AskScience AMA Series: We are members of 500 Women Scientists, an organization working to build an all-inclusive and diverse scientific community. Ask Us Anything!

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• AskScience AMA Series: We are members of 500 Women Scientists, an organization working to build an all-inclusive and diverse scientific community. Ask Us Anything!
• Last year, CERN released 300 terabytes of Large Hadron Collider data. Why does particle physics use so much data?
• Do chaotic systems behave normally under tiny variations of the initial conditions?
• Are fingerprints genetic at all? Would you be able to tell that someone is related to another person if their fingerprints are similar?
• Why is the maximum spin of a black hole 84% the speed of light?
• Are there any fusion reactions using plain hydrogen?
• Why is AVI format no longer the preferred video format choice?
• Can we predict chemical stability?
• What would someone see after vision was denied for decades?
• How typical is it for a planet's poles to be its coldest regions? Are there planets that have one of their poles pointing towards the star that is extremely warm?
• Are there any species that migrate East-West?
• Why don't polysaccharide vaccines work for children under 2?
• Can coral bleaching be reversed?
• Does viscous liquids like honey create sonoluminescence like in water?
• What is the difference between medical steroids and athletic steroids?
• Do elder people who suffer memory loss start losing different "kinds" of memories in a particular order?
• Is water unusually weird?
• Is galaxy shape related to galaxy age?
• What makes a dishwasher safe item "safe"?
• What is happening when we put seashells to our ear and "hear the ocean"?

AskScience AMA Series: We are members of 500 Women Scientists, an organization working to build an all-inclusive and diverse scientific community. Ask Us Anything! Posted: 27 Mar 2017 05:00 AM PDT 500 Women Scientists is a grassroots organization started by four women who met in graduate school at CU Boulder and who maintained friendships and collaborations after jobs and life took them away from Boulder. Immediately following the November 2016 election, we published an open letter re-affirming our commitment to speak up for science and for women, minorities, immigrants, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA. Over 17,000 women from more than 100 countries have signed in support of 500 Women Scientists, pledging to build an inclusive scientific community dedicated to training a more diverse group of future leaders in science and to use the language of science to bridge divides and enhance global diplomacy. 500 Women Scientists works to build communities and foster real change that comes from small groups, not large crowds. Our Local Pods help create those deep roots through strong, personal relationships. Local Pods are where women scientists meet regularly, develop a support network, make strategic plans, and take action. Pods focus on issues that resonate in their communities, rooted in our mission and values. With us today are six members of the group. They will be answering questions at different points throughout the day so please be patient with receiving answers. Wendy Bohon (Dr_Wendy) - Hi, I'm Dr. Wendy Bohon! My research focuses on examining how the surface and near surface of the earth changes as the result of earthquakes. I also work on improving public education and perception of science, particularly seismology and earthquake hazards. I'm a woman, a scientist, a mother and a proud member of 500 Women Scientists! Hi, I'm Kelly Fleming, AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow and co-leader of 500 Women Scientists. I firmly believe that for science to serve all of society, it must be accessible to diverse people - including underrepresented minorities, immigrants, women, and LGBTQIA people. Although I don't do research anymore, my Ph.D. is in chemical engineering from the University of Washington, where I studied reactions that help turn plant material into fuels. Tessa Hill - I am Tessa Hill, an oceanographer at UC Davis, based at Bodega Marine Laboratory. I study impacts of climate change on the ocean, including ocean acidification, which is a chemical change occurring in the ocean due to our carbon dioxide emissions. I am excited to be working with 500 Women Scientists to encourage a diverse, inclusive and thriving scientific community. You can find me on Twitter (@Tessa_M_Hill) and our lab Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/oceanbiogeochemistry Monica Mugnier (MonicaMugnier) - Hi, I'm Dr. Monica Mugnier. I'm an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. My lab studies how African trypanosomes, the parasites that cause African sleeping sickness, hide from our immune systems. You can read about our work in more detail at www.mugnierlab.org. When I am not pondering parasites, I spend a lot of time thinking about how we can make the scientific community a more welcoming place for everyone. Kathleen Ritterbush - Hi, I'm Dr. Kathleen Ritterbush, Assistant Professor of paleontology at the University of Utah. My students and I study mass extinctions and ecosystem changes of sea animals from the time of the dinosaurs and earlier. I believe science careers should include all kinds of people, engage our communities, and support work-life balance. Hi there, I'm a planetary volcanologist. I study the physics of volcanic processes on the Earth, the Moon, Venus, and Mars using combinations of satellite data, field work, and laboratory experiments. I'm currently transitioning from a position as a postdoctoral fellow at a public university to one at a federal agency. Because I'm a federal employee, I think it is prudent to remain anonymous but I am happy to answer as many of your questions as I can! submitted by /u/AskScienceModerator [link] [comments]

Last year, CERN released 300 terabytes of Large Hadron Collider data. Why does particle physics use so much data? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 05:51 PM PDT submitted by /u/lapapinton [link] [comments]

