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Physiology & Medicine / Why does a hair sometimes change colour as it grows longer?

« on: 18/05/2013 21:36:49 »

Hi, i've been wondering for a while why some hairs are light at the root but get darker towards the tip? I was examining my sideburns the other day and noticed i am starting to grow thicker black hairs where before there were only blondy-brown hairs, thats fine, but what gets me is that some are light at the root. Aren't hairs dead? If they are turning black shouldn't it be stright from the root outwards?

Am i missing something?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Can time drift in relation to space?

« on: 04/09/2012 18:31:44 »

I phrased the question as best i could. I was thinking about that theoretical example; the one where you fly two clocks set at the same time on two planes flying at the same speed around the world in different directions, and when they meet up there is a slight difference in the speed of the clocks because of how time flows differently in different parts of space.

I was wondering if it is possible for the rate of time in one area of space to change it's rate of flow, or for the rate of flow of time to change position? I imagine it to drift like smoke or a cloud through space but that's just me trying to visualize. I'm not sure how we would measure it as we are continuously moving through the universe even if we appear still. And i'm not sure if my understanding of time being relative to space is correct, enlighten me.

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Can Gravity Change Light?

« on: 03/05/2012 19:41:18 »

Hi, i was just wondering something.

If light is affected by gravity like near a black hole, is it possible for gravity to slow down or speed up a wave of lights frequency? I imagine it as something like a slingshot effect where the light is close enough to be affected by a black hole but not passed the event horizon so it can escape. Would this potentially change the colour of light if it does happen?

Am i misunderstanding something?

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Chemistry / Can you mix molten metal and molten salt?

« on: 12/10/2010 12:57:30 »

I was wondering if it is possible to mix molten metal and molten salt. I understand the difference in boiling points might play a role, but if one were to get it right what would the properties of the product be?

Tried to find it on the internet but couldn't.

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Technology / Why is my plasma ball messing with my screen?

« on: 26/09/2010 12:57:53 »

Hi, i have a computer screen that is switch on by one of those new kind of switches that is activated either by the heat from your finger or the electricity or some other form of magic. It would switch on or off by itself. I was slightly puzzled by this but i narrowed it down to my plasma ball lamp that is within a meter or so of the switch.

I would like to know why this is. My screen model is the samsung syncmaster T260.

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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Is it possible to harvest DNA from 3000 year old bones?

« on: 23/08/2010 12:58:06 »

Hi, i was reading this article about some giant turtle's on an island and how they found their 3000 year old bones. They are extinct due to human hunting. I was wondering if we are able to extract DNA from the bones? Would it be degraded? Would it be legal? Would we be able to recreate the species?

Here's the linkhttp://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/08/last-giant-land-turtle

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Physiology & Medicine / How does hair know when to stop growing?

« on: 16/08/2010 13:22:06 »

i've always wondered why some hairs on your body grow to a certain length and then seem to stop growing, or at least slow down. I suspect it might work the same way a dogs coat doesn't keep growing, but if you shave a patch it grows back.

How does your body register the length of your hair? Is it maybe a sensitivity to light? How does it work?

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Chemistry / Can you make a mercury alloy?

« on: 03/05/2010 15:35:23 »

Hi, i've been looking on the net for mercury alloys but all i seem to find are amalgams. Is it possible to throw mercury into another molten metal (eg. iron, titanium) and let it cool into a alloy of the two? would mercury boil into a gas before they mix? And if possible what would the characteristics of the metal likely be?

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Cells, Microbes & Viruses / Is it possible to take a telemerase suppliment?

« on: 09/03/2010 06:56:58 »

I was reading about how telemerase stops the shortening of chromosomes, and in turn stops the limited number of cell devisions.

I'm wondering if it is possible to take a telemerase suppliment? If so would it work? Does anybody know any? And i am taking into account the idea that it might contribute to causing cancer.

Much appreciated.

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Technology / Can a railgun be modified to shoot a small nuclear bomb?

« on: 23/02/2010 13:01:42 »

Hi, i was busy making pizza when i suddenly had a completely unrelated thought to my task in hand.

I'm not too clued up on nuclear weapons, but i was wondering, would it be possible to shoot a tiny "live" uranium pellet through a railgun and have it detonate on impact?

Would the impact activate it or would it explode before leaving the barrel, if at all?

I think it would make an awesome weopon. Like sharks with lasers attached to their heads.

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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Can you cross hybrids with hybrids?

