| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"maff" |
| Date: |
04 Jul 2005 05:41:00 AM |
| Object: |
Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists |
Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR2005070300754_pf.html
By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 4, 2005; A09
There is something refreshing about scientists confessing their
ignorance. Day after day, in research journals and at international
meetings, they strut, cluck and boast about the latest enigma they've
wrestled to the ground. The entire human genome mapped! The farthest
star plotted! The mating habits of dinosaurs inferred from fossilized
eggs! Ordinary folks can be excused for muttering, "Is there nothing
these white-coated brainiacs don't think they know?"
This week the world's largest general science journal, aptly named
Science, takes a different and more humble tack, presenting a list of
the 125 biggest quandaries that scientists have failed to fathom.
The full list of 125 questions, with essays devoted to the top 25, is
at http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/125th .
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| User: "TomS" |
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| Title: Re: Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists |
04 Jul 2005 06:34:04 AM |
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"On 4 Jul 2005 03:41:00 -0700, in article
<1120473660.495698.122430@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, maff stated..."
Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR2005070300754_pf.html
By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 4, 2005; A09
There is something refreshing about scientists confessing their
ignorance. Day after day, in research journals and at international
meetings, they strut, cluck and boast about the latest enigma they've
wrestled to the ground. The entire human genome mapped! The farthest
star plotted! The mating habits of dinosaurs inferred from fossilized
eggs! Ordinary folks can be excused for muttering, "Is there nothing
these white-coated brainiacs don't think they know?"
This week the world's largest general science journal, aptly named
Science, takes a different and more humble tack, presenting a list of
the 125 biggest quandaries that scientists have failed to fathom.
The full list of 125 questions, with essays devoted to the top 25, is
at http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/125th .
There are, of course, several questions of interest to t.o
denizens. Just to mention one: What is a species?
--
---Tom S. <http://talkreason.org/articles/chickegg.cfm>
...The Earth obey'd, and strait/Op'ning her fertil Woomb teem'd at a Birth/
Innumerous living Creatures, perfet formes,/Limb'd and full grown: out of the
ground up rose/As from his Laire the wilde Beast...
Milton, Paradise Lost. Book VII 453-457
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| User: "Peacenik" |
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| Title: Re: Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists |
05 Jul 2005 08:00:38 AM |
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"maff" <maff91@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1120473660.495698.122430@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR2005070300754_pf.html
By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 4, 2005; A09
There is something refreshing about scientists confessing their
ignorance. Day after day, in research journals and at international
meetings, they strut, cluck and boast about the latest enigma they've
wrestled to the ground. The entire human genome mapped! The farthest
star plotted! The mating habits of dinosaurs inferred from fossilized
eggs! Ordinary folks can be excused for muttering, "Is there nothing
these white-coated brainiacs don't think they know?"
This week the world's largest general science journal, aptly named
Science, takes a different and more humble tack, presenting a list of
the 125 biggest quandaries that scientists have failed to fathom.
The full list of 125 questions, with essays devoted to the top 25, is
at http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/125th .
<fundy mode>
See? Scientists don't know nuthin' after all! So they better get off their
high horses and stop pretending they know everything! This proves God did
it! Praise the LORD Jeeeeeezuz!
</fundy mode>
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| User: "Earle Jones" |
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| Title: Re: Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists |
10 Jul 2005 02:25:24 PM |
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In article <dae09e$e9n$1@news.seed.net.tw>,
"Peacenik" <cnelsonpublic@hotmail.com> wrote:
Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR200507030075
4_pf.html
By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 4, 2005; A09
There is something refreshing about scientists confessing their
ignorance. Day after day, in research journals and at international
meetings, they strut, cluck and boast about the latest enigma they've
wrestled to the ground. The entire human genome mapped! The farthest
star plotted! The mating habits of dinosaurs inferred from fossilized
eggs! Ordinary folks can be excused for muttering, "Is there nothing
these white-coated brainiacs don't think they know?"
This week the world's largest general science journal, aptly named
Science, takes a different and more humble tack, presenting a list of
the 125 biggest quandaries that scientists have failed to fathom.
