| AskScience AMA Series: We Are Scientists Studying Microbes in Outer Space. Ask Us Anything! Posted: 29 Jul 2021 04:00 AM PDT What can microbiology tell us about life on Earth (and beyond)? Quite a lot, actually. Whether searching for extraterrestrial life, understanding the impact of extreme conditions on humans or expanding human presence in space it is the smallest life forms that are central to answering some of our biggest questions. Join us today at 2 PM ET for a discussion, organized by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), of all things space microbiology. Some of the projects we are working on include: - Microbiomes in space
- Effects of microgravity on animal-bacterial symbioses
- Detection of life on other planets
- Microbial contamination on crewed space flights
- Role of microorganisms in space exploration
- BioRock and BioAsteroid, two space biomining experiments run on the International Space Station
We are: - Dr. Jamie Foster, Ph.D. (u/JFosterUF)- Professor, Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida
- Dr. Christine Moissl-Eichinger, Dr. rer. nat. (u/chmoei)- Professor for Interactive Microbiome Research, Medical University of Graz
- Dr. Aaron Regberg, Ph.D. (u/geomicro_Aaron)- Geomicrobiologist, Planetary Protection Lead, Astromaterials Acquisition & Curation Office, Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Division, NASA Johnson Space Center
- Dr. Rosa Santomartino, Ph.D. (u/RosaBiorosa)- Postdoctoral Research Associate in Space Microbiology, University of Edinburgh (UK)
Ask us anything! Links: submitted by /u/AskScienceModerator [link] [comments] |
| Why do we not see deadly mutations of 'standard' illnesses like the flu despite them spreading and infecting for decades? Posted: 29 Jul 2021 03:11 AM PDT This is written like it's coming from an anti-vaxxer or Covid denialist but I assure you that I am asking this in good faith, lol. submitted by /u/Poseidon1232 [link] [comments] |
| What happens at a chemical level when a bottle of liquor is allowed to "rest"? Posted: 28 Jul 2021 08:45 AM PDT I'm curious about this and don't really see it addressed elsewhere. It's become common to allow a bottle of liquor (whisky, cognac, etc) to "rest" after opening. In fact, I just read this in a vodka review: "It is Beluga's philosophy to have this vodka rest after each step of the production," explains Borisov. After a five-time filtration process to achieve maximum smoothness, the vodka's final resting period is 90 days. "This allows it to reach perfect balance and harmony," Since I always like to ask myself "why is that" and "what mechanism is at work here", I'm asking precisely that. Is there some chemical change happening to drive a flavor shift or is this "resting" of a seemingly stable substance mostly psychological in nature. If a sealed or capped bottled is allowed to "rest" sans additional oxygen or heat, how is it changing? submitted by /u/cornmuse [link] [comments] |
| Since water displaces energy evenly throughout its body, could you survive a long fall by being in a mid-air body of water or a container full of it? My 9 year old asked me something similar to this and I didn't have an answer. Posted: 28 Jul 2021 01:13 PM PDT EDIT: This got a lot bigger than I exected. Wow! Hard to believe a casual conversation from DND lead to this. I want to thank everyone who has answered and responded. There is a lot of science to learn here and I am grateful for all of it! submitted by /u/archblade7777 [link] [comments] |
| Setting aside absorption and swallowing, would swimming in a pool of alcohol be considerably more or less difficult? Posted: 28 Jul 2021 05:08 PM PDT |
| Does having repetitive hypoglycemia result in permanent brain damage (reduced memory and intelligence)? Posted: 29 Jul 2021 08:06 AM PDT WebMD states: Studies tie diabetes to proteins in your brain that are linked to dementia. Because of narrowed, hardened arteries, your chances of stroke are also higher. Your brain needs sugar to do its job. Repeated bouts of low blood sugar can damage the brain. I was not able to find anything else regarding this online. submitted by /u/Aetherxy [link] [comments] |
| Genuine question: how do they know when it’s the Delta variant or not if they’re not exclusively testing for it? Posted: 28 Jul 2021 04:39 PM PDT So I've seen on multiple TikToks (not a good source at all) that most facilities aren't testing specifically for the delta variant but testing random samples to see if it is. Obviously, I'm not stupid so I wanted to see if there was validity in this and when I looked it up, most sources were saying that they can't discern the difference between traditional COVID and the delta COVID. I even went as far as to call my local COVID hotline and they did not have an answer either. I'm vaccinated and have always followed the facts but I just want to know how they know it's delta that's surging, or is it just COVID in areas where vaccination rates are low? submitted by /u/EdenTrails23 [link] [comments] |
