PM ^
As is this....
February 17th, 2023 at 12:25 PM ^
Double post, or should I say a #2!!!
February 17th, 2023 at 6:16 PM ^
Shame on the Ny times for what?? They’ve been garbage for the last 15 yrs
February 17th, 2023 at 9:06 AM ^
Just to be clear... are we dancing on the head of a pin, inside a supermassive black hole, or riding the wave of a very messy big bang?
February 17th, 2023 at 9:43 AM ^
None of it. It is impossible that we are here. Science can only explain so far. You cannot make something out of nothing. 'Something' had to trigger the big bang. What produced that something that triggered the big bang?
This is all a bunch of guess work that will change a million times until the day that humans extinct humans. Then rinse and repeat.
"I know not what weapons World War III will be fought with, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones" - Einstien
February 17th, 2023 at 10:13 AM ^
In response to science can only explain so far…Occum’s Razor comes to mind. I’ll just leave it at that and let everyone draw their own conclusions as to what I mean.
February 17th, 2023 at 10:45 AM ^
Cant you say that about any type of explanation though. Eventually you run into a "how did that get created?" no matter which way you go.
February 17th, 2023 at 10:54 AM ^
*accepted spellings are Occam, Ockham and Ocham*
February 17th, 2023 at 11:50 AM ^
What about the Irishman, O'Cam
February 17th, 2023 at 11:50 AM ^
obligatory 'mgoblog difference' lol
February 17th, 2023 at 12:48 PM ^
<nvw, spelling corrected above; thank you, Jaws 👍>
February 20th, 2023 at 11:17 AM ^
This drives me mad! We had to come from somewhere...but then if we have a "creator" or anything like that, who created them? No matter what scenario you draw up - we're inside a computer simulator, there is a god, we're random and one of an infinite amount of universes, etc. - you still come back to the same question: where did it all come from? Who created the god? Whoever is running the simulator, where did they come from? WHY! None of it makes sense and it gives me anxiety.
February 17th, 2023 at 9:46 AM ^
I can't speak for the rest of humanity, but us fools here will spend eternity playing chicken on the event horizon of the black pit of negative expectations.
February 17th, 2023 at 1:08 PM ^
Hell, half of us have already jumped in and have gone through spaghettification.
February 17th, 2023 at 12:14 PM ^
none of the above.
we're on a flat disc that rests on the back of four elephants which in turn are standing on the back of a giant sea turtle swimming through space.