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Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Planet IX Megathread

Planet IX Megathread

Planet IX Megathread

Posted: 20 Jan 2016 03:22 PM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>We&#39;re getting lots of questions on the latest report of evidence for a ninth planet by K. Batygin and M. Brown released today in Astronomical Journal. If you&#39;ve got questions, ask away!</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/0004-6256/151/2/22/meta">Astronomical Journal publication</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/01/feature-astronomers-say-neptune-sized-planet-lurks-unseen-solar-system">Science Magazine press release</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/science/space/ninth-planet-solar-system-beyond-pluto.html">NY Times article</a></li> </ul> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by

We found two different plants but still classified under Adiantum philippense. Could one of these be a new specie?

Posted: 26 Jan 2016 04:00 AM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>Hi, first time posting here. </p> <p>When I was asked to get specimen of Pteridophyta for our Systematic Botany class, we got ferns that are really similar but different in some structures. </p> <p>We found herbarium sheets of both plants, but they are still classified under the same taxon. </p> <p>Hers: <a href="http://images.ala.org.au/image/viewer?imageId=af1d8e6d-a2ab-42ff-8a9a-c599ad918857">http://images.ala.org.au/image/viewer?imageId=af1d8e6d-a2ab-42ff-8a9a-c599ad918857</a></p> <p>Mine: <a href="http://images.ala.org.au/image/viewer?imageId=8b423a2a-73bc-4ac9-b661-40fee12457e5">http://images.ala.org.au/image/viewer?imageId=8b423a2a-73bc-4ac9-b661-40fee12457e5</a></p> <p>We have asked our professor but she said she knows nothing about it and told us to ask other people.</p> <p>I can provide the pictures that we took as we were taking it if asked.</p> <p>Could this something new? </p> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by

How did we come up with string theory?

Posted: 26 Jan 2016 02:33 AM PST

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Does the gravity of everything have an infinite range?

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 08:00 AM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>This may seem like a dumb question but I&#39;ll go for it. I was taught a while ago that gravity is kind of like dropping a rock on a trampoline and creating a curvature in space (with the trampoline net being space). </p> <p>So, if I place a black hole in the middle of the universe, is the fabric of space effected on the edges of the universe even if it is unnoticeable/incredibly minuscule? </p> <p>EDIT: Okay what if I put a Hydrogen atom in the middle of the universe? Does it still have an infinite range?</p> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by

What happens if two black holes collide? What's the interaction between the two horizons?

Posted: 26 Jan 2016 06:56 AM PST

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Every once in a while I notice a group of about 100 crows flying in formation around the same parking lot at the same time (5pm). At the same time, they all start squawking and find a lamp post or tree to sit on. Then a few minutes later they all start flying again. What are they doing?

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 05:05 PM PST

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Has any other animal other than human beings ever learned to pick up and throw objects with any kind of accuracy?

Posted: 26 Jan 2016 12:15 AM PST

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A black hole is a strong example of the gravitational force. Are there other incredible examples of the other 3 fundamental forces? Like &quot;an electric hole&quot; or something?

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 04:46 PM PST

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Would a perfectly insulated drinking glass ever sweat?

Posted: 26 Jan 2016 08:39 AM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>Related: You have a poorly-insulated glass and a well-insulated glass. Each is situated above a bucket, so that any sweat collecting and falling will be measured. If both glasses are filled with the same amount of equally cold liquid, which glass will produce more sweat?</p> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by

The age of the universe is 14 billion years. Its radius is assumed to be at least 45 billion light-years. How is this possible, considering the max relative speed in the speed of light?

Posted: 26 Jan 2016 03:23 AM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>I know it is related to the expansion of the universe. Is it possible to get a deeper understanding about what this means or do you just have to accept this as a fact, like: &quot;The universe expands, and since expanding is not the same as two objects having a relative speed to each other the speed of light is not the upper limit here.&quot;</p> <p>Or is there more?</p> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by

[Biology] Can whales survive in large, deep bodies of freshwater, like Lake Michigan?

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 04:57 PM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>I know there are freshwater dolphins in rivers around the world. Whales, being considerably larger would require deep water (I assume). So, given an appropriate food source, how about a pod of Orcas in the Great Lakes, or Lake Baikal?</p> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by

What technological obstacles need to be overcome to make solar energy viable?

Posted: 26 Jan 2016 07:47 AM PST

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What cycle prevents huge energy/mineral build up at the bottom of oceans?

