Light Eye
04-20-2006, 10:35 AM
Dear Friends,
Well now haven't I always said that change is the only constant? Sometimes it
just takes time...
http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060417/full/060417-7.html
Be Well, Be Love.
David
A universal constant on the move Is the proton losing weight, or has the
fabric of the Universe changed?
Mark Peplow
It seems that nothing stays the same: not even the 'constants' of physics.
An experiment suggests that the mass ratio of two fundamental subatomic
particles has decreased over the past 12 billion years, for no apparent reason.
The startling finding comes from a team of scientists who have calculated
exactly how much heavier a proton is than an electron. For most purposes, it is
about 1,836 times heavier. But dig down a few decimal places and the team claims
that this value has changed over time.
The researchers admit that they are only about 99.7% sure of their result, which
physicists reckon is a little better than 'evidence for' but not nearly an
'observation of' the effect. If confirmed, however, the discovery could rewrite
our understanding of the forces that make our Universe tick.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Well now haven't I always said that change is the only constant? Sometimes it
just takes time...
http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060417/full/060417-7.html
Be Well, Be Love.
David
A universal constant on the move Is the proton losing weight, or has the
fabric of the Universe changed?
Mark Peplow
It seems that nothing stays the same: not even the 'constants' of physics.
An experiment suggests that the mass ratio of two fundamental subatomic
particles has decreased over the past 12 billion years, for no apparent reason.
The startling finding comes from a team of scientists who have calculated
exactly how much heavier a proton is than an electron. For most purposes, it is
about 1,836 times heavier. But dig down a few decimal places and the team claims
that this value has changed over time.
The researchers admit that they are only about 99.7% sure of their result, which
physicists reckon is a little better than 'evidence for' but not nearly an
'observation of' the effect. If confirmed, however, the discovery could rewrite
our understanding of the forces that make our Universe tick.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]