String Theory, With No Holds Barred [Brian Greene and Lawrence Krauss debate]

ScienceNOW Daily News ^ | March 29, 2007 | John Simpson

[SunkenCiv]

Michael Turner... the University of Chicago cosmologist had the unenviable task of trying to crown a winner in a match-up between Brian Greene and Lawrence Krauss, two physics heavyweights duking it out over the merits -- or lack thereof -- of the so-called Theory of Everything... Last night's debate did little to settle the argument, but a packed house of academics, physics geeks, and just-curious laypeople seemed to enjoy themselves nonetheless. Krauss threw the first punch. A professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and an expert on black holes, dark matter, and dark energy, Krauss said he has grown tired of string theory's hyped but hollow antics. In 37 years, he noted, the hypothesis has explained little while confusing a lot. "It doesn't make predictions," he said. "It usually makes excuses." Greene shot back: Although string theory's successes can't be experimentally verified at the moment, that doesn't mean they aren't there. Mathematically, the hypothesis appears to resolve a decades-old problem of merging the "two pillars" of physics: gravity and quantum mechanics. And, noted the Columbia University theoretical physicist, mathematician, and darling of public television, string theory might also account for the origin of disorder in black holes, which has stumped physicists for decades. String theorists are eagerly awaiting the results of the Large Hadron Collider, as it might show subtle details about the strings themselves.

[RightWhale]

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/The_Poincare_Dodecahedral_Space_Model_Gains_Support_To_Explain_The_Shape_Of_Space_999.html

The Poincare Dodecahedral Space Model Gains Support To Explain The Shape Of Space

SPX 13 Fed 08
Paris

cosmic topology predicts that a space which is smaller than the LSS cannot contain vibrational modes larger than the space itself. This should lead to a cutoff of power in statistics representing these fluctuations, above which power should drop to zero. The predicted cutoff in large scale power has precisely been observed by the 2003-2006 WMAP all-sky survey.

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thought this was over. Now an observation intrudes on our reverie.