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Post by auntym on Jul 12, 2011 13:26:34 GMT -6
www.stumbleupon.com/su/2g1BFu/www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/07/stephen-hawkings-time-travel-kit-.htmlStephen Hawking's "Time-Travel Kit"Timetravel605 "I do believe in time travel. Time travel to the future. Time flows like a river and it seems as if each of us is carried relentlessly along by time's current. But time is like a river in another way. It flows at different speeds in different places and that is the key to travelling into the future. This idea was first proposed by Albert Einstein over 100 years ago." Stephen Hawking Stephen Hawking thinks four of the world's physicists are wrong believing that time travel is impossible: Hawking sides with Sir Arthur Clarke, author of Space Odyssey 2001 who famously stated that "when a distinguished scientist states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong". And a lot of distinguished scientists believe that just "Time travel is absolutely impossible". Hawking says: "Although I cannot move and I have to speak through a computer, in my mind I am free. Free to explore the universe and ask the big questions, such as: is time travel possible? Can we open a portal to the past or find a shortcut to the future? Can we ultimately use the laws of nature to become masters of time itself?" Several of the planet's leading scientists, including Charles Liu (author of "One Universe: At Home In The Cosmos"), bob Greene (of "The Elegant Universe") and Michio Kaku ("Hyperspace") float a raft of objections to the concept of time travel. True to Clarke's statement, sometimes affectionately known as "Clarke's Law", each objection seems more like reason to expect time travel than rule it out. Professor Greene states that all time-travel theories operate at the very boundaries of known physics, and are therefore unlikely to work. As opposed to, say, the boundaries of our understanding being where new discoveries are made. As Sir Clarke said years ago: "The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible". TO CONTINUE READING CLICK ON ABOVE LINK
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Post by auntym on Apr 12, 2013 12:57:47 GMT -6
news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57579003-76/stephen-hawking-predicts-end-of-earth-scenario/?tag=nl.e703&s_cid=e703&ttag=e703 g_knapp Hawking says Earthlings better get out of Dodge: Stephen Hawking predicts end-of-Earth scenario The renowned theoretical physicist urges humans to go into space in order to save ourselves.by Dara Kerr April 10, 2013 Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. (Credit: BBC Screenshot: Chris Matyszczyk/CNET) Stephen Hawking, one of the world's greatest physicists and cosmologists, is once again warning his fellow humans that our extinction is on the horizon unless we figure out a way to live in space. Not known for conspiracy theories, Hawking's rationale is that the Earth is far too delicate a planet to continue to withstand the barrage of human battering. "We must continue to go into space for humanity," Hawking said today, according to the Los Angeles Times. "We won't survive another 1,000 years without escaping our fragile planet." Hawking, 71, made his statement during a lecture at Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was touring the facility to getting a closer look at stem cell treatments for Lou Gehrig's disease -- the crippling degenerative condition that has kept him bound to a wheelchair for the last 50 years. The renowned scholar is most known for his work studying black holes and how particles behave around these massive gravitational entities that swallow light. But, he has also long been a buff of space travel and exploration. For years, Hawking has advised people to begin the search for new planets to inhabit. In 2006, he iterated some of today's sentiment saying the survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe. In 2011, he said, "Our only chance of long-term survival is not to remain lurking on planet Earth, but to spread out into space." MORE: news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57579003-76/stephen-hawking-predicts-end-of-earth-scenario/?tag=nl.e703&s_cid=e703&ttag=e703
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2013 14:37:22 GMT -6
He is an amazing man who considers himself very lucky. Of all people to get Lou Gherigs disease..it effected him the least because his branch of science is done in his head. Hawking is a theoretical physicist and cosmologist. His arguments are that we have overpopulated and abused this planet making it fragile and weak. My theory is that we will do the same where ever we spread
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2013 17:48:40 GMT -6
He is an amazing man who considers himself very lucky. Of all people to get Lou Gherigs disease..it effected him the least because his branch of science is done in his head. Hawking is a theoretical physicist and cosmologist. His arguments are that we have overpopulated and abused this planet making it fragile and weak. My theory is that we will do the same where ever we spread I agree with you and I don't think that humanity as a whole isn't going to change any time soon.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2013 22:13:39 GMT -6
Until we manage to conquer greed and a driving need for power..I'm afraid not.
