Radical Edward

I find it highly implausible that a planet the size of jupiter would actually leave a comets tail, since the comets tail occurs as a result of a) melting water being blasted off the surface by the solar wind b) bigger stuff that falls off (there are actually two cometary tails, cone that is on the line between the comet and the sun, and the other that follows the path of the comet (approximately) ). For something to be blasted off the surface of a planet of that size, it would need to reach pretty incredible escape velocities, sinething that is not going to happen in any significant quantity Furthermore, for it to be red, it would need to contain large amounts of something that reflected/emitted red light, now this could be certain atomic transitions of hydrocen at abou 600 degrees (I think) but the volume required would need to be pretty big... of nebular proportions in fact. Alternatively it would need to be something like iron ore... something that I can't see existing in even remotely significant quantities on a planet that is only 24 times the density of earth. Finally you must be referring to the chinese culture, since there isn't an 'asian' culture (one might as well think there is an European culture) ... now I can check with a friend of mine about a 'fire dragon' that came hurtling by 3600 years ago causing massive damage to the planet, but I get the impression that I would be wasting my time asking her.

heh... Adam, why do you never mention again points that you have made that have been debunked? you still haven't told us how big this planetty thing actually is

spin gravity? thanks, I won't sleep tonight now

if we consider an atom, there are a number of energy levels that the electron can occupy, and transtions between these different levels emit at different wavelengths. the energy level itself is affected by a number of factors, such as the charge of the nucleus, the distance of the electron from the nucleus (more because there may be other electrons shielding some of the charge) There are aditional complexities, such as splitting of levels in a magnetic field - the sodium doublet, and hyperfine splitting.

Adam: the problem with your ideas, is that they're bollocks.

it is a combination of factors, such as the energy levels, spins and so on of the electrons, as well as the charges and mass of the nucleus, and also splitting due to the different quantum numbers and field interactions allowing certain transitions between energy levels, but not others. In essence, it's quantum mechanics.

erm.... 4x earth is not the size of jupiter.

get an elementary book on GR and you can demonstrate the existance of a black hole. and yes yo uwould know about it.... since you couldn't look downwards and seea anything. actually I have a thought that life couldn't actually exist inside a black hole, but then I don't know much bout GR ,and I'm not going for idle conjecture.

incidentally slinkey... London , Student.... you don't go to Imperial College do you?

this seems somewhat inconsistent with calculated results. It#'s an interesting sounding paradox (if indeed it is one) I suggest you chug through the maths before really thinking you're right.

sorry, doi isn't something I'm familiar with.... here's a review article of his with some references tough: http://www.sst.ph.ic.ac.uk/photonics/pdf/pw2article.pdf

what?

hmm... where is aman these days?

this isn't a political forum . I'm not going to go into the stupidity of your point of view.

Pendry's paper on negative refractive indices is fascinating, though it has nothing to do with electron microscopy, it would however result in a perfect lens, which is rather groovy.

if I stick a pin in your finger, you withdraw... the signal goes through an entire 3 nerves before it hits your muscle and makes you pull your arm away. It's a reflex... you have started to move even before your brain catches up and says 'ow, what did you do that for' real pain....

on genetics: as faf said, it isn't just one gene.. so perhaps certain characteristics of the opposite sex may make one more atractive to the opposite sex, for example women (allegedly) like guys who are understanding and caring... and depending on how all that fells out in the genetic mix, it may well end up selecting for a bunch of genes with these characteristics, that may well end up giving a child a tendency towards homosexuality... A similar example is the disporoportionately high rate of autistic children who are born to academics and clever people. who often display slight social retardation of some forms. It's a pretty complicated game really.

not a hope in hell.

field equations? oh I'll have two, no fries.

I can't think of anything. even something that doesn't have an obvious benefit as described will have one of these benefits in a roundabout way, be it perversion, or avoidance of punishment as a result of fear, etc.

I don't really know any GR.... what would the impact be if it was superluminal?

don't encourage me

go faf go.....

wouldn't GR just fall apart though? I thought it was one of Einstein's most basic assumptions that he had to make.

what if it's got a kitten on it and it's not comfortable. then it's acute discomfort.