Gravity Is Not Like the Other Forces

Re:Gravity Is Not Like the Other Forces by mhaberl on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @10:44AM (#23539688)

Based on the article: > Physicists have traced three of the four forces of nature..

and your comment: > Imagine some kind of alien life form that arose and evolved in intergalactic space.. but they have never seen any sufficient concentrations of mass to notice gravity.

I am wondering is it possible that we also evolved in some "special" part of space in which we do not percive some other ("fifth") fundamental force of nature just like your 'intergalactic aliens' do not know about gravity?

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Re:Gravity Is Not Like the Other Forces by Raro on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @10:54AM (#23539819)

Very much! We periodically update our understanding.

For example, we only knew basic details about the strong nuclear force from the 1910s, and the empirical ingredients for the weak force weren't around until the 1930s.

We still have very little idea of what mediates dark energy, as well as dark matter interactions (potentially, depending on your favorite model for DM). We know they interact gravitationally, at least.

Edit: I meant to say it's something of a cosmic accident that we don't interact more or a lot less with the nuclear forces. We are 'lucky' we get to interact with electromagnetic forces so easily.

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Re:Gravity Is Not Like the Other Forces by ridiculous_fish on Tuesday June 16, 2020 @07:35PM (#23545687)

Dragon's Egg is a fun hard-sci-fi book about a neutron star. On this star, life evolves with chemistry based on the strong nuclear force instead of EM.

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Re:Gravity Is Not Like the Other Forces by Raro on Wednesday June 17, 2020 @03:44PM (#23555829)

Oh cool!

Thank you. I am always looking for decent sci-fi recommendations.

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