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Saturday, September 30, 2017

How does my phone know how much battery is left?

How does my phone know how much battery is left?


How does my phone know how much battery is left?

Posted: 29 Sep 2017 04:20 PM PDT

What is the phone juice people?

submitted by /u/GCARNO
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Is there a way or has there ever been a case where protons are removed from the nucleus of an atom?

Posted: 29 Sep 2017 06:28 PM PDT

I don't know much about atoms and science-y things, but I've been wondering if there ever has been an instance where protons were removed from the nucleus of an atom, or if there's a theoretical way to do so.

If there has been, what affect did it have on the atom. If it's purely theoretical, then how could it be accomplished

If it can't be done, then why?

submitted by /u/fan-1
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How hazardous and toxic will it be if a nuclear warhead containing plutonium would disintegrate at reentry without detonation?

Posted: 30 Sep 2017 02:09 AM PDT

With all the tensions between US-NK and the later's reentry test failures, I'm curious if even a failed nuclear warhead can have grave consequences on its target. Plutonium is one of the most toxic elements to life that we know of if ingested somehow into our bodies. Lets presume that the reentry vehicle of the North Koreans is similar to the american W87. The materials used in the design of the cone are state secret (Most likely something with good refractory properties, like carbon etc), but lets assume that the entire vehicle fails/cracks open exposing the peanut core at high altitude and allows it to burn into the atmosphere. Are there any safety mechanisms for this situation, at least used by the nations that have experience with nuclear weapons? What is the trigger of such a weapon, and could such a fail activate it and detonate it into the high atmosphere?

submitted by /u/path_ologic
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if we ever run out of copper, for ecample for cables, what's our best bet in terms of price and availability?

Posted: 30 Sep 2017 04:21 AM PDT

How different would modern man be if we evolved as herbivores?

Posted: 29 Sep 2017 07:28 PM PDT

If we know the bacteria that cause pneumonia why can't we make a vaccine for it?

Posted: 30 Sep 2017 04:46 AM PDT

Constant acceleration/deceleration as artificial gravity?

Posted: 30 Sep 2017 05:27 AM PDT

One of the main challenges of a crewed mission to Mars is the prolonged period of microgravity and its negative health effects. Setting aside the limitations of fuel, would it be possible to launch a ship that had a constant one-g acceleration until halfway to Mars, and then a constant one-g deceleration for the rest of the trip? I know orbital mechanics are tricky, so I'm not sure that it would work, but if we somehow had an engine and fuel source that could do it, the crew would effectively have artificial gravity for almost the entire trip.

submitted by /u/skip6235
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Why can the large majority of other mammals walk directly after birth, whilst humans during infancy cannot?

Posted: 29 Sep 2017 11:41 PM PDT

Where do the atoms come from when life is created?

Posted: 29 Sep 2017 01:21 PM PDT

Are the pulled from the atmosphere? Generated somehow? Ex: when offspring is created, I get the cellular reproduction part, but not where these atoms come from to create the new cells.

submitted by /u/ObiWan-Shinoobi
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How long did it take for islands to breakaway from their continents?

Posted: 29 Sep 2017 11:54 PM PDT

So Madagascar broke away from Africa over 120 million years ago: But exactly how long did it take for the island to completely break off? What would the transition look like?

submitted by /u/ntguysguynt
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How does algae reproduce in mountain streams without being "flushed out"?

Posted: 29 Sep 2017 01:25 PM PDT

I've been taught that algae reproduces either asexually or through spores. How then do algal populations persist in mountain streams? Without a means of upstream dispersal, it seems that any population would be flushed downstream within a number of generations.

submitted by /u/still_not
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Given a Mercator Projection map of the Earth a metre wide, how tall would it have to be to have a scale of 1:1 at the top and bottom of the map?

Posted: 29 Sep 2017 12:27 PM PDT

Would sound waves propagate through any arbitrary amount of gas in the vacuum of space?