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Post by auntym on Apr 17, 2013 13:40:13 GMT -6
www.space.com/20710-stephen-hawking-god-big-bang.html?cmpid=514648 Big Bang Didn't Need God, Stephen Hawking SaysRod Pyle, SPACE.com Contributor Date: 17 April 2013 PASADENA, Calif. � Our universe didn't need any divine help to burst into being, famed cosmologist Stephen Hawking told a packed house here at the California Institute of Technology Tuesday night (April 16). Many people had begun queuing up for free tickets to Hawking's 8:00 p.m lecture, titled "The Origin of the Universe," 12 hours earlier. By 6:00 p.m. local time, the line was about a quarter-mile long. A second auditorium and a Jumbotron-equipped lawn, which itself was jammed with an estimated 1,000 viewers, were needed to handle the overflow crowd. At least one person was observed offering $1,000 for a ticket, with no success.
CONTINUE READING: www.space.com/20710-stephen-hawking-god-big-bang.html?cmpid=514648[/color]
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Post by satansrini on Apr 18, 2013 1:16:39 GMT -6
Hey.. I say the same thing.. no one listens to me! ;D ;D ;D
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2013 9:12:50 GMT -6
;D A theorist can say just about anything
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Post by god on Apr 18, 2013 11:44:53 GMT -6
there are many things that are not needed, but they are used anyways....
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Post by god on Apr 18, 2013 11:48:26 GMT -6
Hey.. I say the same thing.. no one listens to me! ;D ;D ;D ...you may try saying them only once...to the right audience... GOD
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2013 13:07:06 GMT -6
I've always thought it was in the delivery...if I'm swayed to believe something or not. You look at Hawking..who has the ability left to move one muscle in his cheek..no more than that..and you know this man spends his life in his brain..and you just want to be very quiet and listen to him. I know people who can move every muscle in their bodies..that I pretty much just want to ignore ...it's all in the delivery ;D
Always nice when you drop by God.
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Post by auntym on May 24, 2013 11:41:44 GMT -6
news.discovery.com/human/stephen-hawking-superhero-130523.htm#mkcpgn=rssnws1 Stephen Hawking Gets Superhero Treatment in New Comic[/color] May 23, 2013 by Megan Gannon, Live Science A new comic book gets its action from the tremendous ideas of cosmologist Stephen Hawking. Bluewater Living legend Stephen Hawking has already achieved superhero status in the eyes of many science geeks, and now his ideas are being honored in comic book form. "Stephen Hawking: Riddles of Time & Space" (Bluewater) details the life story of the physicist, from his early days at Cambridge and struggles with a body-wrecking disease to his academic achievements and current fame. Hawking, 71, is widely considered one of the greatest scientific minds since Albert Einstein, and he has greatly enriched our understanding of the universe over the past several decades. His work with fellow cosmologist Roger Penrose helped unite Einstein's general theory of relativity and quantum theory. Hawking also studied black holes, with a groundbreaking theory that the cosmic monsters do actually emit a faint glimmer of radiation. CONTINUE READING: news.discovery.com/human/stephen-hawking-superhero-130523.htm#mkcpgn=rssnws1
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Post by auntym on Sept 17, 2013 11:03:03 GMT -6
www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24120574 Stephen Hawking on death, disability, and humour9-17-2013 A documentary about the life of Professor Stephen Hawking is to be released in cinemas. When Professor Hawking was diagnosed with Motor Neurone disease aged 21, doctors gave him just three years to live. In an interview with the BBC to mark the film's release Professor Hawking discussed his disability and gave his views on controversial issues such as the right to die. "I think those who have a terminal illness and are in great pain should have the right to choose to end their lives, and those who help them should be free from prosecution", said Professor Hawking. Tim Muffett went to meet him WATCH VIDEO: www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24120574
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Post by auntym on Jan 26, 2014 12:10:44 GMT -6
www.space.com/24418-stephen-hawking-no-black-holes.html?cmpid=514648Stephen Hawking: There Are No Black Holesby Ian O'Neill, Discovery News | January 25, 2014 This annotated image labels several features in the simulation, including the event horizon of the black hole. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman, J. Krolik (JHU) and S. Noble On reading a new paper by Stephen Hawking that appeared online this week, you would have been forgiven in thinking the world-renowned British physicist was spoofing us. Hawking's unpublished work — titled "Information Preservation and Weather Forecasting for Black Holes" and uploaded to the arXiv preprint service — declares that "there are no black holes." ANALYSIS: Hawking: Great Scientist, Bad Gambler Keep in mind that Hawking's bedrock theory of evaporating black holes revolutionized our understanding that the gravitational behemoths are not immortal; through a quantum quirk they leak particles (and therefore mass) via "Hawking radiation" over time. What's more, astronomers are finding new and exciting ways to detect black holes — they are even working on an interferometer network that may, soon, be able to directly image a black hole's event horizon! Has Hawking changed his mind? Are black holes merely a figment of our collective imaginations? Are all those crank theories about "alternative" theories of the Cosmos true?! Fortunately not. Stephen Hawking hasn't changed his mind about the whole black hole thing, but he has thrown a complex physics paradox into the limelight, one that has been gnawing at the heart of theoretical physics for the last 18 months. CONTINUE READING: www.space.com/24418-stephen-hawking-no-black-holes.html?cmpid=514648
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Post by swamprat on Jan 26, 2014 20:26:56 GMT -6
