Martian Dreams

2007-09-19T14:01:00.000-06:00

I found this interesting:

Nanoscale computer memory retrieves data 1,000 times faster

It will be interesting to see how long it takes before this technology appears at a Best Buy nearest to you.

Atlas of the Universe

2007-05-27T10:29:00.000-06:00

I found this website quite interesting.

It shows the distribution of stars near earth and then moves further and further out. Cool!

Caves on Mars?

2007-05-27T10:22:00.000-06:00

Several intriguing features which might be entrances to large caves on Mars have recently been pointed out by Mars researchers.

See this link for more info.

Who knows what might lie hidden there in the darkness?

2006-12-15T12:43:00.000-07:00

Global temperture has bee fluctulating wildly for the last million years of earth history as shown in the curves above from Barry Saltzman, Dynamical Paleoclimatology: Generalized Theory of Global Climate Change, Academic Press, New York, 2002, fig. 3-4 via this website:

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/temperature/temperature.html#65Myr

Global Warming - AAPG's Climate Card

2006-11-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

AAPG has published a "climate card" that disputes the prevailing notion that the current global warming is primarily a result of anthropogenic greenhouse gases.

In general I agree with their conclusion, but I am still concerned about the very high CO2 level of 380 ppm that is mostly a result of man's activities. This level of CO2 is probably unhealthy for reasons other than increasing temperature. On the plus side without this high level of CO2, it is not unlikely the next ice age could have already begun.

The strongest evidence presented on the AAPG climate card comes from the ice cores that show CO2 increases lagging temperature increases, clearly showing that historically temperature drives CO2 increases and not the reverse. At the same time, it is clear that increased CO2 can affect temperature, so we have a feedback effect which helps explain some of the wild temperature swings in the last ice age. Something must break these feedback loops, one way or he other in order for temperature and CO2 to swing back the other way.

Obviously playing with feedback loops of this kind is not a good idea, so we cannot really predict what might happen when we add something to the natural equation. This is why we need to be concerned about the high CO2 values we now have.

Now let us consider the other side of the coin. The most remarkable thing about the temperature in the current interglacial period is how flat it is compared to previous interglacial periods. Something very odd is going on, or the glacial ages may be coming to an end. I doubt the glacial ages are coming to an end. The odd thing that is going on is that men have been tearing up the natural environment over the last 8000 years and the effect may actually have been to stabilize an otherwise erratic temperature regime. Does this mean we should expect this effect to continue? Not necessarily, we cannot really predict how our impact will play out, particularly as it appears to be exponentially increasing.

What really needs to be done is to stop the exponential growth. Stop adding variables to the global environment whose effects we cannot adequately estimate. In my estimation, the only real solution is a stable or slightly declining human population. Unless we achieve this, there are no solutions that can work; they all amount to putting bandaids on bullet wounds.

2006-06-15T08:52:00.000-06:00

Gravityplane:

This is a really cool idea and it appears that it might work. Imagine planes that do not need fuel. I would never have imagined it, but it might be possible.

Cosmic 'DNA'

2006-03-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

Cosmic 'DNA': Double Helix Spotted in Space

Magnetic forces at the center of the galaxy have twisted a nebula into the shape of DNA, a new study reveals.

The double helix shape is commonly seen inside living organisms, but this is the first time it has been observed in the cosmos.

"Nobody has ever seen anything like that before in the cosmic realm," said the study's lead author Mark Morris of UCLA. "Most nebulae are either spiral galaxies full of stars or formless amorphous conglomerations of dust and gas—space weather. What we see indicates a high degree of order.

"These observations, made with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, are detailed in the March 16 issue of the journal Nature."

Maybe we finally have a picture of the "creator" here... At any rate we do have another example of how the universe continues to amaze us, the more we learn about it.

Here is Something Far Out!

2006-03-07T07:58:00.000-07:00

I mean really far out- biological "cells" that appear to lack DNA, but are able to reproduce:

The Red Rain of Kerala

The red rain fell in India in 2001. The rain particles have the appearence of cells, but lacking DNA (apparently), are thought to possibly be extraterrestrial in origin, most likely from the debris of a comet.

This could lend support to the idea of "panspermia"- that life was seeded on Earth from elsewhere.

This is definitely an interesting story which I will be hoping to follow and hear more about.

13 Things That Do Not Make Sense

2005-12-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

This article is worth reading:

13 things that do not make sense

A short list of problems that do not fit into our current scientific paradigms. I think one could probably make a lot longer list, but this is a good place to start.

Which Peanuts Character am I?

2005-12-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

You are Rerun!

Which Peanuts Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Standing Wave Theory of Matter

2005-11-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

I discovered an interesting theory purporting to solve the longstanding paradox of the wave/particle duality of light and and matter. More about this can be found at this website: http://www.spaceandmotion.com/Physics-Particle-Wave-Duality-Paradox.htm.

The solution seems to fit with a lot of the ideas I have thought about concerning this problem. Modern physics has been trying to put forth the idea that light and matter are both particles and waves. Quantum theory says light and matter exist only as probablities which are mathematically described in Schrodinger's quantum wave equations. When observed, the theory proposes that the quantum wave function "collapses" and the particle is manifested.

My thinking has always been that this simply makes no sense. Either they are particles that somehow manifest themselves as waves, or they are waves that somehow manifest themselves as particles. I never could imagine any way for a particle to manifest itself as a wave, but it seems one could imagine many ways that a wave might manifest itself as a particle. The wave seems to me more fundamental than the particle. This new theory basiclly falls in this same train of thought , proposing that space is a wave medium in which matter waves are propagated. The outgoing waves of matter interact with the incoming waves of all other matter and produce a standing wave; the center of this standing wave is manifested as the particle that we observe. Many other interesting things fall out of theory, but rather than describe any of that here, I simply recommend that anyone interested check out the website, devoted to all of this. I still have many questions about what all of it might mean, but it seems possible that this might be a important breakthrough for Physics, something sorely needed to make sense of the non-sensical ideas we read about in modern Physics.

