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Author Topic:   Proven phenomena?
Dexx
Junior Member (Idle past 4938 days)
Posts: 7
From: Perth, WA, Australia
Joined: 08-12-2010


Message 46 of 51 (574151)
08-14-2010 11:17 AM
Reply to: Message 44 by Theodoric
08-13-2010 6:48 PM


Thats just it, i'm hoping that "phenomena" is actually completely objective. ie anyone can observe it or reproduce it. This differs greatly from the subjective or testamonial phenomena that spiritual people often attest to.
Sure the term is defined as simply an observable event. However, if something has a hard scientific explanation, then where's the mystery? Similarly something that isnt fully explained but that has a very likely explanation doesnt sound very phenomenal.
As an example, in 1957 when Sony discovered the electron tunneling effect which was later used in tunnel diodes, they were at a loss to explain the effect. Only later did quantum mechanics explain the phenomena. Are there other such things which are observable today but as yet unexplained?

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jar
Member (Idle past 393 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


(1)
Message 47 of 51 (574154)
08-14-2010 11:33 AM
Reply to: Message 46 by Dexx
08-14-2010 11:17 AM


Dexx writes:
Are there other such things which are observable today but as yet unexplained?
Wimmin.

Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

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Theodoric
Member
Posts: 9076
From: Northwest, WI, USA
Joined: 08-15-2005
Member Rating: 3.7


Message 48 of 51 (574157)
08-14-2010 11:39 AM
Reply to: Message 47 by jar
08-14-2010 11:33 AM


Dexx writes:
Are there other such things which are observable today but as yet unexplained?
Wimmin.
Winner winner, chicken dinner
Edited by Theodoric, : add quote

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ringo
Member (Idle past 411 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005


Message 49 of 51 (574177)
08-14-2010 1:21 PM
Reply to: Message 45 by Dogmafood
08-14-2010 9:56 AM


Re: sailing stones
Dogmafood writes:
Would the sailing stones found in Death Valley qualify?
There are a lot of interesting phenomena in the world, aren't there? The question isn't really whether they're "explainable" or not but how well-understood they are at the present time.
Years ago, I woke up one morning to find my entire lawn covered with snowballs bigger than my fist. You could plainly see where they had been rolled but there was no sign of human tracks. It was tempting to think it was a prank but on my way to work, I saw that the entire city was covered with the same snowballs.
Of course, it's a rare but fairly well-understood phenomenon which depends on an exact set of wind and snow conditions. I've only seen it once and I've seen 56 white Christmases.
The key to ruling out an "unnatural" cause was the fact that everybody could observe it and somebody could explain it.

Life is like a Hot Wheels car. Sometimes it goes behind the couch and you can't find it.

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Dogmafood
Member (Idle past 348 days)
Posts: 1815
From: Ontario Canada
Joined: 08-04-2010


Message 50 of 51 (574193)
08-14-2010 3:03 PM
Reply to: Message 49 by ringo
08-14-2010 1:21 PM


Re: sailing stones
There are a lot of interesting phenomena in the world, aren't there?
Yes there sure are and remarkably few of them remain unexplained. The ones that do remain will, no doubt, be rooted out and incorporated. I wonder how many paradigm shifts are left. Do they just become further and further apart?
Edited by Dogmafood, : spelling

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Nij
Member (Idle past 4889 days)
Posts: 239
From: New Zealand
Joined: 08-20-2010


Message 51 of 51 (575493)
08-20-2010 6:48 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Theodoric
07-02-2010 11:18 PM


The "inverse Gish gallop"
All of these explanations are based largely off partially-remembered facts and trivia. They are not specifically verified, but IMO can be considered reasonable stopgaps. These are knowingly marked by * i.e. where you see "*" replace it with "at least, if I remember that shit right and the internet wasn't lying".
Placebo effect
As explained by another, simply a psychological trick. The mind can be trained to ignore pain, it being merely a chemical transfer and reaction in a few receptors. Studies* show that if an organism knows it can afford the resources, it will concentrate on healing, instead of worrying about its environment. The kiddy's booboo example would be along those lines.
Sixth sense
Something I am personally familiar with, and which I feel to be on the order of either mentalism (hot reading, cold reading, simple applied psychology) or instinct (you know when the TV is on even if muted; why? you can feel the electrostatic field it creates).
NDE
Hallucinations, possibly as some sort of biochemical reaction as the body detects an approaching end to its "conscious" existence as a distraction from whatever is killing it. Animals are noted to become quite calm and still when fatally injured - the same thing in effect? Would be some interesting research.
UFOs/USOs
Birds, fish, planes, etc. Just a hype-based thing, really.
Deja vu
Also something I have had many times. Most likely an event occurs that resembles strongly a past event; the new event overwrites the few differences in the memory section of the brain, while maintaining the majority of that part which matches the new event. Result is that the brain thinks it has experienced this event before and gets freaked out, despite there having been two unique events instead.
Big Bang
Colliding branes, energy imbalance*, Goddidit. Whatever you prefer, really.
Singularity
Which kind?
Mammatus clouds
Mammatus cloud - Wikipedia Probably the best on short notice.
IIRC, there's one about warm air rising. Seems very familiar after some study of raindrop size restriction created by the passage of air (look up the Wikipedia page on raindrops, a simple passage there somewhere).
And water is the only that can possibly exist as a liquid? Uh-huh.
Maybe more detail of what the rain as made of, before any specific analysis of it.
St Elmo's fire
Static/lightning discharges is the favoured explanation*.
Ghosts
On a related note, N-rays. People will see what they want to see, especially if there's a good excuse.
SC
No comment (read: got no frickin' clue).
Disappearances
Kidnappings; faked deaths/disappearances; elopement. Probably people seeing zebras, to mangle the old doctor's phrase.
Bermuda Triangle
No comment (read: too much thinking required).
The Hum
Never heard of it. Sounds like it could be good; more information please?
Psychicness
As before, mentalism does quite a few of those; fakery and the "zebra effect" do others.
Naga fireballs
IIRC, these are similar to/the same as St Elmo's fire?
Sprites/jets
Lightning that give the same effects as the aurorae.
Earthquake lights
I would have guessed some kind of electric effect (abe: Wiki says that's one of the hypotheticals) resulting from the sudden movement in the plates. Not a geology guy though, me.
... getting bored. CBF doing the last few.

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