Scientists abandon highly publicized claim about cosmic find

AP ^ | 01/30/2015 2:17 PM

[BenLurkin]

Scientists who made headlines last March by announcing that they'd found long-sought evidence about the early universe are now abandoning that claim.

New data show that their cosmic observations no longer back up that conclusion, they say.

The original announcement caused a sensation because it appeared to show evidence that the universe ballooned rapidly a split-second after its birth, in what scientist call cosmic inflation. That idea had been widely believed, but researchers had hoped to bolster it by finding a particular trait in light left over from the very early universe.

That signal is what the researchers claimed they had found in observations of the sky taken from the South Pole, in a project called BICEP2.

But now, in a new paper submitted for publication, "we are effectively retracting the claim," said Brian Keating of the University of California, San Diego, a member of the BICEP2 team.

[Pontiac]

But now, in a new paper submitted for publication, "we are effectively retracting the claim," said Brian Keating of the University of California, San Diego, a member of the BICEP2 team.

Well what do you know? Real scientist retract erroneous findings when they determine that they were wrong.

I think that these climatologist that hang on to their claims of anthropomorphic global warming should pay attention to this as a lesson in what real scientist do.

[cripplecreek]

Real scientist retract erroneous findings when they determine that they were wrong.

Yeah that's the way I saw it too.

[ModelBreaker]

Actually, good for them. They published. Actual scientists raised questions about their findings. The went back and looked at it again and concluded they had no statistically significant basis for their claims. So they retracted them in public.

That is how science is supposed to work.

[headstamp 2]

Now if we can just get the climate hacks to do the same.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin.

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[samtheman]

Keating said the search for the signal from the early universe would continue. And the new analysis has helped, he said, by showing how to avoid being misled by the galactic dust.

Just as the initial claimants were making too much of the initial findings, so are those who want to say inflation is dead are making too much of this outcome.

All of this is an initial finding, of sorts. We are just now bringing equipment on line that is even remotely capable of making the measurements that are required.

Ok, so this time, with the equipment currently available, the dust got in the way and some eager scientists jumped the gun with early claims of success.

But the fact that dust got in the way -- and that we might need a bigger and better telescope -- doesn't disprove inflation. It just means we haven't yet proved it.

Those who are ready to write off inflation are just as much gun-jumpers as those who earlier yelled "Eureka" when no Eureka is yet warranted.

[navyguy]

+1 !