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General Science / Can you really go over a rainbow?
« on: 05/11/2009 23:03:45 »
Allegedly you can never find the end of a rainbow, but can you fly over 1 & see it below you?
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Physiology & Medicine / Why does having the squits hurt so much?
« on: 28/10/2009 12:48:55 »
Oooh how I hate having the squits. Interminable time sat on the bog hoping something will happen and then, when it eventually does, oh the relief.
But every time I get the squits I get a really vicious tummy ache, a very intense, sharp pain that doubles me up at times.
What is it about the squits that causes such a nasty tummy ache?
But every time I get the squits I get a really vicious tummy ache, a very intense, sharp pain that doubles me up at times.
What is it about the squits that causes such a nasty tummy ache?
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Just Chat! / What caused this track mark across the cloud?
« on: 11/10/2009 20:34:14 »
Here is a link to a page on which is a clip of the recent Iranian missile test. It seems that something shoots across the sky and causes a rip in the cloud.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2670396.ece
I've seen it suggested that it's the shadow of the rocket, but I don't see how that can be the case. It certainly looks like a shadow but the cloud is above the rocket so any light source causing such a shadow would need to be on or near the ground.
I'd be interested to hear other's views on this.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2670396.ece
I've seen it suggested that it's the shadow of the rocket, but I don't see how that can be the case. It certainly looks like a shadow but the cloud is above the rocket so any light source causing such a shadow would need to be on or near the ground.
I'd be interested to hear other's views on this.
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General Science / Why does my BT Hub phone ring when someone calls my home line?
« on: 06/10/2009 00:59:21 »
I've got 2 fixed phone lines. 1 is a bog standard BT landline and the other came with my BT Hub broadband router. They have different numbers and are plugged into separate phone sockets on opposite sides of the room. Whenever I get a call on the standard landline the hub phone also rings. Why does that happen?
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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Are all mammal eyes basically the same?
« on: 04/10/2009 14:25:24 »
If you take an eye from a human, a mouse, and a cat they look different but, as far as I am aware, they work in basically the same way. Insects, on the other hand, have very different eyes. Are all mammal eyes basically the same or are there any mammals whose eyes differ in form or functionality? Also, are there any animals from different kingdoms (if that's the correct taxonomical word) whose eyes are similar? I.e., are there are types of, say, fish whose eyes are the same as that of an insect?
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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / How does my oxygen-producing machine work?
« on: 04/10/2009 02:38:46 »
Due to my medical condition I have had to have a machine installed in my home that produces oxygen. It's free-standing and uses ordinary air as the input. Oxygen is then pumped to the mask I wear. What does it do to the air to produce that lovely oxygen I breathe to get my lungs working again?
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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / What happens to the wall of the ovum in embryogenesis?
« on: 04/10/2009 02:08:54 »
I've just been watching a BBC iPlayer program about cells http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00m6nhq/The_Cell_The_Chemistry_of_Life/. They were talking about the work done by Theordor Boveri on sea urchins, but this questions applies to all ova. It has made me realise there is a gaping hole in my knowledge of cytology.
The program contained the requisite video sequence of cell division within the ovum and that got me wondering. If cell division takes place within the confines of the ovum, what happens to the ovum wall? Does the whole embryo develop within the ovum or does there come a point when it breaks free? I don't see that the wall can become skin as skin is made of cells & the ovum wall isn't.
As a supplemental question, I noticed that the 2 separating halves of the cell pulsated wildly as the chromosomes migrated to opposite ends of the cell and division began. What is going on there?
The program contained the requisite video sequence of cell division within the ovum and that got me wondering. If cell division takes place within the confines of the ovum, what happens to the ovum wall? Does the whole embryo develop within the ovum or does there come a point when it breaks free? I don't see that the wall can become skin as skin is made of cells & the ovum wall isn't.
As a supplemental question, I noticed that the 2 separating halves of the cell pulsated wildly as the chromosomes migrated to opposite ends of the cell and division began. What is going on there?
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General Science / Why is it dangerous to re-heat food?
« on: 03/10/2009 10:29:31 »
I had one of those ready-made curries from M&S the other day & in bold letters it stated "DO NOT REHEAT". Why not?
When I cook a curry, spag bol, casserole, etc I usually cook enough for 2 dinners so I re-heat the leftovers the next day. I've never had a problem with doing that. So why should some ready-made meals not be re-heated? Is it an advertising ploy to make us buy more or are there genuine health implications?
When I cook a curry, spag bol, casserole, etc I usually cook enough for 2 dinners so I re-heat the leftovers the next day. I've never had a problem with doing that. So why should some ready-made meals not be re-heated? Is it an advertising ploy to make us buy more or are there genuine health implications?
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Just Chat! / What happened to all the money the banks lost?
« on: 15/09/2009 00:25:24 »
Economics has never been 1 of my strong subjects so this is probably a very silly question.
Billions (or was it trillions?) of pounds/dollars were lost by banks and the world was plunged into recession. But where did the money go?
Billions (or was it trillions?) of pounds/dollars were lost by banks and the world was plunged into recession. But where did the money go?
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General Science / How does a nebuliser work?
« on: 28/08/2009 13:52:34 »
I've got 1 and I started wondering exactly how the liquid & air combine to make a vapour. Any offers?
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General Science / How bright are lighthouse lights?
« on: 26/08/2009 23:38:39 »
and other lighthouse based questions:
What is the power output of a lighthouse compared to a 100w household bulb?
Are lighthouse lights just bigger versions of household bulbs?
Do lighthouses still perform a useful function in these days of GPS?
Any pharologists who can answer these questions will have the beaver's eternal gratitude.
What is the power output of a lighthouse compared to a 100w household bulb?
Are lighthouse lights just bigger versions of household bulbs?