Posted: 29 Sep 2017 06:15 PM PDT

If you and I were floating in space, totally exposed, and I screamed directly into your ear with lungs full of air, would you hear anything? In other words, is the air in my lungs voluminous enough to allow sound to travel through over short distances in a vacuum?

submitted by /u/jmd9qs
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Does the human brain have a max capacity for names? Do we start to forget people's names to make room for new ones?

Posted: 29 Sep 2017 11:35 AM PDT

Would the light from Proxima Centauri look noticably redder as seen from its planet? How does the color of a red dwarf compare to the color of a noticably red visible sky star like Betelgeuse?

Posted: 29 Sep 2017 08:39 PM PDT

What is the difference between machine learning and data analytics?

Posted: 29 Sep 2017 10:46 AM PDT

I understand that machine learning is a way to teach AIs by using large data sets while big data analytics is essentially finding solutions using big data sets, but they seem to have the same outcome. I can see how I'm comparing apples and oranges here, but I can't seem to get my head around it. Please help.

submitted by /u/MisterHeatMiser
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Friday, September 29, 2017

Does fission occur inside of a star? If so, how far down the periodic table does fission occur inside of a star?

Does fission occur inside of a star? If so, how far down the periodic table does fission occur inside of a star?


Does fission occur inside of a star? If so, how far down the periodic table does fission occur inside of a star?

Posted: 29 Sep 2017 03:59 AM PDT

If helium-3 is so energy dense as fusion fuel, shouldn't we need very little of it?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 10:27 PM PDT

And is enriched tritium decay enough to meet demand?

submitted by /u/pimpmastahanhduece
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Are there Moons that have Moons themselves or any other satellites? And if yes are there Moon's Moons with additional sattelites?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 05:53 PM PDT

How can computers generate random numbers when they just read instructions (code)?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 02:51 PM PDT

Is there a different compass used in outer space?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 08:35 PM PDT

I assume the concepts of North, South, East, and West are kind of lost when put in the abyss of space, so what is used in it's place to tell direction?

submitted by /u/deathofaeris
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Is there a colour our eyes can see but common camera chips can't detect?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 01:57 PM PDT

Non-photo blue is used for graphics and sketches that should disappear when scanned in a photo-copier or when converted to grayscale and some shades of purple seem to shift to blue when taken with an (older) camera. However, is there a colour our eyes can see but common (smartphone) cameras can't detect at all?

submitted by /u/jaZoo
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Why is the C.M.B. visible in every direction?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 05:17 PM PDT

If it is the case that the big bang was a local event; how is it that the cosmic microwave background is visible from every spacial angle?

If there was superluminal expansion, surely only one direction should have the remnants.

If the photons escaped the plasma during expansion, surely there was nothing for them to scatter off of -- back towards us -- and we shouldn't see anything.

Is it topological? Something like a 4-D stereographic projection where the projection point is the big bang such that all 3-D spacial paths trace a meridian back into the past?

How can we even tell that it's the big bang and not radiation from non-observable universe beyond our small bubble?

submitted by /u/Verandure
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Why does rubbing salt into a wound hurt so much?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 11:41 AM PDT

Sodium channels?

submitted by /u/zorbix
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Does an animal such as a wood frog, that enters dormancy for half the year through freezing, have its lifespan shortened proportionally if kept in a warm environment?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 09:26 AM PDT

Why electric waves and magnetic waves are at right angles?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 06:04 PM PDT

Hi I'm looking into electromagnetic waves and have found lots of information about how a positive electrical charge creates a magnetic field and vice versa.. But I haven't yet found an explanation as to why they are created at a right angle? Logic would tell me that from an event, the result would be created in all directions, so why at a right angle? And also, with these events not actually being flat in any sense, what is the right angle even relative to?

If anyone has a link to a video or something that could explain this it'd be much appreciated. If the answers become too mathematical, I won't be able to follow.

