Comments on: We’re #20!

By: Shane

Shane — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:53:23 +0000

Rats wouldn’t work. The acceleration would be enough to turn them to paste so then you’re just smashing rat goo.

By: Quiet Desperation

Quiet Desperation — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:00:59 +0000

One such experiment might be accelerating two rats to relativistic velocity, and smashing them together

Despite my vast and skeptical dislike of government, I would *totally* approve the funding of that. I’ll even approve a temporary sales tax to fund if you let me pull the trigger.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:05:33 +0000

Wow, Software Engineer is #5!?!?! Take that network administrator punks!

By: Phil Plait

Phil Plait — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:16:47 +0000

Hmmm, yes, Rayleigh Taylor is more appropriate. I’ve edited the text.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:17:36 +0000

Dang aster1man, you beat me to it! Still, here’s the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayleigh%E2%80%93Taylor_instability

By: Skeptic Tim

Skeptic Tim — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:56:50 +0000

We need more collaboration between physicists and biologists. Consider possible collaborative experiments which would combine physics and biology. One such experiment might be accelerating two rats to relativistic velocity, and smashing them together and counting the rat particles that would be emitted. Perhaps we could discover a new elementary particle, which would be found only in living matter, and which could tie the field of quantum mechanics with the emerging biological science of consciousness.

By: Charles Boyer

Charles Boyer — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:13:06 +0000

“Say Phil, there is a job opening as NASA Administrator. ”

I will give you odds on that going to Charlie Bolden.

See: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/bolden-cf.html