[QUOTE="nsaspook, post: 1273969, member: 59115"It predicts anything, everything and nothing beyond other Quantum Field Theories . String theory isn't wrong or right, it is simply a frame work.

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I'm familiar with the book and blog.

Feynman had a very negative view of string theory too.

1987 interview:

Now I know that other old men have been very foolish in saying things like this, and, therefore, I would be very foolish to say this is nonsense. I am going to be very foolish, because I do feel strongly that this is nonsense! I can’t help it, even though I know the danger in such a point of view. So perhaps I could entertain future historians by saying I think all this superstring stuff is crazy and is in the wrong direction.
What is it you don’t like about it?
I don’t like that they’re not calculating anything. I don’t like that they don’t check their ideas. I don’t like that for anything that disagrees with an experiment, they cook up an explanation – a fix-up to say “Well, it still might be true”. For example, the theory requires ten dimensions. Well, maybe there’s a way of wrapping up six of the dimensions. Yes, that’s possible mathematically, but why not seven? When they write their equation, the equation should decide how many of these things get wrapped up, not the desire to agree with experiment. In other words, there’s no reason whatsoever in superstring theory that it isn’t eight of the ten dimensions that get wrapped up and that the result is only two dimensions, which would be completely in disagreement with experience. So the fact that it might disagree with experience is very tenuous, it doesn’t produce anything; it has to be excused most of the time. It doesn’t look right.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/starts...ght-be-our-theory-of-everything/#64226d0058c2

https://www.economist.com/science-a...fundamental-physics-is-frustrating-physicists

 

Pretty interesting little article, relevant to this discussion:

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2018...ys-human-civilization-could-end-revealed.html

A gradual die-off is when 70 per cent of life on Earth is wiped out before things go back to normal.

Depressingly, this was found to be by far the most likely outcome.

 

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/heres-why-aliens-will-probably-come-in-peace

Is it true Dr. Frank Drake still comes to work at SETI several times a week at the age of 88?
Yes, he does. And he drives himself, coming in over the Santa Cruz Mountains after Bay Area traffic subsides and leaving before it gets bad again.

 

The interesting thing is what they would look like, generally artists impressions are based on our world model of animal life form in some garish way usually, all animal/fish/fowl forms on earth have evolved from a basic model and all have limbs and all organs in basically the same layout.
The conditions, diet etc on the alien planet would have the same effect of shaping the existence of any life forms evolved on it in the same way ours did and would in all likelihood could be entirely different.
Max.

 

The interesting thing is what they would look like, generally artists impressions are based on our world model of animal life form in some garish way usually, all animal/fish/fowl forms on earth have evolved from a basic model and all have limbs and all organs in basically the same layout.
The conditions, diet etc on the alien planet would have the same effect of shaping the existence of any life forms evolved on it in the same way ours did and would in all likelihood could be entirely different.
Max.

They could look different alright. But maybe there would be some similarities among intelligent, abstract-thought capable beings. I think they should at least have "fingers" (and not just limbs) of some sort that would give them the capability of finely interacting with the objects that surround them, just like we do.

 

The conditions ... would in all likelihood could be entirely different.

Not sure I agree. It is possible that the conditions for life are particularly unique -- and would be the same (or quite similar) everywhere life exists/can exist.

 

This article brings up some interesting possibilities, including the extreme:

As well as humanoid-type aliens, we also see other common themes: insectoid, reptilian and other-mammalian, to name a few.
As our own technology has progressed and we have begun to entertain ideas of artificial intelligence, a new theme regularly explored is alien life that isn’t “living” in a traditional sense.
These would be “machine-kind”, smart robots that operate free of any biological limitations and reproduce themselves endlessly as they colonize the galaxy.
This race would begin its evolution as a form of self-directed space probe first imagined by physicist John von Neumann, replicating and spreading itself throughout the stars over hundreds of thousands of years.
Max.

 

This article brings up some interesting possibilities, including the extreme:

As well as humanoid-type aliens, we also see other common themes: insectoid, reptilian and other-mammalian, to name a few.
As our own technology has progressed and we have begun to entertain ideas of artificial intelligence, a new theme regularly explored is alien life that isn’t “living” in a traditional sense.
These would be “machine-kind”, smart robots that operate free of any biological limitations and reproduce themselves endlessly as they colonize the galaxy.
This race would begin its evolution as a form of self-directed space probe first imagined by physicist John von Neumann, replicating and spreading itself throughout the stars over hundreds of thousands of years.
Max.

Sounds like Cylons from BSG.

 

Or the owner could come home, and we find out we are the aliens. Trespassers. We could be evicted. Or made to pay back rent.

 

They could look different alright. But maybe there would be some similarities among intelligent, abstract-thought capable beings. I think they should at least have "fingers" (and not just limbs) of some sort that would give them the capability of finely interacting with the objects that surround them, just like we do.