Thanks!

submitted by /u/Dantholemew
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How do labs ensure that the mice they test on don't suffer genetic problems from inbreeding through the supplier? Wouldn't genetically damaged mice invalidate research?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 01:36 PM PDT

How is the effect of drugs on fetuses tested when taken by the mother?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 01:26 PM PDT

So I was listening to a podcast today that was discussing Thalidomide back in the 60s. One consequence they brought up of all of the birth defects in children whose mothers had taken thalidomide for morning sickness was this led to clinical trials excluding all women until the 90s, and not until 2016 was it mandated that women be included in all phases of testing, which seems absolutely crazy to me.

So that got me wondering, how do doctors determine the effects different medicines will have on fetuses. I can't imagine anyone would risk their child's life to participate in a study. Do they just have to use anecdotal evidence? Are pregnant women simply advised to not take anything for fear of damaging the fetus. And what about drugs specifically intended for pregnant women?

submitted by /u/Jts124
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When you think about a body part (without moving it), are you causing any physiological changes in that body part?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 07:00 AM PDT

For example sending any electrical signals, or strengthening any nerve pathways? Or are you just bringing to mind the signals it's already giving you that you just weren't focused on before (like if it's hot or cold or if it's in pain)? I was thinking about this originally in the context of yoga but am now just curious about how thinking about a body part works. Often in yoga classes instructors will tell you to "focus on" or "bring awareness to" a certain body part, usually at the beginning or end of a class while you are doing a bit of meditation. What does this do in your body

submitted by /u/eetwee
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What is the large, round geologic feature found approximately 15 miles northeast of Crater Lake, in Oregon?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 10:49 PM PDT

I fell down an internet rabbit hole today learning about the geologic formation of the Western United States. I spent some time looking at Google maps and found an interesting, unnamed feature about 15 miles Northeast of Crater Lake in Oregon. What is this feature, and how did it form?

submitted by /u/raven_shadow_walker
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Why can't all chemotherapy treatments be done at home?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 01:21 PM PDT

Many chemo-treatments can be done from home, which include taking medication, IVs, or injections. But throughout my research the doctor makes the decision of whether or not it can be done at the patient's home. What are the factors that go into their decision to why or why not it can be done at home?

submitted by /u/Pandablurre
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Why do some spiders hoist pebbles from the ground and sometimes weave them into their webs?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 11:04 AM PDT

I have seen this several times in northern Germany. But I never understood why the spiders do this and how it benefits them.

Here are some examples I could find on the net:

http://he-who-photographs-rather-ok.tumblr.com/post/165834918679/this-is-a-weird-thing-how-did-this-pebble-got

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeXdMKOCPj8

submitted by /u/Eastern_Calculus
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Is there any physical limit on how intense light can be?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 06:37 AM PDT

If you increase the number of photons in a given volume of space, does there reach a point when you can't continue to add more photons?

submitted by /u/holysitkit
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What's happening under the ocean while a hurricane is above it? Is it as crazy/destructive/turbulent/etc as it is above or is it not really noticeable underwater?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 08:05 AM PDT

Sorry, but I asked this same question in the megathread a day ago, but did not get a response. Thanks!

submitted by /u/Truck_Stop_Reuben
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Does p-orbital transition to s-orbital by oscillating probability density from lobe to lobe and settling down as a sphere, tracing out a sine wave of electrical disturbance as a photon?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 11:13 AM PDT

Catchy title, I know, but I had to phrase it as a question to get accepted...
During my physics degree, I'm sure I recall seeing an animation of a p (dumbell shaped) orbital decaying into an s (spherical) orbital by the charge distribution swaying between the two lobes of the p-orbital and eventually coming to a rest in the middle as a sphere. As the charge moves from side to side, it traces out a sine wave - the photon being emitted.
a) Does anyone have any idea whether this is an accurate representation of electron transitions emitting photons (and presumably the opposite occurring when a photon strikes an s-orbital and excites the electron into a p-orbital)?
My gut instinct tells me that this is pretty accurate, and fits with what I recall from quantum mechanics lectures about wave equations and so on.
and b) Does anyone know where I could find a copy of this animation? Searching Google and YouTube only brings up unanimated diagrams showing an instantaneous "flip" into the other orbital shape. I'd estimate that the original clip I saw was 30s long, but may have been part of a longer video - I saw this sometime before 2009, so my recall is hazy.