| What is the likelihood of some sort of coral reef migration in the event that ocean temps continue to rise? Posted: 29 Jul 2021 12:15 AM PDT So, we are seeing mass bleaching events in reefs due to temperatures rising. With a continual rise, could other, previously colder, places end up transforming into coral reefs or is this unlikely? I get the odds are stacked against them seeing that they're sessile, slow growing, temperamental, etc. but through some miracle of nature or human intervention like mariculture, could coral free zones become inhabited? submitted by /u/GordonRammstein [link] [comments] |
| Is there any link between density and viscosity of a fluid? Does the density of a liquid influence how viscous a fluid is our vice versa? Posted: 29 Jul 2021 05:38 AM PDT |
| If herpes isn't a retrovirus, why is it impossible to cure? Posted: 28 Jul 2021 10:08 PM PDT I know that HIV establishes a latent reservoir by integrating into the host genome. But to my understanding, HSV doesn't do that, so how does it remain in the body such that it can't be cured? What are the approaches currently being considered to try and cure HSV, if there are any efforts? How would one test whether or not the virus has been cleared/in HSV or in general? submitted by /u/hottiewannabe [link] [comments] |
| Nuke detonating in space? Posted: 28 Jul 2021 01:05 PM PDT There are a handful of alien related movies (Avengers is what brought this to mind) where a Nuclear Bomb is detonated in space. When a nuke goes of in atmosphere, the shock wave is what transfers mechanical energy to cause a large portion of the destruction that ensues, and you actually get much more damage with the bomb detonating a few hundred feet above ground, instead of actually impacting. What would happen during a detonation in space, in near vacuum? Different effects for if it actually struck an object, vs detonating near it? submitted by /u/RumpusTheRat [link] [comments] |
| Does the Delta variant's increased viral load in the nasopharynx make antigen tests less likely to give a false negative, even in asymptomatic cases? Posted: 28 Jul 2021 10:11 PM PDT Many scientists are saying that the Delta variant causes there to be around 1000x more virus present in the nasopharynx of people than previous strains of SARS-CoV-2, even in breakthrough infections. There is also data from earlier in the pandemic explaining that there is a significant likelihood of false negative test results from rapid antigen tests, especially in asymptomatic carriers. So I am curious about whether or not the Delta variant's increased viral load will decrease the rate of false negative test results from rapid antigen tests. In other words, could the trait (higher viral load) that makes Delta more transmissible help improve the sensitivity of rapid antigen tests? submitted by /u/StrawberrySunscreen [link] [comments] |
| On their website, Sputnik says their vaccine is “proven to have no risk of carcinogenicity”. How can they possibly know this? Posted: 28 Jul 2021 11:20 PM PDT |
| If a vaccine is mistakenly injected below the deltoid muscle and/or into the shoulder capsule, does the desired immune response still take place, or is it lessened? Posted: 28 Jul 2021 12:00 PM PDT |
| Is it possible to still have immunity to a pathogen you were previously infected with, even if an antibody blood test comes back negative? Posted: 28 Jul 2021 10:41 AM PDT As far as I understand it after being infected with a pathogen your body produces memory cells, which will stimulate production of antibodies if the pathogen is re-encountered. Is this reasoning correct? submitted by /u/BenBerspanke [link] [comments] |
| Why is the Maclaurin’s Series inaccurate for functions like In(1+x) but is extremely accurate for functions like sin(x)? Posted: 28 Jul 2021 06:57 AM PDT The title says it all basically. I am taking A-Level Further Mathematics and while studying this topic I was confused as to why the Maclaurin's series was accurate for some functions but inaccurate for others. It turned out to be spot on for sin(x) and (1+x)" but when I tried to see the series I generated for In(x+1) was accurate, it turned out to be extremely inaccurate, the inaccuracy increasing as I computed more terms. For clarification, the Maclaurin's Series I generated was: x-1/2x2+1/3x3-1/4x4..... Thanks in advance for any help on this matter🤗 submitted by /u/The-eff [link] [comments] |
| With what we know now in 2021 compared to 2020, how can vaccine makers design newer vaccines that are more effective against COVID variants? Posted: 28 Jul 2021 12:50 PM PDT Do vaccine designers simply make vaccines that produce spike protein antigens with the mutations similar to newer variants or is there any other new technology that can be used to improve vaccination performance against variants? submitted by /u/Tywin____Lannister [link] [comments] |
| How do scientists find out how old are certain fossils? What is the process? Posted: 28 Jul 2021 10:49 AM PDT |
| Is There a Greater Quantity of Dark Matter Than Baryonic Matter in the Universe? Or Is It Just More Massive? Posted: 28 Jul 2021 09:05 AM PDT |
