RIP Freeman Dyson

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Graham Kennedy
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RIP Freeman Dyson

Post by Graham Kennedy »

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Freeman Dyson, renowned scientist and scholar, has died at 96, according to his daughter Mia.

The British-born scientist and professor emeritus spent much of his career as a physics professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, according to his biography on the institute's website. He was among 29 scientists who supported the Obama administration's 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. In 1967, he also acted as a military adviser regarding the use of tactical nuclear weapons in the Vietnam War, and in 1984 he wrote a book on the dangers of nuclear warfare.

A futurist and space-enthusiast, Dyson had several scientific concepts named after him, including the "Dyson Tree," a genetically engineered plant that would be able to survive in a comet and grow in space. One of his ideas, the Dyson Sphere, was featured in an episode of the sci-fi series Star Trek.

He was profiled in the New York Times Magazine in 2009 after expressing skepticism about the science surrounding climate change.

His daughter Mia Dyson, a nurse and pastor who lives in Freeport Maine, says she fondly remembers her father being stumped by practical things, such as how to operate a soda machine, while contemplating the brilliance of the universe.

"You could tell that the world was a beautiful place through his eyes, and somehow understanding all the formulas and the natural laws and all the mysteries he had plumbed through the study of physics, that is only grew more and more beautiful, the more he understood."

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(In truth, the solid-shell Dyson sphere depicted on TNG was nothing like the Dyson proposal of a shell of orbiting satellites.)
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Re: RIP Freeman Dyson

Post by 00111010 01000100 »

Aww. No way. :(
Rest In Peace to a man of science and breathtakingly huge imagination. To conceive of something as vast as the sphere is... simply amazing. I actually didn’t even know of dyson or his works until the episode “relics” which sparked my interest and desire to research it and learn about the idea Dyson had proposed.

I’m sorry to hear of his passing.

Thank you for letting others know Graham.

**on a side, side, far to the side note: I live about one-hours driving distance from Freeport Maine. Small world after all**
Last edited by 00111010 01000100 on Thu Apr 02, 2020 7:25 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: RIP Freeman Dyson

Post by Monroe »

I had missed this news. RIP. Such an impact on science and science fiction.
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