Flat-topped Mesa on Mars

2005-10-05T12:35:00.000-06:00

The top of this mesa on Mars looks unusual to me. The top seems flat and rectangular and other rectangular features appear to be present within the flat rectangular top area. These might be artifacts of the image or the data. If they are not artifacts of the image or the data, they could still be natural features, but they would be very unusual. The final possibility is that they are artificial structures.

New animal species evolved in an instant

2005-08-19T10:12:00.000-06:00

This article in "New Scientist" is quite interesting. It talks about a new species of fruit flies that appears to have developed by cross-breeding. I think mechanisms like this and other processes we do not fully understand may account for many of the twists and turns in the evolution of life.

2005-08-14T14:00:00.000-06:00

Martian Oasis?

Oasis in the Desert?

2005-08-14T13:39:00.000-06:00

ESA has just released this picture which shows some anomalous colors on the surface of a Martian crater. It will be interesting to see what explanations are offered for this. The green and blue colors certainly look like an oasis in the red Martian desert, but it is too early to say anything for sure about what the colors might mean.

Low Cost Fusion Reactor

2005-07-15T14:59:00.000-06:00

Some researchers at Purdue University seem to have produced a low cost fusion reaction, as detailed in this report.

It is something completely different than cold fusion, but nevertheless very unusual. They use ultrasound, a neutron source, and heavy water to produce fusion reactions within collapsing bubbles caused by the ultrasound. There seems to be only one thing to say about this- far out man!

Well, who knows if this will turn into something real, or fade away like the cold fusion idea which actually has had somewhat of a revival lately. Meanwhile billions of dollars are still being spent trying to create fusion at ultra-high temperatures and pressures using "magnetic bottles" to contain the reaction. Last I heard they were nearing the point of getting as much energy out, as they were putting in. This conventional approach to making fusion reactors has been hard at it for decades with very little progress. I kind of believe it might be a dead end.

Avida- Testing Darwin

2005-06-10T19:34:00.000-06:00

I learned about some interesting software that is designed to test Darwin's evolutionary theory. There was an article about it in the February issue of Discover. The software is called "Avida" and it is being distributed free at this site: http://dllab.caltech.edu/avida/.

I downloaded it yesterday and got it running on my computer. The Intro to the Discover article can be found here. Only subscriber's can read the whole thing online.

It is quite fascinating what they have been able to discover with this program so far and research is continuing. I intend to follow the developments.

2005-05-12T09:40:00.000-06:00

Iapetus Close-up

More on Iapetus can be found here.

2005-05-12T09:39:00.001-06:00

Another Sphere

More on the spheres can be found here.

2005-05-12T09:39:00.000-06:00

More Spheres

2005-05-12T09:10:00.000-06:00

Saturn's moon, Iapetus

2005-05-11T15:35:00.000-06:00

2.8 Billion year old artifact?

This strange sphere was found with hundreds of similar ones by South African miners. They claim the spheres were found in Precambrian sedimentary rock which is 2.8 billion years old. The conventional explanation is that they are some kind of concretion, but they are apparently harder than iron. The three parallel lines around the center are hard to explain by natural processes. Also, these objects appear to be more spherical than most normal concretions.

In what may be a random connection, the spere with the rings brings to mind Saturn's moon Iapetus which has a very unusual equatorial ridge with a similar appearance. More on the spheres can be found here.

13 things that do not make sense

2005-05-05T15:57:00.000-06:00

This is a great article that I would recommend everyone interested in science read.

Lost asteroid clue to Pioneer puzzle

2005-05-05T15:32:00.000-06:00

This article; "Lost asteroid clue to Pioneer puzzle" talks about what has become known as the "Pioneer Anomaly". The Pioneer spacecraft is about 400,000 miles off from the course that would be expected, based on known forces.

I have been following this story for a long time now, so I will be very interested to see what happens if they are able to study asteroids in the outer Solar System to see if they seem to be acting like the Pioneer spacecraft.

Was the 2004 Election Rigged?

2005-04-07T07:39:00.000-06:00

This report shows some strong scientific evidence that Bush was not elected president in November 2004. It argues that the discrepancies between exit polls and official vote counts in many areas cannot be explained by chance or the theory that Democrats were more likely to talk to the people taking exit polls. If you believe this analysis it means that Kerry won and Bush stole the election.

I am not sure what to think about this. I don't really want to believe that the Republicans would stoop this low, but then perhaps we should have learned something from Nixon and Watergate. Also it is likely that voting fraud in Illinois won the 1960 election for John F. Kennedy and the knowledge of this is what drove Nixon to play his Watergate games.

Perhaps in the future all elections will be decided by which side has the best hackers working for them, especially as we move toward more and more electronic voting.

Perhaps the only way to win otherwise is to have such a large margin of victory that altering the results would be totally apparent to everyone. Well, however you look at politics is a dirty game. That is something that makes me sad, because I really do believe in democracy and think it is the best system we have yet devised for governing ourselves.

Tyrannosaurus rex - Coming Soon to a Grocery Store near You?

2005-03-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

According to this article: Blood vessels recovered from T. Rex bone, soft tissue has been recovered from T. Rex. bones 68 million years old. Could we also recover DNA from these fossils? Probably not; DNA appears to be much less stable than the proteins preserved in this T. Rex bone, so don't expect cloned dinosaurs in your grocery store any time soon.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Meteorite Impacts

2005-03-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

This website: Impact Effects, lets you calculate all the potential effects of the impact of a meteorite or comet on Earth. This will allow you to make the proper plans in the case a large meteor is projected to impact the earth in the near future, so bookmark the site. You never know when the next large meteor might strike the Earth.

Breakthrough in Solar Power Nanotech?

2005-03-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

This article discusses a possible breakthrough in solar power using nanotechnology. A company claims they will be able to deliver electricity using solar cells at 5 cents per kilowatt/hour. This is half the current average price for electricity of 10 cents per kilowatt/hour- obviously making solar power competitive with fossil fuels. What has held solar power back up to now is the high cost- about 20 cents per kilowatt/hour for conventional solar cell technology. It is not clear if the claims are legitimate, but if they are we could be looking at the dawn of a new day. With the price of oil rising, even conventional solar cells may quickly become competitive with fossil fuels, especially with some minor improvements and the benefits of mass production.

