>Evolution flips a coin thousands of times and discards the tails. It would be amazing if it didn't get fifty heads that way.
Well, I'll clarify. The amazing coincidences that I speak of vary from the profound (the fine tuning problems that make physicists invoke the so-called anthropic principle) to the mundane (asteroid crashes into the earth and wipes out all life).
So the point is that for you to exist, today, an unbelievable number of things must have happened, all at the right time. If one of your ancestors had died before they reproduced you woulnd't be here. Heck, if a different sperm had done the business anywhere along the line, you wouldn't be here.
And please note (from my post) that I was referring specifically to homo sapiens in general, and to the crowd at slashdot in particular.
While natural selection per se may not be entirely random, I think it is fair to say that the vast majority of scientists believe that we (as a species and as individuals) would not be around today except for an amazing string of coincidences.
You can't have it both ways: it is either physcial law plus random events, or God.
Parent makes good points. However, most/. readers may not realise that there are a number of ways to approximately solve many of these problems. One of the most powerful is the so-called density functional theory. This is (in principle) a way of computing physical properties for (bio)chemical systems. It scales as the cube of the number of electrons in the system.
Using todays supercomputers, we can deal with about ten thousand atoms. So by Moores law, it takes eight years to double the number of atoms.
where does one draw the line between physics, chemistry, biochemistry, and biology?
if you can get an ADSL connection, then you probably have somewhere between 2-8 MB/s bandwidth at the moment.
Yes, if by 2-8 MB/s you mean 2-8 Mb/s. My ISP genuinely doesn't know the difference between a 2 Megabit connection and a 2 Megabyte connection (BT Ireland).
You keep repeating that things like photons, electrons and the like are "merely models". I have to take issue with this, as they happen to be effective models.
I would *love* to see how you would *begin* to explain how light and matter interact at a *fundamental* level, without using the concept of electrons and photons.
These guys are not cranks - the (free, as in beer) preprint seems to be a pretty typical quantum transport paper, albeit with a slightly "sexed up" angle.
Slashdot Mirror
Mod parent down.
Grandparent is correct.
>Evolution flips a coin thousands of times and discards the tails. It would be amazing if it didn't get fifty heads that way.
Well, I'll clarify. The amazing coincidences that I speak of vary from the profound (the fine tuning problems that make physicists invoke the so-called anthropic principle) to the mundane (asteroid crashes into the earth and wipes out all life).
So the point is that for you to exist, today, an unbelievable number of things must have happened, all at the right time. If one of your ancestors had died before they reproduced you woulnd't be here. Heck, if a different sperm had done the business anywhere along the line, you wouldn't be here.
And please note (from my post) that I was referring specifically to homo sapiens in general, and to the crowd at slashdot in particular.
Regards, me
Hey, don't rag on random!
While natural selection per se may not be entirely random, I think it is fair to say that the vast majority of scientists believe that we (as a species and as individuals) would not be around today except for an amazing string of coincidences.
You can't have it both ways: it is either physcial law plus random events, or God.
So while we are playing the "trends" game: no one calls it an "xbox360". Just 360. Then things change quite a bit.
Using todays supercomputers, we can deal with about ten thousand atoms. So by Moores law, it takes eight years to double the number of atoms.
Traditionally,
Physics: Solids, periodic systems.
Chemistry: A molecule or two.
Biochemistry: A few organic molecules.
Biology: Many organic molecules.
Jeez, how many guys are in there?
Maybe in the sense "gave me instructions"? As in to send Luke to him if he showed Jedi potential?
if you can get an ADSL connection, then you probably have somewhere between 2-8 MB/s bandwidth at the moment.
Yes, if by 2-8 MB/s you mean 2-8 Mb/s. My ISP genuinely doesn't know the difference between a 2 Megabit connection and a 2 Megabyte connection (BT Ireland).
We Germans are not all smiles...
You keep repeating that things like photons, electrons and the like are "merely models". I have to take issue with this, as they happen to be effective models.
I would *love* to see how you would *begin* to explain how light and matter interact at a *fundamental* level, without using the concept of electrons and photons.
These guys are not cranks - the (free, as in beer) preprint seems to be a pretty typical quantum transport paper, albeit with a slightly "sexed up" angle.
Models are good, if they work.