More on Hawking's black hole comments:Black hole theory my 'biggest blunder,' Stephen Hawking saysPublished January 26, 2014 Stephen Hawking now says light and information may be able to escape from black holes, doing an about-face on the objects that helped cement his reputation as the world’s preeminent scientist, New Scientist reports. In 1974, Hawking took a black hole theory and added quantum mechanics, sparking a debate that rages to this day. But now, after a bet with another physicist, Hawking says things may be able to escape from black holes. According to New Scientist, Hawking originally said that when a black hole dies, it takes everything inside with it. Now, 40 years later, he is arguing that it might be possible for light and information to escape. Black holes have "apparent horizons" -- surfaces that can trap light -- but can also vary in shape, leaving the potential for light to escape, the report said. According to the New Scientist, Hawking says the solution is to give up the very thing that makes black holes so mysterious -- the event horizon. On his 70th birthday this month, Hawking told the website that he regards his idea that information was destroyed by black holes as his "biggest blunder." www.foxnews.com/science/2014/01/26/stephen-hawking-contradicts-earlier-black-hole-claims/
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Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2014 1:52:26 GMT -6
Given his brilliance..I think he can be excused a 'blunder' in the past when there is so much more information available today to make better theories possible. He is, without a doubt the most incredible man I've ever seen..and probably (in comparison to my wee brain) more like 'them' (aliens) than us. His only recourse IS to live in his head and according to what I've read..he thinks in 7 dimensions. If he makes a blunder..the world knows it..if I do...eh...the pot roast burned
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Post by paulette on Jan 27, 2014 3:53:41 GMT -6
I have found it fascinating that as Stephen Hawking lost more and more use of his body (and faced his own event horizon) that this tipping point place of totally annihilation should fascinate him. Now he has decided that there aren't such things. I don't please to want to translate that but if I were to guess, I would if Stephen H. now believes in more than simple annihilation - more like falling into the rabbit hole and finding himself somewhere else?
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Post by auntym on Feb 2, 2014 15:01:43 GMT -6
www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2014/02/major-league-physicists-challenge-hawkings-claim-black-holes-dont-exist.html#moreFebruary 02, 2014 Hawking's "Black Holes Don't Exist" Challenged by Big-League PhysicistsIs Stephen Hawking messing with our heads? The famed astrophysicist has shaken up the world of popular science with his newest study about the basic nature of black holes, but is his theory truly as radical as it sounds in its attempts to solve a paradox surrounding the fundamental building blocks of how the universe works? Some scientists aren't convinced. Hawking's new study — entitled "Information Preservation and Weather Forecasting for Black Holes" — was published Jan. 22 through the preprint journal arXiv.org and has not yet undergone the standard peer review vetting process for academic papers. "Hawking's paper is short and does not have a lot of detail, so it is not clear what his precise picture is, or what the justification is," Joseph Polchinski of the Kavli Institute wrote in an email to SPACE.com. [The Strangest Black Holes in the Universe]. A couple of years ago, Polchinski and colleagues at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, in Santa Barbara, California, used quantum mechanics to analyze the event horizon, and realized that quantum effects first described by Hawking himself back in the 1970s would make the event horizon anything but invisible: “The event horizon would literally be a ring of fire that burns anyone falling through,” Polchinski told Nature in a 2012 interview. it would instead be a seething sheet of energy, dubbed “the firewall." So the event horizon is undetectable—or it’s a firewall—but it can’t be both. In his new paper, Hawking proposed a solution to this paradox by proposing that black holes don’t have event horizons. Instead they have apparent horizons that don’t require a firewall to obey thermodynamics. However, counters bob Koberlain Why Hawking in Wrong About Black Holes, "the firewall paradox only arises if Hawking radiation is in a pure state, and a paper last month by Sabine Hossenfelder shows that Hawking radiation is not in a pure state. In her paper, Hossenfelder shows that instead of being due to a pair of entangled particles, Hawking radiation is due to two pairs of entangled particles. One entangled pair gets trapped by the black hole, while the other entangled pair escapes. The process is similar to Hawking’s original proposal, but the Hawking particles are not in a pure state. "So there’s no paradox," concludes Koberlain, " Black holes can radiate in a way that agrees with thermodynamics, and the region near the event horizon doesn’t have a firewall, just as general relativity requires. So Hawking’s proposal is "a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist." CONTINUE READING: www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2014/02/major-league-physicists-challenge-hawkings-claim-black-holes-dont-exist.html#more
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2014 0:20:41 GMT -6
I think I started a thread elsewhere on this. Hawking's first theory regarding black holes was that nothing could escape them..not light or any other information. That was many years ago. Technology being what it is..has changed what we can see and detect. He now feels that light and information do escape a black hole. I'm not exactly sure why he threw the scientific world into a tizzy though. It seems logical that some scientists would be revisiting their thinking and their theories as new information becomes available. Maybe I just live in a much more simple place LOL.
