Exploring the Unknown: The Fear and Fascination of Scientific Discoveries

[MathJakob]

As science progresses and unlocks mystery after mystery is it natural to be scared of what they may discover next? I am already in awe at how insane our universe is how some of it just defies all common sense. The first time I felt scared was when I was about 16 and I first read about special relativity and it really made me take a step back and it gave me a severe wake up call.

There is so much going on behind the surface of what we see day to day that it's easy to forget and think everything is just so simple. When I explain to my friends how time slows down the faster you go relative to an observer, that your blood flows slower, your breathing slows down and a week for you may be 60 years for someone else, they just laugh and think I'm either lying or it's wrong.

I am looking forward to what they may discover next but I'm also very nervous as once again my brain will be crushed... When I first read about special relativity it was basically the same as trying to accept that at the centre of every black hole is a portal that takes you to another universe... I know this is not true I'm just using it as an analogy of what it was like for me to accept special relativity as being how it really is no matter how outrageous it may seem.

I mean most of you are qualified physicists and some of you may be much older than I am, back when you were 20 and you heard about the double slit experiement, did it scare you at all? Did it throw you back and think WTF is this universe doing to my brain? Some part of human mind protests that it cannot be so, yet on examination of the evidence brings you to the conclusion that it is...

lol.

 

[mathsciguy]

When I explain to my friends how time slows down the faster you go relative to an observer, that your blood flows slower, your breathing slows down and a week for you may be 60 years for someone else, they just laugh and think I'm either lying or it's wrong.

For a person observing another one moving relative to him, the time interval for an event 'in there' (ie, the event in which the time is proper) is slower for a person observing that, from what I remember in basic special relativity that much is true. Your next statements though, seems a little more complicated and I don't know if that's true, maybe an expert on biology and physics should share some insight?

As for the topic, I can understand how mind boggling the discoveries we've made in science, especially in modern physics which is so out of human common sense.

 

[reenmachine]

I am scared of many things , but scientific discoveries aren't one of them.Even if the discovery was dangerous per say (for exemple aliens) , I still think we should try to discover it.This is what humans do , they discover.Deep down I think the goal of humanity is to discover the truth even if I don't think we'll have enough time.

 

[SW VandeCarr]

You should only be scared by things like black widow spiders, loose armed hydrogen bombs and a certain restaurant in Florida, USA which unfortunately I can't name because I might get sued (which also scares me).

 

[MathJakob]

I am scared of many things , but scientific discoveries aren't one of them.Even if the discovery was dangerous per say (for exemple aliens) , I still think we should try to discover it.This is what humans do , they discover.Deep down I think the goal of humanity is to discover the truth even if I don't think we'll have enough time.

I completely agree, I am not scared in that aspect, I'm scared that I will not be able to comprehend the next greatest discovery... I hate the feeling of thinking you understand the world you live in (on a basic level) and then something even more outrageous comes along and however difficult it is to believe and understand, it's the truth.

Quantum entanglement for example is the next thing which just defies all logic and understanding. Although I don't think it's proven yet but if it turns out that 2 particles really are interconnected and what happens to one, happens to the other instantly then that to me is just nuts... It's literally like Alice in wonderland and I'm Alice.

 

[reenmachine]

I completely agree, I am not scared in that aspect, I'm scared that I will not be able to comprehend the next greatest discovery... I hate the feeling of thinking you understand the world you live in (on a basic level) and then something even more outrageous comes along and however difficult it is to believe and understand, it's the truth.

Quantum entanglement for example is the next thing which just defies all logic and understanding. Although I don't think it's proven yet but if it turns out that 2 particles really are interconnected and what happens to one, happens to the other instantly then that to me is just nuts... It's literally like Alice in wonderland and I'm Alice.

I don't know , never had that feeling.For as long as I can remember , probably since I started asking philosophical questions to my parents when I was very young and realized their answers didn't make any sense , I was pretty self-aware of my lack of understanding.

There's not a single scientific discovery that could be more outrageous in my mind than what humans do on a regular basis at the "basic level" like you say.

As far as understanding the next discovery , well that would probably depend on your knowledge at the time the discovery will be made.

