IAP Political Forum

... and BAM! The universe is annhialated. :-[

I picked up an edition of the "Scientific American" today and read the main article on my way to school on the train, and I have to say this was REALLY interesting. I know it's long and I know it's a lot of string theory/cosmology stuff that some people don't like (including me) but if you have 10 minutes, read it.

It's really quite interesting.

"In summary, string theory provides two general mechanisms for obtaining cosmic inflation: the collision of branes and the reshaping of extra-dimensional spacetime. For the first time, physicists have been able to derive concrete models of cosmic inflation rather than being forced to make uncontrolled, ad hoc assumptions. The progress is very encouraging. String theory, born of efforts to explain phenomena at minuscule scales, may be writ large across the sky."

(http://www.sciam.com/media/inline/8AFC73BC-E7F2-99DF-31FAE14B26815014_1.jpg) (http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-great-cosmic-roller-coaster-ride)


If nothing else, it makes you change the way you think this universe is laid out.

From what I understand, the universe is just an explosion of massive amounts of energy.  Obviously over a timeline of a trillion years, but think if you sped it up.  It would look like a firework.  It explodes, it resonates, it stagnates (inflation) then dissipitates.

To think that we live on a rock, surrounding one star amgonst millions of stars in a galaxy that is a part of collection of galaxies.   You kind of just step back and say Whoa.

We are just a blip in space time.

What meaninful conclusions of your article help refute this?  I am not very learned of string theory...but checking now.

Im safe, Grits are disgusting, I would never eat them.