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Post by auntym on Feb 10, 2015 12:17:47 GMT -6
www.huffingtonpost.in/2015/02/09/stephen-hawking-aliens_n_6642772.htmlDon't Tell Aliens We Are Here, Says Stephen HawkingPosted: 09/02/2015 Stephen Hawkins has warned the scientists against attempts to call aliens and letting them know that we were here. Scientists have been exploring ways of beaming messages from Earth to aliens in the hope of the ultimate callback are even considering Wikipedia to help them understand human life, but the renowned physicist has disapproved the move, saying that it could lead to catastrophe, the Daily Star reported. Hawking said that "If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans." The idea, which is the brainchild of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute in California, involves powerful radio telescopes which will send the data to nearby stars and planets. CONTINUE READING: www.huffingtonpost.in/2015/02/09/stephen-hawking-aliens_n_6642772.html
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2015 13:43:16 GMT -6
Well....everyone has an opinion. Some seem to know we're here but scientists aren't going to believe that until they are abducted themselves. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy...let alone someone I respect. You would think...they might like abducting a 'brain' but apparently that isn't what they're exploring. Eventually...the answers will be there...or not.
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Post by auntym on Aug 15, 2015 13:22:45 GMT -6
www.phantomsandmonsters.com/2015/08/stephen-hawking-reaches-out-to-our.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PhantomsAndMonstersAPersonalJourney+%28Phantoms+and+Monsters%29 Friday, August 14, 2015 Stephen Hawking Reaches Out to Our Cosmic Brethren by Brandon Engel Famed physicist Stephen Hawking along with Russian tycoon Yuri Milner have announced a new venture in which they will be injecting $100 million into the search for other life in the cosmos. The project, Breakthrough Listen, will take active steps toward the search for extraterrestrial life and drastically increase the amount of time that we're able to spend on the project from what we have in the past. The most famous project of this type, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has been in operation since 1960, but because it is privately funded and has had dwindling support for decades, scientists are only able to spend around 24 to 36 hours per year actually listening for radio signals originating elsewhere. This new influx of cash from Hawking and Milner, as well as the new minds that will be coming to the project, will help accumulate in a day what SETI does in a year and all on new equipment. The approach is not that much different from previous attempts: radio telescopes will be used to start listening for signals either intentionally sent or "leaked" out into the universe in the same way that our television signals have been. A second project, Breakthrough Message, is also being looked into to develop a message to start sending out. Hawking is, of course, on record with his fears regarding contact with alien life. In the view of the professor, very rarely has an advanced civilization contacted a less advanced one without the urge to conquer and colonize. That being said, Hawking insists that, "We are alive. We are intelligent. We must know" about whether we are alone in the universe. Of course, a number of assumptions are being brought to this project. Perhaps the first is that an alien race might be in some way like us. While some scientists have argued that there is a good chance that so long as they have resources they will understand "quid pro quo," that still presumes that we have something of value to them other than information on our planet. Further, the idea of non-carbon-based life is an old staple of science fiction, so while we are always on the lookout for planets that are similar to ours, there is no guarantee that a different species would share our biological needs. And perhaps the biggest assumption of all: that an alien species would develop manipulation of what we call radio waves. While the universe is absolutely full and bursting with the materials for biological life, there is nothing to say that life must be biological. In fact, it only strengthens the questions raised by Fermi's Paradox considering that we know that given the materials and fairly common conditions, life is not difficult to get started at all. That all being said, part of the point of Breakthrough Listen is to try to think of new ways to search for life, determine what other signifiers might be available to us, and adjust our search to take these parameters into account. CONTINUE READING: www.phantomsandmonsters.com/2015/08/stephen-hawking-reaches-out-to-our.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PhantomsAndMonstersAPersonalJourney+%28Phantoms+and+Monsters%29
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Post by swamprat on Aug 26, 2015 11:29:47 GMT -6
Has Stephen Hawking Just Solved a Huge Black-Hole Mystery?by Mike Wall, Space.com Senior Writer August 26, 2015
This artist's concept shows a black hole's surroundings, including its accretion disk, jet and magnetic field. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada
Stephen Hawking may have just solved one of the most vexing mysteries in physics — the "information paradox."
Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts that the physical information about material gobbled up by a black hole is destroyed, but the laws of quantum mechanics stipulate that information is eternal. Therein lies the paradox.
Hawking — working with Malcolm Perry, of the University of Cambridge in England, and Harvard University's Andrew Stromberg — has come up with a possible solution: The quantum-mechanical information about infalling particles doesn't actually make it inside the black hole.
"I propose that the information is stored not in the interior of the black hole, as one might expect, but on its boundary, the event horizon,"Stephen Hawking said during a talk today (Aug. 25) at the Hawking Radiation conference, which is being held at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden.
The information is stored at the boundary as two-dimensional holograms known as "super translations," he explained. But you wouldn't want super translations, which were first introduced as a concept in 1962, to back up your hard drive.
"The information about ingoing particles is returned, but in a chaotic and useless form," Hawking said. "For all practical purposes, the information is lost."
Hawking also discussed black holes — whose gravitational pull is so intense that nothing, not even light, can escape once it passes the event horizon — during a lecture last night (Aug. 24) in Stockholm.
It's possible that black holes could actually be portals to other universes, he said.
"The hole would need to be large, and if it was rotating, it might have a passage to another universe. But you couldn't come back to our universe," Hawking said at the lecture, according to a KTH Royal Institute of Technology statement. "So, although I'm keen on spaceflight, I'm not going to try that."
www.livescience.com/51980-stephen-hawking-black-hole-mystery.html
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Post by auntym on Oct 7, 2015 11:27:53 GMT -6
www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/stephen-hawking-alien-danger_560ea246e4b0dd85030bacfa?utm_hp_ref=science&ir=Science§ion=science Lee Speigel @lee_Speigel
Prof. Stephen Hawking either wants us to find ETs or he doesn't. He wants it both ways -- hypocritical? Stephen Hawking Seems To Be Of Two Minds About Alien Life Acclaimed scientist says it may be disastrous to reach out and touch aliens.by Lee Speigel / Reporter, The Huffington Post Posted: 10/05/2015 Is Stephen Hawking having trouble settling on whether we should try to make contact with extraterrestrial life? The celebrated physicist -- whose life was the subject of the 2014 Oscar-winning movie, "The Theory of Everything" -- has long warned of the dangers of letting aliens know we're here. In a recent interview with the Spanish news site El Pais, Hawking once again addressed the topic of why we shouldn't try to contact aliens. "If aliens visit us, the outcome could be much like when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," he said. "Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach." But if Hawking, arguably the world's most famous scientist, doesn't sound like someone who wants to reach out and touch ET, he's not against the idea of trying to prove extraterrestrials are out there. In July, Hawking joined forces with Russian tech billionaire Yuri Milner to launch a 10-year, $100-million hunt to find intelligent life outside of Earth. It's called Breakthrough Initiatives, and has two main components. CONTINUE READING: www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/stephen-hawking-alien-danger_560ea246e4b0dd85030bacfa?utm_hp_ref=science&ir=Science§ion=science
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Post by auntym on Oct 9, 2015 14:32:19 GMT -6
www.livescience.com/52439-stephen-hawking-hostile-aliens.html?cmpid=514645_20151009_53755786&adbid=652483746898153472&adbpl=tw&adbpr=15428397 Is Stephen Hawking Right About Hostile Aliens?by Stephanie Pappas, Live Science Contributor / www.livescience.com/contact_author.php?a=VTNSbGNHaGhibWxsSUZCaGNIQmhjeXB6Y0dGd2NHRnpLakk9 October 09, 2015 E.T. was the perfect extraterrestrial: Cute, smart and — best of all — a perfect pacifist. Unfortunately, scientists aren't so sure that an actual intelligent alien would be so benign. In a recent interview with El País, famed physicist Stephen Hawking posited that an alien visitation would put Earthlings in the same position as Native Americans when Columbus landed on their shores. "Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach," Hawking speculated. [7 Huge Misconceptions About Aliens] The likelihood that intelligent life is out there is up for debate; less discussed are the conditions necessary to evolve a life-form that's both smart and nice. But the lessons from Earth suggest that intelligence and aggression might evolve hand-in-hand. Evolving smarts No one really knows how humans got to be so clever. What's clear is that hominin brains began expanding wildly about 2 million years ago. (Hominins include those species after the human lineage — the genus Homo — split from the chimpanzee lineage.) By around 100,000 years ago, humans made the never-before-seen leap to inventing language. And by at least 40,000 years ago, our ancestors were making art. "We have brains that are three times bigger than those of our closest relatives," said Mark Flinn, an anthropologist at the University of Missouri who has researched the emergence of human intelligence. Humans have unprecedented abilities to think about each other's thoughts and motivations, he said, to play out social scenarios in their brains and to think about the past and future. "The general presumption is that this is just sort of a natural outcome of the evolutionary process, but that's really giving short shrift to the very special circumstances of human evolution," Flinn said. Huge brains are expensive. They take an enormous number of calories to grow and function (up to 50 percent of intake in infancy and childhood, Flinn said) and make humans basically helpless for years after birth. "Our babies are born as larvae, basically," said David Carrier, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Utah. Many anthropologists and evolutionary biologists have tried to pinpoint the special circumstances that make these huge brains worth the expense. Charles Darwin suggested that perhaps males developed cleverness to attract females, much as a male peacock developed showy tail feathers to prove to potential mates that he could strut his stuff. But if brains were just for sexual display, scientists would expect to see big differences between male and female intelligence — females, not