 

[ArunX]

Actually i totally depends on how you are getting things,it is true that newer discoveries going in science leads to devastating condition,like of invention of hydrogen bomb leads to cheer for some scientists and leaders but it results in large hazard if dropped somewhere !
Whenever an new theory or new invention is proposed no one see its drawback or how it can be used
but later the results may be different
even if you yourself invent something :-) you are very much excited about it without thinking about it outcomes

Soo..Friend just take it easily don't be Scared...its just the beginning of human curiosity !
The Robot World..and human traveling space..and spaceships traveling with light speeds can be seen in near future
Also there's special ability of Human...They can find the way to desstroy themselves...but they can also find the way to survive
but if taken positively...
Its just the beginning of INTELLIGENT HUMANS !
Enjoy your surrounding...May be its not the same tomorrow

 

[reenmachine]

Its just the beginning of INTELLIGENT HUMANS !

Not convinced with what I see everyday.

Sure , there's plenty of smart people out there , but that was always the case.

 

[MathJakob]

Actually i totally depends on how you are getting things,it is true that newer discoveries going in science leads to devastating condition,like of invention of hydrogen bomb leads to cheer for some scientists and leaders but it results in large hazard if dropped somewhere !
Whenever an new theory or new invention is proposed no one see its drawback or how it can be used
but later the results may be different
even if you yourself invent something :-) you are very much excited about it without thinking about it outcomes

Soo..Friend just take it easily don't be Scared...its just the beginning of human curiosity !
The Robot World..and human traveling space..and spaceships traveling with light speeds can be seen in near future
Also there's special ability of Human...They can find the way to desstroy themselves...but they can also find the way to survive
but if taken positively...
Its just the beginning of INTELLIGENT HUMANS !
Enjoy your surrounding...May be its not the same tomorrow

I appreciate your post but that was not what I meant. My post is strictly aimed at being scared of not being able to wrap my head around something.

I am nowhere near knowledgeable enough to say I understand everything, I barely understand anything but on the basic level my brain can comprehend special relativity... just about.

I'm basically just nervous and worried if something is discovered that my brain just simply can not grasp...

 

[micromass]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1tKEvN3DF0

 

[WannabeNewton]

If you learn the math and understand the physics rigorously, the physics will be a lot less mysterious. The main reason it seems so mysterious is because popular physics (e.g. Through the Wormhole) depicts it that way by hiding the math and littering the physics with hyperbole. That's not to say the physics isn't counter-intuitive but at least you'll be able to understand it formally.

 

[MathJakob]

If you learn the math and understand the physics rigorously, the physics will be a lot less mysterious. The main reason it seems so mysterious is because popular physics (e.g. Through the Wormhole) depicts it that way by hiding the math and littering the physics with hyperbole. That's not to say the physics isn't counter-intuitive but at least you'll be able to understand it formally.

Yeah I totally get what you're saying, understanding the math and physics behind something may well help you to understand HOW something is the way it is, but for example special relativity tells us that time slows time relative to an observer as your speed increases, that's great I have no problem understanding that part... the problem I have is when you stop to think about what that really means, the fact that the blood in the body will flow slower, you will blink slower, you age slower, the neurons move through the brain slower and you breath slower... everything inside your frame of reference is in slow motion, yet to you you're moving perfectly fine.

THAT to me is the part that just blows me mind, to think that the universe actually works in this kind of ways, how electrons can be in two different places simultaneously, how two particles separated by light years are still somehow linked, to think that space-time may be some kind of tightly woven fabric ect...

It's just so different to what we see and the things we do day to day that it's scary to think this is how things really work on the deeper level.

 

[WannabeNewton]

I personally wouldn't say that's scary but rather marvelous and/or mind blowing. Scary for me would be a bug in my room.

 

[MathJakob]

I personally wouldn't say that's scary but rather marvelous and/or mind blowing. Scary for me would be a bug in my room.

Yes, marvelous to the point of scary haha. Like I said when I think about this stuff it just blows my mind, I'm in awe.

 

[lisab]

I personally wouldn't say that's scary but rather marvelous and/or mind blowing. Scary for me would be a bug in my room.

Yes, marvelous to the point of scary haha. Like I said when I think about this stuff it just blows my mind, I'm in awe.