The full list of 125 questions, with essays devoted to the top 25, is
at http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/125th .
*
The above includes a fascinating list of the 125 most important
unanswered questions in science.
I wonder whether one of our resident Christians might propose to
give us a list of the most important unanswered religious questions.
earle
*
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| User: "shane" |
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| Title: Re: Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists |
10 Jul 2005 06:29:59 PM |
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Earle Jones wrote:
In article <dae09e$e9n$1@news.seed.net.tw>,
"Peacenik" <cnelsonpublic@hotmail.com> wrote:
Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR200507030075
4_pf.html
By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 4, 2005; A09
There is something refreshing about scientists confessing their
ignorance. Day after day, in research journals and at international
meetings, they strut, cluck and boast about the latest enigma they've
wrestled to the ground. The entire human genome mapped! The farthest
star plotted! The mating habits of dinosaurs inferred from fossilized
eggs! Ordinary folks can be excused for muttering, "Is there nothing
these white-coated brainiacs don't think they know?"
This week the world's largest general science journal, aptly named
Science, takes a different and more humble tack, presenting a list of
the 125 biggest quandaries that scientists have failed to fathom.
The full list of 125 questions, with essays devoted to the top 25, is
at http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/125th .
*
The above includes a fascinating list of the 125 most important
unanswered questions in science.
I wonder whether one of our resident Christians might propose to
give us a list of the most important unanswered religious questions.
earle
*
Well one of them could propose it, but until there is a huge increase in
bandwidth, they couldn't actually post such a list.
--
shane
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| User: "Raymond Griffith" |
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| Title: Re: Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists |
10 Jul 2005 09:14:50 PM |
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in article earle.jones-E8D500.12252410072005@comcast.dca.giganews.com, Earle
Jones at wrote on 7/10/05 3:25 PM:
In article <dae09e$e9n$1@news.seed.net.tw>,
"Peacenik" <cnelsonpublic@hotmail.com> wrote:
Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR20050703007>>
5
4_pf.html
By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 4, 2005; A09
There is something refreshing about scientists confessing their
ignorance. Day after day, in research journals and at international
meetings, they strut, cluck and boast about the latest enigma they've
wrestled to the ground. The entire human genome mapped! The farthest
star plotted! The mating habits of dinosaurs inferred from fossilized
eggs! Ordinary folks can be excused for muttering, "Is there nothing
these white-coated brainiacs don't think they know?"
This week the world's largest general science journal, aptly named
Science, takes a different and more humble tack, presenting a list of
the 125 biggest quandaries that scientists have failed to fathom.
The full list of 125 questions, with essays devoted to the top 25, is
at http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/125th .
*
The above includes a fascinating list of the 125 most important
unanswered questions in science.
I wonder whether one of our resident Christians might propose to
give us a list of the most important unanswered religious questions.
earle
*
Well, I can't give you the 125, but here's a few to get you started.
1. What is the exact nature of the inspiration of the Scriptures?
2. Why do bad things happen to good people?
Corollary 1: Why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper?
Corollary 2: Why does God allow natural disasters which do not
differentiate between the good and the bad?
3. How can we know exactly how to interpret the Scriptures?
4. Why are there approximately 33,000 Christian denominations and sects,
all teaching different things, and all claiming the authority of the
Scripture?
Corollary 1: Which, if any, are right, or are closest to the truth?
5. How will God judge those who have never had the opportunity to hear or
believe the gospel?
And, of course, my personal favorite (unnumbered)
What does God really think of the Republican Party?
Regards,
Raymond E. Griffith
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| User: "Herb Huston" |
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| Title: Re: Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists |
11 Jul 2005 08:15:52 AM |
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In article <BEF74E5A.21EF8%tiffirgrReverse@ctc.net>,
Raymond Griffith <tiffirgrReverse@ctc.net> wrote:
}in article earle.jones-E8D500.12252410072005@comcast.dca.giganews.com, Earle
}Jones at wrote on 7/10/05 3:25 PM:
}> I wonder whether one of our resident Christians might propose to
}> give us a list of the most important unanswered religious questions.