« on: 27/11/2009 12:17:47 »

I was just thinking about hybrids and was wondering, polar bears and grizzly bears can create offspring that have characteristics of both parents, and the hybrids can themselves produce offspring meaning polar bears and grizzly bears are "recently" evolved species.

[diagram=545_0]

The common ancestor is the red block, and the grizzly and the polar bear are yellow and green with the hybrid being "A". If the grizzly and the polar bear evolved two species each that were capable of producing fertile offspring "B" and "C", is it possible for these hybrids to produce offspring?

I know it's unlikely, but i'm not 100% sure, just wanted to know if it's possible.

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Technology / How big an EMP blast would i need to take out a speeding camera?

« on: 24/11/2009 11:29:20 »

Here in South Africa they've lowered the speed limit to unproductive levels claiming it's for roadworks, personally i believe it's to suck in more money for the government via speeding fines.

This left me fantasizing about being a serial killer to speeding cameras. So i was wondering, how big would an emp device need to be to knock out a speeding camera, and if the cameras inner workings would be vulnerable to such a device.

This is all theoretical of coarse, as it is highly illegal.

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Why is there an excess of "positive" matter in the universe?

« on: 20/11/2009 07:38:02 »

I am wondering why there is an excess of positive matter in the universe?
I've thumb sucked my own unsupported ideas but i am interested in any other theories as to why this is.

Much appreciated.

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Physiology & Medicine / Why do people bite their tongue?

« on: 19/11/2009 13:43:44 »

I accidentally bite my tongue quite often, and sometimes really badly. My aunt told me quite cryptically before she left for London that there was a reason that people bite there tongues and i should try to find out. I've googled it but i can't seem to find anything.

Is there any interesting link between biting your tongue and lets say... eating canned beef, or plucking weeds, or doing body art with lead based paint?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Does anyone know any good retrocausality links?

« on: 15/10/2009 13:18:38 »

Hi, does anyone know any good links to retrocausality experiments and the results of those experiments. I'm interested to read up on the outcomes.

Thanks.

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Cells, Microbes & Viruses / Is it possible a virus came from a different biosphere?

« on: 03/06/2009 16:56:34 »

I'm not quite sure if this question is in the right category.

I was reading my Popular Mechanics magazine the other day and there was an article concerning the search for life of a different origin to what we see around us (fauna, flora and everything else), the article was about searching for that life on earth. The reasoning is that if life happened once, why couldn't it happen again. They would refer to it as a shadow biosphere, and suggested if it were to exist it would probably be in the form of microbes, or exist in extreme environments.

My question is could it be possible that viruses belong to a different biosphere? I've read a theory somewhere that a virus broke off from the DNA of cell and became it's own thing, but i'm not so sure. Could it be possible that DNA is a constant for life and that a virus came from a different source? And i'm not sure how to explain why a virus is reliant on cells for reproduction instead of being able to reproduce themselves.

Some answers from someone who knows more would be much appreciated.

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Cells, Microbes & Viruses / Are mitochondria part of the cell?

« on: 24/11/2008 13:12:08 »

I recently went for an ancestry trace, and discovered how they track the female ancestry via the mitochondria in our cells (sperm have no mitochondria, or something like that).I also remember hearing that mitochondria can be thought of as their own organisms that just happen to inhabit our cells, like a symbiosis. They have their own DNA and are not produced by our cells.

I was just wondering if there are any other examples of this type of thing in our bodies?
How did this happened back in the primordial soup?
Are mitochondria seen as a seperate entity like cells and viruses?

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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Are animals left or right "handed"?

« on: 18/11/2008 15:41:06 »

I was wondering if animals are orientated like we are? Do you get a right "pawed" dog? I assume the primates show the disposition towards being left and right orientated, but what about the rest?

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General Science / Why do you find dragons in both Europe and China?

« on: 01/11/2008 15:11:07 »

Why are dragons depicted by both ancient China and western Europe?

I remember reading a theory that they found fossilised bear skulls back in the day and invented the creature that bore it (similar to the idea of a cyclops from an elephant skull). Did this happen in both nations, if it happened at all?

Was there a link between the two nations and was the idea of dragons taken from one to the other via this route?

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Cells, Microbes & Viruses / Do viruses always destroy the cell?

« on: 27/10/2008 19:42:02 »

I was just wondering if a virus can be produced that can alter the genetics of a cell without destroying it in the end.

And can a virus replicate itself without causing the cell to be destroyed?