having to attract mates, shouldn't waste so much effort on their brains, much as peahens don't waste effort on growing shiny feathers (theirs are dull and brown). And female humans are just as smart as males. Social pressureWould smart aliens have energy-intensive brains? Hard to say — perhaps E.T. could evolve a more efficient, yet just as clever, organ. But if aliens were sending signals into space or building rockets, they'd have to have achieved an intelligence that far exceeds what is needed to survive. [13 Ways to Hunt for Intelligent Aliens] Humans have done the same, and researchers can't quite figure out why. The brain could have evolved to allow humans to use tools, but chimpanzees use tools without developing complex languages, art and culture. One provocative theory holds that pathogens play a role: The brain is vulnerable to infection, wrote Hungarian researcher Lajos Rózsa in a 2008 article in the journal Medical Hypotheses. Showing off one's cleverness may be a way of showing off how resistant one is to infection. After all, if you're smart enough to invent language and art, you must be pretty good at battling brain parasites. So perhaps intelligent aliens might be subject to alien parasites. Flinn and his colleagues favor another theory, though. They argue that humanity underwent a runaway cycle of brain evolution because of hominins' social nature. The ecological dominance-social competition hypothesis works like this: Human ancestors reached a point in which their interactions with one another were the most important factor in whether they'd survive and pass on their genes. Finding food and shelter was still important, Flinn said, but it wasn't the main factor determining evolutionary success. The difference between clever humans and, say, caribou, is that intraspecies relationships drove evolution the fastest in humans, Flinn said. A herd of caribou has social interactions, to be sure: Males have to fight for mates, for example. But a more pressing concern would be avoiding predators and finding food. For hominins, these external issues became relatively less important, the theory goes, while their ability to form coalitions, to have empathy and to behave in such a way as to win friendships from others became key to their survival. [10 Things That Make Humans Special] In this heavily social context, it became very important to be smarter than the competition. Each generation got a little smarter and a little better at building complex social relationships, which created a feedback loop in which even smarter brains were beneficial. "The thing about social competition is it's a dynamic challenge and it's also creative," Flinn said. "You need to have the better mousetrap every time. The competition adjusts to the current winning model, so you need to be one better than the current winning strategy." The model seems to work with other clever animals, too, he added. Dolphins, orcas and chimps all form social coalitions with each other and depend on their social groups to survive. It's possible that this social factor would hold for species on other planets, too. CONTINUE READING: www.livescience.com/52439-stephen-hawking-hostile-aliens.html?cmpid=514645_20151009_53755786&adbid=652483746898153472&adbpl=tw&adbpr=15428397
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Post by auntym on Dec 1, 2015 15:00:34 GMT -6
www.ancient-code.com/god-did-not-create-the-universe-says-stephen-hawking/November 30, 2015 God did not create the universe, says Stephen HawkingGod did not create the universe and the “Big Bang” was the inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, says eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. In “The Grand Design”, which was co-written with American physicist Leonard Mlodinow, Hawking says according to a new series of theories, it is superfluous to think of a creator of the universe. “The universe began with the Big Bang, which simply followed the inevitable law of physics,” Hawking writes. “Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. The universe didn’t need a God to begin; it was quite capable of launching its existence on its own,” says renowned physicist Stephen Hawking explains in his book, The Grand Design. In today’s world, where new theories emerge reapply, physicists are constantly adapting new ideologies and theories to new discoveries in their respective fields. Hawking, who won global recognition with his 1988 book “A Brief History of Time”, an account of the origins of the universe, is renowned for his work on black holes, cosmology and quantum gravity. Since 1974, the British scientist has worked to link two cornerstones of modern physics: the General Theory of Relativity of Albert Einstein, related to Gravity and large-scale phenomena, and quantum theory, which covers subatomic particles. His latest’s comments suggest that the renowned scientists has completely distanced himself from earlier views on religion. In the past, Hawking had written that the laws of physics suggest it is simply not necessary to believe that “God” created the Big Bang. “…if we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason – for then we would know the mind of God.” ― Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time “The question is: is the way the universe began chosen by God for reasons we can’t understand, or was it determined by a law of science? I believe the second,” he explained. “If you like, you can call the laws of science ‘God,’ but it wouldn’t be a personal God that you could meet, and ask questions.” Hawking, who can only speak through a voice synthesizer connected to a computer, has a neuromuscular dystrophy that has progressed over the years and has left him virtually paralyzed. He is considered one of the brightest minds in the last century as his work on Black Holes has revolutionized scientific thinking. Hawking has even talked about Alien life in the universe suggest we need to be extremely careful to not knock on the ‘wrong door’ while looking for ET. ‘If aliens visit us, the outcome could be much like when Columbus landed in America, which didn’t turn out well for the Native Americans,’ Professor Hawking said in an interview. ‘Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach,’ Hawking told El Pais. According to reports, Hawking is currently heading up a major search for intelligent alien life in the universe using two of the world’s most powerful telescopes. WATCH VIDEO: www.ancient-code.com/god-did-not-create-the-universe-says-stephen-hawking/
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2015 21:27:17 GMT -6
All I can say, is I hope he does an 'about-face' on this one also!