Awe: A mixed emotion of reverence, respect, dread, and wonder inspired by authority, genius, great beauty, sublimity, or might;
An overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, or wonder produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, etc.

I agree .

 

[DennisN]

I am nowhere near knowledgeable enough to say I understand everything, I barely understand anything but on the basic level my brain can comprehend special relativity... just about.

That's a good start (most of my friends know almost nothing about relativity).

I can say with almost 100% certainty that you will never understand EVERYTHING. There are many scientific fields! But don't let that disappoint you, you can get to understand much if you put effort into it.

I'm basically just nervous and worried if something is discovered that my brain just simply can not grasp...

Don't worry, welcome to the club. There are a lot of things I don't understand:

• How quantum mechanics works "under the hood" (who does?)
• How quantum entanglement works? (i.e. the "mechanism" - who does?)
• Is dark energy energy or not? (who knows?)
• What is dark matter? (hopefully we'll know more about this soon...)
• Is string theory pointing in the right direction? (controversial subject)
• Why the irrationality of pi can't be proved with circular reasoning (just kidding).
• + many other things.

Generally, I'll say I'm not scared by science or the complexity of it. I'm rather stimulated and fascinated. And when I'm interested in a particular subject, I try to learn more about it.

But I can get frustrated by some topics, particularly entanglement; it is messing thoroughly with my common sense .

And regarding the unknowns (e.g. science beyond what we know today), I'm not scared at all - I can't wait for new discoveries, haha! There are a lot of things we don't know, and I want to know!

 

[ArunX]

I appreciate your post but that was not what I meant. My post is strictly aimed at being scared of not being able to wrap my head around something.

I am nowhere near knowledgeable enough to say I understand everything, I barely understand anything but on the basic level my brain can comprehend special relativity... just about.

I'm basically just nervous and worried if something is discovered that my brain just simply can not grasp...

Its just a matter of fact that..how you understand the things in physics

 

[reenmachine]

I personally wouldn't say that's scary but rather marvelous and/or mind blowing. Scary for me would be a bug in my room.

Ever had one of these bad boys in your room? I've had a couple of them over the years , they are very fast and disgusting.If you miss it with your first shot , it's gone.Thankfully they are loners.

 

[WannabeNewton]

wth is that jesus christ is that a centipede? I hope never ever to see one of those or I might die of a heart attack.

 

[Evo]

I think for the public, the majority aren't scared, they're in awe, or excited, they don't need to understand it.

Then there are those that truly are scared about advancements in science that go against their religious teachings, they don't even want to understand it.

 

[Evo]

Speaking of bugs, just found a mutant, horrible bigger than life, what-the-heck-is-that. I hit it over and over with a box, didn't phase it. It ran under the tv stand. Got out my bug spray and sprayed under and around the stand.

IT WILL KILL ME IN MY SLEEP...AAAARRRGGGHHH! It was GROSS! Huge legs, wings, poison darts, killer swords, BIG FANGS!

I'm scared!

 

[Physics_UG]

GAH! I'm with WBN. I hate bugs!

 

[MathJakob]

I think for the public, the majority aren't scared, they're in awe, or excited, they don't need to understand it.

Then there are those that truly are scared about advancements in science that go against their religious teachings, they don't even want to understand it.

I'm not relgious at all, maybe scared was the wrong word to use. It's a mixed emotion "awe" is the perfect word. For example I want aliens to exist more than anything, I think it would be awesome to finally know that intelligent life elsewhere exists, but on the otherhand it could mean the end of our existence. So again I'm scared that aliens exist, but at the same time I want them to.

 

[reenmachine]

wth is that jesus christ is that a centipede? I hope never ever to see one of those or I might die of a heart attack.

Yeah it is a centipede.The first time I saw one was when I was 14-17 years old in my basement.I thought it was a bunch of dust but then it moved very fast.It's kind of strange that I never saw one during childhood.Anyway , each summer I see about 3 or 4 of them at my place.They are supposed to be good though because they eat all the other insects but let's face it , I would take 10 spiders before I take one of these assholes.

I'm surprised you never saw one in NY.

 

[Pythagorean]

It looks like Scutigera coleoptrata, a variant of the house centipede. They eat lots of other insects and they pose no threats to humans so they can be good companions as long as you don't handle them too much.

