Are viruses like colds and flu different depending on where you are? | AskScience Blog

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Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Are viruses like colds and flu different depending on where you are?

Are viruses like colds and flu different depending on where you are?


Are viruses like colds and flu different depending on where you are?

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 07:08 PM PST

In the UK I tended to get colds infrequently and very mildly. Since spending time in and then moving to the US it seems like here I seem to suffer much worse.

I figured colds and flu tend to travel pretty far and wide and wouldn't vary much place to place.

However several people have suggested that my immune system is less equipped for variants here.

I'd love to know if it's just been bad luck or if it's just going to take a while to adjust.

submitted by /u/The-Pyjama-King
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Why does both fission and fusion release energy? If splitting an atom releases energy, wouldnt fusing atoms require energy?

Posted: 08 Jan 2020 03:35 AM PST

How and why are bulk solids opaque over a continuous range of frequencies?

Posted: 08 Jan 2020 06:46 AM PST

Hi everyone, I have just realised there's a huge hole in my physics knowledge... I don't understand how bulk solids can be opaque over a broad and continuous range of frequencies. My problem (I think) is in understanding the quantum/classical limit when talking about photon absorption. I understand that individual atoms absorb photons whose energy corresponds specifically to an electron transition gap, leading to line spectra. But why is it that a brick can be seen to absorb all frequencies of visible light? Is this related to the pauli exclusion principle and splitting of energy levels on a large scale to the point where they become effectively continuous? I suspect it can't simply be down to the broad number of molecular constituents of a brick, as the same behaviour can be seen with bulk metals and other chemically simple solids.

Follow-up question: what prevents a brick from re-emitting e.g. 650nm radiation when i shine a 650nm laser on it? It's my understanding that it would instead sequester all of the non-reflected energy from my laser as heat energy which is then dissipated as (broadband?) infrared.

TL;DR - why don't solids have line spectra?

Sincerely yours, a dumb physics grad.

submitted by /u/rectangularjunksack
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What actually causes friction?

Posted: 08 Jan 2020 02:40 AM PST

Typically, half & half is sold "ultra-pasteurized" in the US and lasts for weeks in your fridge. Regular milk is sold "pasteurized" and spoils more quickly. Is there a non-economic reason why milk is not ultra-pasteurized as well?

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 12:12 PM PST

How exactly do drivers work?

Posted: 08 Jan 2020 06:34 AM PST

This post inspired by me updating my graphics card drivers. I know that they're necessary for hardware to keep up with new software, but I've never thought about the how.

submitted by /u/TheDemonClown
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Why don't we store energy by simple mechanical means e.g. pushing a heavy weight up a slope?

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 11:26 PM PST

I've heard it said that renewables are good at generating energy but the problem is storing it to be available on demand.

Made me wonder: why do we use chemical batteries to store energy rather than a simple mechanical method? Say for example, pushing a tethered weight up a slope that could be gradually released to turn a turbine?

submitted by /u/genios
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Does a human actually age slower in space far away relative to earth?

Posted: 08 Jan 2020 08:29 AM PST

Like in the movie interstellar where a couple of hours actually means years on earth. Maybe not AS extreme like in the movie.

I just can't get my head around time dilation.

submitted by /u/KJelles_
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How fast do bacteria travel?

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 04:43 PM PST

Say for example, my hands are dirty. How long would it take for bacteria to "crawl" all the way up to my arm? Do they "move faster" by reproduction/multiplication than by translation?

submitted by /u/jfeliz_93
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When someone with chronic inflammation in the body eats a food with anti inflammatory properties what is happening in the body to reduce the inflammation...or fail to reduce it?

Posted: 08 Jan 2020 07:32 AM PST

Ask Anything Wednesday - Physics, Astronomy, Earth and Planetary Science

Posted: 08 Jan 2020 07:09 AM PST

Welcome to our weekly feature, Ask Anything Wednesday - this week we are focusing on Physics, Astronomy, Earth and Planetary 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!

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Is it a myth that when object approach the speed of light, its mass will increase?

Posted: 08 Jan 2020 02:11 AM PST

I have seen numerous places, websites and people describing this phenomenon.

However, as far as i know...

E = MC^2

where M = Lorentz factor * mass. However, this M is the relativistic mass? not the mass that we encounter every day?

So, is it a myth that mass will increase when speed approach to speed of light?

submitted by /u/CXR_AXR
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How was the mechanism for photosynthesis discovered?

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 03:02 PM PST

How much of a signature do atomic bomb detonations put into space?

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 09:19 AM PST

How far could our nuclear detonations be detected? Could we detect these events if they were taking place on other planets near us?

submitted by /u/DeusExHircus
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Does the portal of entry for a pathogen affect the symptoms that develop?

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 05:21 AM PST

For example, if my eyes are exposed to a pathogen that causes respiratory symptoms would there be any effect to them?

submitted by /u/SOOPASoup
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When you narrow your eyes, why do these things similar to "Lens Flares" or "Light Streaks" appear?

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 06:27 AM PST

Thank you!

submitted by /u/ValeWeber2
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What exactly pushes body to grow, in height and size?

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 07:24 AM PST

Is psychopathy considered a binary diagnosis or is it seen as a spectrum?

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 08:31 AM PST

Thank you to everyone who has responded. I'm still reading through everything but it's all very interesting. :)

submitted by /u/Loud-Sky
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Why does stress cause hair loss?

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 09:51 AM PST

How are bush fires created? Like the ones in Australia?

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 11:27 AM PST

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