What aspects of the natural world are there that we cannot explain scientifically? What dont humans know?

Alot. Like why the universe came into existence.

 

 

Welcome to the boards Tau, you finally joined =)

or even if there is an answer to 'why the universe came into existance'

Humans cannot yet fully explain how life emerged on this planet. Evolution is still a theory because of several missing stages in the evolutionary process. One thing that chemists find interesting about the emergence of life is the chirality problem.

 

In biology, almost all amino acids used in human DNA are in the L-form. the reason for this is because chiral compounds can form two chemically identicle compounds which are either left or right handed. If a single r amino acid is used in a dna chain, the chain cannot be built farther because the molecule will jut out at the wrong angle. the same goes for proteins, which almost always occur in the r-form in the human body.

 

All living things have evolved ways of differentiating between enantiomers (optical isomers), as it is impossible for them to be separated in nature. the chances of 100 amino acids all being n the l-form is close to 10e-30, and thats for a non-functioning simplisitc dna chain. You can imagine the chances of a high number of complex, different amino acids all being in the right form are impossibly minute.

 

So the question is, how did life start when its near impossible to have a solution of an optically pure chiral compound? they just dont separate. A racemic mixture is very difficult to separate with an intelligent observer, in nature its inconceivable for it to happen on its own. Evolution hasnt answered this problem yet.

Also on a lighter note, why does toast fall butter side down? Is it just fate wanting you to ruin your carpet or is there an aerodynamic reason, or is it the weight distribution?

Originally posted by greg1917

Also on a lighter note, why does toast fall butter side down? Is it just fate wanting you to ruin your carpet or is there an aerodynamic reason, or is it the weight distribution?

 

umm...erm..something along those lines...lol

 

Originally posted by Tau

What aspects of the natural world are there that we cannot explain scientifically? What dont humans know?

 

This is very sujective; who even knows if our scientific models will hold true 200 years from now?

We can't even tell if reality is as it seems right now; instead of asking how much we don't know, I feel a more progressive question would be how much we do know.

Also we cannot explain the conciousness in the human mind.

Originally posted by RED FIRE COW

Also we cannot explain the conciousness in the human mind.

 

Actually...What do we know?

we DO know that telling a girl she's fat or old, even on a joking level, can leave your conscious bruised for weeks^_^

 

as for the buttered toast, that's fate;)

Well we don't know much because there's no end of post grads writing their thesis on something never known before.

Knowledge itself is subjective I suppose, is there a defienite point when 'everything' is known? When every single possible uncertainty is accounted for and every single event is able to be predicted accurately?

By the time we fully explain this dimension, we'll find new ones we can't explain, and that process will continue.

Despite extensive research we still don't know where all the socks and biros go to die.

Do you think there would come a point where the complexity of knowledge was unable to be furthered due to the inability of humans and computers to comprehend it? Id believe so, otherwise people would become some sort of diety like entity. Emotion would be blurred and sidetracked in the pursuit of pure knowledge.

Yeah especially given that intelligence is an evolutionary disadvantage in this society :/

What about the Q entities from Star Trek?

how do we explain why the force of gravity works.

Originally posted by liljohnak

how do we explain why the force of gravity works.

 

Well, from what I understand, matter & energy warp space; this warping is almost like a push or pull. Gravity is exerted by objects with mass, so we are pulled towards this mass. As Newton's law of Universal Gravitation states, the force of gravity is proportional to the two masses [ie., the Earth and you] and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them [so force decreases fourfold as distance is widened 2 times]

Originally posted by Tau

What aspects of the natural world are there that we cannot explain scientifically? What dont humans know?

 

We can't explain anything scientifically. We can merely model and make empirical predictions in a metaphysical framework.

Originally posted by MrL_JaKiri

We can't explain anything scientifically. We can merely model and make empirical predictions in a metaphysical framework.

 

'dull' but of course, entirely true.

 

on the topic of how good our model is. I think its pretty poor at the moment. a rough sketch of how things work.

I'm instigating the 'campaign to change my rank to Empiricism Man or somesuch'!

Originally posted by MrL_JaKiri

I'm instigating the 'campaign to change my rank to Empiricism Man or somesuch'!

You're a mod.

 

You can change it.

No I'm not

Oh.

 

Well then start being one.

Originally posted by greg1917

Do you think there would come a point where the complexity of knowledge was unable to be furthered due to the inability of humans and computers to comprehend it? Id believe so, otherwise people would become some sort of diety like entity. Emotion would be blurred and sidetracked in the pursuit of pure knowledge.

 

i worry that human knowledge will come to such a point that we can't actually teach all (or even a specialized branch (maths, physics etc)) of it.