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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: "Name That Moon"
« on: 22/03/2006 20:13:14 »
Are you certain it's not our moon? That pic looks a lot like some that I've seen of the far side of our own moon, taken during the Apollo Missions.
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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Blocking The Suns Nasty Rays !
« on: 06/03/2006 20:17:53 »
Maybe it would be easier to just fortify the ozone layer with something that would block more UV.
But it might be a bad idea to block it all. A little UV is good for us. UV radiation plays a role in the production of vitamins D and K. UV radiation also plays a role in the pollination of certain plants since many insects find reflected UV light by some plants attractive.
And lets not forget the evolutionary aspects of the effects of UV. UV radiation can cause mutations. Some of those mutations could very well be responsible for us being who we are today.
But it might be a bad idea to block it all. A little UV is good for us. UV radiation plays a role in the production of vitamins D and K. UV radiation also plays a role in the pollination of certain plants since many insects find reflected UV light by some plants attractive.
And lets not forget the evolutionary aspects of the effects of UV. UV radiation can cause mutations. Some of those mutations could very well be responsible for us being who we are today.
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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: If the Earth had no moon !!
« on: 04/03/2006 18:34:01 »
If there were no Moon we wouldn't have any lunatics or werewolves.
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Complementary Medicine / Re: COLD SORES? happen in 30 mIN?
« on: 26/02/2006 12:58:17 »
I'm not a medical type, but.... It is my understanding that your first exposure to the virus rarely produces a sore, and subsequent flare-ups usually take several days to produce a visible sore.
I could be wrong.
I could be wrong.
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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Re: What happens if a worm is cut in half?
« on: 05/02/2006 13:02:33 »
The first one-third of the earthworm's body contains its vital organs. If it loses a small part of its tail, it will most likely live and regenerate a new tail. So you will have one alive worm and one piece of dead worm. However, a worm cut too close to its head will almost certainly die. So please don't do it. It's not pleasant. Worms are very sensitive creatures.
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Physiology & Medicine / Re: Why Do Girlies laugh Like A Pork Sausage ?
« on: 27/01/2006 19:42:38 »
Laughter is an involuntary reflex of the septic nerve, a thin cord that stretches from the Pons Idiots to the Magellenic Clouds of the lower back. When faced with a seemingly irreconcilable absurdity the cord stretches and produces laughter.
In women, repeated excessive stretching of the cord causes lines around the eyes (what we call laugh lines.) Unfortunately these lines all to often turn into permanent wrinkles. Since women with wrinkles are less likely to find a mate, the evolutionary process created a self-regulatory feedback mechanism to cut the laugh short before any damage is done. The snort is merely the sound the cord makes as it snaps back when the laugh is interrupted in mid-flow.
Pigs, believe it or not, are even more prone to wrinkling than women. As a result, their anti-laugh survival mechanism has progressed to the point where the laugh is aborted before it even becomes audible. So when a pig finds something funny all we ever hear is the snort.
Well, those are my thoughts on the matter. And thanks for asking.
In women, repeated excessive stretching of the cord causes lines around the eyes (what we call laugh lines.) Unfortunately these lines all to often turn into permanent wrinkles. Since women with wrinkles are less likely to find a mate, the evolutionary process created a self-regulatory feedback mechanism to cut the laugh short before any damage is done. The snort is merely the sound the cord makes as it snaps back when the laugh is interrupted in mid-flow.
Pigs, believe it or not, are even more prone to wrinkling than women. As a result, their anti-laugh survival mechanism has progressed to the point where the laugh is aborted before it even becomes audible. So when a pig finds something funny all we ever hear is the snort.
Well, those are my thoughts on the matter. And thanks for asking.
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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Temperature inside my car
« on: 20/01/2006 12:50:30 »
Have you tried using a thermometer to verify if it is really cooler in the car or if it just feels cooler?