Posted: 26 Jan 2016 01:34 AM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>A heck of a lot of things are governed by cycles - carbon, nitrogen, water etc.</p> <p>Is there a cycle that regulates how energy and nutrients are moved around in the oceans? Let&#39;s consider an example:</p> <ul> <li>Algae convert sunlight into energy in the ocean</li> <li>Plankton eat the algae</li> <li>Krill eat the plankton</li> <li>Whale eats the krill</li> <li>Whale dies and sinks to the bottom of the ocean</li> <li>Bottom feeders eat the whale</li> <li>Bottom feeders die / eaten by other bottom feeders...</li> </ul> <p>How does the nutrient and energy generated at the top of the ocean, now at the bottom of the ocean, cycle back around, or is there a huge amount of nutrients just sat at the bottom of the ocean?</p> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by

What happens if an anti-proton collides with, say, a normal neutron?

Posted: 26 Jan 2016 12:45 AM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>Everyone knows that an anti-particle annihilates its partner particle if they collide. eg, anti proton + proton = energy</p> <p>What if an anti-particle collides with normal matter that isn&#39;t its partner?</p> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by

What is the science behind the introvert-extrovert model of social interaction?

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 09:26 AM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>I have been seeing the terms &quot;introvert&quot; and &quot;extrovert&quot; used with increasing frequency as a physical diagnosis of one&#39;s capacity to interact with other people. Terms that evoke batteries--like &quot;energy&quot; and &quot;recharge&quot;--are used and there seems to an emphasis on this idea that people can be physically drained or energized by the presence of other people. </p> <p>There are many examples of this on the internet but here&#39;s <a href="http://romanjones.deviantart.com/art/How-to-Live-with-Introverts-Guide-Printable-320818879">a comic</a> I have often seen and <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/01/why-introverted-teachers-are-burning-out/425151/">an article</a> I just stumbled upon that I think show my point.</p> <p>I think that this is an interesting way to characterize human interaction and it <em>sounds</em> very good. However it seems like an overly simplistic description of something which has a huge variety of factors at play (mental illness, socialization, etc.). I want to know is there any scientific lab or paper which produced this energy-based model originally or is it just something which sounds good and has been internalized by our culture?</p> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by

Hypothetically, if I tether a rope long enough for point A to be *outside* of the light cone of point B and pull, what happens?

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 09:39 PM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>Let&#39;s say it&#39;s Earth/Sun (8 light minutes). If I pull point A and suppose the rope itself is pulled taut, does point B move after 8 minutes?</p> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by

Why Don't Photons Interact with the Higgs Field?

Posted: 26 Jan 2016 07:20 AM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>Sorry if this is a stupid question. But from my understanding, particles Interact with the Higgs Field and by Doing so, they get mass. But why don&#39;t Photons Interact with the field, but all other particles do?</p> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by

How can 99% of the universe be plasma, when the average temperature of space is -270 degrees C?

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 07:08 PM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>I&#39;ve been reading about plasma and I was under the impression that gases have to be heated to very hot temperatures in order to become plasma, but how can plasma be so prominent in space where it is so cold. How do we have stars which are giant balls of plasma even forming when the universe is so cold?</p> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by

Why is it so hard to make multi-threaded programs?

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 04:51 PM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>We have been using multi-core CPUs for a relatively long time. For example i am using a 4-core CPU in my home PC. But there are not so many programs that utilize all cores effectively? Why don&#39;t we still have so many multi-threaded apps? (other than the specific ones like some games or business/science stuff)</p> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by

Do different body parts perceive heat differently?

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 07:34 PM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>I&#39;m sorry if this is a dumb question but today while eating soup the bowl was very hot when touching it with my hand but i spilled some on the outside of the bowl and I licked it with my tongue and it didn&#39;t seem as hot. Is there a reason such as nerves? Thanks!</p> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by

What would happen if we create a sufficiently large gear and I rotate it so fast that the tangential speed gets faster than the speed of light?

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 05:39 PM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>We all know that the speed of light is the maximum speed anything can reach. But theoretically it may be possible to build a gear large enough to make a reasonable angular speed into a tangential speed faster than light. Of course it would not be possible with the technology we have today but other celestial bodies, such as really large planets, come to mind.</p> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by

When supernovas occur, the neutrinos reach us before the light does - but neutrinos have mass, and therefore cannot travel at exactly c. Why wouldn't the light catch up to and pass the neutrinos before they reach us?

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 12:51 PM PST

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Is it possible for someone to 'forget' how to breath?

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 04:03 PM PST

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Can we create a single cell organism with basic chemicals/compounds? If it occurred naturally 4 billion years ago, can we recreate this event in a lab?

Posted: 25 Jan 2016 08:30 AM PST

<!-- SC_OFF --><div class="md"><p>If it&#39;s already happened, sorry! </p> </div><!-- SC_ON --> submitted by
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