601

Cells, Microbes & Viruses / Re: Can dogs really smell cancer?

« on: 28/10/2015 00:32:52 »

So is the lady smelling a kind of waste product? Is sweat a way for the body to get rid of toxins and wastes from the whole body including the brain?

This article about the Milton Keynes trial on prostrate cancer suggests that cancer cells could produce volatile (smelly) compounds in urine
. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/08/26/us-cancer-dogs-idUKKCN0QV1RR20150826
The current test for prostrate cancer PSA looks for a protein which may well have a smell passed to urine.
Diabetics can produce ketones which makes the breath smell of rotten apples.
I suspect there are many processes in the body during illness that will produce a scent a dog would detect as being unusual. Whether the scent is in sweat, breath, urine would depend on the chemicals and how they are released.

602

Technology / Re: Can you help identify this oldschool measuring/calibration instrument?

« on: 24/10/2015 22:54:53 »

I think you might have a planimeter, a technical drawing or drafting instrument used to estimate area on a drawing. I think the 'weight' might be support for the fixed end but I'm not sure.
Fascinating item, does it say who made it?

603

General Science / Re: How much UVC would be reflected on surface like glass and cotton?

« on: 23/10/2015 22:49:05 »

Although UV-C is very good at bacterial sterilising it has a very low penetration of human skin, it is stopped by the top dead layers. So it doesn't do much harm. Having said that, I would be careful about exposure to eyes.

UV-B is the one to take real care over exposure, really nasty. I use it for curing oil varnish and always make sure I'm outside the room before switching on.

604

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: If an object is moving through space and no force is applied, where does it go?

« on: 20/10/2015 23:00:04 »

?...from what I now understand the atmosphere in space wouldn't offer any resistance to the ball and it would just keep traveling in a straight line.

Strictly speaking there is a very slight atmosphere in space, but it is very, very slight- around one hydrogen atom for each meter cube, that is effectively a vacuum. So there is no air resistance or friction. To all intents and purposes space is infinite, but any object travelling through space is likely to encounter debris, asteroids, dust and eventually another galaxy.

I am an early years teacher and we have lots of fun rolling a truck down a ramp and measuring how far it goes. We change the angle of the ramp, we increase/decrease the weight in the truck, we change the floor surfaces, we estimate how far the truck will go, and then check the results, and determine why we get different distances traveled.

That sounds like great fun, lots of opportunities for weighing, measuring and trying to predict what might happen. Keep up the good work.

605

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: If an object is moving through space and no force is applied, where does it go?

« on: 19/10/2015 22:36:27 »

  So what does the actual atmosphere consist of?

That depends on the object. I assume you are thinking of a planet, so it would depend on the type of planet, earth type? Mars type? You choose.

then the actual atmosphere around the object can't offer any resistance!

Can't offer any resistance to what?
If it is a planet moving it would require a very large force to alter it's momentum and the atmosphere might not be the main consideration.

Can you clarify what sort of object and scenario you are thinking about.

606

Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Re: What is the Benefit of Biofluorescence in Animals?

« on: 18/10/2015 00:12:46 »

The point RD makes is an important one.
We often assume that if an adaption or gene has survived it must have supplied a benefit to the host. But the host might have survived due to other stronger benefits and the particular feature or gene just hitchhiked. Lucky gene.

607

Physiology & Medicine / Re: Urinating on the moon.

« on: 15/10/2015 23:12:39 »

..., can you get a melanoma on the gland of your penis?

I think this is the least of your worries. Depending on timing you would either pee steam or ice, but the pressure differential would ensure that, whichever it was, a considerable part of your insides would follow down that rather small tube.
Don't try this at home children.

608

General Science / Re: How would you operationalize Authority?

« on: 12/10/2015 15:31:06 »

.... Not sure how I could measure someone's Authority. Any assistance would be of great help. Thanks

I would start with a definition of authority, then think of all the examples I can of people or office that fit that definition. If you then rank the examples you could begin to figure out what attributes contribute to that ranking and hence how you could measure them. Then you could work out a scoring system.
Good luck

609

Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Re: What do badgers eat?

« on: 10/10/2015 22:53:36 »

Hi Colin - that sounds interesting - what was the background for your photographer and tracker interactions?

Mostly from an interest in sound recording (early career), photography and interest in wildlife. Since I retired I found quite a few professional wildlife photographers interested in swapping technical advice on recording technique, camera triggers, etc for experience and advice on wildlife watching, behaviour and tracking. Knowing my interest, and having been taken out predawn when little, the now grown up kids bought me a wildlife tracking course which really consolidated a lot of what I had learnt. Of the friends I've made one was winner on BBC Countryfile calendar, and another has a 'commended' photo in Wildlife photographer of the yr, but the real fun is learning about the animal behaviour. With 3yr old granddaughter and 1yr grandson, looks like many more opportunities for predawn forays and stakeouts.
Was interested in your question on Whales and salt, not sure about the answer, but it did remind me that I've been looking at buying a hydrophone and doing some underwater recordings. New year project!

610

Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Re: What do badgers eat?