If it really is cooler then maybe it could be the result of radiative cooling. Radiative cooling is when the thermal radiation (infrared at 10µm or there about) from an object on earth's surface is lost directly to the colder upper atmospheric layers. The object could cool down below the ambient air temperature. This is why on a clear night frost can appear when the air temperature is still above freezing.
If it really is cooler then maybe it could be the result of radiative cooling. Radiative cooling is when the thermal radiation (infrared at 10µm or there about) from an object on earth's surface is lost directly to the colder upper atmospheric layers. The object could cool down below the ambient air temperature. This is why on a clear night frost can appear when the air temperature is still above freezing.
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Physiology & Medicine / Re: spouse bloodgroup being same?
« on: 17/01/2006 12:20:20 »
We discussed something like this once before.
See: http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1753
See: http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1753
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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Photons & the end of the universe
« on: 03/07/2005 12:44:54 »quote:Photons are affected by the warping of space-time and the warping of space-time is due to gravity.
Originally posted by qpan
Photons are not affected by gravity...
Therefore photons ARE affected by gravity.
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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Photons & the end of the universe
« on: 20/06/2005 11:56:29 »
DrBeaver - I didn't mean to come across as being so critical. Just that your theory didn't jive with my limited and somewhat dated knowledge of dark matter. I posted those questions with the hope that someone might drop by and clear it up.
It would seem to me that if space itself stops stretching and begins to spring back on itself then that means that the whole universe will shrink. The photons, dark matter and everything else will get closer and closer together as the space between them shrinks. In the end, the whole universe and everything in it will be concentrated at a single point.
It would seem to me that if space itself stops stretching and begins to spring back on itself then that means that the whole universe will shrink. The photons, dark matter and everything else will get closer and closer together as the space between them shrinks. In the end, the whole universe and everything in it will be concentrated at a single point.
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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Photons & the end of the universe
« on: 19/06/2005 14:15:28 »
>> dark matter which is immune from gravitational effects
How can dark matter be immune from gravitational effects? I thought the whole point of the dark matter theory was to explain the gravitational motions of galaxies that can't be attributed to all the visible matter. Doesn't the theory predict that it will be the gravitational force of the dark matter that will cause the universe's expansion to reverse, leading to an eventual Big Crunch? If dark matter is immune to gravitational effects then doesn't the whole idea of a big crunch go away?
Aren't WIMPs called "weakly interacting" because they feel only the weak force and gravity... i.e. they are hard to detect because they are not sensitive to electromagnetic forces.
And since when did photons cease to be affected by gravitational fields?
How can dark matter be immune from gravitational effects? I thought the whole point of the dark matter theory was to explain the gravitational motions of galaxies that can't be attributed to all the visible matter. Doesn't the theory predict that it will be the gravitational force of the dark matter that will cause the universe's expansion to reverse, leading to an eventual Big Crunch? If dark matter is immune to gravitational effects then doesn't the whole idea of a big crunch go away?
Aren't WIMPs called "weakly interacting" because they feel only the weak force and gravity... i.e. they are hard to detect because they are not sensitive to electromagnetic forces.
And since when did photons cease to be affected by gravitational fields?
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General Science / Re: Why Does Bread Go Off Quicker In The Fridge ?
« on: 29/04/2005 11:50:27 »
After conducting a comprehensive and exhaustive literature search I found this at HGTV.com, the definitive source for bread enthusiasts. [
]
The Golden Rules
1. Never keep bread in the fridge. It encourages the bread to go stale faster. The sugars contained within the bread will crystallize in the refrigerator and cause the bread to dry out.
2. Keep the crust as the top slice. This helps to retain softness and moistness in the rest of the loaf.
3. Keep the wrapper air tight. This helps to prevent your bread drying out.
4. Use a cool, dry, dark place. Bread bins are ideal.
5. Freeze it. For longer storage, bread can be frozen for up to three months.
]The Golden Rules
1. Never keep bread in the fridge. It encourages the bread to go stale faster. The sugars contained within the bread will crystallize in the refrigerator and cause the bread to dry out.
