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Erik Verlinde
Can it really be that the force of gravity does not exist?

This revolution in astrophysics is being suggested by Erik Verlinde, a Dutch theoretical physicist born in 1962. Verlinde’s idea contradicts the Universal Law of Gravitation first published in 1687 in the book "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" (mathematical principles of natural philosophy) by English astronomer, alchemist, philosopher and theologian Isaac Newton (1643-1727).

Newton’s discovery in 1685 came as a result of a series of studies over many years and changed forever humanity’s perception of the universe surrounding us. But can forever really mean forever?  Apparently, Erik disagrees with one of the greatest minds that existed and dares to say that "gravity does not exist."

The Dutchman, aged 48, sparked much controversy recently in a symposium at the Dutch Spinoza Institute with his revolutionary idea. For Erik, "What matters is that there is a difference in the concentration of information in the empty space between two masses and not what was hypothesized by Newton centuries ago”.

Erik Verlinde’s new theory has caused much debate in the scientific world. In an interview with Dutch newspaper Volkskrant, Verlinde said "In the microscopic world, Isaac Newton's theory is unfounded. The law of universal gravitation is valid for larger bodies such as apples and planets, "and he goes on to compare gravity with the pressures of a gas."The molecules themselves do not have any pressure, but a cylinder of gas has.”

The debate continues and more reading will have to be done for me to fully understand his hypothesis, however, for the first time Newton is being questioned. Humanity now has another chance to move forward towards the truth, towards new discoveries and to a different understanding of the world around us. Controversy is and should be a part of science for without it there would be no evolution. Verlinde versus Newton is just another chapter in our complex history.

Want to read more? Check out this New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/science/13gravity.html?_r=2&src=mv
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Piers Sellers, NASA
British born astronaut Piers Sellers is planning to take into Space an original piece of Sir Isaac Newton’s apple tree when he flies on board the shuttle Atlantis, due to blast-off this Friday, 14th May 2010 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.

The tree fragment, engraved with the scientists name is one of several pieces taken from the original apple tree that still stands at Woolsthorpe Manor, Newton’s former home.  

The popular story goes that in 1666 Newton was sat under his tree when an apple fell and landed on his head and this inspired him to develop his universal law of gravitation. However, it is more likely that he was looking at his apple tree one day from afar and wondered why apples fall downwards to the ground, and why they accelerate from zero. – and thus coming up with the laws of gravity and motion.

Sellers said "While it's up there, it will be experiencing no gravity, so if it had an apple on it, the apple wouldn't fall … Sir Isaac would have loved to see this, assuming he wasn't spacesick, as it would have proved his first law of motion to be correct."

The event is part of the 350th anniversary celebrations of the Royal Society, the UK’s National Academy of Science, of which Newton, who died in 1727, was a former president..
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