Spaceport near Van Horn, Texas?

2005-03-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com has started a new company called "Blue Origin". Its purpose is to establish commercial spaceflight. Recently Jeff puchased several ranches near Van Horn in West Texas covering about 165,000 acres where apparently Blue Origin will start building and testing rockets. More information on this can be found at this website.

I find this pretty exciting. It sounds like something from some of the science fiction books that I have read. I will be watching to see how all of this develops.

2005-03-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

I discovered a great website today. Check out this: Church Sign Generator. An example sign is show above.

The New Jargon

2005-02-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

I recently came across this article which dissects the jargon used by a lot of right wingers and conservatives to intimidate people and make their viewpoint paramount. It is long, but worth reading, just to help you identify this type of jargon and maybe call out someone who is using it on you. I recommend reading it.

Life on Mars?

2005-02-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

This article: NASA Researchers Claim Evidence of Present Life on Mars discusses new work pointing to the likelihood that there is life on Mars. This finding has seemed inevitable to me as Mars research has progressed. One of the Viking landers in the 70's tested for life. Three tests were done. 2 of the 3 tests were positive, but the negative result for the the third test, which failed to find organic compounds was deemed sufficient to negate the other two tests. I never felt like the explanations offered to discount the other two tests were convincing.

Since that time we have discovered bacteria living deep in the subsurface at extremely high temperatures and in Antarctic ice. Basically, it appears that bacteria can live just about anywhere, plus some studies have shown they can survive in space. Given all this, it is not surprising to discover there is life on Mars. I would also not be surprised to learn there is life on Jupiter or Saturn, or even Venus. I think in the Solar System and in the rest of the universe, life is much more prevalent than most people believe.

Can This Black Box See Into the Future?

2005-02-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

This article: Can This Black Box See Into the Future?, was quite interesting. It says that random number generators are being influenced by global events, sometimes even before they happen. Of course, it seems a bit hard to believe, but the data appears to be genuine. Food for thought...

2005-02-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

William F. Ruddiman Graphs

The March issue of "Scientific American" has one of those "wow" articles that everyone interested in the global warming debate should read; "How Did Humans First Alter Global Climate". You cannot access the Scientific Amerian article online, but this publication; "THE ANTHROPOGENIC GREENHOUSE ERA BEGAN THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO" by the author, William F. Ruddiman, covers most of the same ideas and has more details of the science behind his proposals. Two graphs from this article are shown above.

I found these articles fascinating because they seem to answer a lot of the questions that I had concerning what the current global warming means in the context of historical climate change. There are several interesting conclusions that come out of these articles. One is that a new glacial age would have begun with new continental glaciers beginning to form in northern North America about 5000 years ago, if not for methane and CO2 being added to the Earth's atomosphere by early argicultural methods and deforestation. Another is that pandemics such as the "Black Death" in western Europe show up in ice core data as anomolous decreases in CO2 that subsequently led to global cold spells. By killing off 40-50% of the European population, the "Black Death" led to the abandonment of numerous farms and small villages which in 50 years or so reverted to forest, pulling CO2 out of the atomosphere and cooling the planet. The spread of bubonic plague is often blamed on the success of early argicultural societies that led to crowding in cities with unsanitary conditions and of course the rats feeding on the grain. Mother nature seems to have checks and balances which so far we have continued to override, but how long can this continue?

The other big question is what role do we humans want to play in determining climatic conditions. It would appear that the very stable climate for the last 8000 years that has allowed our civilization to flourish is not natural but an unwitting result of our own activities. We may be close to understanding enough about climate to control it, but what is really optimum and how could we ever reach some global concensus.

The use of fossil fuels is the one component of the climate system many people seem focused on, but limiting methane production from farming practices and reforestation could have very significant impacts that may not have been adequately considered. Also, we must consider that the natural changes in CO2 and methane that are driven by Earth-orbital cycles continue downward, leading to a glacial age without man's interference. Clearly, there is a lot to think about here and this latest work by William Ruddiman has added a lot to the dabate.

The Tsunami's Epicenter

2005-02-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

Sonar picture of the Indian Ocean near the tsunami epicenter.

This article: "Asian tsunami seabed pictured with sonar" discusses the changes on the floor of the Indian Ocean that were caused by the earthquake that started the recent tsunami. It appears that this quake was certainly a massive and startling event caused by millenia of stresses building up at the juncture of the Indian and Burmese tectonic plates.

Shortly after the tsunami I read some comments suggesting that oil company seismic testing might have caused the quake. This is so ridiculous, it is not even funny. Why are certain people so eager to blame big oil companies for problems. The truth of the matter is that the oil industry has a better environmental record than most other industries. We supply a needed resource at a good price. Without this resource we might literally be in the dark ages right now. Please give us a break!

NASA's Official Words on Iapetus

2005-02-09T15:56:00.000-07:00

In order to present a balanced view here is NASA's description of the ridge on Iapetus:

"The most unique, and perhaps most remarkable feature discovered on Iapetus in Cassini images is a topographic ridge that coincides almost exactly with the geographic equator. The ridge is conspicuous in the picture as an approximately 20-kilometer wide (12 miles) band that extends from the western (left) side of the disc almost to the day/night boundary on the right. On the left horizon, the peak of the ridge reaches at least 13 kilometers (8 miles) above the surrounding terrain. Along the roughly 1,300 kilometer (800 mile) length over which it can be traced in this picture, it remains almost exactly parallel to the equator within a couple of degrees. The physical origin of the ridge has yet to be explained. It is not yet clear whether the ridge is a mountain belt that has folded upward, or an extensional crack in the surface through which material from inside Iapetus erupted onto the surface and accumulated locally, forming the ridge."

More can be found at this website.

Is Iapetus Artificial?

2005-02-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

The pictures below show Iapetus, one of Saturn's moons. There are some very startling features of this moon that are hard to explain as natural features. This website goes into great detail discussing the anomalies and what they might mean.

The general idea is that the 12 mile high, 800 mile long equatorial ridge must be an artificial construct. Further evidence is presented that the moon is not round, but faceted, as if it were geodesic structure. The arguments presented on the website are fairly persuasive- there is something very strange about this moon. Extreme blowups of some photos purporting to show smaller artificial structures on this moon are not persuasive and actually detract from the stronger arguement that this moon may be an artificial satellite or spaceship.

