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Universe Closer To Heat Death Than Once Thought

Posted by Soulskill on from the we're-doomed dept.

TapeCutter writes "In a paper soon to be published (PDF) in the Astrophysical Journal, Australian researchers have estimated the entropy of the universe is about 30 times higher than previous estimates. According to their research, super-massive black holes 'are the largest contributor to the entropy of the observable universe, contributing at least an order of magnitude more entropy than previously estimated.' For those of us who like their science in the form of a car analogy, Dr. Lineweaver compared their results to a car's gas tank. He states, 'It's a bit like looking at your gas gauge and saying "I thought I had half a gas tank, but I only have a quarter of a tank."'" Fortunately, that quarter of a tank will still get us as far as we need to go and then some.

5 of 237 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Oh noes! by aicrules · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    especially if they don't then explain that the gas tank in the metaphor is as big as the known universe...

  2. Re:OMG!!! by sjs132 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Am I the only one that feels that this is backwards?

    ...don't worry, the free market will save the universe (by making it so damned expensive to live here that corporations will arise and find us other universes to exploit, naturally...)

    Way I see it is that proposed cap and trade taxes will make it too expensive to live in this universe... Sure, they want to start out here at home, then a global treaty, next will be the universal treaty for taxing energy use. I'd hate to see what the tax rate is on all that "FREE" sunshine from our local star. Once the Intersteller cap and trade program goes into effect, I think we are all better off with a towel.

    --
    --- Relax, that mass muderer is just trying to reduce our carbon footprint, one fetus at a time...
  3. Re:two possible futures now cut shorter.... by Tolkien · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    but all mute if Big Rip is possible, we might only have 22 billion years left!:

    Moot. M-O-O-T.

    --
    how is babby formed?
  4. Re:Entropy increasing, Slashdot-style by ElectricTurtle · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I assume since the parent was not moderated 'offtopic' that some mod is using 'offtopic' as 'I disagree'. Classy.

    --
    I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit
  5. The solution: Open a CVE into E-Space by Artifice_Eternity · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    The Logopolitans have got this covered. They've opened a charge vacuum emboitment into another universe, which will magically soak up all our entropy.

    That is, assuming the Master doesn't use a primitive Earth-based radio telescope to meddle with this setup, triggering a sudden entropic collapse...