How the Early Universe Got Dusty Remains a Mystery

University of Arizona ^ | 02 December 2004 | Lori Stiles

[PatrickHenry]

Bold and underline added by me.

[PatrickHenry]

Science Ping!

This is an elite subset of the Evolution ping list.

See the list's description in my freeper homepage. Then FReepmail me to be added or dropped.

[Doc Savage]

Dusty?? Is there an odor?? A bad, bad odor?? May I suggest a Michael Moore fart??

[Shryke]

Now I know why I can't stop sneezing. Damn.

[Moonman62]

I wonder how many kook theories this will revive.

[PatrickHenry]

Just stick around ...

[Panzerlied]

"How could all of this dust have formed so quickly?"

Sounds like my wife's question

[muawiyah]

The way gold nuggets get produced may be applicable.

Envision an archaeobacteria so tough it can repair radiation damage to it's genetic code. Then envision it out there sucking in molecules from intersteller gas, extracting the energy (from the charge differentials), and excreting discharged metallic ions.

Next thing you know you have lots and lots of dust.

Then the dust coalesces, gravity heats it up, planets are formed, etc., and the archaeobacteria move in for another round of meals.

[bondserv]

"In the last few years, observers have discovered huge quantities of interstellar dust near the most distant quasars in the very young universe, only 700 million years after the cosmos was born in the Big Bang."

Bold should be: ...we believe only 700 million years after the cosmos was potentially born in what we believe (and many do not) was something we call the Big Bang.

Astronomers know two processes that form the dust, Krause said. One, old sun-like stars near death generate dust. Two, infrared space missions have revealed the dust is produced in supernovae explosions.

Bold should be: Astronomers used to believe there were two processes that form dust, but now we realize we were wrong, which seems to be happening on more of a regular basis.

"The first process takes several billion years," Krause noted. "Supernovae explosions, by contrast, produce dust in much less time, only about 10 million years."

Bold should be: The first process we thought took several billion years, but now we realize, that our juiced up numbers to pull the line for the Theory of Evolution, we miscalculated.

More insightful commentary to come!

[OSHA]

A good portion of it comes from the dirt road in front of my house.

[VadeRetro]

There was dust in the early universe because there was not yet any Lemon Scented Pledge^TM.

[Nick Danger]

A good portion of it comes from the dirt road in front of my house.

Is that what it is? I was wondering the same thing. Just yesterday, I dusted this whole place, and today I see more damned dust on things. I never bring shovels full of dirt into the house, so where does it come from? The stars! I should have known.

[Humvee]

No mystery, the cleaning lady went on vacation.

[PatrickHenry]

There was dust in the early universe because there was not yet any Lemon Scented Pledge^tm

I guess the Intelligent Designer forgot to change the filters before he flipped the switch and started the Big Bang.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[longshadow]

because there was not yet any Lemon Scented Pledge^TM.

Allow me:

Lemon Scented Pledge™

the threademark sign is: [ALT+0153] (without the "plus sign")

[longshadow]

the threademark sign

er, make that "trademark"....

[Old Professer]

In my house, we know the cause; we just can't bring ourselves to kill three dogs and a neighbor who was raised in a barn.

[VadeRetro]

the threademark sign is: [ALT+0153] (without the "plus sign")

Like I'm really going to remember that. I'm hoarding the few brain cells I have left.

[evets]