It is certainly a science fiction idea, but who knows, it might be true. On the other hand, do we really understand nature so well, as to rule out natural explanations. I think we may be hearing more about this moon in the future.

2005-02-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

Faceted Horizon on Iapetus

2005-02-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Closeup of Iapetus Equatorial Ridge

2005-02-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

Equatorial Ridge on Iapetus

The End of the World

2005-02-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

Yes, the end of the world is here. If you do not believe it, check out this website.

2005-01-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

I am a skeptic concerning the "Big Bang" theory of cosmology. I have always thought the theory to be nonsense, that is not and cannot be supported by observational evidence. This article "The Top 30 Problems with the Big Bang". outlines all the flaws in the theory and pretty much sums of what I think is correct concerning this theory.

Strange "Tubes" on Mars

2005-01-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

Martian "Tubes"

These tube-like formations on Mars are actually fairly common. I have not seen any good explanation about how they might have formed by natural processes. One must wonder if they could be artificial or perhaps even organic. I can't help imagining the spice-worms on Dune when I see these pictures.

My first guess is that they are the result of some geologic process, but they certainly do stir the imagination.

Follow this link to see some more pictures. On this website the "tubes" are described as linear dune patterns filling in large surface cracks. They don't look like dunes to me. Of course dunes are common on Mars, but it should be simple to determine if the "tubes" are dunes- they won't look the same if they are photographed again... unless you want to claim they are ancient dunes that have been cemented and preserved. I think some other explanation is needed.

Predictions for the future (from 1961)

2005-01-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some predictions for the year 2000 made in 1961. They were quite optimistic and many really are funny. I really like this one; "At work, Dad will operate on a 24 hour week. The office will be air-conditioned with stimulating scents and extra oxygen - to give a physical and psychological lift."

Here is another good one; "The family car will be soundless, vibrationless and self-propelled thermostatically. The engine will be smaller than a typewriter. Cars will travel overland on an 18 inch air cushion."

What do you think. Will we have all this by the year 3000, since we obviously did not make it by 2000?

Of course there may be a problem with this. The Mayan calendar ends on Dec. 21 (Winter Solstice), 2012... maybe we will not make it that far.

Strange Polygons on Mars

2004-12-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

Hexagon with Square in Center in Honeycomb Terrain, Cydonia Region, Mars

The new Mars, Cydonia photo from MSSS has several large areas honeycombed with polygonal forms, predominately hexagonal. This kind of texture is typical of basalt flows on Earth. On earth the polygons are thought to be caused by differential cooling between the interior of the polygon and the sides forming hexagonal convection cells. The cell edges fracture as the basalt cools. This "columnar jointing" is very common in basalts and often forms hexagonal columns meters wide and sometimes 30 meters high. Devil's tower in Wyoming and "Giant's Causeway" in Ireland are well known examples of this type of basalt formation. The polygons exhibited here are much, much bigger in scale, but it seems likely that a similar process must have been involved. The large hexagon with the square in the middle seems out of place here. All the other polygons appear dark and low in the center, whereas this one has a large nearly square column in the center. My feeling is this is a natural formation, although very unusual. What might have caused one convection cell to be so different than all the ones surrounding it? Could it be artificial? We will never know until someone walks there and studies it.

2004-12-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

Flat-topped Hill on Mars (Enhanced Image)

I used Microsoft's automatic image enhancement to make the flat-topped hill more visible. When you zoom in on the rectangle at the top of the hill, there appears to be at least two other smaller rectangles inside. I think this is very difficult to explain, if it is natural. If it is artificial, it may be even harder to explain, but it certainly warrants more study with an open mind.

2004-12-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

Flat-topped Hill on Mars?

This small hill in the Cydonia region of Mars appears to have a flat rectangular top. Maybe it is an illusion, but it looks that way to me.

New Mars Cydonia Picture

2004-12-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

MSSS has posted a new photo of the Cydonia region on Mars. It does not include any of the most talked about anomalous features in this region, but there are some interesting things to see here. I will mention three of them:

(1) An apparently rectangular flat space topping one of the hills or mounds in the south part of the photo.
(2) Hexagonal honeycomb terrain- most likely caused by shinkage cracks in cooling basalt, but strange because of the scale. On Earth columns consisting of hexagonal (or other polygons) blocks of basalt are common, but these usually have a scale of inches to meters. The hexagonal polygons in this terrain are much, much larger.
(3) One of the large hexagons has a square inside it- this is very unusual.

Nearly as Good as Being There?

2004-12-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

Candor Chasma, Part of the Vast Valles Marineris Trough System

This picture from MSS Mars Orbiter camera is quite astounding. They have achieved 1 meter per pixel resolution, using a new method called "the cPROTO technique". The quality is so good it almost seems as good as being there. We can only hope they will image some of the anomalous, possibly artificial structures on Mars with this technique. It might answer some questions, but most likely it will just raise more questions. MSS has been very reluctant to spend time imaging the areas with potentially artificial structures because they believe the whole idea is absurd. This has led to cries of conspiracy at JPL and MSS, something which seems unlikely to me. I think these people are just stubborn, short-sighted, and focused on other aspects of Mars that they find more interesting.

An Artificial Mound?

2004-11-30T07:35:00.000-07:00

A Strange Mound on Mars

Any one of the three unusual formations on Mars would make one stop for a moment and wonder whether natural forces could explain them. When all three very different formations occur together, it lends a great deal of credence to the the artificiality hypothesis which has been suggested for a number of other formations in this same region of Mars.

The horseshoe shaped depression at the top of the photo is probably the least remarkable of the the three, but it seems tied somehow to the strange mound that appears to have a triangular facet and is roughly bisymmetrical. Not far from the mound is a nearly hexagonal platform which seems very difficult to explain as a natural phenomonen. Actually, the simplest explanation is that these features were built and designed by some intelligent life form and are now eroded and decayed. However, this does not fit well with what we think we know about Mars and natural processes can form many unusual features. How can one judge what might be the truth here? What do you think formed the features in this photograph?

