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Cause of Aurora Borealis Confirmed
An anonymous reader writes "There are reports that satellites have aided scientists in confirming why the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) exists. 'New data from NASA's Themis mission, a quintet of satellites launched this winter, found the energy comes from a stream of charged particles from the sun flowing like a current through twisted bundles of magnetic fields connecting Earth's upper atmosphere to the sun. The energy is then abruptly released in the form of a shimmering display of lights.'"
So to sum up your entire post for those that come after me, you are saying "electric universe rules".
"We've confirmed a theory that was already pretty well accepted as being fact."
Way to understate the importance of confirming theories. Heh.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
I'm sure they will, meanwhile we'll be doing actual experiments and using wonderful things called "equations"
"Well, of course no "proven" theory has later been found to wrong either has it?"
Strike two, equate science and proof again and your outta here!
Climate change: Did you fall for the "science has nothing to do with consenus" meme?
Cold fusion: Rejected as a worthwhile inquiry since after a lot of attempts nobody has been able to confirm the original finding.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
An excellent example of how science is supposed to get done.
We think we know. We're pretty sure we know. We're damned sure we know and nobody's even close to providing a better explanation. Alright.....this is how it is; take it to the bank. (But we'll still give you a hearing if you have convincing proof something else is happening. You'd better have a testable hypothesis, though).
The method isn't perfect, but it spits out right answers more often than anything else.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
Climate Change "No Consensus": That is a pretty bad meme. Obviously, lay people have little more to go on that the "consensus" of the body of work. Unfortunately, the consensus wrt Climate Change formed way before the measurements were sufficient to really say anything, and became entangled in political discourse as a result. (or maybe as the cause)
Either way, it is now extremely difficult to separate the good science from the bad, especially for lay people, as the consensus in that field was tainted. Even if the Scientists themselves hadn't gotten involved in the politics, the various very-loud-groups have been squawking and over hyping the preliminary results to further their half-baked utopian ideas.
Many are using the "Well, even if we're not sure, don't you think it would be a good idea to take action just in case?" argument and then proposing action that would be akin to starting a course of radical chemotherapy on the advice of a team of chiropractors. Others are demanding Action! Now! Then starting companies to do something known to be ineffective and changing nothing about their own lives, even to the point of flying around by private jet to deliver a powerpoint presention partially about the dangers of wastefully burning fuel by flying private jets. Almost as if they really don't believe what they're saying, and are just cynically using it as a political springboard or worse, as hype for modern indulgences scams.
I think what you're seeing, with a lot of the so-called "deniers," is the natural lash-back against a very real hysteria which, in the absence of sufficient critical ability to make impassioned arguments for moderation based on the real data, which again, is itself sometimes difficult to trust, has latched onto whatever arguments it finds, however specious. Certainly there is some wisdom in being skeptical of any consensus when it has a real effect on how you live your life.
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