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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Why is a human a human? Why didn't we evolve into something else?

« on: 18/10/2019 15:54:34 »

Paul is wondering...

There may be small mutations, but generally a human is born as a human. Why?
If humans evolved from apes, who going back evolved originally from microbes or bacteria, why did we stop at humans? Why did apes stop at apes, or alligators as alligators, etc?

Any thoughts?

2

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / What would replace clocks if we're travelling close to the speed of light?

« on: 18/10/2019 13:30:00 »

David is wondering...

If humans ever managed to travel into space at speeds close to the speed of light, what would replace clocks (since our conventional clocks would have no meaning in time)?

What do you think?

3

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Does glass absorb extra heat in a microwave,continuing to heat water afterwards?

« on: 17/10/2019 14:06:14 »

Tina is asking...

To help the process of making coffee in my cheap espresso machine, I heat the water in a 1/2 pint glass and my milk in its cup in the microwave before letting the coffee-maker do its thing...

I have found that if the water (in its glass) is (pre) heated in the microwave before I put in the cup/cold milk, then the water seems to continue to heat more than the milk!?

Is this all in my head OR is the glass better at taking-in heat (thus heating the water more) as it heats up and ostensibly becomes more susceptible to the microwaves (as a virtual liquid in itself)?

Can you help?

4

Physiology & Medicine / When in space, would we need less energy to live?

« on: 17/10/2019 10:19:37 »

David asks...

Would the biological clock change to a longer period of activity and less sleep when in space and weightlessness, and so thus less energy is needed to survive?

What do you think?

5

Physiology & Medicine / Is there any proven benefit to drinking alkaline water?

« on: 16/10/2019 15:16:00 »

Philip is asking...

Is there any proven benefit to drinking the trendy alkaline water that's being advertised at the moment?

Can you help?

6

Marine Science / How do tides work?

« on: 15/10/2019 16:01:25 »

Richard is wondering...

What does the moon and earth do that results in tides?
Why do tides differ more in high to low difference at the higher latitudes than at tropic ones?
When the tide is high, is there a corresponding low tide in the opposite side of that body of water?  You know, like a bowl of water swishing from side to side. High tide on the Eastern coast of the US, a low tide on the Atlantic coast of Europe?
Are there tides in inland lakes?

Can you help?

7

Physiology & Medicine / Does doing puzzles or other activities increase the energy your brain consumes?

« on: 15/10/2019 10:48:03 »

Torgeir asks...

Our brain consumes about 15 - 20% of our caloric intake. Does this increase if you work on hard puzzles and/or read? Or is it insignificant?

What do you think?

8

Physiology & Medicine / How can I fix numbness and pain after total knee replacement?

« on: 14/10/2019 16:10:59 »

Susan asks...

Following a total knee replacement, my lower leg is numb and has been for 6 weeks, but anything that touches my leg is painful and the shock "zaps" are wearing me down. What can I do to fix this problem?

Can you help?

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Question of the Week / QotW - 19.10.14 - Are most animals edible? Would the dinosaurs be edible?

« on: 14/10/2019 12:02:31 »

Dan asks...

I watched a survival show, where the host caught a skunk, cooked it and ate it, but said it was awful. It got me wondering - are most animals edible? We hear about not eating wild mushrooms or puffer fish, but it seems that almost everything is edible. Does evolution play a role? And taking that to an extreme, what are the odds that dinosaurs were edible?

What do you think? Can you satisfy Dan's hunger?

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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / What is life?

« on: 14/10/2019 11:34:10 »

Dhruv asks...

What is life in biological terms? What parameters are considered to declare a thing as living?

What's the answer?

11

The Environment / Is the pH of rain falling and is that going to affect glaciers?

« on: 09/10/2019 09:24:25 »

Don asks...

Is the pH of rain or snow getting lower, and is it likely to affect the melting or mobility of the glaciers?

What do you think?

12

Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / What is the shape of one's family tree considering only ancestors?

« on: 08/10/2019 18:05:40 »

Paul is asking...

Ancestry.com tells me that from my DNA I have in excess of 49,000 connections. How accurate are these DNA tests?
Also, if the implication is that years go the world had a massive population, but I am sure that is not the case, and if there were an "Adam and Eve" beginning, then my family tree must be shaped like a rugby football (if only considering my direct ancestors and not the siblings) and the implication there is that cousins were marrying cousins.
The next interesting consideration is "Where is the equator of my family tree?".  Perhaps my analogy of a rugby ball is incorrect and my family tree, if ever completed to my generation might resemble a long inflated child's balloon, or some distorted durian, or a banana with cancer.

Any thoughts?

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The Environment / Why do clouds stay high up when they are heavier than air?

« on: 08/10/2019 13:54:55 »

Barbara is wondering...

Why do clouds stay high above the earth with flat bottoms as though they are sitting on something when their substance is heavier than all other gasses in our atmosphere?

Can you help?

14

Physiology & Medicine / Why do some people cry when they pee/poo?

« on: 07/10/2019 17:36:17 »

Ntsako asks...

Why do some people's tears come out when they pee/poo?

What to you think?

15

Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Can we use weeds to sequester CO2?

« on: 07/10/2019 11:24:20 »

Paul is wondering...

How do trees sequester CO2? Do weeds sequester CO2? Weeds seem to grow faster than trees - can we use them to extract CO2 from the air?

What do you think?

16

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / What is the rest of the air on extraterrestrial colonies going to be made of?

« on: 04/10/2019 10:12:39 »

Robert is wondering...

There is a lot of discussion about the need to find water sources for extraterrestrial colonies both for use as water and to make oxygen for respiration. The air we breathe on Earth is only about 20% oxygen, though. The vast majority is nitrogen.

Are readily available sources of nitrogen easy to find on other planets, is it expected that another gas would be substituted, does the lower gravity on smaller planets allow us to safely breathe higher concentrations of oxygen, or is there some other explanation for how we can create a breathable environment off planet Earth?

What do you think?

17

The Environment / Could we clean out the air coming from ship funnels?

« on: 03/10/2019 09:33:17 »

Paul asks...

Could we have S-bends in every ship funnel so the exhaust can be passed through a chemical wash to clean out the sulphur and nitrogen and other particulates? And at the next port the wash can be offloaded.

What do you think?

18

Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology / How is the volcanic ash excavated from Pompeii being used?

« on: 02/10/2019 18:35:59 »

Peter is wondering...

The excavation of Pompeii must remove great quantities of volcanic ash. How and where is this disposed of? Would it have a purpose as a soil improver?

What do you think?

19

Physiology & Medicine / Why do people have different accents?

« on: 02/10/2019 11:43:34 »

Martin asks...

Why do people have different accents?

What do you think?

20

Question of the Week / QotW - 20.01.19 - How will the reversal of Earth's polarity affect us?

« on: 01/10/2019 13:54:45 »

Ray is wondering...

The Earth has apparently reversed its polarity fairly regularly and is perhaps overdue for the next instance.
Is anything known about how this will happen and the effects? Will it be quick, or slow? Will the Earth's magnetic field be reduced for a period of time leaving us open to solar radiation and perhaps other effects? How will it affect our reliance on technology?

What do you think?