Is Science Sure?

This being the inaugural post for Primordial Scoop – an introduction of sorts, I want to discuss a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Well, actually, it is the BIG RED BUTTON that people push that can send me to my soapbox in 0.1 seconds – Defining Scientific “fact.” This week Scientists determined that they are 95% sure that Global Warming is real and that it is due to human influence. They are about as sure of this as they are that cigarettes kill. Yet the general public sees a 5% opening for other possibilities as the chink in the armor of global warming. Listen up folks – it is hot and getting hotter. But hey, ultimately, it’s the sun’s fault right?

As it turns out, unknown physical mechanics have been found to cause a phenomenon wherein temperatures actually increase as you get away from the sun’s surface (on the order of 6,000 K). Researchers at Max Planck Institute have determined that there is enough energy in these mechanics to super-heat the plasma in the sun’s chromosphere. It turns out that if you take light (photons) and shoot it through a super cooled medium you get photons!

But not just any photons – Good news for Star Wars fans – these photons act as if they are in molecular form and have shown to be a new kind of matter. By binding light together, matter has been generated in joint laboratory efforts at Harvard and MIT. These bound light particles proved to actually “touch” and interact with each other in a way that resembles those swashbuckling blades carried by (former) Jedi masters. And here science thought this was impossible!

I am no physicist, so when I hear things like this I resort to a previous stage in my life where I sit back and have a burger – preferably sans plastic chunks, deep fried potatoes – at 270 calories versus 340 (who’s counting), and tip back a glass of wine (which can be used to improve biodiesel), all while watching a good movie.

 In Memorial -

 

This week we lost Kansas native Ruth Patrick (age 105), a pioneer in ecology and freshwater system studies. Her work was instrumental in developing methodologies for testing the health (or ill health) of water ecosystems. (The Academy of Natural Sciences Photo)