Dear Sonofgloin,

Yes, you may like to move our discussion to a new thread.

Dear Shadow Minister,

I share your sense of wonder. I appreciate what some humans have done in finding more about the universe we live in. Footy and Jesus are trivial compared to Newton, Darwin and Einstein.

Dear Shadow Minister,

A small correction:

>> What these discoveries do is clearly show that the equations at the core of relativity and quantum mechanics must be able to be derived from the new theory just as Newtonian physics is a limited subset of relativity. <<

These discoveries confirm predictions of available theories and have nothing to do with the unresolved question of whether there is a unified theory from which Einstein’s theories and QM can be (mathematically) derived as special or limiting cases (your “limited subset”). S. Hawkins and L Mlodinow do not think this is necessarily so, which they illustrate in their book The Grand Design (Bantam 2010) by reference to an atlas of many maps mutually compatible, nevertheless none of which is sufficient to map everything on its own.

Dear david f,

I totally disagree that Jesus was trivial compared to Newton, Darwin and Einstein.

Christianity shaped the world in which these scientists lived and subsequently developed their theories. They were heavily influenced by Christianity whether or not they were cognizant of the fact. If you wanted to the debate the cause and effect relationship between Jesus and these modern scientists then the answer would be that Jesus came first.

As far as football goes I have no issues there.

" From our earliest years we wake every day knowing that we are mortal, an attribute not given to fish, fowl, or beast."

How do we know? At least elephants and some cetaceans appear to be aware of the mortality of others, so it is quite possible that they are aware of their own.

Gravity waves may come in useful some day.

When Michael Faraday, who discovered the dynamo method of generating an electric current was asked by British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli what use is electricity, he responded: “Electricity, sir, is like a baby. One day it may grow up, and then, sir, you may tax it.”

From a letter in The Australian this morning.