Through The Wormhole: Is The Universe Alive?
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As scientists peer across the galaxy, a new revelation emerges: The universe is shockingly organic. Are the secrets to the life and death of the universe hidden not in physics, but biology? Could it be that the universe is alive?
From Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman.
From Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman.
Jan 2, 2013 1:32 AM
Re: Through The Wormhole: Is The Universe Alive?
This brings up a theory of mine which is that small animals experience time differently than larger animals. For example, hummingbirds move around quickly like they're on crack. However, if I were the size of a hummingbird then perhaps it wouldn't appear that they're moving very quickly. Perhaps time slows down as I shrink down to the size of a hummingbird???
Large animals (e.g. whales) have very long life spans. Small animals (e.g. cats, ants) don't live for very long when compared to human lifespans. But if you were a small ant, your life time would not seem short and you would see huge humans walking around at a very slow speed - the same way we humans would see dinosaurs walking around (very slowly).
Just a crazy, probably unfounded theory of mine:)
Large animals (e.g. whales) have very long life spans. Small animals (e.g. cats, ants) don't live for very long when compared to human lifespans. But if you were a small ant, your life time would not seem short and you would see huge humans walking around at a very slow speed - the same way we humans would see dinosaurs walking around (very slowly).
Just a crazy, probably unfounded theory of mine:)
By: KeyserSosay
Re: Through The Wormhole: Is The Universe Alive?
Well, I guess this one's bored out of his mind :)
http://imusthave.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/babysnail.jpg
No, exceptions never prove the rule (or is that only a saying in my language?).
I think creatures that have very fast reaction times for tasks that require lightning quick 'conscious' decisions might very well experience time differently.
It has to be said, though, that there's a wide variety of 'brains' that allow for a myriad of wildly differing experiences. Whether the physical world seems to slow down or speed up shouldn't really be among the more significant differences in experience between, for example, hummingbirds and humans, or dung beatles and komodo dragons. The differences are literally unimaginable.
http://imusthave.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/babysnail.jpg
No, exceptions never prove the rule (or is that only a saying in my language?).
I think creatures that have very fast reaction times for tasks that require lightning quick 'conscious' decisions might very well experience time differently.
It has to be said, though, that there's a wide variety of 'brains' that allow for a myriad of wildly differing experiences. Whether the physical world seems to slow down or speed up shouldn't really be among the more significant differences in experience between, for example, hummingbirds and humans, or dung beatles and komodo dragons. The differences are literally unimaginable.
By: wadadde
Re: Through The Wormhole: Is The Universe Alive?
Good points. Okay forget about what I said about how organisms EXPERIENCE time. Howabout this theory: Smaller organisms LIVE for short durations. Large animals live for long durations. The larger the animal the longer its lifespan??? Perhaps time itself slows down the smaller you get????
By: KeyserSosay
Re: Through The Wormhole: Is The Universe Alive?
Nope.
Most whales only live between 40 and 75 years, depending on the species. Some koi fish can live for 200 years.
Size of the animal has no correlation with its lifespan.
Most whales only live between 40 and 75 years, depending on the species. Some koi fish can live for 200 years.
Size of the animal has no correlation with its lifespan.
By: decavolt
Re: Through The Wormhole: Is The Universe Alive?
Not entirely true. According to this, body mass explains approximately 34% of the variability of lifespans in mammalian species. So there is a (positive) correlation, just not a very strong one.
http://www.tankonyvtar.hu/hu/tartalom/tamop425/0011_1A_Gerontologia_en_book/ch02s05.html
http://www.tankonyvtar.hu/hu/tartalom/tamop425/0011_1A_Gerontologia_en_book/ch02s05.html
Re: Through The Wormhole: Is The Universe Alive?
Makes sense. Mammals raise their young. The young of a larger species need more time to grow to full size and otherwise mature. For a species to survive it either needs few pregnancies with many young per pregnancy that will go on to survive and mate, or it needs many pregnancies with fewer survivors.
I'm no expert, but I don't think there's usually a massive difference between mammals regarding the amount of young produced that survive to maturity. If this is true then that would imply that species survival requires larger animals to live longer lives.
Being large is also just a good strategy. Sure, it's more difficult to hide your young, but larger bodies retain more heat (= more energy efficiency in colder climates), the pool of potential predators is smaller, additional strength, increased mobility, more capacity for in-body energy storage...
I'm no expert, but I don't think there's usually a massive difference between mammals regarding the amount of young produced that survive to maturity. If this is true then that would imply that species survival requires larger animals to live longer lives.
Being large is also just a good strategy. Sure, it's more difficult to hide your young, but larger bodies retain more heat (= more energy efficiency in colder climates), the pool of potential predators is smaller, additional strength, increased mobility, more capacity for in-body energy storage...
By: wadadde
Re: Through The Wormhole: Is The Universe Alive?