It should be noted that the mound above was seen on the low resolution Viking photos and along with other similar mounds in this area was descibed as being part of a geometric pattern, that suggested an artificial design. The higher resolution photo above provided more detail and instead of debunking the artificiality hypothesis, it seems to support it.

CO2 Through Geologic Time

2004-11-21T22:43:00.000-07:00

CO2 Variation through Geologic Time

The above curves show the broad temperature and CO2 variations back to the beginning of the Paleozoic era. Our current era and the Late Carboniferous-Permian periods stick out as having extremely low temperatures and low atomospheric CO2. Both of these times were also distinct in having glaciations.

This data covers from 600 million years ago to the present. What it shows is that CO2 decreased from the Cambrian high of 7000 PPM through the Paleozoic with the lowest levels reached in the glacial ages of the Late Carboniferous-Permian. During the Mesozoic, CO2 was generaly greater than 1000 PPM and then it decreased to the current low level, which is very similar to that in the Carboniferous-Permian ice ages. There is no evidence for a "runaway greenhouse effect" through all of this Earth history. Why should we worry about such an effect being caused by man's release of CO2 by burning fossil fuels? The answer is we shouldn't. It is never going to happen. If we burned every ounce of coal and petroleum available to us, it would never raise CO2 levels higher than the Mesozoic norm of 1000 PPM. I doubt we could even double the current CO2 level. It is thought that man's current input of CO2 into the atomsphere is about 70 PPM, so you judge what it would take to drive CO2 higher than the Mesozoic norm.

Another Temperature Prediction

2004-11-21T22:40:00.000-07:00

Malinkovitch Curve vs. Vostok Ice Core Data

I made a temperature prediction in the previous post by replicating the previous glacial cycle. I knew this was not the best approach because the cycles, although similar, are not exactly the same, so I went looking for a Malinkovitch curve estimated from the astronomical data. It took me awhile to find one that I could post, but I finally found one which is posted above and compared to the Vostok Ice Core Data. The Malinkovitch curve came from this article: No soon Ice Age, says astronomy. In it Czech astronomer Jan Hollan predicts no ice age for at least 130,000 years.

His prediction is based on the curve above which shows no periods of extremely low insolation at latitude 65N for the next 130,000 years (the presumed driver for continental glaciation). There appears to be the possibility of an extended interglacial age.

I noticed several interesting things about these curves. One is that the first peak I show on the Malinkovitch curve above, appears to have had almost no affect on temperature. This peak occured during one of the coldest epics, but did not spur an interglacial. The third peak on the curve did spur an interglacial, but it was not that much higher than the first peak which is also higher than the peak that spurred the current interglacial epic.

A fair correspondence between the Malinkovitch curve and temperatures in the last 100,000 glacial cycle is evident. The details of the curve which don't match the Malinkovitch cycles are probably related to sunspot cycles and biofeedback.

It appears that most of the decrease in solar insolation from its peak at the beginning of our currrent interglacial has already occured. Only a small decrease compared to what has already occurred is in store for the future following by another rise in less than 500 years. Since only a small decrease in temperature has occured since the Holocne interglacial maximum, it is probably not reasonable to expect any precipitous temperature drops in the near future, as I speculated earlier. Clearly then, there are changes in Earth's climate system which have caused the Holocene epic to have a fairly stable temperature as compared to past glacial ages. The future for the next 100,000 also looks good, as the Malinkovitch cycles which were driving the glaciation are in a subdued phase with no deep troughs of extremely low insolation at high northern latitudes for an extended time period.

So back to the original debate- should we be concerned with global warming. The answer in my mind is still no. There are many factors driving climate and we don't really understand how they all interact to create the climate we have. To pick out one influence- CO2 release by the workings of men, and believe it is paramount in causing climate change is absurd. Unless, we have a model that accounts for all variables and is able to match past climate history, it is simply wild speculation and should not be a basis for public policy.

Future Global Temperature Prediction

2004-11-19T15:42:00.000-07:00

Ice Core Temperature Data with Future Projection

I replicated the temperature data for the last ice age and overlayed it on the current Holocene interglacial temperature record. This graphically shows three interesting things:

(1) The Holocene peak temperature to date is significantly lower than that seen in the last interglacial.

(2) The precipitous temperature decline seen after the last three interglacial peaks has not occurred in the Holocene so far. Instead there has been a gradual decline since the Holocene peak with relatively constant temperature. This is the time in which our civilization has developed.

(3) The temperature decline which will lead us to the next glacial epic is overdue. Based on the previous temperature record, this decline should be precipitous, as shown by the red line temperature projection above.

Since these temperature fluctuations are based on solar variation driven by changing orbital eccentricity, earth axis tilt and precession (Milankovitch cycles), It is almost certain that they will continue with a nearly identical pattern to those seen in the past. If man's release of CO2 is warming the climate, it is fighting a downward temperature trend that would appear to be overwhelming.

Although I do not know for certain, I am willing to bet that the computer climate models that are predicting global warming are using a constant solar input and not taking the Milankovitch cycles into account. If there were a model that took the variation in solar input into account, would it show that man's environmental impact has been to stabilize global cooling and save us from the coming ice age, or would it show that man's impact has been to induce global warming leading to anomalously high and dangerous temperatures for our planet, as has been claimed. I feel that almost certainly, the former is correct and the latter is really bad science.

Questions about Titan

2004-11-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

Saturn's Moon, Titan, False Color Image from the Cassini-Huygens Spacecraft

This article; Titan Photos Pose New Questions , was interesting to me. Mostly it asks a lot of questions without providing any answers. I guess this is what I like- asking a lot of questions.

The photos of Titan have been disappointing to me. The one here is the best that I have seen. The simple fact is you really don't see much in most of the pictures; the planet is blurred and veiled in the haze of its atomosphere. I am still watching though, as I am quite interested in what might be found on this moon. This JPL website shows some more pictures from Cassini-Huygens.

Maybe Global Warming is Good?

