5 ms·
> Jason Wright, an astronomer from Penn State University, is set to publish an > alternative interpretation of the light pattern. SETI researchers have lon
by uxcn 11y ago
> Jason Wright, an astronomer from Penn State University, is set to publish an
> alternative interpretation of the light pattern. SETI researchers have long
> suggested that we might be able to detect distant extraterrestrial
> civilizations, by looking for enormous technological artifacts orbiting
> other stars. Wright and his co-authors say the unusual star’s light pattern
> is consistent with a “swarm of megastructures,” perhaps stellar-light
> collectors, technology designed to catch energy from the star.
I guess the theory is that an advanced civilization would be building particle accelerators on the scale of solar systems, or maybe constructing wormholes?
- bonobo 11y agoBy "swarm of megastructures" and "technology designed to catch energy from the star" I think he's referring to a Dyson Swarm: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_sphere#Dyson_swarm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_sphere#Dyson_swarm
- uxcn 11y agoI'm just not entirely convinced of the premise that energy consumption on that scale would be necessary for an advanced civilization. Particle accelerators would be a reasonable possibility though.
- hyperpape 11y agoNot sure if I agree with this blogpost, but it's not a crazy idea if you extrapolate from economics on Earth: http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the-math/2012/04/economist-meets-physicist/ http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the-math/2012/04/economist-meets-....
- uxcn 11y agoThe math is essentially correct, but it oversimplifies some things, and it skips a number of factors. Larry Summers recently shared his opinion on the topic https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-global-economy-is-in-serious-danger/2015/10/07/85e81666-6c5d-11e5-b31c-d80d62b53e28_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-global-economy-i....
- hyperpape 11y agoI'm not sure I understand the relevance of what Summers is saying. He's talking about a current slowdown in growth, and arguing for expansionary monetary policy. This article is claiming that there's a limited amount of growth that we can expect in the longterm, because we'll run out of sources of energy. But Summers isn't talking about energy as a limit..indeed, he's saying commodity prices are depressed. Am I missing something?
- uxcn 11y agoThe other article isn't entirely arguing that energy is a fundamental limit, although the example it gives is pretty hilarious. It's ultimately arguing that there are fundamentally limited things for capital to invest in and grow.
- hyperpape 11y agoThe only argument I see is that energy places a limit on growth. Now, one might think that if energy is one limit, there must be others, but I can't find that argument actually presented.
- uxcn 11y ago> Economist: But I have to object to the statement that growth must stop once > energy amount/price saturates. There will always be innovations that people > are willing to purchase that do not require additional energy. ...and so on
- hyperpape 11y agoI think you're getting this backwards--this is not an argument that there's more limits, it's an argument over whether limited energy actually implies limits to growth. What the economist says is "even if energy is limited, growth is not" and the physicist goes on to rebut that claim.