Math Is Fun Forum

MathsIsFun

Administrator

Registered: 2005-01-21

Posts: 7,713

Cassini Finds an Active, Watery World at Saturn's Enceladus

Link: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press-r … newsID=592

Should we start thinking about etra-terrestrial life again ... ?

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"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

Jai Ganesh

Administrator

Registered: 2005-06-28

Posts: 48,422

Re: Cassini Finds an Active, Watery World at Saturn's Enceladus

Conceded, water is a sign of extra terrestrial life. But presence of water alone doesn't suggest anything. I am not cynical, nor am I stating that we are alone in the universe. But aren't we jumping to conlusions too soon?

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It appears to me that if one wants to make progress in mathematics, one should study the masters and not the pupils. - Niels Henrik Abel.

Nothing is better than reading and gaining more and more knowledge - Stephen William Hawking.

ashwil

Member

Registered: 2006-02-27

Posts: 121

Re: Cassini Finds an Active, Watery World at Saturn's Enceladus

Isn't that how scientific knowledge advances? By jumping to conclusions (more formally known as "formulating hypotheses"). The key is to realise when one's testing of such conclusions is clouded by nothing more than determination that they must be correct!

Ricky

Moderator

Registered: 2005-12-04

Posts: 3,791

Re: Cassini Finds an Active, Watery World at Saturn's Enceladus

Very well put ashwil.  One must not forget:

"There are two possible outcomes: If the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery."   -Enrico Fermi

Last edited by Ricky (2006-03-11 09:09:59)

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"In the real world, this would be a problem.  But in mathematics, we can just define a place where this problem doesn't exist.  So we'll go ahead and do that now..."

Monox D. I-Fly

Member

From: Indonesia

Registered: 2015-12-02

Posts: 2,000

Re: Cassini Finds an Active, Watery World at Saturn's Enceladus

Very well put ashwil.  One must not forget:

"There are two possible outcomes: If the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery."   -Enrico Fermi

Then science is just a big Xanatos Gambit?

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Actually I never watch Star Wars and not interested in it anyway, but I choose a Yoda card as my avatar in honor of our great friend bobbym who has passed away.
May his adventurous soul rest in peace at heaven.