NASA/JPL/U. of Arizona
Our species just stepped into a cosmic future, yet we still starve and fight each other
Feb. 18, 2016 (Scientific American) -- The announcement of the first detection of stormy gravitational waves from a pair of black holes that merged over a billion years ago marks a very special place in human history. It is, of course, a supreme technological triumph and a remarkable verification of general relativity - a theory born from human curiosity and deep insight about the natural world. But as much as this moment is the start of a scientific revolution, it is also a point for critical self-examination.
Past accomplishments in our scientific pursuit for truths about the universe have included the detection of radio waves, gamma-rays, X-rays, ultraviolet light, infrared light, and many other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. We've also sensed neutrinos and high-energy cosmic rays, pure interplanetary magnetic fields, and straightforward gravitational fields.
Yet there's something that just feels different about gravitational waves; the rippling compression and stretching of space and time. It is as if we've succeeded in peering into the underworld, or under-verse. We've taken a step into the fundamental structure of reality, akin to peering through the great microscopes of particle accelerators, where fleeting subatomic components and forces reveal themselves. Somehow though, the character of this new realm is far more visceral. Perhaps it's because the ancient gravitational waves that passed through Earth in September 2015, and all those that have done so before, are not confined to a narrow tube in an experiment. Instead they're washing through us, our planet, and our solar system and tweaking the apparent bedrock of space and time in the process.
And now we've let ourselves into that secret room, where there are new mysteries to discover about the nature of the cosmos. Therefore it is conceivable that this capability marks an even greater turning point. A species that can make these measurements - that can even conceive of making these measurements - could be very special indeed. Have there been, will there be, or are there now, other intelligences in the universe that reach this juncture?
READ MORE: Scientific American