 

[reenmachine]

It looks like Scutigera coleoptrata, a variant of the house centipede. They eat lots of other insects and they pose no threats to humans so they can be good companions as long as you don't handle them too much.

Yeah , that's what everybody that knows them tell me , but I still turn into a predator when I see one.I know what it's like to try to kill it and miss it and then not finding it in my bedroom.Try to sleep after that.I'm not very afraid of bugs in general but these ones are disgusting.I'm always scared one comes on my face while I'm sleeping or worst , one comes on my face and I wake up at that moment. :yuck:

 

[WannabeNewton]

I'm surprised you never saw one in NY.

I've seen a centipede once last summer but never anything that monstrous. I couldn't sleep the whole night knowing it was there.

 

[MathJakob]

I'm thankful in live in the United Kingdom where the biggest bug we get in our house is either a moth or a spider, both about an inch in diametre

 

[DennisN]

That picture is... frightening. I don't like spiders, but now I know what true horror looks like . That creature looks very fast, like a Ferrari bug.

 

[dipole]

Ever had one of these bad boys in your room? I've had a couple of them over the years , they are very fast and disgusting.If you miss it with your first shot , it's gone.Thankfully they are loners.

These are extremely common in the North East, I used to encounter dozens of them a year in my old place, now I see maybe 5-6 a year in my place.

I once put on a pair of pants which had been laying on the floor and had an unexpected guess inside them. Another time of these ran across my foot and up my leg on the outside of my pants. I find the easiest way to kill them is to capture them with a large cup/bowl, then invert it with a paper slid between it and the wall and just flush them down the drain with scalding hot water.

 

[reenmachine]

These are extremely common in the North East, I used to encounter dozens of them a year in my old place, now I see maybe 5-6 a year in my place.

I once put on a pair of pants which had been laying on the floor and had an unexpected guess inside them. Another time of these ran across my foot and up my leg on the outside of my pants. I find the easiest way to kill them is to capture them with a large cup/bowl, then invert it with a paper slid between it and the wall and just flush them down the drain with scalding hot water.

Yes , I live in the north east , that's why I was surprised that WBN never had any.The picture is a perfect replica of the ones at my place.

When I leave clothes on the floor it's possible there will be one inside.It happened to me too one time , so now I always verify.

The cup/bowl trick is good , but not the best since they tend to stay close to the wall and the floor in the corner when they escape your attack.It's hard to capture it with a bowl when they are there.At the beginning I used to do like I did with spiders , take the time to get a book and kill them with it.But now I understand that centipedes will see right through you and just escape while you're looking for a "weapon".:rofl:

Now I immediately try to kill it with my feet or hand.No time to lose.It's disgusting yes , but less disgusting than knowing this thing escaped and is hanging out in your bedroom

 

[dipole]

I don't squish them because they leave their guts and twitching legs all over the place when you do, so I try to catch them intact and dispose in a less gory manner.

 

[davenn]

The last thing that put any significant fear into me was in Aug 2012 when I was lying in a hospital bed fighting for life prior to open heart surgery.
It was scary not knowing if I was going to make it through
I have been worried about a lot of thinks throughout life, but this was really the first time that my life was really on the line and thinking.. God, get me through this hell, else I'm looking at death.

Dave

 

[ZombieFeynman]

If you learn the math and understand the physics rigorously, the physics will be a lot less mysterious. The main reason it seems so mysterious is because popular physics (e.g. Through the Wormhole) depicts it that way by hiding the math and littering the physics with hyperbole. That's not to say the physics isn't counter-intuitive but at least you'll be able to understand it formally.

I disagree with this completely and utterly.

There are many things that are completely mysterious to me in a way; I don't understand them. It doesn't mean I can't calculate using them, or that I don't accept them. But there are certain things that are incomprehensible to me.

I would say that I have learned what physics and math I know rigorously.

[EDIT]: The overall trend has been that the more I know about nature, the more I am awed, overwhelmed, and mystified by it.

 

[reenmachine]

Look at this WBN , this is what I'm talking about.Take note that this one is probably as big as the biggest I've seen in my life so most are a little bit smaller but not that much (the one in the video seems particularly long):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7X_pckD67s