Do chaotic systems behave normally under tiny variations of the initial conditions? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 11:50 PM PDT Take for example a double pendulum. If you varied the initial condition by an arbitrarily small amount, surely there would be a point after which the trajectory wouldn't change. If you did this tiny change enough times, the trajectory would eventually be different too. Would it be continuous? How can we describe the way the system changes under small enough intervals? submitted by /u/Ninjaofdoom [link] [comments]

Are fingerprints genetic at all? Would you be able to tell that someone is related to another person if their fingerprints are similar? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 11:39 AM PDT submitted by /u/cork_stopper [link] [comments]

Why is the maximum spin of a black hole 84% the speed of light? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 01:58 PM PDT submitted by /u/DarkDevildog [link] [comments]

Are there any fusion reactions using plain hydrogen? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 04:32 PM PDT I've looked around and found ones using the isotopes deuterium and tritium and even a helium isotope helium 3. However all of those would require a refining process to isolate those isotopes from the much more abundant regular versions of those elements. Is there a fusion reaction that uses just plain hydrogen? submitted by /u/Idle_Redditing [link] [comments]

Why is AVI format no longer the preferred video format choice? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 04:15 PM PDT It used to be much more popular, but seems to have been taken by MKV and MP4 formats. Why? submitted by /u/shroomery1 [link] [comments]

Can we predict chemical stability? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 12:50 PM PDT Is it possible to see trends and make predictions in chemical stability of some species? For example, take CO and CO2, in the case of carbon monoxide, the oxygen has to share one electron pair completely with the carbon to fill the octets, would this make this molecule less stable than CO2? And also SO and SO2, SO2 has a structure in which S has to lend electrons to the O atoms to get octets which gives a net charge, would SO2 be less stable than SO by this logic? submitted by /u/MappeMappe [link] [comments]

What would someone see after vision was denied for decades? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 01:42 PM PDT I'm curious about 2 situations (normal anatomy in both): 1) vision denied at birth (darkness, blindfolded or eyes closed) and then vision restored at age 30. 2) normal vision until 2 years of age and then vision denied for 30 years before being restored. I know in the first case, the visual cortex wouldn't develop properly, so they wouldn't be able to see, per se. But would there be any sensation when they opened their eyes? submitted by /u/styvx [link] [comments]

How typical is it for a planet's poles to be its coldest regions? Are there planets that have one of their poles pointing towards the star that is extremely warm? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 11:46 AM PDT submitted by /u/scamp41 [link] [comments]

Are there any species that migrate East-West? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 11:01 AM PDT I understand the reason for the North-South migration because of seasonal temperature changes, but are there any East-West migrations? Maybe to follow precipitation? submitted by /u/muddy_wedge [link] [comments]

Why don't polysaccharide vaccines work for children under 2? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 11:50 AM PDT Learned this back in my preclinical years but never really understand it, can someone explain this for me? submitted by /u/Alcoholic_Gingerbeer [link] [comments]

Can coral bleaching be reversed? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 10:45 AM PDT I keep seeing on the news "go see the Great Barrier Reef now before its gone forever" because of climate change. Is it possible to save or revive all of these dyeing corals? Or if they're dead, are they dead for good? submitted by /u/elizabethbrooks [link] [comments]

Does viscous liquids like honey create sonoluminescence like in water? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 08:29 AM PDT submitted by /u/Cats_with_lasers [link] [comments]

What is the difference between medical steroids and athletic steroids? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 10:23 AM PDT submitted by /u/Hat-Bear [link] [comments]

Do elder people who suffer memory loss start losing different "kinds" of memories in a particular order? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 10:14 AM PDT When my grandmother developed dementia, the first memories she started losing were memories about her homes first, then followed by memories about people she knew, then followed by memories about other things, etc... Now it seems my grandfather is developing dementia as well, or Alzheimer, he is still pretty much aware of his surroundings but he too is starting to suffer memory loss, and he too is starting from memories about his home, he doesn't recognize it anymore or he thinks his home is still the one from his youth. Is it just casual that both my grandparents started losing different memories in what seems to be the same order, or is there an actual pattern for what memories you lose first when you suffer memory loss? submitted by /u/tribdol [link] [comments]

Is water unusually weird? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 03:23 AM PDT There's a lot of talk about the strange properties of water (ice being heavier than liquid water etc.). Does water really have less predictable characteristics than other substances, or has water just been studied and talked about more because it's importance to us? submitted by /u/Furishon [link] [comments]

Is galaxy shape related to galaxy age? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 01:28 AM PDT I'm the questioner's dad. My son can't type yet, so I just recorded his question. Here it is: https://youtu.be/tDPhv-Kcg0w "...I wanna know, actually, if young galaxies are really irregulars, the middle aged ones are kind of like spirals, like this galaxy, the Milky Way, and then, like, the elliptical ones are really old galaxies." Thanks. submitted by /u/Pagzma [link] [comments]

What makes a dishwasher safe item "safe"? Posted: 26 Mar 2017 08:03 AM PDT submitted by /u/pyroguy174 [link] [comments]

What is happening when we put seashells to our ear and "hear the ocean"? Posted: 25 Mar 2017 02:43 PM PDT submitted by /u/deathpool22 [link] [comments]

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