1

Physiology & Medicine / Re: Would identical twins fool a paternity test?

« on: 29/09/2018 05:00:32 »

This was in-line with the answer I gave, although it's nice now to have that reference ...

Here's a link the paper referenced in the BBC article ...

Finding the needle in the haystack: Differentiating “identical” twins in paternity testing and forensics by ultra-deep next generation sequencing. 

Monozygotic (MZ) twins are considered being genetically identical, therefore they cannot be differentiated using standard forensic DNA testing. Here we describe how identification of extremely rare mutations by ultra-deep next generation sequencing can solve such cases. We sequenced DNA from sperm samples of two twins and from a blood sample of the child of one twin. Bioinformatics analysis revealed five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) present in the twin father and the child, but not in the twin uncle. The SNPs were confirmed by classical Sanger sequencing. Our results give experimental evidence for the hypothesis that rare mutations will occur early after the human blastocyst has split into two, the origin of twins, and that such mutations will be carried on into somatic tissue and the germline. The method provides a solution to solve paternity and forensic cases involving monozygotic twins as alleged fathers or originators of DNA traces.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1872497313002275

I'd want to see it being replicated, (rather than just one pair of twins), before being confident paternity in all cases can be established.

The cost of full genome sequencing has plummeted in the last decade, so it's now a feasible option ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%241%2C000_genome#Commercial_efforts

2

Physiology & Medicine / Re: Would identical twins fool a paternity test?

« on: 28/09/2018 15:55:17 »

Apparently if their entire genomes are sequenced it could be determined who's the daddy ...

Gradl and his team took samples from a pair of male twins and looked at the entire three-billion-letter sequence, and they found a few dozen differences in their DNA.
The scientists also tested the son of one of the men, and found he had inherited five of the mutations from his father.
Having analysed the results, they are confident that they can now tell any twin from another, and from their children.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25371014

3

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: What is the effect of MRI on body?

« on: 16/09/2018 11:37:54 »

... can we assume the same for iron nanoparticles? ...

The iron in tattoo-ink can be a problem ... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3445217/

4

Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology / Re: Did glaciation produce this smooth, undulating rock surface?

« on: 10/09/2018 02:23:20 »

The results of glacial polish aren't necessarily flat : some have a sand-dune look ...


http://ted-ology.blogspot.com/2013/01/glacial-polish-tactile-experience.html

cf. laminar Vs turbulent flow.

5

General Science / Re: What do these labels mean in an energy meter?

« on: 03/09/2018 13:21:50 »

Tampering with electricity meters is one offence which still carries the death sentence

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Geek Speak / Re: Why is my Buffalo external HDD creating files that don't exist?

« on: 04/08/2018 04:27:02 »

Any suggestions welcome before I scrap it altogether and go with the backups ...

Recuva is a free Windows data-recovery program, worth a try.
It can be set to recuva files even though you haven't deleted them ...


set Recuva to scan for non-deleted files.png (37.08 kB . 440x545 - viewed 1170 times)
You should recuva the data to a different drive than the source.

7

Just Chat! / Re: I just got the first real user in my neurosecurity forum! What should I do next?

« on: 29/07/2018 00:03:02 »

... the Northern Lights Forum ...

What a coincidence : there's a strain of cannabis by that name.

8

Physiology & Medicine / Re: Does grapefruit juice affect beta blockers?

« on: 05/07/2018 11:08:42 »

Grapefruit juice can interfere with drug-delivery ...



https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm292276.htm

9

General Science / Re: How does temperature affect the colour of metals?

« on: 02/07/2018 11:01:23 »

Tobey asks:
... why do some metals ... stay colored after they cool?

The colours are due to oxides which have formed during the heating process : the metal has reacted with the oxygen in the air ...


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempering_(metallurgy)#Tempering_colors

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: How is it possible for the Sun to set in the northwest?

« on: 26/06/2018 21:40:51 »

sunset is North East.png (280.8 kB . 835x698 - viewed 1333 times)
http://suncalc.net/#/54.5905,-0.6743,5/2018.06.26/21:29

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Just Chat! / Re: how i was cured from cancer using Cannabis oil

« on: 14/06/2018 05:59:51 »

Even if the above post is a true account it's an anecdote, see ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anecdotal_evidence   

... at the moment there isn’t enough reliable evidence to prove that cannabinoids – whether natural or synthetic – can effectively treat cancer in patients

http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2012/07/25/cannabis-cannabinoids-and-cancer-the-evidence-so-far/

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Physiology & Medicine / Re: What really is me?

« on: 13/06/2018 06:02:13 »

13

Just Chat! / Re: Is Donald Trump a ventriloquist's dummy ?

« on: 05/06/2018 00:46:57 »

And then who's the Ventriloquist ?
Majority of American Citizens.

Revised election results in December 2016 showed that Clinton received nearly 2.9 million more votes than Trump.
Clinton obtained 48.2 percent of the vote while Trump received 46.1 percent, CNN reported in December 2016 ...

http://www.newsweek.com/how-many-voted-trump-president-784019

14

General Science / Re: How does strong sunlight cause colours to fade?

« on: 22/05/2018 09:57:33 »

Energy from the photons is transferred to the electrons which form the chemical-bonds in the dyes, see ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photodegradation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photodissociation

15

Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology / Re: Is this fools gold or real gold?

« on: 19/05/2018 23:06:17 »

I know nothing about how to distinguish real gold apart from fools gold ...

If you can see cubic crystals, it's not gold.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrite#Distinguishing_similar_minerals

16

Marine Science / Re: How do denticles make a shark swim faster?

« on: 15/05/2018 22:07:56 »

... large ... dimples ... definitely reduces turbulence ...

17

General Science / Re: Why am I waking up in the night?

« on: 13/05/2018 02:49:38 »

Why very often as I've just drifted off to sleep do I awake feeling like something has bumped my bed ...
I feel there must be a scientific explanation for this as opposed to some energy force disturbing me.

If you're being startled just after you've fallen asleep, without an external trigger, could be hypnic jerk.

18

General Science / Re: How Can I Change the Mind Of A Flat-Earther ?

« on: 07/05/2018 23:02:20 »

They don't believe in gravity in the same way that we do. They believe that the Earth is accelerating upwards at 9.8 meters per second squared, thus emulating gravity.

Gravity is not exactly 9.8m/s across the entire Earth ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_of_Earth

If it was a disc accelerating it would be constant across Earth's surface.

BTW after a mere decade accelerating at 9.8m/s², disc-Earth would be close to the speed of light.
Colliding with interstellar gas at that speed would irradiate Earth : we'd be cooked.

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Just Chat! / Re: Puzzles From A Trampolining Upside Down Sheeps Bottom (PFATSB) :-)

« on: 19/04/2018 01:13:37 »

upsidedown.png (165.71 kB . 551x461 - viewed 2052 times)[

20

General Science / Re: Do adding more seeds help birds stop eating seeds?

« on: 16/04/2018 01:53:39 »

Something will prey upon the birds, e.g. raptors.
So the bird population will boom & bust ...


http://fractalfoundation.org/OFC/OFC-6-1.html