Posted on 11/15/2015 7:47:38 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Where do we come from? There are many right answers to this question, and the one you get depends on who you ask.
For example, an astrophysicist might say that the chemical components of our bodies were first forged in the nuclear fires of stars.
On the other hand, an evolutionary biologist might look at the similarities between our DNA and that of other primates' and conclude we evolved from apes.
Lisa Randall, a theoretical physicist at Harvard University, has a different, and novel answer, which she describes in her latest book, "Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs."
Randall has written other popular science books, including the New York Times bestseller "Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions." Her studies at Harvard explore theoretical particle physics and cosmology.
In her latest book, she posits that the extinction of the dinosaurs -- necessary for the emergence of humans -- is linked to dark matter. Dark matter is the mysterious, invisible matter that astronomers estimate makes up 85% of all matter in our universe.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
“If there is dark matter and if there is a disk of the stuff crossing our orbit in a regular pattern, then there might be something to this hypothesis.”
Calling her proposal a hypothesis is extremely generous. It is based on nothing but her imagination. Furthermore WHY she has chosen to propose this is a mystery. Are there no KNOWN and understood mechanisms to explain this? Its well understood that a planet, comet, or other large body passing by an object can change its trajectory. Its observable and testable. Why invoke dark matter? Why suggest it has anything to do with a specific event such as dinosaur extinction? Its bad science fiction.
I am not a big defender of this idea but I can guess an answer to your question: the regularity of the extinction events suggests a regular disruptive force.
“I am not a big defender of this idea but I can guess an answer to your question: the regularity of the extinction events suggests a regular disruptive force.”
Agreed. However regular and predictable events in the cosmos are the norm, even if they take place on a scale of millions of years. No need to bring Dark Matter into it.
That is silly. Gaia wanted more CO2 in the air and plastic and the only way she could get it was to put humans on the planet. /s
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