submitted by /u/crumpledlinensuit
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Does it take more energy to travel against the spin of a galaxy?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 10:18 AM PDT

If the milky way is rotating clockwise, are there forces (gravity, others) that would make it more difficult to travel counterclockwise, or "against the grain" so to speak? Or does that not make a difference?

submitted by /u/n1nj4d00m
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Thursday, September 28, 2017

Do humans have a vestigial tail wagging response? Is it detectable?

Do humans have a vestigial tail wagging response? Is it detectable?


Do humans have a vestigial tail wagging response? Is it detectable?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 03:47 AM PDT

LIGO/VIRGO Gravitational Wave Megathread

Posted: 27 Sep 2017 09:24 AM PDT

Hi everyone!

We have an announcement from the LIGO/VIRGO collaborations starting at 12:30 ET (1630 UT). We'll make sure to keep you up to date as the news comes out. Ask your gravitational wave (GW) questions here!

Announcement streams:

Useful links:


EDIT: It's a joint LIGO and VIRGO detection! This adds even more credibility to these detections. The paper is public here.

Properties:

  • Strain amplitude of 5 times 10-22
  • 30.5 plus 25.5 solar masses merger into a 53.2 solar mass black hole
  • 540 megaparsec distance (redshift z=0.11)
  • Reduction in sky localization from 1160 square degrees to just 60 square degrees!
  • Final black hole spin of 0.7
submitted by /u/AskScienceModerator
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Where do photons come from? When I, for example, set a log on fire, were the photons that come flying out of it always there and are being released now or are they being newly created?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 02:37 AM PDT

How are roads designed on irregular terrain?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 02:30 AM PDT

How is the placement of the road decided in a way that takes into consideration the environment and also vehicle performance? How does this vary for cars, roads for different purposes and train tracks? I imagine some 3D computer software is used, but what kind of variables does this software take into account?

submitted by /u/kaxobixo
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Why do professional cameras only have one lense when the new phones have 2 lenses?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 08:35 AM PDT

For optimal quality photos, i would imagine professional cameras to have every possible feature.

Or is the dual camera on smartphones just a marketinf trick to fool the consumers?

Extra points if you awnser why there are no dual lense space telescopes.

submitted by /u/empire314
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What distinguishes mammalian cells from bird, reptile, fish etc cells?

Posted: 27 Sep 2017 05:18 PM PDT

I read a lot about things tailored to mammalian cells in the literature, presumably because you can use them to test things meant for humans and not for E. coli. But how different are mammalian cells from other classes of animals, at the cellular level? Are the cytoskeleton components and whatnot different?

submitted by /u/iorgfeflkd
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Calculating the time dilation for an object inside a black hole returns imaginary values, does this have a deeper meaning?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 06:47 AM PDT

Or is it just a quirk of the math? Probably doesn't mean anything because no outside observer can see any objects crossing over the event horizon anyways, but it's still interesting. Using the t0 = t1 * sqrt(1 - GM/rc²) formula for non-rotating spherical masses.

submitted by /u/Iwanttolink
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Do stars fuse elements heavier than iron?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 05:58 AM PDT

Before everyone jumps in about how elements below iron undergo fusion, and above them they can undergo fission, everyone knows that. But in the conditions of the core of a star, could it be that elements heavier than iron are being created, even though it takes an excess of energy? There is LOTS of energy around, and lots of pressure, could it be happening?

submitted by /u/cmuadamson
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How are x-rays produced? And how harmfull is it's exposure?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 09:08 AM PDT

What is the smell that metal smells? Is it actual metal that gets up your nose, or is it some effect the metal have on the air?