2004-11-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

Present Climate

Comparing the present Earth to the picture below of the Earth at the the end of the last ice age, the question that should be asked in the global warming debate, is which Earth do you prefer? The Earth of 18,000 years ago was dominantly desert and glacial ice with small forested areas. The present Earth seems more suitable for our civilization and most other life forms. The global temperature curves for the last 400,000 years show that we are hanging precipitously near the end of a short interglacial epic. A fall in Earth's temperature and continued glaciation in the future is as good a scientific prediction, as the theory that the sun will continue to shine for billions of years in the future. That mankind's production of CO2 could alter this future is highly unlikely. The facts simply do not support this contention. If we could, the result would be more green on the map above and not less. Once again- which would you prefer? A constant climate is not a real option, as amply demonstrated by geologic history.

2004-11-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Ice Age Climate

Global Warming in Context

2004-11-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

Ice Core Data

I attended a lecture on global warming this evening and did some more research on the internet. This article: Global Warming:A Chilling Perspective, puts the whole issue in the proper context. The chart above shows global temperature variations over the last 400,000 years. What is evident is that 100,000 year cycles are being repeated. Each cycle ends with extreme cold followed by a very rapid rise in temperature. Temperature hits a peak and drops sharply followed by an erratic downward temperature trend that ends at a glacial maximum, followed by another rapid rise in temperature. The peak periods are very short. The one we are currently in is much longer than the three peak periods that preceed it. The peak temperature of the last three peaks is higher than any we have seen yet. These cycles are driven by cycles in the earth's rotation and orbit eccentricity. There is nothing we can do that can change the cycles and no reason to believe we have exited the ice ages, since they are driven by plate tectonics which have now put the continents at the equator blocking global circulation and cooling the planet. The interglacial period we are in must end soon. The CO2 we have released into the atomosphere may have slowed this process, but it is unlikely to reverse it. Instead of bemoaning global warming, we should rejoice in it, because the coming ice age will result in a less habitable planet, not more. If we can hold it back, we should be happy.

Election Fraud?

2004-11-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

More on possible election fraud can be found in this article: US election fraud scandal looms?

Colin Powell quits at State

2004-11-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

This is not a surprising announcement: Colin Powell quits at State, but it is still upsetting. The only apparent voice of reason within Bush's inner circle will soon be gone. They did not heed what he told them, but at least they had to listen. Now there will be little or nothing to mitigate the idiocy of the Bush team. Where they may lead us after Iraq is scary to think about.

Free Photos

2004-11-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

Amazing Photo!

This photo was one of the recent daily photos at Webshots.com. I recommend checking out this website. It offers free screensaver and wallpaper software and thousands of free photos, with new ones every day. I like to check out the new photos every day. Every once in a while there is one like the one above that astounds you and seems to make you see the world in a whole new light.

2004-11-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

Spam's Origins

This map shows where all that hated spam is coming from. Here is a "Bushie" solution for spam. Nuke all the red spots on this map and warn the others that they will suffer the same fate, unless they curtail the spam. This solution has the added advantage that a Republican victory will be assured in the next election, as a lot of the Democratic leaning areas will be eliminated, along with a bunch of hated Frenchies, Commies, and Japs.

Florida Election Anomalies

2004-11-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

Some Florida Election Results by County

Is it reasonable to believe that in Holmes Co., Florida, where 72.7% of the voters are registered Democrats, that Bush won with 77.25% of the vote? This is just one example of the anomalous results noted in Florida. Here are more.

Did Bush Really Win?

2004-11-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

This article: Evidence Mounts That The Vote May Have Been Hacked suggests that Bush might not have won the election on November 2, he might have stolen it. Naturally, I was very skeptical when I first began to read it, expecting democratic sour grapes, but the evidence of possible foul play is fairly persuasive. There seems to a big question out there. The exit polls showed Kerry winning a number of key states that later went to Bush. The Bush side is claiming foul play in the exit polls. Could this be a smokescreen for their own foul play? The anomalies this article points out between counties that used touch screen voting machines that were later tabulated by a single Windows PC and those using optical scanners are difficult if not impossible to explain, other than by foul play.

Before the election, I thought the vote would be close and Ohio would be the crucial state. Being a native Ohioan, where my parents still live, I thought I understood how Ohio would vote in this election and I was certain Kerry would win Ohio and the election. I still cannot believe that Bush won Ohio. Maybe he didn't?

It is not hard to imagine that some people in Bush's camp would be willing to cheat to win an election. They view Kerry and all of liberal stripe as Satan's handmaidens. When you are fighting for God, against the Devil and protecting America from the devil terrorists at the same time, I am sure you would do anything to win for your side. The scary thing that this article seems to show is that cheating would not be that hard to do. Given motive and opportunity, can it really be doubted what was done?

Free Chess Game

2004-11-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a cool free chess game: Thinking Machine 4. Check it out!

Global Warming and CO2

2004-11-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

This article in the AAPG Bulletin: Climate change: Conflict of observational science, theory, and politics, should be required reading for anyone concerned about whether global warming is being caused by our industrial society's release of CO2 into the atomosphere. The case that this is true is far from certain, although many people seem to assume it is without looking at any of the data. Some of the data from this article is shown in the posted graphs seen here.

What these graphs show is that since the Cretaceous, the Earth has been in a major cooling trend. In recent times (the Pleistocene) extreme cooling is evident (the ice ages) with short, warm interglacials. We are currently in the longest interglacial of this time period. The current global temperature is nearly 3 degrees warmer than the temperatures in the Mediveal warm period (1000-1200 A.D.) and less than 1 degree warmer than "the Little Ice Age" (1400-1850 A.D.).

Temperature does appear to be rising since 1980, but the graphs shows it may be driven by increasing irradiance from the sun. Additionally, from about 1940 to 1980 temperature was going down, even while the sun's irradiance spiked. Global war and nuclear tests may be responsible for this, but here we speculate that man's influence is driving the temperature down and not up.

The final graph details the cooling trend over the last 10,000 years. What this graph tells me is that the real and strong trend is cooling, leading us toward a new glacial epic. The minor heating evident only since 1980 is not really significant and unlikely to continue, even enough to return global temperature to where it was in Medieval times. The precipitous drops in temperature characteristic of the Pleistocene epoch are the danger we should actually fear. Perhaps it is only our release of CO2 into the atomosphere that has kept this tiger at bay.

