Ask Anything Wednesday - Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science | AskScience Blog

Pages

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Ask Anything Wednesday - Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science

Ask Anything Wednesday - Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science


Ask Anything Wednesday - Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science

Posted: 26 Oct 2016 08:05 AM PDT

Welcome to our weekly feature, Ask Anything Wednesday - this week we are focusing on Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science

Do you have a question within these topics you weren't sure was worth submitting? Is something a bit too speculative for a typical /r/AskScience post? No question is too big or small for AAW. In this thread you can ask any science-related question! Things like: "What would happen if...", "How will the future...", "If all the rules for 'X' were different...", "Why does my...".

Asking Questions:

Please post your question as a top-level response to this, and our team of panellists will be here to answer and discuss your questions.

The other topic areas will appear in future Ask Anything Wednesdays, so if you have other questions not covered by this weeks theme please either hold on to it until those topics come around, or go and post over in our sister subreddit /r/AskScienceDiscussion , where every day is Ask Anything Wednesday! Off-theme questions in this post will be removed to try and keep the thread a manageable size for both our readers and panellists.

Answering Questions:

Please only answer a posted question if you are an expert in the field. The full guidelines for posting responses in AskScience can be found here. In short, this is a moderated subreddit, and responses which do not meet our quality guidelines will be removed. Remember, peer reviewed sources are always appreciated, and anecdotes are absolutely not appropriate. In general if your answer begins with 'I think', or 'I've heard', then it's not suitable for /r/AskScience.

If you would like to become a member of the AskScience panel, please refer to the information provided here.

Past AskAnythingWednesday posts can be found here.

Ask away!

submitted by /u/AutoModerator
[link] [comments]

AskScience AMA Series: We are scientists with the Dog Aging Project, and we're excited to talk about improving the quality and quantity of life for our pets. Ask Us Anything!

Posted: 26 Oct 2016 05:14 AM PDT

Hello Reddit, we are excited to talk to you about the Dog Aging Project. Here to discuss your questions are:

  • Dr. Matt Kaeberlein, Professor at the University of Washington Department of Pathology, co-director of the Dog Aging Project
  • Dr. Daniel Promislow, Professor at the University of Washington Departments of Biology and Pathology, co-director of the Dog Aging Project
  • Dr. Kate Creevy, Professor at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, lead veterinarian for the Dog Aging Project
  • Dr. Silvan Urfer, Senior Fellow at the University of Washington Department of Pathology, veterinary informatics officer for the Dog Aging Project

Our goal is to define the biological and environmental factors that influence healthy aging in dogs at high resolution, and to use this information to improve the quality and quantity of life for our pets. So far, most scientific research on the biology of aging (geroscience) has been conducted in the lab under standardized conditions. Results from these studies have been quite encouraging (for example, Matt's group has recently managed to extend life expectancy in middle-aged mice by 60%). We believe that the domestic dog is ideally suited to bring this work out of the lab and into the real world. There are many reasons why dogs are uniquely suited for this effort, including that they share our environment, receive comparable medical care, are affected by many of the same age-related diseases, and have excellent health and life span data available.

While aging is not a disease, it is the most important risk factor for a wide range of diseases such as cancer, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, kidney failure and so on. Therefore, by targeting the biological mechanisms of aging, we can expect to see benefits across the spectrum of those otherwise unrelated diseases - which has lead us to state that healthy aging is in fact The Ultimate Preventive Medicine.

Our hope is that by understanding the biological and environmental factors that influence the length of time an individual lives in good health (what we call 'healthspan'), we can better understand how to maximize each individual dog's healthspan. Having dogs live and stay healthy for longer will be beneficial for both the dogs and their owners. Moreover, given that dogs live in the same environment as we do, what we learn about healthspan in dogs is likely to apply to humans as well – so understanding healthy aging in dogs might help us to learn how to ensure the highest level of health at old age for humans.

We welcome interested citizen scientists to sign up their dogs to be considered for two studies:

  • The Longitudinal Study will study 10,000 dogs (our 'foundation cohort') of all breeds and ages throughout North America. This intensively studied cohort will be followed through regular owner questionnaires, yearly vet visits including bloodwork, and information about in-home behavior, environmental quality, and more. In a subset of these dogs (our 'precision cohort'), we will also include annual studies of state-of-the-art molecular biology ('epigenome', 'microbiome' and 'metabolome') information. Our goal is to better understand how biology and the environment affect aging and health. Results from this study should help us to better predict and diagnose disease earlier, and so improve our ability to treat and prevent disease. There are no health, size or age requirements for dogs to be eligible to participate in this study.
  • The Interventional Study will test the effects of a drug called rapamycin on healthspan and lifespan in dogs. This is a drug that has shown promising effects on aging in a wide variety of species, and based on those results we expect to see a 2 to 5 year increase in healthy lifespan in dogs. We have previously tested rapamycin in a pilot study on healthy dogs for 10 weeks and found improved heart function that was specific to age-related changes, and no significant adverse side effects. For the Interventional Study, we will treat 300 healthy middle-aged dogs with either rapamycin or a placebo for several years and compare health outcomes and mortality between the two groups. To be eligible to participate, dogs will need to be healthy, at least six years of age at the beginning of the study, and weigh at least 18 kg (40 lbs).

The Dog Aging Project believes in the value of Open Science. We will collect an enormous amount of data for this project - enough to keep scores of scientists busy for many years. Other than any personal information about owners, we will make all of our data publicly available so that scientists and veterinarians around the world can make discoveries. We are also dedicated to Citizen Science, and will endeavor to create ways for all dog owners to become a part of the process of scientific discovery as the Dog Aging Project moves forward.