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Post by auntym on May 2, 2016 11:32:22 GMT -6
news.discovery.com/space/this-is-how-hawking-thinks-160501.htmThis Is How Hawking ThinksMay 1, 2016 by Elizabeth Howell Stephen Hawking arrives for the the UK premiere of "The Theory of Everything" in Leicester square in London on Dec. 9, 2014. Can a 74-year-old theoretical physicist to remain playful? When thinking of Stephen Hawking, it’s certainly possible. He’s a noted fan of “Star Trek” (he even cameoed in one of “The Next Generation” episodes) and was positively delighted when he got the chance to ride an airplane that simulates microgravity. Hawking has even co-written a few children’s books. ANALYSIS: Hawking: Earth (Likely) Doomed, Humanity Needn’t BeBecause Hawking works from a wheelchair and can move very little due to a progressive motor neuron disease, he does the majority of his scientific thinking in his head, said Ben Bowie, producer of a new PBS series that replicates Hawking’s thinking through thought experiments. Called “Genius by Stephen Hawking”, the six-part series will air on Wednesdays from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. EDT between May 18 and June 1. This follows on after several space series Bowie did in recent years, including a documentary called “Hawking” in 2013. ANALYSIS: Is Hawking’s Interstellar ‘Starshot’ Possible? Lt. Commander Data plays a game of poker with holographic representations of Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Stephen Hawking in the 1993 Star Trek: TNG episode “Descent.” Paramount Domestic ANALYSIS: Hawking: Great Scientist, Bad GamblerBowie points out that many science documentaries show the viewer something and expect them to remember it. His approach is different; the series follows three volunteers who have to figure things out through thought experiments. Bowie declined to share specific results in an interview with Discovery News, saying he wants the viewers to try and think for themselves. But he hinted that one episode will explain the principles of evolution in part using trebuchets, a device that can catapult items over long distances. “What we wanted to do was allow adults to play again, because through play you can learn,” Bowie said. “Three volunteers together go through five challenges, mental and physical challenges, and by the end of it they should have realized something very profound about the universe and their world.” CONTINUE READING: news.discovery.com/space/this-is-how-hawking-thinks-160501.htm FAMOUS POKER SCENE: Lt. Commander Data plays a game of poker with holographic representations of Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Stephen Hawking in the 1993 Star Trek: TNG episode “Descent.” "GENIUS" by Stephen Hawking
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Post by swamprat on Jul 2, 2016 11:52:43 GMT -6
I hate ya! I'm gonna KILL ya! I love ya! I'm gonna KILL ya!US woman guilty of Stephen Hawking Tenerife death threats1 July 2016
A US woman has been given a suspended four-month jail sentence in Spain for threatening to kill British physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking.
The 37-year-old has also been banned from approaching to within 500m of the scientist or communicating with him on social media for eight months.
The woman was arrested in a hotel in Tenerife, close to where Prof Hawking was attending a conference.
She had stalked him on social media before following him to the island.
Prof Hawking's daughter told police that threatening messages had begun flooding the scientist's social media profiles and one of his email accounts on Tuesday, Spanish News Today reported.
The woman, named in Spanish media reports as Jenny Theresa C., had told the scientist she would kill him during the Starmus Festival, attended by Nobel laureates as well as musicians including bob May, bob Eno and Hans Zimmer, and famous astronauts.
She was arrested on Wednesday by police who found her in possession of a map showing Prof Hawking's itinerary while on the island.