2. Keep the crust as the top slice. This helps to retain softness and moistness in the rest of the loaf.
3. Keep the wrapper air tight. This helps to prevent your bread drying out.
4. Use a cool, dry, dark place. Bread bins are ideal.
5. Freeze it. For longer storage, bread can be frozen for up to three months.
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General Science / Re: Why Does Bread Go Off Quicker In The Fridge ?
« on: 24/04/2005 23:37:39 »
We need to hear from a bread expert. I'm only repeating what I was told. My dear old mom wasn't a scientist (unless you can call someone with a Masters in Library Science a scientist) and she wasn't even a very good cook, but she had no reason to lie to me. [
]
]
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General Science / Re: Why Does Bread Go Off Quicker In The Fridge ?
« on: 24/04/2005 20:44:23 »
My dear old mom always told me that refrigeration speeds up the crystallization of starch (I don't know if crystallization is the right word.) It turns out that temps around 40F is where the starch changes the quickest. So you should store bread in the freezer or at room temperature, but not in the fridge.
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General Science / Re: Transparent metal ?
« on: 21/04/2005 22:33:47 »quote:A footnote in my 1st edition CRC refers to an exchange student from Alabama named Al UmLmUm, et al. [
Originally posted by gsmollin
...he later agreed to change it to aluminum." It begs the question, who did he agree with? I'm guessing it was his graduate assistant...
]
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General Science / Re: Transparent metal ?
« on: 20/04/2005 19:27:53 »
The ACS just wanted to honor Sir Davy by using the word he coined... Aluminum. []
To paraphrase another Englishman, Bill Shakespeare, "a rose by any other name..."
He obviously never visited the US.
]To paraphrase another Englishman, Bill Shakespeare, "a rose by any other name..."
He obviously never visited the US.
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General Science / Re: Transparent metal ?
« on: 20/04/2005 13:53:47 »quote:It was Sir Humphry Davy, an Englishman, who named the element "aluminum". The "ium" ending was adopted later.
Originally posted by gsmollin
Well, even though the metal was found in "alum" and there was that "ium" ending for all those metals, they didn't name it "alumium" for some reason either. Its good that the Americans had the sense to choose a name that wasn't a jawbreaker.
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General Science / Re: Transparent metal ?
« on: 19/04/2005 17:05:10 »
What worries me is the false belief that "aluminium" was the original spelling. It was "aluminum" before somebody went and added the extra i. Check your CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics 53rd ed., p. B-5
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General Science / Re: Transparent metal ?
« on: 19/04/2005 15:17:18 »
It's a well known fact that Scotty gave the formula for transparent aluminum to Plexicorp way back in the 20th century. However, there's a huge glass manufacturer/government conspiracy in effect to prevent its development and use.
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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Very basic cosmology question
« on: 17/04/2005 14:11:45 »
Here again is the confusion. You are thinking of it as some sort of explosion with light and matter flying away from some central point. That is not the case.
However, there is a limit to what we can see, a.k.a the observable universe. If space were not expanding, the most distant object we could see would be about 14 billion light-years away from us, the distance from which light could have reached us in the 14 billion years since the big bang. But because the universe is expanding, the space traversed by a photon on its way here expands behind it during the voyage. Consequently, the current distance to the most distant object we can see is about three times farther, or 46 billion light-years.
There is no reason to expect that the space beyond the edge of our observable universe is any different than the space that we can see.
However, there is a limit to what we can see, a.k.a the observable universe. If space were not expanding, the most distant object we could see would be about 14 billion light-years away from us, the distance from which light could have reached us in the 14 billion years since the big bang. But because the universe is expanding, the space traversed by a photon on its way here expands behind it during the voyage. Consequently, the current distance to the most distant object we can see is about three times farther, or 46 billion light-years.
There is no reason to expect that the space beyond the edge of our observable universe is any different than the space that we can see.