Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Coffee!! : The Yeesh files – dark matter as key to habitable planets in outer space

Share
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Flipboard
Print
Email

“Dark matter could make planets habitable” (New Scientist, 30 March 2011), Maggie McKee tells us:

No one knows what dark matter is – astronomers merely detect its gravitational pull on normal matter, which it seems to outweigh by a factor of five to one. But many researchers believe it is made of particles called WIMPs, which interact only weakly with normal matter but annihilate on contact with each other, creating a spray of energetic particles.[ … ]

But closer to the centre of the galaxy, the concentration of dark matter is much higher – so this heating could approach the heat that Earth receives from sunlight. The researchers found that a planet weighing a few times the mass of the Earth, lying within about 30 light years from the galactic centre, could be heated enough by dark matter alone to maintain liquid water on its surface.

That would mean that any planets that had broken away from their host stars in gravitational tussles with neighbours could be habitable, even though they were floating through cold space.

And the heating would continue for trillions of years, since dark matter would continually be captured by the planets’ gravity. “This is the ultimate form of sustainable energy,” Hooper told New Scientist.

Well, it is the ultimate form of something, anyway … Friend Rob Sheldon responds,

Yeesh.The things people will propose just to get funding. (NASA has a big chunk assigned to “dark matter detection”.)

If you don’t know what dark matter is, then how do you know it will produce a megawatt?
And if dark matter could warm a small planet, think of what it could do for a neutron star? Now that would be observable.

… Since we don’t know what dark matter is, how about assuming it is little balls of bacteria, and then we can solve OOL and the dark matter problem at the same time! That ought to double your funding options.

Now if only we could also assume it also possesses Dark Energy…

Actually, while we are in this space, we can assume just about anything. It’s the ultimate fun at work: science fiction for which one can get research grants.

