“The Earth is flat and young, and it stands immobile at the centre of the universe, which is made of only one galaxy.” This was one of the core ideas that Tunisian PhD student posited in her five-years-in the making research study.
As expected, the research has stirred up a high-level of controversy in Tunisia, and on the Internet in general. According to a recent Gulf News article, the thesis of the research also rejected the physics of Newton and Einstein, the astronomy of Copernicus and Kepler, and the Big Bang theory. This has left many in the science community scratching their heads.
This study reinforces the rise of the “Flat-Earthism” trend that has garnered massive amounts of attention on social media and from certain celebrities.
In March, basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal admitted that he believes that the Earth is flat. O’Neal follows Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving, who was the first NBA player to reveal his flat-Earth beliefs. According to this recent Yahoo! Sports article, Denver Nuggets wing Wilson Chandler and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green also endorsed Irving’s flat-Earth theory.
Rapper BoB first stirred up social media controversy around this topic in 2016, when he tweeted his Flat Earth beliefs. His main theory is that if the Earth were indeed curved, evidence of that would be apparent when looking at the horizon in the distance and distant cities would be hidden from view because of curvature.
According to this recent Metro article, here are the five reasons why Flat Earthers believe that the Earth is flat:
- The Earth curved in NASA photos – but not in amateur ones.
- Engineers make everything straight, not curved.
- Planes don’t have to fly downward.
- It should be much more difficult for planes to fly East.
- Flying a kite proves that the Earth is at rest.
Even Popular Science weighed in on the theory by publishing an article that offers “10 ways to prove that the Earth is not flat.” From the varying star constellations to the lunar eclipse to the reason why boats and ships slowing emerge on the horizon, the article offers a number of strong insights to disprove the Flat Earth theory.
It seems that this controversial thinking continues to gain traction, which many believe is a sign of the times: today’s war against science. Though fortunately, as we have seen from the “March for Science,” there are many who believe in the true value of science for the survival of humanity.
We will be keeping an eye on how this theory plays out over the next several years during President Trump’s time in office.
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