}
}Well, I can't give you the 125, but here's a few to get you started.
}
}1. What is the exact nature of the inspiration of the Scriptures?
Awareness of time leading to fear of death coupled with human neoteny
leading to the need for an imaginary super-parent.
}2. Why do bad things happen to good people?
}
} Corollary 1: Why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper?
}
} Corollary 2: Why does God allow natural disasters which do not
}differentiate between the good and the bad?
The universe is indifferent.
}3. How can we know exactly how to interpret the Scriptures?
Examine the original manuscripts in whichever museum is housing them.
}4. Why are there approximately 33,000 Christian denominations and sects,
}all teaching different things, and all claiming the authority of the
}Scripture?
Like chickens and cattle, humans arrange themselves into dominance
hierarchies (sometimes called peck order or hook order). When advancement
in the existing hierarchy is closed off, an individual can create a new
hierarchy.
} Corollary 1: Which, if any, are right, or are closest to the truth?
No more than one; most likely none.
}5. How will God judge those who have never had the opportunity to hear or
}believe the gospel?
See D. Alighieri, "Inferno,", _La Divina Commedia_ (c. 1310-14).
}And, of course, my personal favorite (unnumbered)
}
}What does God really think of the Republican Party?
Supporting evidence for the existence of evil in the world?
--
-- Herb Huston
--
-- http://www.radix.net/~huston
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| User: "Richard Forrest" |
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| Title: Re: Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists |
04 Jul 2005 07:11:22 AM |
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maff wrote:
Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR2005070300754_pf.html
By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 4, 2005; A09
There is something refreshing about scientists confessing their
ignorance. Day after day, in research journals and at international
meetings, they strut, cluck and boast about the latest enigma they've
wrestled to the ground.
Has the writer ever been to a scientific conference.
After the last one, we thought of doing a T-shirt with the slogan:
'Palaeontology - it's more complicated than we thought'
The other suggestion was
'Whenever you think you have a new idea, you'll find that some bloody
German published it in 1910.'
The entire human genome mapped! The farthest
star plotted! The mating habits of dinosaurs inferred from fossilized
eggs! Ordinary folks can be excused for muttering, "Is there nothing
these white-coated brainiacs don't think they know?"
This week the world's largest general science journal, aptly named
Science, takes a different and more humble tack, presenting a list of
the 125 biggest quandaries that scientists have failed to fathom.
The full list of 125 questions, with essays devoted to the top 25, is
at http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/125th .
.
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| User: "johac" |
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| Title: Re: Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists |
05 Jul 2005 01:46:02 AM |
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In article <1120479082.186479.78040@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
"Richard Forrest" <richard@plesiosaur.com> wrote:
maff wrote:
Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR2005070300
754_pf.html
By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 4, 2005; A09
There is something refreshing about scientists confessing their
ignorance. Day after day, in research journals and at international
meetings, they strut, cluck and boast about the latest enigma they've
wrestled to the ground.
Has the writer ever been to a scientific conference.
After the last one, we thought of doing a T-shirt with the slogan:
'Palaeontology - it's more complicated than we thought'
The other suggestion was
'Whenever you think you have a new idea, you'll find that some bloody
German published it in 1910.'
Tell me about it. About twenty years ago I had this bright idea as to
how our company could make a key intermediate more cheaply by a
photochemical reaction. Exercising due diligence I searched the
literature and sure enough, there was an article in something called
"Annals or the Royal Academy of Saxony" , or some such. written in 1889
in German of course.
They used sunlight to induce the photoreaction. I measured out the
reagents into a crystallizing dish and put it out on the steps behind
our building. I came back in about an hour and found these beautiful
crystals of the product that I wanted, pure enough to use as is.
Darn those clever old Germans!
The entire human genome mapped! The farthest
star plotted! The mating habits of dinosaurs inferred from fossilized
eggs! Ordinary folks can be excused for muttering, "Is there nothing
these white-coated brainiacs don't think they know?"
