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General Science / Re: Am I the 1st person to notice this phenomenon of living matter?

« on: 29/09/2016 02:25:07 »

What distinguishes living matter from inanimate matter?Could physicians use this to determine death?

Living matter increases its structural energy value and lowers structural entropy. The operative term is structural. Inanimate matter goes the other way.

For example, if we look at a tree, as it grows bigger, more and more atoms of CO2 and H2O, become ordered into integrated structure; lowers entropy of the starting atoms. As the tree grows will can get more and more energy, if we burn the growing tree. After the tree dies and it becomes inanimate, it starts to disintegrate; entropy increase, and its energy value decreases.

I think this definition is incomplete. Crystallization from a liquid or solution also leads to a local decrease in entropy--no life required.

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The Environment / Re: Do lead batteries underground put lead ito the environment?

« on: 23/09/2016 11:34:47 »

Disposal of heavy metals in batteries and the solder of electrical circuits does pollute the environment.

At least they have started using lead-free solder in recent years (driven by EU legislation).
And recent electric vehicles have moved to lithium-based batteries rather than lead.
Hopefully these lithium battery packs are large enough and valuable enough to be worth recycling.

I heard that there is some EU legislation requiring manufacturers to take back products they manufacture at the end of life. That must surely force some attention to the costs of recycling?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Does a scalar quantity have any existence other than in the mind ?

« on: 21/09/2016 00:52:34 »

There is no compulsion on any object to follow "rules". The laws of physics are descriptions, not prescriptions.

That said, I'm suddenly unsure about the status of the rules of mathematics!

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General Science / Re: Am I the 1st person to notice this phenomenon of living matter?

« on: 21/09/2016 00:35:24 »

Brownian motion applies to all objects at the atomic scale or above.

Heisenberg indeterminacy applies to all objects and dominates below the atomic scale.

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Physiology & Medicine / Re: Its On the Tip Of My Tongue !! Why ?

« on: 20/09/2016 12:04:59 »

Another phenomenon noticed about tip-of-the-tongue(TOT) problem.Remember the toy "Magic 8-Ball"?The answer floated up into a window.The brain does something similar.If the word won't come to you,back off and relax,still intending to think of the word eventually.The brain,somewhere behind the scenes,will often do a retrieval later,a half hour or whatever.The answer will suddenly come to mind consciously.An alternate,slower path has been used to accomplish the same task.

Thank ewe !

yes,  have often experienced that where the answer just appears 'spontaneously' later on. Clearly some memory retentive 'back-of-house' processes are still engaged even though we are not fully aware of it

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General Science / Am I the 1st person to notice this phenomenon of living matter?

« on: 19/09/2016 23:54:30 »

Hi.

I believe I may be the first person to comment on the following subject as I can find no reference to it anywhere else.   

The subject relates to an alternative model on the interpretation of the true nature of reality. However, the whole model falls apart if the following observation is proved as being incorrect.

The model can differentiate between the movement of the coordinates of inanimate matter in 3 dimensional space and that of living ( and moving) organisms within that same 3-D space.

The model highlights an event which occurs only within the matter of living organisms moving within 3-D space. And by 'within' I mean an area with a volume of 1 Planck Sphere in diameter. The model postulates that an 'area' of that size cannot exist in our own relative particular 3-D space.

The Planck unit of time represents a moment when nothing can be known of the Planck length coordinate in the intervening time between starting the Planck stopwatch and the moment we stop the watch (at the moment the  coordinate has moved a distance of 1 Planck length).  When we stop the watch, we can entirely predict the position & state of every inanimate particle of matter at it's / their new coordinate in the 4 dimensional spacetime. 

We do not possess that same predictability about the future position of the coordinates of living matter however. Moreover, there is an event which occurs at a distance of 1 Planck length and which can only occur uniquely  within that of living matter moving in 3-D space.

This event occurs when a [particle of matter] coordinate of a living organism is moving in a particular direction trajectory in 3-D space at any given moment. After a period of 1 Planck stopwatch unit of time, the coordinate of living matter meets itself coming back at 180 degrees in the opposite direction. The degree of tolerance from a perfect infinite 180 degree opposite trajectory is 1 Planck length.

This situation of a 180 degree returning of a particle of matter back to the coordinate it occupied 1 Planck unit ago, does not exist in the natural movement of inanimate matter in 3- D space. It appears to exist in living matter however.

It is only through the application of the conscious free will of the living organism choosing to move a coordinate/particle of it's body in entirely the opposite direction that this event occurs at all.

I would appreciate to know if any part of this observation is incorrect. 

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Physiology & Medicine / Re: Locating new permanent memories in undamaged brain areas.

« on: 19/09/2016 10:50:30 »

The hippocampus is one area of the few areas of the brain that can grow new neurones as an adult.

It's function was not known, until an attempt to cure severe epilepsy in a patient ("HM") produced an unfortunate man who seemed quite normal - except he could not form memories.

The hippocampus occurs on both sides of the brain - loss of one side can be compensated by the other. Unfortunately, Alzheimer's disease affects both sides.

Relocating memories to areas that don't form new neurones does not sound like a very promising strategy.

There has been a proposal to monitor electrical activity in the hippocampus and produce an electronic hippocampus. But at this time, direct brain interfaces are highly experimental (some would say "bleeding edge technology").

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocampus

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Physiology & Medicine / Re: Locating new permanent memories in undamaged brain areas.

« on: 19/09/2016 06:52:40 »

... can short-term knowledge be fitted into a false ... memory...

