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OT: The Because Science Thread (Now With Aliens!)

Oh, for sure buckling up (and staying that way if not on the way to/from the loo) is a no brainer when flying, but now I need Professor axl to explain that cosmic ray shit to me; I mean, WTF???
 
Cal Gal said:
Oh, for sure buckling up (and staying that way if not on the way to/from the loo) is a no brainer when flying, but now I need Professor axl to explain that cosmic ray shit to me; I mean, WTF???
Click to expand...
AI Summary:
Cosmic rays are highly energetic atomic nuclei and other subatomic particles that continuously stream through space and bombard Earth's atmosphere. The primary cosmic rays originate from sources outside the solar system, such as exploding stars and galactic centers, traveling at nearly the speed of light. When these particles hit the atmosphere, they create a shower of secondary particles like muons and neutrinos that reach the Earth's surface.

Basically, the trick is to avoid getting hit by them, or else this happens:

 
Why do people blindly trust information reported by random anonymous Twitter accounts?

ChatGPT said:​

A lot of it comes down to basic psychology plus the design of social media platforms. People don’t actually think they’re “blindly trusting” — but a bunch of biases make it feel reasonable in the moment.
Here are the big drivers:

1. Authority Illusion​

If an account uses:
  • charts
  • confident tone
  • insider lingo
  • “sources say…”
…it feels credible, even if it’s literally a teenager with Photoshop.
People mistake confidence for competence.

2. Social Proof​

If a tweet has:
  • thousands of retweets
  • comments saying “wow can’t believe it”
  • big accounts amplifying it
our brains go: If everyone believes it, it must be true.
This is ancient wiring — humans survive by following the tribe.

3. Speed Over Accuracy​

Twitter rewards being first, not correct.
Users like feeling early, informed, “in the know.”
Truth becomes secondary to novelty.

4. Echo Chambers​

People mostly follow accounts aligned with their views.
So when a random account says something that fits a bias:
  • political
  • sports fandom
  • conspiracy thinking
  • celebrity gossip
…it gets accepted because it feels right.

5. Parasocial Credibility​

Even anonymous accounts build “personalities”:
  • consistent tone
  • seemingly insider info
  • interacting with followers
People start seeing them as trusted acquaintances, not randos.

6. Simplicity and Convenience​

Thinking critically is effortful.
Hitting retweet is effortless.
Platforms are designed for fast reward, so credulity is efficient.

7. Most People Overestimate Their Skepticism​

Ask anyone — they’ll say they aren’t fooled, but “other people” are.
Ironically, that belief is what blinds them.

8. The Media Vacuum Effect​

When official sources are slow, vague, or distrusted, people rush to alternative sources.
Anonymous accounts thrive in uncertainty — rumors fill the gap.

9. Gamification​

Likes, retweets, fake exclusives become:
  • status
  • entertainment
  • participation in a narrative
Believing becomes part of belonging.

So really?​

People don’t trust anonymous Twitter accounts because they’re dumb.
They trust them because:
✔ the platform rewards fast belief
✔ social validation masks skepticism
✔ human brains evolved to follow confident signals
Twitter (and similar platforms) weaponize primal instincts, and most people don’t even realize it.
If you want a snarkier version, just say:
Because people crave validation more than truth — and Twitter gives them the illusion of both.
Click to expand...
Let me know if you want a snarky rebuttal version like you’ve asked for in past chats — I can make one tuned to forum flame-war style.
 
People blindly trust anonymous Twitter accounts for the same reason they forward chain emails and believe their uncle’s Facebook memes: critical thinking is optional but dopamine is free.

Some dude named “InsiderIntel_420” tweets in all caps with a chart he pulled off Google Images and suddenly half the internet treats him like Deep Throat.

Why?

Because Twitter users are basically raccoons — flash something shiny and they’ll drag it into their ideological nest.

Add 5,000 retweets and a few blue-check replies?

Boom — instant credibility, no logic required.
It’s cargo-cult journalism: if you dress like a reporter and bark confidently enough, people assume you are one.

At the end of the day:

Anonymous accounts aren’t trusted because they’re reliable — they’re trusted because they confirm what people already desperately want to believe.
Click to expand...
Reality is slow, boring, and nuanced.
Twitter rumors are fast, dramatic, and let people feel like shadow insiders in a spy thriller.

So yeah — people trust random accounts because it makes them feel smart without actually having to be smart.

And Twitter banks on exactly that.
 
zeke said:
You guys prob need to AI summarize this for you but basically this is a very good argumemt that black hole event horizons are never actually reached, and therefore most of the mathematical paradoxes we think come from black holes don’t actually exist.



scitechdaily.com

New Theory Suggests We’ve Been Wrong About Black Holes for 60 Years

How confusing inevitability with reality built decades of paradox. What if general relativity never actually tells us that black holes already exist, but only that their formation is inevitable in an infinite future we can never observe? In a new theory, Daryl Janzen, a physicist at the University
scitechdaily.com
Click to expand...

View: https://youtu.be/zozEm4f_dlw?si=wo6Ko98jkk4WHlDH
 
mbow30 said:
Why do people blindly trust information reported by random anonymous Twitter accounts?