This week the world's largest general science journal, aptly named
Science, takes a different and more humble tack, presenting a list of
the 125 biggest quandaries that scientists have failed to fathom.
The full list of 125 questions, with essays devoted to the top 25, is
at http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/125th .
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
-Voltaire
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| User: "Ron O" |
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| Title: Re: Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists |
04 Jul 2005 10:04:39 AM |
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Richard Forrest wrote:
maff wrote:
Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR2005070300754_pf.html
By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 4, 2005; A09
There is something refreshing about scientists confessing their
ignorance. Day after day, in research journals and at international
meetings, they strut, cluck and boast about the latest enigma they've
wrestled to the ground.
Has the writer ever been to a scientific conference.
After the last one, we thought of doing a T-shirt with the slogan:
'Palaeontology - it's more complicated than we thought'
The other suggestion was
'Whenever you think you have a new idea, you'll find that some bloody
German published it in 1910.'
The entire human genome mapped! The farthest
star plotted! The mating habits of dinosaurs inferred from fossilized
eggs! Ordinary folks can be excused for muttering, "Is there nothing
these white-coated brainiacs don't think they know?"
This week the world's largest general science journal, aptly named
Science, takes a different and more humble tack, presenting a list of
the 125 biggest quandaries that scientists have failed to fathom.
The full list of 125 questions, with essays devoted to the top 25, is
at http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/125th .
Scientists have been thinking about these problems for so long that it
isn't difficult to believe that a lot of ideas have already been put
forward. The problem is that when they were put forward there was no
way to make them work or test them or both.
It doesn't seem to be hard to come up with the ideas. What is hard is
getting them to work or figuring out how to test them.
Ron Okimoto
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists |
04 Jul 2005 03:57:09 PM |
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Ron O wrote:
<snipped>
Scientists have been thinking about these problems for so long that it
isn't difficult to believe that a lot of ideas have already been put
forward. The problem is that when they were put forward there was no
way to make them work or test them or both.
In this case it's more complicated than that. A vast amount of research
in embryology was carried out especially in Germany in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries. Embryology, and especially the way in which
gene expression controls the development of the embryo is a very hot
topic at the moment. A problem is that many of the scientists involved
in this research have a limited knowledge of the work of their
predecessors and not infrequently finding thought to be a new
breakthrough have been found in the literature from the late 19th
century. The fact that the results were published in German has meant
that they were not as widely known as would perhaps been the case had
English versions been more widely available.
RF
It doesn't seem to be hard to come up with the ideas. What is hard is
getting them to work or figuring out how to test them.
Ron Okimoto
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| User: "Martin" |
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| Title: Re: Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists |
04 Jul 2005 09:29:29 AM |
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maff wrote:
Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR2005070300754_pf.html
They left out "What is it exactly that women want from men?"
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| User: "Mick White" |
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| Title: Re: Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists |
04 Jul 2005 09:46:42 AM |
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Martin wrote:
maff wrote:
Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR2005070300754_pf.html
They left out "What is it exactly that women want from men?"
Easy. A strong guy who is weak....
Mick
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| User: "Richard Forrest" |
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| Title: Re: Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists |
04 Jul 2005 10:04:05 AM |
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Mick White wrote:
Martin wrote:
maff wrote:
Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR2005070300754_pf.html
They left out "What is it exactly that women want from men?"
Easy. A strong guy who is weak....
Mick
I thought they wanted a man like chocolate: rich, thick and sweet.
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| User: "Mark Isaak" |
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| Title: Re: Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists |
04 Jul 2005 01:51:35 PM |
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On Mon, 04 Jul 2005 15:29:29 +0100, Martin
<martin_nospam@btinternet.com> wrote:
maff wrote:
Age-Old Questions Continue to Entice Scientists
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/03/AR2005070300754_pf.html
They left out "What is it exactly that women want from men?"
That's been answered. A woman wants one man to fulfill her every
need. A man, on the other hand, wants every woman to fulfill his one
need.
--
Mark Isaak eciton (at) earthlink (dot) net
"Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of
the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are
being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and
exposing the country to danger." -- Hermann Goering
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