David’s Comments (group member since Dec 13, 2009)

David’s comments from the Science and Inquiry group.

Michael wrote: "Hi Betsy, do we have a reading schedule? Is July the deadline?
Sorry to ask, but my experience with group readings on GR is low! :) ..."

Hi Michael,
We don't have a strict reading schedule. We schedule each book about a month in advance, to give people time to acquire the book and to start reading. But there is no deadline! You can continue to read and post comments in the thread whenever you want. Most people finish and comment on the thread during the scheduled month. But, some people choose to post comments weeks or even months (or sometimes years!) after the month has passed. Not a problem!

Scott wrote: "I got a reply from Dr. Hofstadter:

Hello -- Sorry, there's no electronic version of GEB, nor will there be one. I don't like e-books! But I do hope you have a good time reading GEB. All the best t..."

The only thing I can think of, is that GEB is filled with useful figures and illustrations. They would show up very poorly in my e-book reader.

Jessica wrote: "... I think it's cool they can get energy by burning trash but did you notice that they also burn food for fuel which can incentivize certain farms to produce food for the sole purpose of burning? Such a waste! ... "

In the US, we grow corn to convert into ethanol, which is used to supplement gasoline. This is not economical, and it's debatable whether it is helpful in reducing greenhouse gasses.

Pramod wrote: "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1..."

This book looks fascinating! Let's wait until it has 500 ratings.

Simon,
Looks interesting. You might want to mention the book's title with a link.

Jessica wrote: "... I think Western medicine often treats problems that are not real medical problems but are instead the result of the Standard American Diet. Food is medicine...."

Amen to that! Food is medicine.

Western medicine is entrenched in our society. Most medical doctors are only educated in Western medicine. A small minority of medical doctors who are schooled in Western medicine also complete a course of study of Chinese medicine. Health insurance rarely pays for alternative medical treatments. (Sometimes insurance will pay for acupuncture treatments.)

But there are other, well-developed systems of medicine. I am thinking of Eastern medicine, such as Chinese (traditional and classical) medicine and acupuncture, herbs and cupping, Japanese and Korean acupuncture, and Indian ayurveda. These Eastern, holistic systems are thousands of years old; they are often efficacious, but are not easily explained in terms of Western medicine. Some scientific research has attempted to investigate how Eastern medicine works, but it seems to be relatively unexplored in terms of modern science.

My father was a doctor (Western medicine). During a trip to China, he went to a hospital and observed open heart surgery. No anesthetic was used. Just acupuncture, and the patient did not appear to be in distress during the surgery! And from personal experience, I know that Eastern medicine can diagnose ills by carefully feeling a patient's pulse. Someone I know was cured of a bad addiction to smoking, by a single acupuncture treatment.

So, is medicine in Western countries missing the boat? There are lots of "alternative" medicines that seem to be scams, or at best placebo effects. But Eastern medicines have cured innumerable patients over the centuries. Should Western societies pay more attention to them?

I think I will read this book, but not this month. I have too much reading on my plate right now!

Michael wrote: "David, My limited understanding of the hypothetical differences in the superimposed or adjacent multi-verse including physical properties and laws is fundamental. Correct me if I'm wrong, but my un..."

Michael -- sorry for not replying sooner -- I just noticed your message.

That's an interesting concept, that the universe (or multi-verse) is a fractal geometry. The universe is composed of vast galaxy clusters, each galaxy is composed of many solar systems, each solar system consists of multiple planets, etc. .... all the way down to the molecular level, atomic level, and particles. There does seem to be a hierarchy of systems or strctures, each one operating under a set of governing forces.

One facet I see with this idea, is that these systems that exist and operate on different levels are not truly fractal. The structures and physical processes at each level do not seem to resemble those at other levels--except perhaps superficially.

I recently read the fantastic book Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding, by Daniel Lieberman. The author is a paleoanthropoligist at Harvard University, where he is the chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology. This is NOT a self-help book. Instead, the book shows why most people dislike exercise, why hunter-gatherer people are not necessarilty stronger than sedentary people in modern society. The book details how evolution has shaped our disinterested attitudes toward exercise, and tackles many myths about exercise.

Highly recommended! Here is my review.

Projna wrote: "Hi, I am a computer engineer and a book worm. Looking forward to read some awesome books as a part of this group."

Hello Projna. Welcome to our group!

Betsy wrote: "Controversial new theory of gravity that denies dark matter.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2......"

Interesting new hypothesis, that the space-time fabric is "wobbly", which could explain some of the observations of galactic rotation speeds. But it needs some additional evidence that is independent of the rotational speed of galaxies.

laurena wrote: "... I couldn't find the article I was thinking of - I think there was one in Nature, but here's something along the same topic https://journals.biologists.com/dev/a... ) - ..."

Very interesting review article Laurena! Years ago in graduate school I studied fluid dynamics, but as applied to the atmosphere and ocean. Now I see that it is really important in biology, too!

Kathleen (itpdx) wrote: "David wrote: "Kathleen (itpdx) wrote: "I have started reading. Casey getting ready to explore the abysmal brought to mind the book ...

No, I haven't read her book. I read an earlier book of hers (The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean). I had given it 3 stars, because even though it was entertaining, it seemed like a hodge-podge of different topics.

Steve wrote: "After following this discussion I thought I have a look at past polls to see if the numbers suggested anything. I selected 20 polls for months prior to March 2024. The average “win” percent, (perce..."

Sounds reasonable to me, too.

Luna wrote: "Hello my name is Luna. My wife’s name is Vera. We enjoy audio books as a hobby (and for her she has a brain injury from the army so audio is best). I want to learn more about science and other cool..."

Hello Luna and Vera. Welcome to our group!
I also enjoy listening to audiobooks.
You are in the right place! Please feel free to hop into discussions.

Michael wrote: "David, Your review's bombshell about the Planck satellite's findings strikes me as being on equal footing with Newton's weighty mathematical and physical comprehensions! Do you expect 'dark matter'..."

Michael, superficially it seems possible that dark energy could be related to other universes. Dark energy is associated with the acceleration of our universe's expansion. But ... could it also just be the gravitational attraction from other universes?

I just started reading the book -- and enjoying it! There are some non-intuitive concepts in this book. The one that first comes to mind, is the idea that if you keep your calorie intake constant and start a moderate exercise program, you do not generate a calorie deficit!

Kathleen (itpdx) wrote: "I have started reading. Casey getting ready to explore the abysmal brought to mind the book Soundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor about Marie Tharp..."

Kathleen, does the book mention the reason why she was not allowed on the sounding ships? I have been on a number of research ships. Space on board these ships is at a premium. There is usually more demand for "bunk space" than is available. Bunk rooms are often communal, and sometimes there is even "hot-bunking" where half of the researchers sleep in the nighttime, and the other half sleep in the same bunks in the daytime. Some of the smaller ships simply do not have separate facilities for men and women. I remember on one of my voyages, there was a single female researcher on board. She was assigned a sleeping space in the first-aid compartment. Luckily, nobody got hurt during the voyage!

I just finished the book Before The Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe and What Lies Beyond by Professor Laura Mersini-Houghton. She tells an amazing story about her personal life, growing up in Communist Albania, and her later academics in the West.

But what really excites me is her explanation about a possible origin of our universe -- and her confirmed predictions of strong observational evidence for a multi-verse; the simultaneous existence of universes besides our own! Highly recommended.

Here is my review.