Here are a few questions I would like to see answered in Science 2.0 during 2011.
First I would like to see a major scientist explain why the laws of nature are almost the same nearly everywhere. Especially interesting would be an explanation of why distant galaxies seem to obey the same laws we have on Earth. What connects the distant places together across the vacuum of space? How do we know?
Next I would like to see a well established scientist explain why the vacuum of space that appears to be empty has physical properties that can be measured. Especially how does space produce constants that govern electric and magnetic fields? When a displacement occurs in a field, what physical thing is being displaced?
Third I would like to see a proposal from the main stream of science for a series of test that can end the argument about the Dirac Sea Of Energy. What would it take to resolve this stalemate of 75 years?
Fourth I would like to see an attempt to describe the structure of space, especially the zero point. How much energy is in the zero point, how is it contained, and why does it not curve space?
Fifth I would like to see an explanation of why the Planck units have the values they have. Why do the Planck units exist, how are they contained in space, and why are they not half as large or twice as large.
Sixth I would like to see an explanation of how space responds to stress energy. What physically changes in the local structure of space to propagate curvature from one place to another?
Seventh I would like to see an explanation of how black holes respond to the gravitational blue shifting of the microwave back ground. Why are black holes not incinerated by the blue shifted horizon?
Eighth I would like to see an explanation of what happens if an incremental amount of antimatter is dropped into a marginal black hole. If the black hole is just barely massive enough to collapse, what happens when a small part of the mass is destroyed? How is the total energy balanced between a marginal heavy neutron star and a marginal light black hole?
Ninth I would like to see an explanation of how the big bang creation event could produce an orderly universe with low entropy. How does the big bang differ physically from other explosions where disorder is produced?
Tenth I would like to see a major scientists refute the Schrödinger view of creativity in non random processes governed by the third law of thermodynamics. If Schrödinger was wrong, how did entropy become low in the past? How do we know the answer, and why is it not taught in college?
Eleventh I would like to see a formal presentation of thermodynamics that includes the energy and entropy of a radiant focusing device, like a parabolic reflector focusing the back ground microwaves to a hot spot. How does this process fit into the accepted definition of thermal equilibrium?
Twelfth I would like to see an explanation of why the dark current in diodes cannot be collected and used to operate a computer or calculator. How does thermodynamics account for dark current, and why is it not taught in college?
These are some of the questions I attempted to answer over the past two years. There were some interested readers, but not much discussion. A few people were critical, but none of them provided a technical reason or a better explanation.
The main stream of science has accomplished some remarkable things, but has made no progress on my questions in the 50 years that I have been asking them.
Readers may have other questions to add to the list, or answers to the questions.
