1

Chemistry / Why does HNO3 exist but HPO3 does not?

« on: 26/11/2021 08:59:05 »

We all know as an important acid in manufacture and agriculture. However, when it comes to phosphoric acid, just straight-up refuses to exist, even though phosphorus is right under nitrogen in the periodic table.

Why does phosphorus behave in its own way? Why can't it be normal?

2

Science Experiments / Re: Would Egyptian mummification be affected by temperature?

« on: 24/11/2021 11:44:55 »

Yes, it could theoretically affect mummification: The goal of mummification is to stop growth of bacteria and fungi, therefore stopping decay and decomposition and leaving the body in its state.

High temperatures inhibit any metabolic pathways and kill cells, which is why we boil things. Similiarly, low temperatures also stop any chemical reactions in decomposers.

If you do it around 20-40 °C you might have a bad time on the other hand - this is the range where many bacteria prosper.

3

Cells, Microbes & Viruses / Is it possible to replicate a virus without it being in a cell?

« on: 12/11/2021 08:53:51 »

We all know viruses work by entering the cell and then hijacking its machinery to make copies of itself. Now my question is, if it's possible for a virus to do all of this in vitro, basically replicating without a cell.

I was thinking of using a virus that doesn't utilise membranes to do the work, as well as putting it in the appropriate solution of the basic building blocks (+ enzymes). Could that work?

4

Cells, Microbes & Viruses / Re: Viruses and Bacteria.. What's the line between living and non-living?

« on: 10/11/2021 08:51:44 »

This topic gets complicated fast. Now, we might say that viruses are just chemical packets, but packets of chemicals don't encode for themselves... On the other side, they need life to do the trick. (Which makes me think about one thing - could a virus theoretically be replicated without using a cell?)
But wait, it gets more confusing. We have viruses that have a DNA count and some genes that are close to what we consider "life" and on the other side we have bacteria that hide in cells and replicate in them.

5

General Science / Re: Is there any science behind divining water or oil?

« on: 04/03/2019 06:55:01 »

Let's take it from the theoretical side: How is that supposed to happen? Some may guess gravity, but how are you supposed to detect one thousandth of gravity, plus without some drastic change? Magnetism? Water isn't magnetic, oil isn't either and that wooden or plastic stick? Well, of course it isn't either.

6

Physiology & Medicine / Re: What surrounds the neurons in the brain?

« on: 05/02/2019 07:27:08 »

what is the environment of all these cells?

each other.
There are not gaps between them.
That picture is misleading in that it shows the neurons, but not the glial cells

That cannot be true.
Neurons and their surrounding cells must have some structure, you cannot have an aggregate of cells packed one next to the other. There must be some fluid or other structure between them!

Livers are made  of liver cells, muscles are made of muscle cells.
Why do you think brains are made of scaffolding?

It's not really. But when you have a brain so complicated, you can't have just blood vessels through the brain. That would be space wasting. Instead, we have smaller cells supporting + cerebrospinal fluid. If my reasoning is right.

7

Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology / Re: How will this stereoscopic satellite's view of the world be useful?

« on: 30/01/2019 07:37:29 »

And then, because we're curious and it looks cool.

8

New Theories / Re: Can the Periodic Table be arranged as a stepped pyramid?

« on: 30/01/2019 07:35:06 »

While the Periodic Table could be arranged as a stepped pyramid, there is no evidence that the Ancient Egyptians, or the less-ancient Javanese had a concept of a periodic table.

Well, not bad assuming they didn't even know that there's some oxygen passing by...

9

Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Re: Can anyone discuss selective breeding and evolution with me?

« on: 30/01/2019 07:18:23 »

Good work. You're doing nature's work. If you breed them selectively, then you delete the unwanted gene variations and reproduce the wanted ones.

I've never did this thing, so theory is all I can supply.

10

General Science / Re: Boil, or freeze, or both?

« on: 14/01/2019 15:34:30 »

If a cup of water were taken outside the International Space Station and observed, would it boil off, freeze solid, or do both (but not at the same time)?

I'd be interested in everyone's opinion...

Well, I suggest it will first freeze, due to absence of any molecules, and then sublimate. Exactly how comets "glow"

11

General Science / Re: Are there aliens made of lava?

« on: 14/01/2019 15:18:17 »

From what I know about life, your lava forms would certainly have a bad time.

First, carbon is better forming various structures. You can't expect silicon doing DNA or similiar macromolecules.

Now, if silicon wasn't a problem, how would your life create heat? And how would it do structures? I can only imagine methane-based reactions.

12

Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology / Re: Is this rock extraterrestrial?

« on: 03/10/2018 13:57:14 »

Not all magnetic things are extraterrestial and vice versa. This does not look as meteorite. Ot is not burnt. Can you do some tests?

13

Just Chat! / Re: The rotation of the earth. 2x faster than Boeing? LoL. Who belives in that sh1t?

« on: 03/10/2018 13:54:31 »

And monkey on the trees sitting calmly wondering how to create a monkeypox  ?

Whoever said such a thing?
[/quote]
Viruses mutate. That makes monkeypox possible. Poor monkeys don't even know what monkeypox is. And even some people.

14

Question of the Week / Re: QotW - 18.09.30 - Is second hand smoke more dangerous than smoking a cigarette?

« on: 03/10/2018 13:50:20 »

It matters how much. If you occasionally meet with smokers, you have betterr health than who meets them daily. Also distance matters, too (diffusion of particles).

15

Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology / Re: To what extent can Biblical accounts of Noah's flood be believed?

« on: 18/09/2018 15:08:30 »

It couldn't have been worldwide. Isotopic analysis of soil from the Atacama desert reveals that it has been very dry for millions of years.

Some scientists think that "the world" means some smaller area, like in Mediterranean sea. Ones, which can't sail, thought that the world is where they live, and some area, like 2,000 km, maybe?

You can't really believe it. Noah's ark story is just a retread of one chapter of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Yes, this is an idea that cultures recycle other, and without context they would need to categorize it right, they translated it into own.

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: What “flavour” is your singularity?

« on: 18/09/2018 15:02:33 »

And in rare cases The singularity, meaning some part of the future.

17

Just Chat! / Re: What is Rip software

« on: 04/09/2018 14:58:23 »

The Spoon is right, NTYUT#2. Google it.

18

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Do ghosts exist? If so, how can we explain them in terms of the laws of physics?

« on: 04/09/2018 14:53:51 »

I am gonna go to the science side. Our thoughts, plus illusions, mental disorders (not all people who see ghosts are mentally disordered!), all these contribute to ghosts. Plus, maybe this is maybe some dirty and scammy business.

19

Physiology & Medicine / Re: What would Thoth's brain look like, if he was real?

« on: 04/09/2018 12:27:16 »

Trick answer: Thoth's brain would be the universe! (or whatever the universe is a holographic projection of/from)

Cool one.

20

Physiology & Medicine / Re: What would Thoth's brain look like, if he was real?

« on: 01/09/2018 18:45:27 »

assume he is all-knowing

His brain would be big.

Okay, let's clean it up. As "all-knowing" we could define all the facts, theories, battles and so on. Not necessarily "position of every atom in the universe". And, with that equations, we can conclude he knows all the equations, plus basic results(7*8=56 and so on) Other equations he could rightly compute.