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Science Frontiers ONLINE No. 128: MAR-APR 2000 |
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A Few Cracks in the Foundations of Mainstream Astronomy
- New laboratory experiments suggest a slightly non-symmetric behavior of matter and anti-matter that might explain the dominance of matter in the universe. But it creates a new mystery---why this asymmetry should exist.
- Distant supernovae have a rise time of 10-15 percent faster than nearby type supernovae. This throws doubt on their use as standard candles, and on the interpretation that the expansion of the universe is accelerating. Interestingly, the amount of the discrepancy is close to the size of the special relativity time dilation factor, gamma. If the cause of the red shift were something other than velocity, then no time dilation factor would be applicable, and this discrepancy would disappear.
- Evidence for water on Mercury implies a rapid-acting, exogenic water source, consistent with the exploded planet hypothesis expectations.
- Reasonable escape rates imply that deuterium on Venus is from a relatively recent water source.
Comment. (1) Although humans are obviously partial to symmetry, there is no reason why nature must please us by making matter and antimatter symmetrical.
Other Sites of Interest
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