2004-11-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Sun's Irradiance Appears to be a Major Driver of Global Temperature

2004-11-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

Present Temperature Compared to The Little Ice Age and Medieval Times

2004-11-05T13:06:00.000-07:00

Decreasing Global Temperature from Cretaceous to the Present

2004-11-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

Cooling Trend for the Last 10,000 Years

Earth or Mars?

2004-11-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Sedimentary Rocks in Valles Marineris, Mars

Is this picture of Earth or Mars? It sure looks a lot like some places on Earth. It is actually some exposed bedrock in the canyon named "Valles Marineris" on Mars. You can follow this link to the original picture and more pictures of: Martian sedimentary rocks.

A lot of these sedimentary rocks have all the characteristics of water laid sediments. The evidence for abundant water on Mars at some point or points in its history is pretty overwhelming. The big question is; where did all the water go? How long ago and is there any left are two other big questions. I don't have any reason to believe this, but I just have a feeling that the water was there, not so very long ago. That most of it disappeared billions of year ago, just does not seem reasonable somehow.

2004-10-28T14:47:00.000-06:00

NGC 4555

More about Dark Matter and NGC 4555

2004-10-28T14:40:00.000-06:00

Chandra's Find Of Lonely Halo Raises Questions About Dark Matter: "Huntsville AL (SPX) Oct 28, 2004
Dark matter continues to confound astronomers, as NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory demonstrated with the detection of an extensive envelope of dark matter around an isolated elliptical galaxy NGC 4555 (pictured). This discovery conflicts with optical data that suggest a dearth of dark matter around similar galaxies, and raises questions about how galaxies acquire and keep such dark matter halos."

The "War" in Iraq

2004-10-28T13:32:00.000-06:00

I had some strange ideas about the war in Iraq today. Saddam believed the 1st President Bush did not take Baghdad because he was afraid Iraq would use their WMD, if backed into a corner. Saddam got rid of the WMD to get the sanctions lifted, but he wanted us to believe he still had some hidden away somewhere, so that we would always fear to take him out. Maybe the the 2nd President Bush actually had really good evidence that Iraq had no WMD, except some stores that could not be easily mobilized into action, so that there was no great danger, they could be used if we attacked.

So why did Bush attack Iraq, knowing there were no WMD? Think about a dog that has just been kicked, he will bite whatever is nearest to him. This is George Bush after 9-11, 2001. He wanted to attack somebody. Afganistan was too easy. Saddam chortled about 9-11 instead of sending his regrets. George II always regreted George I did not take out Saddam when he had the chance. George II saw the chance and knew the risk was low, so he went for it. Of course, he never expected the aftermath. He thought it would be easy. This is why he is a fool and should not be the President of the USA.

I cannot quite grasp why anyone calls what is happening in Iraq now "war". War should be defined as conflict between nations and Iraq, as a nation, has already been defeated. If we left there now, there would be no threat to us. If they choose the kill each other after we leave, it seems to me that this is their problem and not ours, as long as they are not threatening us. We are doing them a favor by staying, but I have not heard about anyone there thanking us. A lot of Americans are dying for nothing.

Scientists Find Prehistoric Dwarf Skeleton

2004-10-28T07:59:00.000-06:00

This article: Scientists Find Prehistoric Dwarf Skeleton has some pretty astounding news that I am sure will be talked about for a long time. They have found a 3 foot tall adult species on an island in Indonesia that probably is in the Homo genus, most likely a descendant of Homo Erectus, one of our ancestors. They have dated the age as 18,000 years old. This puts another humanoid species overlapping Homo Sapiens, even later than the Neanderthal.

It has always seemed to me that our picture of human evolution must be very incomplete, being based on a few odd bones, found in a few odd places. There are probably a lot more surprises out there, as long as we keep looking.

Dark Matter

2004-10-27T08:44:00.000-06:00

Galaxy NGC 4555

This article: A Dim Light Shines on Dark Matter is quite interesting. It discusses Galaxy NGC 4555 which "is surrounded by a gas cloud 400,000 light years wide and a searing 18 million degrees Fahrenheit in temperature." They believe the gas cloud would escape into space, except that there must be a halo of "dark matter" holding it in place.

I have been very skeptical about this idea of dark matter and dark energy for a long time. It seems they are simply contructs holding together a number of flawed theories, primarily the idea of "the big bang". This theory has become so dominant that no other theories are taken seriously by mainstream scientists, although if one looks closely it is clear there is no real evidence for it. The uniform cosmic background radiation and the red shifts of far away galaxies are the two observations most often cited to infer the big bang, but other simpler and more plausible explanations are available and largely ignored.

The big bang theory basically requires that something comes from nothing, similar to our ideas about God creating the universe. This idea seems to appeal to a lot of people. It does not appeal to me. I think it is an absurd notion. It defies common sense. Whatever is always has been and always will be. That is what common sense tells me. There is no creator, nor any beginning or end to the universe. I think the notion of creation, of beginnings and endings is simply a result of the human love of drama. A static universe does not make a good story, but it does make a hell of lot of sense. The one recognized genius of our time, Albert Einstein, believed in a static universe, at least early in his career, along with Issac Newton, so I don't think I am in too bad of company in professing this belief.

Somewhere in the middle of the 20th century, I really believe physicists and cosmologists got way off track, relying more on mathematics and abstract theories than on observations. They look for observations to support their theories, ignore those that don't, or patch up the theories to minimally fit some new observations, never considering that the entire paradigm they have been working under might be wrong. Of course, this is always the most difficult task- to change paradigms, but it seems to me it is way over due.

This brings me back to the idea of "dark matter". I don't think the fact that the gas around galaxy NGC 4555, has not disipated is real evidence for "dark matter". There could be any number of other explanations. The only reason "dark matter" is brought up here is because these scientists are so desparate to find some evidence of "dark matter" even though nobody has any idea of what "dark matter" might consist of, even though supposedly it makes up 90% of the universe.

