Extrasolar Planets (NYT)

[Tristan Orford]

New data from a planet-finding satellite mission has turned up what are likely over 1,200 planets outside our solar system, of which over 50 are possible hosts for life as we know it.

This represents the fruits of only 4 months of data from a 3.5 year project and the satellite only surveys ~1/400 of the sky, so this is really just a first foray into exploring planets in the universe.  The next data dump isn't scheduled until June 2012.  It's too bad these projects take so long, although the coolness factor of what is discovered through them does mitigate that a bit.

As Carl Sagan put it, there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the beaches on Earth.  That makes for a lot of possible planets out there.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/science/03planet.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha23

[Adam Altman]

something more insane to think about along the same vein.

if space is infinite--and current models hold that it is, through a trickery of time--then there are necessarily multiple exact replicas of every boundable region of space.  in fact, there are infinite exact replicas.  and infinitely more almost replicas.

[Lindsay Hong]

Or we’re just in a simulation: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/opinion/sunday/is-the-universe-a-simulation.html?action=click&contentCollection=Media&module=MostEmailed&version=Full&region=Marginalia&src=me&pgtype=article&_r=0.

TLDR:

• Mathematical knowledge is unlike any other knowledge. Its truths are objective, necessary and timeless.
• We are more likely to be living in a simulated world than the real one.
• Computer simulations of the forces of nature generate distinct asymmetries. Similar asymmetries might be revealed upon closer a look at cosmic rays (high-energy particles coming to Earth’s atmosphere from outside the solar system), which would support the argument that we're in a simulation.