Subject: (urth) Wolfean antimatter

From: Michael Andre-Driussi <mantis at sirius.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 12:20:05 +0000

We have talked in the past about the curious details surrounding the fliers
of Urth, which seem to have features of anti-gravity and anti-matter.
This, in turn, seems to fly in the face of facts and theory as we
understand them.

A new story, "Has Anybody Seen Junie Moon?" (in the MOON SHOTS anthology),
has a passage that relates directly to our speculations:

"It's only theoretical so far.  But current theory says that although
antimatter would possess mass just as ordinary matter does, it would be
repelled by the gravitational field of ordinary matter.  It would fall up,
in other words" (MOON SHOTS, p. 32).

Interesting to see, cut and dry, black and white: the speculations we
rolled over and over become starkly validated.  Whether the Science be Good
or Bad, this is a concept that Wolfe has toyed with and continues to toy
with; and I am curious as to where he got the idea.

*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/

---

From: Jim Henley <jlhenley at erols.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 19:23:18 +0000

> -----Original Message-----
> From: urth-errors at lists.best.com [mailto:urth-errors at lists.best.com]On
> Behalf Of Michael Andre-Driussi
>
><snip>

Nice reference, Michael. The larger lesson is surely to be drawn in
conjunction with the recent alzabo/memory RNA discussion: every time
someone thinks Wolfe is spouting gobbledygook in the series (which would
push it in the direction of fantasy) it turns out that there's plausible
scientific speculation behind Wolfe's approach. (One might adduce the
"white fountain"/wormhole too.)

Best,

Jim
 *****************************************
"All God's children got a little bit of soul
 but not that much . . . "
              -- Graham Parker, "Obsessed with Aretha"