|
Science |
Back off, man, I'm a scientist.
|
|
|
Irreducible Complexity - Mathematical Definition and Refutation (Science)
By mberteig Mon Oct 3rd, 2005 at 11:51:31 AM EST
|
|
|
There have been some recent articles here on K5 about Intelligent Design (1), (2), (3), (4). None of them have presented a formal logical approach to the question.
One of the foundational ideas behind intelligent design is the that of Irreducible Complexity. What follows is an amateur's attempt at a formal mathematical definition of irreducible complexity and then a brief analysis of a possible refutation of it based on the proposed definition. This work has been done mostly out of interest.
(This article was originally published at http://www.berteig.org/mishkin/IrreducibleComplexity.html - it is much nicer to look at there due to the limits of the html allowed here on K5.)
Full Story (91 comments, 2127 words in story)
|
|
|
Relativity, Uncertainty, Incompleteness and Undecidability (Science)
By chato Wed Aug 31st, 2005 at 08:45:49 PM EST
|
|
|
In this article four fundamental principles are presented: relativity, uncertainty, incompleteness and undecidability. They were studied by, respectively, Albert Einstein, Werner Heisenberg, Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing. This is a very simple explanation without the technical details, but which tries to show at least the general idea behind each principle.
Full Story (199 comments, 3343 words in story)
|
|
|
The Genetic Origin of Ashkenazi Genius (Science)
By Thrasymachus Sun Jul 31st, 2005 at 04:40:34 PM EST
|
|
|
A genetics paper published in the Journal of Biosocial Science in June, “Natural History of Ashkenazi Intelligence,” makes the following claims about Ashkenazi European Jews:
- They have the highest average IQ of any ethnic group.
- Their intelligence advantage is genetic.
- Their intelligence advantage is recent.
- Jews as a whole are not of above-average intelligence, just the Ashkenazi.
- Ashkenazi intelligence is a result of natural selection.
The paper is important not just for what it says about the Ashkenazi, but also for what it says about the nature of intelligence and genes. A surprising amount of favorable press coverage was generated over it—positive coverage appeared in both The Economist and The New York Times—despite the fact that the authors are claiming that: a) some racial differences in intelligence exist, and b) that they can be genetic in origin.
Full Story (474 comments, 996 words in story)
|
|
|
Peak Oil: the next big thing. (Part One.) (Science)
By Apuleius Sat Jul 9th, 2005 at 03:25:26 PM EST
|
|
|
In between shark attacks, missing persons, Michael Jackson, and who knows what else, you might have missed a few important stories. On the 4th of July,
a power plant in Grati, on Indonesia's island of Java, was shut down after
it just plain ran out of its stored fuel oil. Another power plant on the
island is going to close next. This should not be all that surprising. Oil is now trading at $60 a barrel, and the first to suffer from this are those who can't cough up that kind of dough. But this is just the beginning. The price won't come back down, and soon enough you will begin to feel the pinch. Grab a cup of coffee and read on.
Full Story (360 comments, 2370 words in story)
|
|
|
Maxwell's thermodynamic daemon realized ? (Science)
By chro57 Tue Jun 28th, 2005 at 04:34:06 AM EST
|
|
|
Maxwell's demon is a theoretical device able to bypass the second law of thermodynamics, allowing anyone to produce unlimited free energy with the device. Until now, it has always been possible to prove theoretically that they couldn't be constructed, or would fail to function.
This "badly published" article presents a version of Maxwell's demon for which there is currently no published theoretical proof of unworkability, and the author pretends to have built and tested it. If there are no flaws, then the invention is an industrial revolution waiting to happen.
However, as is, it may as well be an elaborated joke. But where is the theorical flaw? There are no obvious flaws in the design itself.
Full Story (133 comments, 356 words in story)
|
|
|
|