Brilliant
Post 21
Posted Mar 18, 2004
Very very very very very very good Danny B! 
Here's a frightening thought concerning our 'Expanding and expanding' universe. The idea that universal expansion is accelerating leads to some worrying ideas (If I understood the layman's article I read recently). Apparently some scientists think there is yet another force at work in the universe that works opposite gravity and this force is increasing. Sometime in the distant future this force may overcome gravity and all matter in the universe will rip apart! 
(Of course, then again, maybe someone just forgot to carry the one.)
Brilliant
Post 26
Posted Mar 18, 2004
I agree with Unc on that one
Count Zero, I have also heard of this anti-gravity force. But all of the various theories that I read of would not go so far as to rip matter apart. I believe that there was one theory that suggested the existence of a form of matter with negative gravity . And another theory suggested that at long distances gravity "leaked out" of the universe. both of these would only act to weaken the attraction between, for example, two galaxies and so lead to less of a breaking force on universal expansion than would otherwise be expected.
Sorry to get all serious for a minute there....
Brilliant
Post 27
Posted Mar 18, 2004
I read this in PR, but I've enjoyed reading it again. Nice one, Danny - this entry will go down as one of my all-time favourites. 
B
Brilliant
Post 31
Posted Jun 5, 2008
A very late note:
schrodingers_cat is correct. All of the heavy elements were created in a heart of some sun, somewhere, at some time.
About the only elements that formed naturally, after the big bang and before stars, were Hydrogen and maybe Helium.
After that, it took a lot of coalescing, compressing, and exploding!