We once had to have the muscular strength of our closest relative, the Chimp, we no longer have anything close to it.
Look at the advances just in the very short period since the Industrial Revolution, that reduces our need to require us to do anything physical, we are transported over practically all the elements without effort, our food is readily supplied, robotics and automation is speedily taking over all manual effort. Communication between one person and another is no longer face to face, as it once was.
The Human physical limit capabilities are practiced by a very small minority compared to the vast majority.
Sport just satisfies our inherent need of Tribalism, which unfortunately is probably the last thing to shed, if at all.
The changes will certainly be exponential.
Max.

 

We once had to have the muscular strength of our closest relative, the Chimp, we no longer have anything close to it.
Look at the advances just in the very short period since the Industrial Revolution, that reduces our need to require us to do anything physical, we are transported over practically all the elements without effort, our food is readily supplied, robotics and automation is speedily taking over all manual effort. Communication between one person and another is no longer face to face, as it once was.
The Human physical limit capabilities are practiced by a very small minority compared to the vast majority.
Sport just satisfies our inherent need of Tribalism, which unfortunately is probably the last thing to shed, if at all.
The changes will certainly be exponential.
Max.

Good point. But then again, our planet's gravity keeps us well above the minimum physical shape that we need for survival purposes.

 

The race is getting taller. In my opinion, because of better juvenile nutrition(school lunch) and WIC, foodstamp programs. Short and small people are getting scarce. It ain't right.

Laborious toil is un-common now. No one shovels coal for 10 hr a day. It was done daily. A life of labor since the beginning for most lives. And actually wore people out. It did not improve the body, the life or the race.

Machines....i.e. our first robots did improve most all lives. Imagine living without them.

Academic maintenance recommendations are required now. We live much longer and comfortable now.

We have time to be un-happy and organize about it.

 

Another star with a distinctively irregular flickering:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/astronomers-spot-another-star-flickers-tabby-star

 

Lots of possibilities. My first response to Alien contact is why would they care unless there was something unique on this planet that was not seen on countless billions of others if life is everywhere in the universe or it could be that Aliens have visited and found no signs of intelligent life on Earth.

a research on how we could survive for so long would be next

 

I find the Sumerian Kings list interesting, one Kings life was 12 sars (43,200 years) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumerian_King_List.
I was raised mormon, no longer a member but think science and religion will eventually merge if we encounter life on other planets. Mormons believe "God" lives on a planet called Kolob. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolob

Kolob, signifying the first creation, nearest to the celestial, or the residence of God. First in government, the last pertaining to the measurement of time. The measurement according to celestial time, which celestial time signifies one day to a cubit. One day in Kolob is equal to a thousand years according to the measurement of the Earth, which is called by the Egyptians Jah-oh-eh.

On Kolob time passes differently "One day is equal to a 1000 years on Kolob" according to Mormon Belief, Also Sumerians said Anunnaki also lived long lives. They would have to have some sort of physical transport, if this happened to be the case then I find it interesting what they would have encountered when meeting our Homo species living in caves.

The Sumerians and Ancient Accounts written in the Bible agree that Angles or as some say "Children of God" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anunnaki came as the Watchers mating with early Homo Species resulting in an offspring, maybe Neanderthals.

The name Anunnaki is derived from "An" the Sumerian god of the sky. The name is variously written "da-nuna", "da-nuna-ke4-ne", or "da-nun-na", meaning "princely offspring" or "offspring of An"

If you add all the Kings lives in the Sumerian account, the years total 250,000 years or so ago, which falls into the ruff time period of Neanderthals first appearance claimed by some scientist.
http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-neanderthalensis

Both fossil and genetic evidence indicate that Neanderthals and modern humans (Homo sapiens) evolved from a common ancestor between 500,000 and 200,000 years ago.

The combination may result in segments of DNA not accounted for in the human genome, that maybe switched on producing Humans species not seen on the planet or for that matter what we may be when we wander the Stars or inhabit other planets that may exist in the Universe.

kv

 

First E-M field.
Then women.

I suppose don't qualify <sigh>., For what it is worth I do think it is just a matter of time.

 

At times I'm in agreement with Albert ....


“Intelligent life on other planets? I'm not even sure there is on earth!”
― Albert Einstein.

 

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/...ed-research-on-wormholes-and-extra-dimensions

 

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/...ed-research-on-wormholes-and-extra-dimensions

It may, no does sound like a terrific waste of taxpayer money, but consider this. Maybe this is a way to occupy these willing great minds for no other reason than to keep them close. If something real comes along, they’re already on the team, primed and ready to go. In the meanwhile they’re not helping our enemies.

 

It may, no does sound like a terrific waste of taxpayer money, but consider this. Maybe this is a way to occupy these willing great minds for no other reason than to keep them close. If something real comes along, they’re already on the team, primed and ready to go. In the meanwhile they’re not helping our enemies.

In other words, welfare for fringe scientists.