Oof. I just got to the part about a "fine tuned universe" where Lee what's-his-name is trying to argue the universe is fined tuned specifically to be hospitable to life. No no no no no. Life arose to suit the universe, not the other way around. Maybe it's just this episode, but this show is dumb as hell and loaded with bad science and shitty physics.
By: decavolt
Re: Through The Wormhole: Is The Universe Alive?
You make it sound like life is something separate from the universe. Now who's talking shitty physics? It's just a thought experiment via analogy. The fine tuning is the balance of forces that give rise to a sufficient diversity of temperature, chemical combinations, and scaled cohesiveness to make life probable. Nothing wrong with that statement.
Re: Through The Wormhole: Is The Universe Alive?
To be fair, the documentary states that it is a mystery why the universe is so tuned, so "friendly" to life, when we could just as easily ask ourselves why it is tuned to be so hostile to, inhabitable for life. The latter "mystery" rings truer to me.
In my opinion, making a science documentary based mostly on wild, unsubstantiated fringe hypotheses and never once using the word 'hypothesis' is evidence of a deep lack of respect for scientific truth. I'm so sick of hearing narrators spit out the word "believe" every 2 seconds. Example : "Evolutionists believe that life forms don't just pop into existence, but...". No. If representing our current scientific understanding is one of the goals, then it needs to be pointed out that this isn't just one of many equally probable schools of thought. Seemingly rock solid theories are not on the same level as the reveries of some sad little anthropocentrist. The language needs to reflect that.
I'm unconvinced that documentaries like this do anything at all to increase scientific literacy. It's scienceploitation or something.
In my opinion, making a science documentary based mostly on wild, unsubstantiated fringe hypotheses and never once using the word 'hypothesis' is evidence of a deep lack of respect for scientific truth. I'm so sick of hearing narrators spit out the word "believe" every 2 seconds. Example : "Evolutionists believe that life forms don't just pop into existence, but...". No. If representing our current scientific understanding is one of the goals, then it needs to be pointed out that this isn't just one of many equally probable schools of thought. Seemingly rock solid theories are not on the same level as the reveries of some sad little anthropocentrist. The language needs to reflect that.
I'm unconvinced that documentaries like this do anything at all to increase scientific literacy. It's scienceploitation or something.
By: wadadde
Re: Through The Wormhole: Is The Universe Alive?
And to that I still say no. So does Neil deGrasse Tyson. Here, I'll let him explain it a little better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mij4DYYnkF8
The universe is not "fined tuned" to support life, and the idea that it is, is rather stupid.
The universe is not "fined tuned" to support life, and the idea that it is, is rather stupid.
By: decavolt
Re: Through The Wormhole: Is The Universe Alive?
Also, read here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse_gambler's_fallacy
And here:
http://theconversation.edu.au/peer-review-the-fallacy-of-fine-tuning-2540
And here:
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Essay:Why_the_%22fine-tuned_universe%22_argument_is_bogus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse_gambler's_fallacy
And here:
http://theconversation.edu.au/peer-review-the-fallacy-of-fine-tuning-2540
And here:
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Essay:Why_the_%22fine-tuned_universe%22_argument_is_bogus
By: decavolt
Re: Through The Wormhole: Is The Universe Alive?
I think I'm talking result and you (and Neil in this old video) are talking purpose. I didn't see the part where anyone was advocating for intelligent design or ("fine-tuned just for us awesome humans") in this video (or this comment thread). If it did (and, no, I'm not going back to watch it again), my mistake. Rather, I was referring to something more related to Hawking's Anthropic Principle. I don't really give a shit why the universe is such that it gave rise to life, but it did, and that's all that matters. If a TV show wants to point out that the processes involved in making that happen are similar to familiar biological processes, then I say by all means. Einstein supposedly developed his famous equation by imagining flashing radioactive cats in the middle of space. Nothing wrong with stretching people's imaginations.
Re: Through The Wormhole: Is The Universe Alive?
I don't understand why so many physicists are so enamored with [any version of] the anthropic principle. I'm an idiot, but it's just not a solid starting point - so many problems, so little evidence beyond the plainly obvious. Possible reasons why they love it so : lack of imagination, desperate lack of genuine clues, a form of vanity, financial and other incentives to explore avenues that are exciting to idiots like me (funding, books)...
You're right, and I think the other guy should acknowledge it, that an idea is not stupid just because religious people use part of it to prop up their world view, but you lost me when you asserted that the documentary claims that the processes that made the universe give rise to life are similar to familiar biological processes. Not only don't I remember that from the video, but it's also only tangentially related to the anthropic principle(s), so why go there?
You're right, and I think the other guy should acknowledge it, that an idea is not stupid just because religious people use part of it to prop up their world view, but you lost me when you asserted that the documentary claims that the processes that made the universe give rise to life are similar to familiar biological processes. Not only don't I remember that from the video, but it's also only tangentially related to the anthropic principle(s), so why go there?
By: wadadde