Fantastic false stories can be created to memorize a new list in order by associating it with a journey you are familiar with : the method of Loci.

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Radio Show & Podcast Feedback / Re: How can solar energy ben efficiently stored?

« on: 18/09/2016 12:45:59 »

But, as anyone who has heard of the Hindenburg knows, storing hydrogen is impractical and potentially unsafe.

Not true! Town gas (50% hydrogen) was the major source of domestic and industrial heating and a great deal of industrial motive power, for over 150 years. It is a lot easier to store than liquefied petroleum ("natural") gas and the grid for its distribution still exists. Urban gasholders were hit by tracer bullets and incendiary bombs during WWII but according to past colleagues who were set to watch them, it was pretty easy to extinguish the flames (literally with a wet blanket) and patch over the holes.

Town gas explosions were no more common or destructive than LPG (methane) explosions nowadays. The principal reasons for its disappearance were political (it required coalminers) and toxicological (it contained 10% carbon monoxide). Simply diluting grid methane with 50% hydrogen would double the world's natural gas reserve, halve the CO2 emission, and make unreliable energy sources economically useful at very little cost.

The problem with the Hindenburg was the combustion of the aluminum spars, metallised fabric envelope, and doped-cotton gas bags, leading to structural failure and loss of buoyancy respectively, with the inevitable consequence of any aircraft falling apart a hundred feet off the ground. 

Hydrogen is classed as a "heavy chemical" as it is manufactured, stored and used in multi-tonne quantities and probably ranks with sulfuric acid and ammonia as the most significant bulk feedstock. You don't hear of many industrial incidents compared with, say, chlorine.

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Is it possible that arithmetic quantities follow quantum mechanical rules?

« on: 15/09/2016 12:11:26 »

When you are doing mathematical integration over a function which is uniquely defined at every point, the intervals can be infinitely small with no quantum effects. It helps greatly if the function is continuous, with continuous derivatives.

If you are trying to integrate a function which has no defined derivative, and the values are not unique (like some fractals), then there is an element of uncertainty involved, and probabilities may be one way to resolve this.

If you are trying to calculate the values of physical systems, which are subject to quantum effects, then you must include these quantum effects in your evaluation of the integral. You can use probabilities to produce an "average" answer, or more rigorous methods to produce a distribution of answers.

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General Science / Re: What could have caused the UFO I observed?

« on: 14/09/2016 12:45:35 »

Tower crane? Travelling suspension bridge? Exceptional load convoy crossing an unlit bridge or on a mountain road?  Airliner with the window blinds open?

If I were the captain of an alien spacecraft I'd adopt one of two strategies: either total blackout and radar stealth, or floodlights, headlights and anticollision strobes like a funfair. Waffling about at low level with a few fairy lights won't achieve penetration or safety.

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General Science / Re: What could have caused the UFO I observed?

« on: 13/09/2016 11:05:19 »

... the outline was like a giant steel truss shape ... It appeared to move slowly across the sky ... at the apparent height of a tall bridge.

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Can entanglement be maintained at astronomical distances?

« on: 12/09/2016 12:15:09 »

Can entanglement be maintained at astronomical distances?

In theory, yes.
In practice, very difficult - the smallest interaction with a grain of dust, a molecule of gas or random light or heat could disturb an entangled quantum state.

The Chinese recently launched a satellite that generates pairs of entangled photons, which could be used to support quantum encryption. But:
- the rate of generating entangled photons is low
- the entangled photons are mixed in with a lot of non-entangled photons
- the light beam spreads out enormously as it passes through the atmosphere, so it is hard to collect the pairs of entangled photons
- many of the entangled photons are disturbed while passing through 100km of atmosphere
- it is blocked by clouds, fog or rain (or the satellite being invisible, over the horizon)

See: http://www.nature.com/news/chinese-satellite-is-one-giant-step-for-the-quantum-internet-1.20329

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General Science / Re: What could have caused the UFO I observed?

« on: 09/09/2016 13:48:19 »

   Was it summer or winter? What time was it? Usually the UFO's move quite rapidly. Could have been a crop duster with lights working at night. Could have been a banner advertising something. Many possibilities! A swarm of lightning bugs.

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Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology / Re: Can underground lightning strike paths be traced?

« on: 09/09/2016 03:42:27 »

Can underground lightning strike paths be traced? ... I have read that a lightning electrical current can leave remnant ...

www.google.com/search?q=Fulgurite

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Question of the Week / Re: QotW - 07.12.09 - Power Source for Magnets?

« on: 07/12/2007 04:09:21 »

Every electron in the metal acts as a magnetic dipole.  Dipoles are the simplest sources of magnetic fields.  In order to generate a permanent magnet form a metal, you force all these dipoles to line up, so the tiny fields they each generate all add together to make a big field. 

If you stick this magnet to a fridge, I think the fields from the magnet should cause the electrons in the field to line up in an opposite direction.  This means if you have the north pole of a magnet near a fridge, the fridge will start to act like a south pole, and viola--your magnet will stick to your fridge.  If you try to push two like poles of magnets together, they repel because the electrons in each magnet are already aligned to repel each other and won't change direction easily. 

Finally, in terms of energy.  In physics, change in energy is defined as a force applied over a distance.  If you hold two magnets near each other until your arms get tired, you're not actually putting any energy into the magnets.  Similarly, by holding the magnets near each other, you're not getting energy out.  To get energy out, you'd probably have to let the magnets fly apart and use that motion to generate electricity or move something.  The simple reason why that isn't practical is that you have to put the same amount of energy into the system in the first place in order to put the magnets near each other!