back to article Neutrino mass, dark energy measurements refined

The pattern of galactic clusters in the early Universe is helping to reveal the secrets of the neutrino. Not only that, but astronomers working on South Pole Telescope (SPT) data also hope to yield more information about the dark energy that’s driving the universe apart. The new results, announced by University of Chicago …

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  1. Winkypop Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Applied science

    Ra!

    1. perlcat
      Devil

      Re: Applied science

      Aten!

  2. Gordon 10

    Blunder

    Thats a little unfair. It's essentially a place holder for all the things we dont know about the universe but which allows us to get lots of interesting work done in the meantime.

    1. DanDanDan
      Meh

      His words...

      I believe that he himself said it was his biggest blunder...

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Boffin

      Re: Blunder

      It WAS a blunder, and after one of the most triumphant examples of how science is supposed to be done.

      Maxwell showed the speed of light in a vacuum was fixed by 2 fundamental properties of the universe.

      Michelson and Morley showed there was no absolute reference frame for the speed of light.

      Based upon the evidence and the math, Einstein derived special relativity, made falsifiable predictions from his theory, and those predictions were borne out by experiment.

      That's how you do science.

      Then, absent any evidence, Einstein asserted an eternal and unchanging (at the macro scale) universe, and since the math conflicted with that unfounded belief, inserted a fudge factor to make the math support his unfounded assertion.

      That is how you DON'T do science!

      And that is why, in later years, Einstein asserted it was a blunder - because it was not supported by any evidence. Indeed, when Hubble determined the red shift constant, it disproved the assertion of a static universe.

      Later, when more evidence of an accelerating, expanding universe was found, scientists began to re-examine the alteration of the equations, *because there was now evidence to back them up*.

      And again, that's how you do science.

      1. Tom 13

        Re: Blunder

        Minor nit: I believe working the equations does leave an undefined constant, which should have been experimentally established. Einstein set the value based on what he thought the universe ought to look like rather than awaiting the experimental evidence. However, that doesn't change the fact that it was a "huge blunder", and being a basically honest person, Einstein admitted as much.

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  3. perlcat
    Coat

    re: "And again, that's how you do science."

    You mean you aren't supposed to get your scientific press buddies all together in an enormous circle-jerk in order to suppress contrary theories and alternate explanations, and call that consensus?

    Here and I thought I was all up on what it takes to do science in the 21st century.

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