China building world's largest radio telescope to detect signs of life billions of light years away

[SlyPokerDog]

The 500-Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) is being built in China. With a dish the size of 30 football fields, it will be the largest radio telescope in the world when it is completed in 2016. Its unique design will allow scientists to gather radio signals from tens of billions of light years away.

http://www.techinsider.io/world-largest-radio-telescope-china-2015-10

 

[SlyPokerDog]

This has the potential to be frightening.

If China were to find a signal, just decoding it could lead to advances in mathematics that would give them a centuries jump in technology.

And if they don't find a signal it would be further proof at just how fragile our existence is.

 

[blue32]

Works for me. I am all about other countries finding advancements in science and tech, because i firmly believe that this country (lobbyists/capitalists/gov) hides, slows, blocks certain things from being known or used due to profit potential; big pharma comes to mind.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

It's a fucking death ray. Duh.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

Even if is what they say it is, it will probably only pick up old broadcasts of The Morton Downey Show. Not worried.

 

[PDXFonz]

Edit: :MARIS61:

 

[stampedehero]

No one believes they would use this to propel mankind into scientific awareness. There is something subversive with this. Any device the size of Brooklyn has got to be used to defend against our tactics or some unknown offensive capability like wasting ESPN coverage of Blazer games. .

 

[crowTrobot]

The 500-Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) is being built in China. With a dish the size of 30 football fields, it will be the largest radio telescope in the world when it is completed in 2016. Its unique design will allow scientists to gather radio signals from tens of billions of light years away.

http://www.techinsider.io/world-largest-radio-telescope-china-2015-10

So they're looking for radio signals from intelligent life tens of billions of light years away? Neil Degrasse Tyson's brain just exploded.

Tens of billions of miles maybe.

 

[PDXFonz]

China is building a goldeneye.

 

[e_blazer]

To increase their computing power, China is building the world's largest abacus.

 

[Paine Tablet]

I watched something on OPB about China and they showed footage of this during the construction phase. The level of sophistication in the design and construction is wholly mind-jarring. It really contrasts with the 4chan piss thread when contemplating human achievement and ingenuity.

 

[jlprk]

What if they aim it as us?

 

[jlprk]

What if a flock of giant eagles makes it their round, spongy nest? The U.S. could lose its world leadership in eagles.

 

[jlprk]

It's some kind of weapon. Aiming it at us through the middle of the Earth could raise some kind of earthworm rebellion.

 

[riverman]

The Chinese can always build stuff, the problem is a few years after they build it it looks like this

 

[jlprk]

Best line in the Chinese national anthem..."If Wal-Mart can get a product sold, we'll dedicate a million-person city to it."

 

[3RA1N1AC]

The largest wok in the universe.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Death ray.

 

[riverman]

I don't think the Chinese are doing this for military purposes...since driftnet fishing is limited, they are simply looking for more food in the universe

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

I just realized it's half of a death star. They'll probably build one half, then build the other inside the first half.

Then, rotate the inner half out, glue it together and BAM...death star.