« on: 03/10/2015 09:48:47 »

Lots of earthworms, largest part of their diet.
They are classed as carnivores but will eat almost anything, love peanuts.
When few earthworms will eat snails and slugs. Also eat carrion, carrots, young birds, eggs, acorns, berries, windfall apples, and will push over beehives to get the honey.
If it is edible they will eat it, but do seem to have preferences eg worms. As a result a badger lat is not a pretty sight.

611

New Theories / Re: Bending of the sun's own light

« on: 27/09/2015 00:45:02 »

What evan_au says is correct.
Although many textbooks and articles show light from a distant star grazing the sun, the perimeter of the sun was not used as a reference. The amount of bending is dependant on the distance from the centre of a mass ie the sun. Two photographs of stars were taken, one with the sun nearby (eclipsed) and one without. The 2 were compared and showed the predicted bending.
Having said that, light from the sun is affected by its gravity causing a slight redshift (this can be detected by looking at spectral lines). If the sun's atmosphere was transparent then you could detect an effect similar to that on earth where, due to refraction, we see the setting sun even though it has gone below the horizon. We would see light from a part of the sun's surface just beyond the perimeter, but to be fair the effect would be extremely small.

612

Physiology & Medicine / Re: Why are more people right handed than left handed?

« on: 13/07/2015 17:47:19 »

I think there may indeed have been a case some years ago when schools insisited on righthanded writing, that the few who simply couldn't do it were "genetic sinistrals"

Quite a few in my class at school were forced to write RH and described as cackhanded. LHness used to be associated with the dark side as in your eg of sinister, see also difference between adroit and gauche from right left.

Not many people realise that most of us are right-eyed. Check it out, keeping both eyes open, point your finger at a distant object as if pinting a pistol. then close the left eye. For most people the finger and object are still aligned. Now close right eye, for most people the object will appear to be to the left of the finger. Or is it the finger is to the right of the object?

613

That CAN'T be true! / Re: Were the Apollo moon landing photos faked?

« on: 11/02/2015 14:15:00 »

Let me explain why you are unlikely to get answers to your posts here and in chat (9/11 and holocaust denying).
Folks who join and participate here do so for fun and are looking for interesting topics. They have day jobs or other interests so limited time. They will therefore spend time on the more interesting topics, but are very willing to assist true seekers of knowledge.
Your postings are lengthy, on more than one topic, conspiracy related, and answering would involve a lot of time - even just typing. To you these arguments are new and interesting, but to most people here they are old hat, they will have see these arguments before, seen the errors, and got bored with them. Experience has shown that most posters of these topics rarely understand the answers and dismiss strong replies because of that lack of understanding.
Let me give you a couple of examples:
When the Apollo missions were running I was keen on Ham radio and so I know some hams were listening in to the astronauts. Recently I saw a posting which claimed to be recordings of conversations Hams had intercepted, between astronauts on the moon and Huston, which proved that the astronauts had seen aliens. As soon as I saw the transcript of the conversations between ground and moon I knew they were fakes, they were duplex and the radio hams could only pick up simplex from the moon. To explain why requires teaching the basics of radio propagation at different frequencies, modulation techniques, aerials etc. I tried to explain to a friend as simply as possible, at the end he looked rather blank and said "but we could always hear both sides of the conversation on the live tv broadcasts" DOH!
Even the old chestnut about not seeing stars on the moon photos is blindingly obvious to anyone with an interest in photography, but requires an explanation of film sensitivity, contrast ratios, exposure .......
Often people have a Disney view of physics, eg expecting to see a cartoon-plane shaped hole in the side of the Pentagon!
There is more than one thread here where folks have given up when it is obvious that the poster has not grasped the significance of the points made. No doubt the poster mistakenly feels they have proved their point and it is game over.

-----------------
Q: Why do prominent astronomers like Sir Bernard Lovell and Patrick Moore support the Moon landings if they were faked?

A: Scientists and astronomers around the globe know full well that the Moon missions were faked, but rely on NASA to gain access to the vital data beamed back to Earth from the Hubble space telescope. They cannot slag off NASA otherwise NASA would deprive them of this essential information, which they so much require.
---------------------------------------------

Perhaps you are not aware that NASA had difficultly getting the money for Hubble and so the ESA part funded it with a guarantee of access for its members. Lovell and Moore had plenty of access. I know this is not evidence - I met Patrick Moore once, we were staying at the same hotel and had dinner together. He was very passionate about space, would have been horrified at any form of deceit and would have created a real stink over being blackmailed. His celebrity made him a very powerful force, he was not afraid of Governments or NASA.
I notice you have only posted one side of these 'theories', you have not sought out the many sites which give a detailed critique of them. I suggest you do your homework, look them up and study them carefully. If you are still not convinced read them again until you understand the issues. Also read the books you were recommended so you can understand basic physics. If you then return as a genuine seeker of truth rather than a convert with an agenda, you might find people who are willing to answer one or two technical questions you cannot understand. However, remember that this is not a site for religious, political, or ideological spamming.
Apologies to everyone for long post. This is my last post on this topic, I'm off for newer more interesting items!