Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Doughnut-Shaped Universe Back In the Race

Posted by kdawson on from the mmmmm-universe dept.

SpaceAdmiral writes "The once-popular idea that the universe could be small and finite is making a comeback. Many researchers thought that a 'wraparound' universe would mean that distant objects would be seen multiple times in the sky, but new research suggests that a '3-torus' (or 'doughnut universe'), as well as other shapes, could fit our actual observations, particularly the WMAP data."

3 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. I Don't Think So by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    There is only one little problem with the doughnut scenario. It assumes that the universe is continuous. Any scientist worth his or her Phd should know by now that continuity (infinite divisibility) leads to an infinite regress and is thus unacceptable. Worse, space itself (i.e., distance) is an illusion since its existence, too, leads to an infinite regress. I'm afraid that physicists need to reconsider some of their more cherished assumptions about reality because these kinds of conjectures about the shape of the universe are reminiscent of Star-Trek physics. This is the sort of things that undermine the thinking layman's respect for scientists in general.

    Nasty Little Truth About Space

    1. Re:I Don't Think So by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      Haha, I can't believe this kooky bullshit got modded up. Note to mods: the link is to a crackpot site where the author, who is not a physicist or a mathematician, provides "proofs" showing Einstein was wrong, modern physics is wrong, etc.

      And what if they are? The last I heard, neither Einstein nor modern physics is infallible. What's with the chicken shit personality cult, eh? Besides, there is nothing like a little ad hominem to cast doubt on an argument in the minds of idiots. The fact is that continuity does lead to an infinite regress, something that even children can grasp. So why does the physics community insist on perpetuating this crackpottery? The only reason that I can think of is psychological and political. It is easier to kiss ass and safeguard one's career than it is to bravely step up to plate and tell the emperor that he's buck naked and stupid.

  2. College by Mark_MF-WN · · Score: 0, Troll

    Yeah, because 100% of nerds (the target audience of slashdot) are in college. I like how your moronic prejudice rules out anyone who is a) still in high school b) out of college It's not like it's unusual to be so long out of college that one's entire peer group is also out of college. In fact, this typically happens with a few years of graduating. Which leaves an entire decade of nerd-life before one would have free access to journals, and five or six decades of nerd-life after the period in which one would have free access to journals. Are you really so enormously stupid that you believe that all Slashdot readers are in college or have just recently graduated? Or are hanging out with college students right now when they want to read the article? I hate to toss around insults, but that's really some circus-grade idiocy. I mean, WOW.