Steinn Sigurðsson: Black Holes, causality and exoplanets
Nov 6, 2023
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Penn State astrophysicist, Steinn Sigurðsson, discusses the history and impact of preprint servers, the threat and promise of AI-generated papers, the role of editors and open access in scientific publishing, the power law observed in preprint servers, the search for extraterrestrial life, and the concept of the Dyson sphere. The hosts also introduce the IVF embryo genetic testing company, Orchid Health.
Genetic testing for embryos can help parents identify risks for severe diseases before birth.
The archive pre-print server facilitates the exchange of scientific information across various disciplines.
Initiatives promoting open access to scientific research are challenging the traditional publishing model.
Deep dives
Genetic testing for embryos helps identify risk for diseases early
Genetic testing for embryos, specifically offered by ORCHID, allows parents undergoing IVF to determine the risk for severe diseases in their future children. This advanced testing can detect genetic variants associated with conditions such as autism, pediatric cancers, and birth defects, providing valuable information before the child is even born.
The significance of the archive pre-print server
The archive pre-print server, which has been in existence for over 30 years, plays a crucial role in disseminating scientific research. It acts as a repository for pre-prints, allowing researchers to share their work before formal publication. It has been instrumental in speeding up the publication process and promoting immediate access to research findings. Archive facilitates the exchange of scientific information, with various disciplines utilizing the platform, including theoretical physics, mathematics, statistics, and computer science.
Open access and the changing landscape of scientific publishing
The scientific publishing industry is undergoing significant changes due to initiatives like Plan S and the Nelson memorandum. These efforts promote open access to scientific research and data, challenging the traditional subscription-based model. While the shift towards open access presents challenges in terms of funding and incentivizing researchers, it aims to improve access to scientific knowledge and eliminate barriers to its dissemination. The evolving publishing landscape also raises questions about the future of journals, peer review, and the potential of artificial intelligence in scientific publishing.
Astrophysics: Exploring the mysteries of the universe
Astrophysics delves into profound questions about the nature of the universe. Scientists are studying a variety of topics, including the expansion of the universe, dark matter, and the existence of black holes. The discovery of exoplanets has revolutionized our understanding of planetary systems and their potential for supporting life. Efforts are also underway to search for technosignatures, indicators of intelligent life, and explore the possibility of civilizations in the galaxy. Additionally, investigating the connection between quantum mechanics and relativity poses intriguing challenges in understanding black holes and the fundamental nature of the universe.
Advancements in detecting planets and searching for life beyond Earth
Advancements in technology and observation techniques have led to the discovery of numerous exoplanets, including planets in the habitable zone. Scientists are now able to detect planets of various sizes, including those similar to Earth. These discoveries have increased the likelihood of finding potentially habitable worlds. Astrobiologists are actively investigating the conditions necessary for the origin and sustainability of life. Efforts are being made to detect signs of life or intelligent civilizations through the analysis of exoplanet atmospheres and the study of astrophysical phenomena.
On this episode of Unsupervised Learning Razib talks to Penn State astrophysicist, Steinn Sigurdsson. Sigurdsson was a one-time colleague at the ScienceBlogs website in the twenty-aughts with Razib, where he ran the astrophysics-themed Dynamic of the Catsblog. At its peak, ScienceBlogs had nearly 100 writers who commented on topics as diverse as agriculture, Creationism and cosmology. Originally from Iceland, Sigurdsson’s professional accomplishments have been wide-ranging, from serving as scientific director of arXiv to directing an institute focused on exobiology. Razib first asks him about the history of arXiv, which goes back over 30 years. It was the preprint server that blazed the bath for bioRxiv in biology, medRxiv in medicine and PsyArXiv in psychology. Razib asked Sigurdsson if preprint servers lead to open science, and if they will do away with peer preview. Do they affect the winner-take-all dynamics that apply to scientific publications? Razib and Sigurdsson also discuss the threat and promise of papers generated with AI methods like “large language models” pioneered by Google and popularized by OpenAI, and that have finally caught up to human-level fluency within the last 9 months with ChatGPT.
Then Razib queries Sigurdsson on numerous astrophysical topics. Is the universe going to expand forever? (Probably, and that expansion is speeding up.) Do we understand most of the matter and energy in the universe? (No.) Sigurdsson also discusses in detail the fact that now in 2023 we have confirmed black holes empirically in a manner that couldn’t have been imagined a generation ago. Additionally, Razib has to confront the possibility that physics might abandon causality, and even open the door to magic, within the twisted maze of their equations in order to make sense of the universe. Finally, they discuss the probability of other life in the universe if our solar system is representative, the probability of intelligent life, how many planets there are in the universe and the possibility of Dyson (or Musk?) spheres in our solar system in the future.
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