If "dark matter" really makes up 90% of the universe, it is a virtual certainty, that we do not actually understand anything about matter at this point in history. I think our knowledge is very limited, but not so limited that we do not understand what 90% of the universe is made of. We understand a lot about matter and energy and "dark matter" is not included in the understanding. It is quite fair to assume, given this, that dark matter does not exist, so it is time to quit using this idea to explain our observations and look to find some real understanding of the phenomona we observe.

Some thoughts about UFO's

2004-10-25T13:50:00.000-06:00

This article; Disclosure: UFO project launches public campaign , got me thinking about UFOs again. Over the years I have read some books about UFOs, looked over lots of stuff on the Internet, and wondered what was really going on. It seems in the last few years I have become more skeptical, feeling that UFO zealots are like a lot of religious people, seeing only what they want to see and believing only what they want to believe. This press conference which occurred in 2001, seems like it should have gotten a lot more attention than it did (I never heard anything about it), as a large group of prominent people came forward as witnesses to UFO sightings and government efforts to cover-up the phenomenon. The very fact that it garnered very little attention is suspicious. It certainly makes me wonder; What the heck really is going on? The easiest explanation is that the mainstream press simply has a list of "offbeat" subjects, it won't investigate because doing so would hurt their credibility. There are other explanations, but they all involve some kind of conspiracy which is something I really have a hard time buying, but right now I am thinking again whether any of these alternate explanations could make any sense.

More Hubble

2004-10-22T09:49:00.000-06:00

Cat's Eye Nebula

This one is even more interesting to look at. It almost makes you believe in God!

Hubble Pictures

2004-10-22T09:24:00.000-06:00

Dying Star

The Hubble telescope continues to take astounding photos. This is a recent one that is very unusal. It is hard to imagine what could be causing the strange pattern around this star. I am going to try and research it.

The Pioneer Anomaly

2004-10-21T13:24:00.000-06:00

I have read about the anomalous deacceleration of the two Pioneer spacecraft in several different places. This article: The Problem with Gravity: New Mission Would Probe Strange Puzzle , provides a nice clear and concise discussion of the problem if anyone is interested.

Far Out Man!

2004-10-20T09:04:00.000-06:00

This article is worth checking out: An Artist's Junkyard of Dreams .

I just found a good reason to go and visit Wisconsin. Who know maybe Dr Evermor will have the "Forevertron" working and be selling tickets to heaven by the time I get there.

Politics

2004-10-18T11:57:00.000-06:00

The intention I had for this blog is to be non-political and just deal with issues of science and philosophy, but with the presidental election so near it is hard to avoid some political discourse, particularly when our president seems to be endowed with an unscientific mindset. If you have not found a good reason to vote against Bush yet, the following piece might convince you:

"In the summer of 2002, after I had written an article in Esquire that the White House didn't like about Bush's former communications director, Karen Hughes, I had a meeting with a senior adviser to Bush. He expressed the White House's displeasure, and then he told me something that at the time I didn't fully comprehend -- but which I now believe gets to the very heart of the Bush presidency.

The aide said that guys like me were 'in what we call the reality-based community,' which he defined as people who 'believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.' I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. 'That's not the way the world really works anymore,' he continued. 'We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.'" --Ron Suskind, "Without a Doubt", New York Times Magazine

Is Everything Concious?

2004-10-17T11:25:00.000-06:00

Living Systems in Evolution is an interesting article that I came across. At first it seems, it might just be another "New Age" sermon, but this article seems to contain more depth and makes some compelling arguments. It kind of builds on my earlier thoughts about the sybiotic relationship between humans (actually all higher lifeforms) and bacteria.

Strange Patterns

2004-10-15T16:04:00.000-06:00

Melting Ice on Mars

I found this pattern of melting ice on the Martian pole strange. NASA explains the triangular spikes as being caused by wind erosion of the ice, but it seems wind erosion would not cause such sharp spikes. I would expect a more irregular pattern from wind erosion, plus we know that with Mars current thin atmosphere wind is not a very strong force. It seems more likely that the effect results from differing heat absorption near the surface, but what is causing this?

Who Makes Crop Circles?

2004-10-15T09:48:00.000-06:00

Tanhill Crop Circle

I watched a program on crop circles last night on TV and was totally unconvinced that there is anything spooky or extraterrestrial about them. I would like to congratulate whoever is doing them on their excellent and beautiful designs. I wonder how one can join one of the clubs doing this? It is a bit funny, I think, that people imagine these things might be messages from beyond. I looked at a website showing some of the recent designs and they are so clearly human symbols- of course this is just an intuitive feeling on my part, but I would certainly be willing to bet on it, if anyone cares to make a wager.

An Interesting Photo

2004-10-15T08:54:00.000-06:00

Closeup of a Leaf

I ran across this photo on the internet and for some reason it struck me as exceptionally beautiful. The individual droplets of water on the leaf seem to me more appealing than a string of pearls and the blue and green colors strike some deep emotional cord in me. It is interesting that often viewing the world in closeup inspires and impresses us more than seeing it with normal vision.

Natural or Artificial?

2004-10-15T08:52:00.000-06:00

The "D & M Pryamid" on Mars

I have looked at many of the pictures that people are claiming might be artificial structures on Mars, but most are not really all that convincing. You have to want to see something there to believe it- like "The Face" which is located not far from the "D & M Pryamid" above. This "Pryamid" structure is the most anomalous to me. I find it very hard to imagine any natural processes that might have formed such a structure. I have not ruled out natural processes, but this structure certainly makes me take the artificial hypothesis seriously.

Bacteria are us?

2004-10-13T15:29:00.000-06:00

I read this article recently: People Are Human-Bacteria Hybrid
and it got me thinking, if higher organisms are in such a tight symbiotic relationship with bacteria, what would happen if you grew something in a totally sterile environment (assuming this is possible)? Would the organism develop naturally or would it be some kind of monster?

One thing that seems clear is that our ideas about evolution are most likely too simplistic since we view it as a process affecting species in isolation. If we are really superorganisms in a symbiotic relationship to bacteria, the process of evolution must be more complex. Of course, all this leads to the Gaia hypothesis- that the Earth is a superorganism. In this superorganism the bacteria would act like the blood and nerves, tying everything together.