We'll be on at noon pacific time (3 PM ET, 19 UT), ask us anything!

submitted by /u/AskScienceModerator
[link] [comments]

Is it possible to have visible electricity, such as electric arcs, that are also safe to handle?

Posted: 26 Oct 2016 02:05 AM PDT

In other words, essentially handling a plasma globe without the protective plastic barrier

submitted by /u/SpookyKit
[link] [comments]

Say that atoms found in the island of stability were found to be really stable. What could we potentially use them for?

Posted: 26 Oct 2016 03:22 AM PDT

There is something called the island of stability which dictates that it may exist heavy elements that are stable. If we create such elements and their half-time is on the order of years. What could we use this new material for?

submitted by /u/mrconter1
[link] [comments]

Hyper saline lakes such as the Dead Sea have extra buoyancy. Would a boat have to be designed differently than for a normal lake, and how well would a normal boat work on a hyper saline lake?

Posted: 25 Oct 2016 08:28 PM PDT

What makes prions so lethal, and mysterious?

Posted: 25 Oct 2016 12:24 PM PDT

Why doesn't it get twice as bright when I turn on a second lightbulb?

Posted: 25 Oct 2016 02:22 PM PDT

If the voltage id high enough, would electricity be able to arc in space?

Posted: 25 Oct 2016 09:23 PM PDT

Could someone explain what this IUPAC definition of "molecule" entails?

Posted: 25 Oct 2016 09:49 PM PDT

"An electrically neutral entity consisting of more than one atom (n > 1). Rigorously, a molecule, in which n > 1 must correspond to a depression on the potential energy surface that is deep enough to confine at least one vibrational state."

What type of bonds does the vibrational state indicate (ionic, covalent, van der waals). Does it mean that entities like DNA aren't counted as molecules under this definition since they aren't charge neutral?

submitted by /u/portmantoux
[link] [comments]

Can neutron stars spontaneously turn into black holes?

Posted: 25 Oct 2016 04:49 PM PDT

I know that if a star over a certain weight threshold explodes, it turns ino blackhole immediately, but what if it's just barely underweight? What if it hits a bigger planet, or another star?

submitted by /u/Abodyhun
[link] [comments]

How would one clear magnetite nanoparticles from the human brain?

Posted: 25 Oct 2016 07:20 PM PDT

Why do vibrations make sound?

Posted: 26 Oct 2016 01:35 AM PDT

Isn't it just physical movement? Where does the sound come from? If it's something like kinetic energy gets converted into sound, why does that happen?

submitted by /u/CountAardvark
[link] [comments]

If a space shuttle accelerates in space, what stops it from accelerating with no friction acting on it ?

Posted: 26 Oct 2016 12:00 AM PDT

I am aware that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, but if a ship was to say sling shot round the moon using its gravity, why doesn't the ship just keep on accelerating to infinite speeds?

submitted by /u/Shnoochieboochies
[link] [comments]

How are spiney mammals birthed?

Posted: 26 Oct 2016 06:47 AM PDT

I think that hedgehogs and porcupines are born with their spines. How has mama-porcupine and mama-hedgehog evolved to birth these prickly spawn? Are they born in a their sac to preserve mom's birth canal?

submitted by /u/DumplingDarling
[link] [comments]

How do electronics prevent damage or fires when their chargers are left plugged in?

Posted: 25 Oct 2016 12:06 PM PDT

When my phone is done charging, generally I am asleep and can't unplug it. It doesn't matter; the phone has some sort of feature built in to prevent any damage to the phone or any fires.

I'm not sure if the phone or charger somehow switches to 'trickle charge', or how it does so. Is there an electronic component that adds a load to a circuit, does the phone essentially disconnect from the circuit, or what?

submitted by /u/TheHairlessGorilla
[link] [comments]

What produces more power, a four cylinder engine or an eight cylinder engine with smaller pistons but an equally cylinder area?

Posted: 26 Oct 2016 04:36 AM PDT

What effects, if any, do the Earth's Cratons and Shields have on tectonic activity?

Posted: 26 Oct 2016 04:24 AM PDT

What is the relevance of gauge transformation in relativistic electrodynamics?

Posted: 25 Oct 2016 02:05 PM PDT

I've been studying relativistic electrodynamics recently and came across the gauge transformations. Why exactly are those transformations relevant in this context?

submitted by /u/ToastGiraffe
[link] [comments]

Why is micro (μ) the only prefix which doesn't use a letter from the latin alphabet?

Posted: 26 Oct 2016 03:10 AM PDT

Why is chemotherapy effective on some patients but not for others?

Posted: 25 Oct 2016 10:01 AM PDT

How does the temperature of colder planets core relate to warmer planets core closer to closer to the sun?

Posted: 25 Oct 2016 10:47 PM PDT

Why do streams of ejected liquids break continuous form and lump together into separate projectiles?

Posted: 25 Oct 2016 10:37 PM PDT

To elaborate, I mean why does the water from a hose break into pieces as they fall. Or like this can of beans

submitted by /u/ChemicalMurdoc
[link] [comments]

If new elements are created by fusing old ones together (I'm aware that this is greatly simplified). Are there infinitely many undiscovered elements?

Posted: 25 Oct 2016 09:41 AM PDT

Are there infinitely many undiscovered elements waiting to be created (regardless of the difficulty of creating said element) or is there some sort of invisible wall that we might hit?

Thank you.

submitted by /u/Kyrie01010011
[link] [comments]

Can you build muscle mass on your face with the right exercises just like you could with your biceps and thighs etc.?

Posted: 26 Oct 2016 01:05 AM PDT

No comments:

Post a Comment