The Science Underlying Lowell Was Right!

After some investigation, here's a summation of Scientific thought current in approximately 1880, which will be developed further in Lowell Was Right!, which is set in the second decade of the 21st century:

Astronomical Theory: We are assuming a Nebular theory for the solar system, with a solar system that is only a few tens of thousands of years old.  Gravitational collapse is the source of the sun's heat; and the planets are created sequentially, the outer planets being older than the inner planets.

Atomic Theory: Basically, a unified Atom with no sub-atomic particles, which is essentially a knot in the ether. Basically Avogadro's view supplemented by evolved Etheric theory. There is no atomic radiation. Atoms are indivisible, but may be transmuted by Etheric reknotting.

Biologic Theory: I'm thinking a combination of Lamarkian and Mendelian genetics, with a possible addition of Vital Force. This means some acquired characteristics may be inherited - but DNA does not exist. Typical inheritance follows Mendelian form. Vitalism (along with Lamarkism) could be helpful in explaining the speed of evolution required with a Nebular theory.

Chemical Theory: Caloric theory, with the addition of friction models, would work here. Since we are assuming no subatomic particles, we also need to presume an electrical fluid. The electrical fluid fluid could also act as the caloric fluid, following the Wiedmann-Franz law where thermal conductivity is proportional to temperature. The only problem is that this leaves unexplained the rare high thermal conductivity of a few insulators, notably diamond, which transfer heat by thermal vibrations, but I do not know that this was known by 1880.   Since we are assuming an etheric atomic theory, we should also assume an atomic caloric-electric fluid theory rather than a continuous fluid, though it might be best to assume it comes in both forms, new positive and negative pairs of caloric particles being produced by friction.  Thermal conductive insulators could then be explained by the motion of coupled pairs of positive and negative caloric particles.

One of the interesting features of this theory is that static electrical charges produced by friction (say rubbing an amber rod with silk cloth) are easily explained:  the frictionally produced positive charges produced preferentially collect on one substance and the negative ones on the other. Our own theories of frictional static electricity are forced to invoke some rather complex chemistry. There is another interesting consequence: vacuum tubes don't work.  They rely on the fact that the moving charges are of one polarity, so that a charged screen can block them. With a dual current, a charged screen would repel one polarity but attract the other, giving no change in the net current. This would mean that radio, radar, and electronic computers become impractical for most purposes.


Normally any electrical current would have a positive current in one direction and an equal negative current in the opposite direction.  A thermal gradient would have positive and negative currents in the same direction.  In combination you could have a current that was primarily positive or negative current.

Geological Theory: Continental Drift, but not Plate Tectonics. A unification of Plutonism and Neptunism on how rocks formed - neither contradicts the other, except in claims of exclusivity. Catastrophism works much better over the short geological time frames of Lowell Was Right!.

These are all very fundamental differences in how things work. Now we need to develop things that *do* work, and see how that changes our world.