5 scientific myths you probably believe about the Universe (Synopsis) [Starts With A Bang]

“Because philosophy arises from awe, a philosopher is bound in his way to be a lover of myths and poetic fables. Poets and philosophers are alike in being big with wonder.” -Thomas Aquinas

Sure, you’ve studied a little physics. You know about Einstein and General Relativity, the quantum nature of the Universe and the fundamental particles and their interactions. You know about the Big Bang, and you’ve read up on the latest theories and ideas. So how did you wind up believing in many (or even all) of these scientific myths out there?

Light and ripples in space; as the light passes through non-flat space, it changes how an observer at any other location perceives the passage of time for the light. Image credit: European Gravitational Observatory, Lionel BRET/EUROLIOS.

Are space, time and gravity an illusion? Can we not see farther than 13.8 billion light years since the Universe is only 13.8 billion years old? Was the Big Bang the birth of space and time? Is gravity not fundamental at all? And isn’t it all “just a theory” in the end?

Fluctuations in spacetime itself at the quantum scale get stretched across the Universe during inflation, giving rise to imperfections in both density and gravitational waves. Image credit: E. Siegel, with images derived from ESA/Planck and the DoE/NASA/ NSF interagency task force on CMB research.

There’s a reason these are myths; don’t let yourself be taken in by them. Get the scientific truth — as close as we can ever get — instead!

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2hRrc4S

“Because philosophy arises from awe, a philosopher is bound in his way to be a lover of myths and poetic fables. Poets and philosophers are alike in being big with wonder.” -Thomas Aquinas

Sure, you’ve studied a little physics. You know about Einstein and General Relativity, the quantum nature of the Universe and the fundamental particles and their interactions. You know about the Big Bang, and you’ve read up on the latest theories and ideas. So how did you wind up believing in many (or even all) of these scientific myths out there?

Light and ripples in space; as the light passes through non-flat space, it changes how an observer at any other location perceives the passage of time for the light. Image credit: European Gravitational Observatory, Lionel BRET/EUROLIOS.

Are space, time and gravity an illusion? Can we not see farther than 13.8 billion light years since the Universe is only 13.8 billion years old? Was the Big Bang the birth of space and time? Is gravity not fundamental at all? And isn’t it all “just a theory” in the end?

Fluctuations in spacetime itself at the quantum scale get stretched across the Universe during inflation, giving rise to imperfections in both density and gravitational waves. Image credit: E. Siegel, with images derived from ESA/Planck and the DoE/NASA/ NSF interagency task force on CMB research.

There’s a reason these are myths; don’t let yourself be taken in by them. Get the scientific truth — as close as we can ever get — instead!

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/2hRrc4S