Posted: 27 Sep 2017 03:15 PM PDT

And why does it smell so extremely distinctive?

submitted by /u/MarlinMr
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What does it really mean that the electromagnetic force and weak force converge at high energies?

Posted: 27 Sep 2017 09:02 AM PDT

I did my undergrad in physics at MIT, so I'm pretty solid on quantum mechanics and E&M, but I've never had a good intuitive understanding of what it means that the electromagnetic force and weak force converge at high energies (the eletroweak force). I've encountered this idea in pop-science books and it was touched on in classes, but I'm hoping someone here can explain it more. (and if possible, explain symmetry breaking and the role that photons and quarks play in these two forces)

submitted by /u/ribi305
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Air has weight. Does this mean that, in theory, it would be slightly cheaper to launch manned space missions with astronauts wearing suits / air masks, as opposed to having a pressurized capsule?

Posted: 27 Sep 2017 08:27 PM PDT

Sorry if Engineering isn't the appropriate flair. I wasn't sure exactly what to classify this as.

submitted by /u/Azleron
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Why is the average atomic mass compared to the carbon-12 isotope?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 05:48 AM PDT

Why can't it be a different isotope?

submitted by /u/shareink123
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How do we measure redshift on cosmological scales?

Posted: 28 Sep 2017 12:50 AM PDT

Redshift/blueshift, as I understand, is not too difficult to see at close scales (the earth and close stars) because we can use parallaxes to infer distances and therefore temperature and spectra. What confuses me is with astronomers like Hubble, how did they know far out objects were redshifted and not simply redder? I guess the same goes for blueshift; how do we know something is coming closer vs actually energetic and blue?

submitted by /u/jw6316
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Is there a hard limit to the viscosity of a fluid before the Stokes-Einstein equation breaks down?

Posted: 27 Sep 2017 03:37 PM PDT

This question refers to Dynamic Light Scattering.

My peers and I are trying to measuring Au particles in the 5nm range but have had no luck. One theory we had was to use a more viscous fluid to increase the time scale. I have found one source claiming 3mPas to be the soft-limit where fluids begin to inhibit Brownian motion to the point where the Stokes-Einstein equation can no longer be reliable but I have not found any other sources or studies confirming this empirical observation.

submitted by /u/SoggyAugi
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Is it possible to boost the speed of sound up to the speed of light?

Posted: 27 Sep 2017 01:51 PM PDT

Is it possible to have an infinite number of rainbows?

Posted: 27 Sep 2017 02:26 PM PDT

I went to a lecture on rainbows and remember the guy talking specifically about how secondary rainbows are made through repeated total internal reflection and was wondering if by some chance this could be repeated over and over could this make an infinite number of rainbows?

submitted by /u/Tometu
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What happens if you build an element that is not on the periodic table?

Posted: 27 Sep 2017 03:47 PM PDT

What happens if you build an element (putting protons, neutrons, electrons, etc.) that is not on the periodic table? Will a reaction occur that make it turn into a "proper" element?

submitted by /u/NarawaGames
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Do photons going at exactly the speed of light violate the Uncertainty principle?

Posted: 27 Sep 2017 04:58 PM PDT

Since the uncertainty principle says that a particle cannot have a precise position and a precise velocity, how can a single photon go at exactly the speed of light? Is a single photon, due to its exact speed, everywhere in the universe?

submitted by /u/catragore
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How much did scientists know about the makeup of other planets in our solar system prior to spectroscopy?

Posted: 27 Sep 2017 09:45 AM PDT

To what extent would it be possible to abandon a nuclear power plant?

Posted: 27 Sep 2017 12:54 PM PDT

Could they just offload the fuel, rip out and dispose of any parts of the plant over a certain level of radioactivity, and walk away? In a typical water-type reactor installation, how much contaminated equipment is there really?

submitted by /u/Imhotep_23
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