Comments
LOL! I must admit, I sometimes give those darwinists too much of a benefit of the doubt.above
April 1, 2011
April
04
Apr
1
01
2011
03:13 PM
3
03
13
PM
PDT
Above, Szostak doesn't make that claim - an over exuberant Darwinist nitwit does...and he has created a video on YouTube no less that proves that he has proven that Szoztak proved the case that he wants proven to be proven by someone like Szostak. ...sorry, I didn't keep the link. :)Upright BiPed
April 1, 2011
April
04
Apr
1
01
2011
02:02 PM
2
02
02
PM
PDT
My apologies if this is a bit off topic... But since it's an active thread I thought about posting it here for more people to comment on. :)above
April 1, 2011
April
04
Apr
1
01
2011
12:53 PM
12
12
53
PM
PDT
I was reading some reviews on Amazon on Stephen Meyer's Signature in the Cell and came across this claim by what appears to be a darwinist: "If you're dealing with the Origins of Life on Earth, we actually have discovered (in 2009 in fact) how life began on earth. This has been CONFIRMED in Dr. Jack Szostak's LAB - 2009 Nobel Laurette in medicine for his work on telomerase. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telomerase) The scientific research documentation can be read here: http://genetics.mgh.harvard.edu/szostakweb/publications/Szostak_pdfs/Mansy_et_al_Nature_2008.pdf" I read some of the article and it doesn't quite strike me as warranting the claim that we know how life originated on Earth. Am I missing something? Have you guys come across this claim and particular work of Szostak? I would appreciate your thoughts! Thanks.above
April 1, 2011
April
04
Apr
1
01
2011
12:51 PM
12
12
51
PM
PDT
I have moved a little towards the center regarding the existence of dark matter. When I first started reading about it I thought it was an absurd excuse for a theory of physics. I saw it as just an explanation of the gaps lacking any verifying evidence. Now, I think dark matter could exist to a limited extent-- and to the limited extent that we understand it. However, my original suspicion of why materialists flocked to the idea long before it was properly examined and substantiated at all, remains the same. They (materialist naturalists) want to get as much and MORE explanatory mileage out of dark matter than it is currently worth. Materialists don't like mysteries such as those surrounding gravity, and the behavior of subatomic particles (except so far as they can use them to procure research grants) because they go against their preferred model of reality which is a mechanically determined universe leaving no room for the intervention of a deity. Thus, they see dark matter as an opportunity- like a blank check- that can be used as a promissory payment for the shortcomings of their philosophy and world view up to this point. Dark matter needs to be properly placed in the context of what it can and cannot be expected to help explain. We should not be so credulous as to accept it as stop gap for everything, as such conduct would be inane. The point here is the same as usual- scientists need to stay focused on the actual evidence and honest with the relevant reasoning.Frost122585
April 1, 2011
April
04
Apr
1
01
2011
12:49 PM
12
12
49
PM
PDT
*sighs* They also overlooked (or didn't mention) the fact that there are many parameters that must be met for a planet to be habitable, which would not be met with a planet in an area closer to the center of the galaxy, regardless if there was an earth-like temperature or even water. The term "earth-like" needs to reflect a real similarity to earth in all the various finely tuned characteristics that make earth unique. We are witnessing a cry-wolf situation in astrobiology and astronomy these days. A planet is discovered with water...and it is called "earth-like". Another planet is discovered with a mass within 3 times earth's mass...and it is called "earth-like". A planet is found with methane in its atmosphere...and it is called "earth-like"....But these planets really are NOT earth-like, because they do not have all the features that make earth habitable. My guess is, some are hoping for an increasing number of planets with a mere few earth like features, but not all. When they get a few more, or even a hundred more of such planets, they will conclude "See! The universe is filled with earth-like planets!"...and I will puke.Bantay
April 1, 2011
April
04
Apr
1
01
2011
12:18 PM
12
12
18
PM
PDT
fn; It is also interesting to note the extreme fine tuning of light for life, which they seemed to have overlooked in their Dark Gravity model; Visible light is also incredibly fine-tuned for life to exist. Though visible light is only a tiny fraction of the total electromagnetic spectrum coming from the sun, it happens to be the "most permitted" portion of the sun's spectrum allowed to filter through the our atmosphere. All the other bands of electromagnetic radiation, directly surrounding visible light, happen to be harmful to organic molecules, and are almost completely absorbed by the atmosphere. The tiny amount of harmful UV radiation, which is not visible light, allowed to filter through the atmosphere is needed to keep various populations of single cell bacteria from over-populating the world (Ross; reasons.org). The size of light's wavelengths and the constraints on the size allowable for the protein molecules of organic life, also seem to be tailor-made for each other. This "tailor-made fit" allows photosynthesis, the miracle of sight, and many other things that are necessary for human life. These specific frequencies of light (that enable plants to manufacture food and astronomers to observe the cosmos) represent less than 1 trillionth of a trillionth (10^-24) of the universe's entire range of electromagnetic emissions. Like water, visible light also appears to be of optimal biological utility (Denton; Nature's Destiny, Gonzalez; Privileged Planet). Fine Tuning Of Universal Constants, Particularly Light - Walter Bradley - video http://www.metacafe.com/watch/4491552 Fine Tuning Of Light to the Atmosphere, to Biological