Do lighthouses still perform a useful function in these days of GPS?
Any pharologists who can answer these questions will have the beaver's eternal gratitude.
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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / How do beavers adapt their environment?
« on: 16/08/2009 14:31:36 »
Great short film about beavers by David Attenborough
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyNA62FrKCE&feature=fvw
I bet you chuckle at the way it ends [
]
David Attenborough is 1 of the few people I envy. What a wonderful life he's had.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyNA62FrKCE&feature=fvw
I bet you chuckle at the way it ends [
]David Attenborough is 1 of the few people I envy. What a wonderful life he's had.
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Physiology & Medicine / Are tablet sizes standardised?
« on: 12/08/2009 10:54:48 »
I have to take quite a few different medications and depending which pharmacy I go to, I get different brands. Yet all the tablets of the same type are the same size & colour regardless of which brand I get. For instance, codeine are always small & white & my morphine tabs are always medium size & brown.
Are the size & colour set by the original manufacturer before licences are issued? Is it done to make identification easier for idiots like me who get a couple of tablets out, forget to take them, then find them again a few hours later?
Are the size & colour set by the original manufacturer before licences are issued? Is it done to make identification easier for idiots like me who get a couple of tablets out, forget to take them, then find them again a few hours later?
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The Environment / What is the difference between a dust devil & a tornado?
« on: 12/08/2009 09:19:39 »
clbuckle posted a question about dust devils & it brought to mind something I've been meaning to ask for a while but keep forgetting. What distinguishes a dust devil from a tornado?
Tornados seem to start at the top & work down. Is that, in fact, what happens? Having heard the cry of "Tornado on the ground" while watching storm chasing on TV, I imagine that is so.
With dust devils, on the other hand, the first indication that 1 is forming is a swirling of dust/dirt at ground level which then gets raised into the air. However, the dust devils I've personally seen have occured on hot days with very little, or no, cloud. So is the swirling of dust on the ground merely an indication that 1 has formed higher in the air & has touched down?
So, is the difference that 1 starts at ground level and goes up whereas the other starts in the air and comes down? Or do they both form in the same way? If they do both form in the same way, is the difference just 1 of magnitude?
(waits for our FRIENDly resident windy chap to respond [
] )
Tornados seem to start at the top & work down. Is that, in fact, what happens? Having heard the cry of "Tornado on the ground" while watching storm chasing on TV, I imagine that is so.
With dust devils, on the other hand, the first indication that 1 is forming is a swirling of dust/dirt at ground level which then gets raised into the air. However, the dust devils I've personally seen have occured on hot days with very little, or no, cloud. So is the swirling of dust on the ground merely an indication that 1 has formed higher in the air & has touched down?
So, is the difference that 1 starts at ground level and goes up whereas the other starts in the air and comes down? Or do they both form in the same way? If they do both form in the same way, is the difference just 1 of magnitude?
(waits for our FRIENDly resident windy chap to respond [
] )
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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / What happens to the magnetism if all the molecules in a magnet get ripped apart?
« on: 09/08/2009 15:45:32 »
I was replying to Sheepie's thread about singularities when I had another of my silly thoughts that I have neither the knowledge nor the intellect to fathom out.
Imagine you chuck billions of magnets into a black hole. As they get closer, tidal forces will push them together. The law of averages says that some will be orientated in the same direction and will thus repel each other. I assume that at some point the external forces will overcome the magnetic repulsion & they will be pushed together.
But, when they get close enough to the centre of the black hole, they will be ripped to pieces. I think I'm right in saying that single molecules or single atoms cannot be dipoles (can they?). Certainly single particles can't, which is how the magnets will end up.
So where does the magnetism go? Does it get booted out in the form of EM radiation? If so, would a magnet being ripped apart emit more EM than a similar mass of a non-magnetic substance?
Imagine you chuck billions of magnets into a black hole. As they get closer, tidal forces will push them together. The law of averages says that some will be orientated in the same direction and will thus repel each other. I assume that at some point the external forces will overcome the magnetic repulsion & they will be pushed together.
But, when they get close enough to the centre of the black hole, they will be ripped to pieces. I think I'm right in saying that single molecules or single atoms cannot be dipoles (can they?). Certainly single particles can't, which is how the magnets will end up.
So where does the magnetism go? Does it get booted out in the form of EM radiation? If so, would a magnet being ripped apart emit more EM than a similar mass of a non-magnetic substance?
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Just Chat! / Being shot in a foreign language
« on: 08/07/2009 19:22:27 »
Western films, right? You have cowboys or cavalry (and the occasional 49er) and Indians (or, to be PC, Native Americans). When a cowboy or cavalryman (or the occasional 49er) gets shot he goes "urgh" and crumples into a heap. But the Indians (or Native Americans)cry "AAAAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEE", throw their arms in the air and leap a few feet to land in the requisite crumpled heap (Not the same crumpled heap as the cowboy, cavalryman or occasional 49er, though. That would be silly; not to mention it being against Health & Safety regulations with regard overcrowding.). Why?
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Physiology & Medicine / Why do we cry out or groan when in pain?
« on: 08/07/2009 19:14:33 »
I can maybe believe crying out when you hurt yourself could be a throwback to warning others not to do what you've just done because it hurts, but how about groaning in pain? Surely, if an injured or sick animal groans it would attract the attention of predators. Keeping silent would be a much more sound tactic.
So, peeps of hurtified behaviourism thingies, why do we do it?
So, peeps of hurtified behaviourism thingies, why do we do it?
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Just Chat! / I know something that travels faster than light
« on: 04/07/2009 00:24:58 »
Dark. No matter how fast light travels, dark always gets there first.
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General Science / What happens if I reverse the batteries in my toy car?
« on: 03/07/2009 21:16:36 »
Would it go backwards, not work, or blow up?