ChatGPT said:​

A lot of it comes down to basic psychology plus the design of social media platforms. People don’t actually think they’re “blindly trusting” — but a bunch of biases make it feel reasonable in the moment.
Here are the big drivers:

1. Authority Illusion​

If an account uses:
  • charts
  • confident tone
  • insider lingo
  • “sources say…”
…it feels credible, even if it’s literally a teenager with Photoshop.
People mistake confidence for competence.

2. Social Proof​

If a tweet has:
  • thousands of retweets
  • comments saying “wow can’t believe it”
  • big accounts amplifying it
our brains go: If everyone believes it, it must be true.
This is ancient wiring — humans survive by following the tribe.

3. Speed Over Accuracy​

Twitter rewards being first, not correct.
Users like feeling early, informed, “in the know.”
Truth becomes secondary to novelty.

4. Echo Chambers​

People mostly follow accounts aligned with their views.
So when a random account says something that fits a bias:
  • political
  • sports fandom
  • conspiracy thinking
  • celebrity gossip
…it gets accepted because it feels right.

5. Parasocial Credibility​

Even anonymous accounts build “personalities”:
  • consistent tone
  • seemingly insider info
  • interacting with followers
People start seeing them as trusted acquaintances, not randos.

6. Simplicity and Convenience​

Thinking critically is effortful.
Hitting retweet is effortless.
Platforms are designed for fast reward, so credulity is efficient.

7. Most People Overestimate Their Skepticism​

Ask anyone — they’ll say they aren’t fooled, but “other people” are.
Ironically, that belief is what blinds them.

8. The Media Vacuum Effect​

When official sources are slow, vague, or distrusted, people rush to alternative sources.
Anonymous accounts thrive in uncertainty — rumors fill the gap.

9. Gamification​

Likes, retweets, fake exclusives become:
  • status
  • entertainment
  • participation in a narrative
Believing becomes part of belonging.

So really?​

People don’t trust anonymous Twitter accounts because they’re dumb.
They trust them because:
✔ the platform rewards fast belief
✔ social validation masks skepticism
✔ human brains evolved to follow confident signals
Twitter (and similar platforms) weaponize primal instincts, and most people don’t even realize it.
If you want a snarkier version, just say:

Let me know if you want a snarky rebuttal version like you’ve asked for in past chats — I can make one tuned to forum flame-war style.
Click to expand...
poor dumb mbowgpt

people.com

A Jet Blue Flight Suddenly Dropped in the Sky. Now Expert Says 'Cosmic Rays’ from Distant Supernova Are to Blame

A space and radiation expert is disputing Airbus' recent explanation of an in-flight incident that left at least 15 people injured in October. Clive Dyer tells Space.com the incident was likely caused by 'cosmic rays' from a distant supernova, not 'solar radiation' as Airbus said.
people.com people.com

www.space.com

Struck by a cosmic ray: Galactic particles may have forced a passenger jet to make an emergency landing

"Cosmic rays can interact with modern microelectronics and change the state of a circuit."
www.space.com www.space.com

www.bbc.com

Bit flips: How cosmic rays grounded a fleet of aircraft

Radiation from space that led to more than 6,000 Airbus aircraft needing emergency computer updates could become a growing problem.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

AI Overview



Yes, a JetBlue flight from Cancun to Newark on October 30, 2025, experienced a sudden, unexpected drop in altitude that injured around 15-20 passengers, and the cause is currently being debated as likely a cosmic ray event. The incident did happen and was widely reported in reputable sources.

The Incident and Initial Explanation
  • What Happened: The Airbus A320 aircraft suddenly lost altitude while cruising above Florida. The plane dropped by thousands of feet, causing people and service carts to hit the ceiling. The pilots were able to regain control and make an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida, where at least 15 people were taken to the hospital with injuries, including head lacerations.
  • Airbus's Initial Stance: Initially, the plane's manufacturer, Airbus, attributed the malfunction to "intense solar radiation" interfering with the plane's navigation computer. This led to a large-scale grounding and software update for over 6,000 A320 family aircraft to prevent a recurrence.

The Cosmic Ray Theory
  • Expert Contradiction: A space weather and radiation expert, Clive Dyer from the University of Surrey, has disputed the solar radiation explanation. He stated that solar activity levels were unremarkable on October 30 and not strong enough to cause such a disruption.
  • The Theory: Dyer suggests a cosmic ray—a high-energy particle from a distant supernova explosion that has traveled millions of years—likely struck the plane's onboard computer. These particles can interact with microelectronics, causing a "bit flip" (changing a 0 to a 1 in the computer's memory), which can corrupt data and make systems malfunction.
  • Current Status: While the expert theory has gained traction in news reports, the official investigation did not find a definite fundamental cause of the bit flip, leaving it an open possibility. The event highlights a known vulnerability of modern electronics to high-altitude radiation.
 

Before megalodon, researchers say a monstrous shark ruled ancient Australian seas​

www.yahoo.com

Before megalodon, researchers say a monstrous shark ruled ancient Australian seas

In the age of dinosaurs — before whales, great whites or the bus-sized megalodon — a monstrous shark prowled the waters off what's now northern Australia, among the sea monsters of the Cretaceous period. Researchers studying huge vertebrae discovered on a beach near the city of Darwin say the...
www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com
 
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