Life, and to Water - graphs http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYmaSrBPNEmGZGM4ejY3d3pfMTljaGh4MmdnOQ In what I find to be a very fascinating discovery, it is found that photosynthetic life, which is an absolutely vital link that all higher life on earth is dependent on, seems to be designed right into the foundation of this universe. This is because photosynthetic life is found to actually use the foundational quantum mechanical principles of this universe to accomplish its photosynthesis. Once again it seems overwhelmingly obvious that the universe was designed with life in mind from its creation. Evidence for wavelike energy transfer through quantum coherence in photosynthetic systems. Gregory S. Engel, Nature (12 April 2007) Photosynthetic complexes are exquisitely tuned to capture solar light efficiently, and then transmit the excitation energy to reaction centres, where long term energy storage is initiated.,,,, This wavelike characteristic of the energy transfer within the photosynthetic complex can explain its extreme efficiency, in that it allows the complexes to sample vast areas of phase space to find the most efficient path. ---- Conclusion? Obviously Photosynthesis is a brilliant piece of design by "Someone" who even knows how quantum mechanics works. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17429397 Quantum Mechanics at Work in Photosynthesis: Algae Familiar With These Processes for Nearly Two Billion Years - Feb. 2010 Excerpt: "We were astonished to find clear evidence of long-lived quantum mechanical states involved in moving the energy. Our result suggests that the energy of absorbed light resides in two places at once -- a quantum superposition state, or coherence -- and such a state lies at the heart of quantum mechanical theory.",,, "It suggests that algae knew about quantum mechanics nearly two billion years before humans," says Scholes. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203131356.htm Life Masters Physics - Feb. 2010 Excerpt: Collini et al.2 report evidence suggesting that a process known as quantum coherence ‘wires’ together distant molecules in the light-harvesting apparatus of marine cryptophyte algae.,,,“Intriguingly, recent work has documented that light-absorbing molecules in some photosynthetic proteins capture and transfer energy according to quantum-mechanical probability laws instead of classical laws at temperatures up to 180 K,”. ,,, “This contrasts with the long-held view that long-range quantum coherence between molecules cannot be sustained in complex biological systems, even at low temperatures.” http://www.creationsafaris.com/crev201002.htm#20100210abornagain77
April 1, 2011
April
04
Apr
1
01
2011
09:06 AM
9
09
06
AM
PDT
Dark gravity could make planets habitable near our galaxy's center???? No wonder 'they' had to get rid of Dr. Gonzalez, since he showed that life enabling planets must not only inhabit a specific habitable zone around a star, to ensure proper amounts of heat (and LIGHT) for life, but also must inhabit a specific habitable zone around a galaxy's center to protect against the extreme radiation in a Galaxy's center; The Privileged Planet - video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV5zkifLSbc Privileged Planet - Observability Correlation - Gonzalez and Richards - video http://www.metacafe.com/watch/5424431 The very conditions that make Earth hospitable to intelligent life also make it well suited to viewing and analyzing the universe as a whole. - Jay Richards This further verified Gonzalez findings: Cosmic Rays Hit Space Age High Excerpt: "The entire solar system from Mercury to Pluto and beyond is surrounded by a bubble of solar magnetism called "the heliosphere." http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929133244.htm The Protective Boundaries of our Solar System - NASA IBEX - video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O0qcQZXpII As well, Life is a LOT more complicated to maintain than the 'just add water' simplicity of materialists; Does the Probability for ETI = 1? Excerpt; On the Reasons To Believe website we document that the probability a randomly selected planet would possess all the characteristics intelligent life requires is less than 10^-304. A recent update that will be published with my next book, Hidden Purposes: Why the Universe Is the Way It Is, puts that probability at 10^-1054. http://www.reasons.org/does-probability-eti-1 Linked from "Appendix C" in Why the Universe Is the Way It Is Probability for occurrence of all 816 parameters ? 10^-1333 dependency factors estimate ? 10^324 longevity requirements estimate ? 10^45 Probability for occurrence of all 816 parameters ? 10^-1054 Maximum possible number of life support bodies in observable universe ? 10^22 Thus, less than 1 chance in 10^1032 exists that even one such life-support body would occur anywhere in the universe without invoking divine miracles. http://www.reasons.org/files/compendium/compendium_part3.pdf Hugh Ross - Evidence For Intelligent Design Is Everywhere (10^-1054) - video http://www.metacafe.com/watch/4347236 OT: It is very interesting to note the extreme difficulty that scientists are having in establishing even minimal amounts of quantum computation, when quantum computation/entanglement is now found on a massive, and foundational, scale in molecular biology: 14 quantum bits: Physicists go beyond the limits of what is currently possible in quantum computation - April 2011 Excerpt: They confined 14 calcium atoms in an ion trap, which, similar to a quantum computer, they then manipulated with laser light. The internal states of each atom formed single qubits and a quantum register of 14 qubits was produced. This register represents the core of a future quantum computer. http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-quantum-bits-physicists-limits.html Quantum Information In DNA & Protein Folding - short video http://www.metacafe.com/watch/5936605/bornagain77
April 1, 2011
April
04
Apr
1
01
2011
08:47 AM
8
08
47
AM
PDT

Leave a Reply