After being detained, she told police that she was in love with the scientist and would never have hurt him.
Police said everything pointed to the woman being mentally unstable.
Spanish police had provided Prof Hawking with extra security because of the emails - the first time such threats have been made against him.
During his lecture, entitled "A brief history of mine", Prof Hawking forecast that humans would not survive another thousand years on Earth because of the fragility of the planet, Spanish News Today said.
www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36687631?ocid=socialflow_facebook&ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbcnews&ns_source=facebook
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Post by swamprat on Jun 21, 2017 18:45:42 GMT -6
Stephen Hawking: Humans Should Ride a Beam of Light to Other Planets Tia Ghose, Senior Writer | June 20, 2017
Humanity should focus its efforts on exploring other worlds that we might inhabit, and to get there, Earthlings may need to ride on a beam of light, famed physicist Stephen Hawking says.
Hawking made his remarks today (June 20) at Starmus, an arts and science festival in Norway whose advisory board he sits on. In his speech, he reiterated his belief that humans need to explore space to avoid the dangers of our own finite world. And then he described how humans could one day travel on a beam of light, harnessing the power of Einstein's theory of relativity to reach mind-bogglingly distant planets.
Earth in peril The human imagination has led us to peer ever deeper into the universe with scientific tools, Hawking said. Yet despite this ability to investigate the most distant reaches of the universe without leaving our backyards, humans shouldn't be content with this sedentary approach.
"Shouldn't we be content to be cosmic sloths, enjoying the universe from the comfort of Earth? The answer is, no," Hawking said in his address. "The Earth is under threat from so many areas that it is difficult for me to be positive."
What's more, humans are naturally curious explorers who are driven to push into the unknown. Hawking described the looming threats of a too-crowded world facing climate change, the collapse of animal species and the draining of physical resources. (Hawking has previously mentioned his conviction that humanity is doomed in the next millennium unless people can come up with an escape plan.)
"When we have reached similar crises in our history, there has usually been somewhere else to colonize. Columbus did it in 1492 when he discovered the New World. But now there is no new world. No Utopia around the corner," Hawking said.
Explore the unknown The easiest targets are the places closest to home: the moon and Mars, Hawking said in his Starmus address. The moon is nearby, but it's small, has no liquid water and lacks a magnetic field to shield people from radiation. Mars may once have had liquid water and an atmosphere, but no longer.
But an even more promising idea is to explore some of the planets in the vicinity of our nearest stellar neighbor, Proxima Centauri, at a distance of about 4.5 light-years from Earth, where 1 light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles (10 million kilometers). A planet circling Proxima Centauri, called Proxima Centauri b, may be somewhat similar to Earth, at least in a few respects, Hawking said.
However, we'll never know how hospitable Proxima b is unless we can get there. At current speeds, using chemical propulsion, it would take 3 million years to reach the exoplanet, Hawking said.
Thus, space colonization requires a radical departure in our travel technology.
"To go faster would require a much higher exhaust speed than chemical rockets can provide — that of light itself," Hawking said. "A powerful beam of light from the rear could drive the spaceship forward. Nuclear fusion could provide 1 percent of the spaceship's mass energy, which would accelerate it to a tenth of the speed of light."
Going faster than that would require harnessing matter-antimatter annihilation or as-yet-undreamed-of technology, he added. (When matter and antimatter come into contact, they annihilate, releasing gobs of energy.)
Tiny space probes To bring these seeming pipe dreams closer to reality, Hawking, along with physicist and billionaire Yuri Milner, has founded a company called Breakthrough Starshot, which aims to make interstellar travel a reality. As an early prototype, the team is creating a teensy space probe, just a few centimeters wide, attached to a miniscule light sail. The plan is to send 1,000 of these "StarChips" and their sails into the void, with arrays of lasers uniting to form one powerful light beam to propel the tiny sails with gigawatts of power, Hawking said.
The energy imparted to the tiny space probes could zoom them to speeds reaching about 100 million mph (160 million km/h), which would mean they would reach Mars in a day (as opposed to 260 days using propulsion). At one-fifth the speed of light, the probes would reach Alpha Centauri in just 20 years and send images of any possible planets back on another light beam, Hawking said. Another physicist, Claudius Gros has proposed using these tiny space explorers to colonize far-flung planets with a biosphere of unicellular organisms, Hawking said
"Human colonization on other planets is no longer science fiction. It can be science fact. The human race has existed as a separate species for about 2 million years. Civilization began about 10,000 years ago, and the rate of development has been steadily increasing. If humanity is to continue for another million years, our future lies in boldly going where no one else has gone before," Hawking said.
www.livescience.com/59556-hawking-describes-future-of-humanity.html
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