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Tuesday, February 2, 2016

What is the highest resolution image of a star that is not the sun?

What is the highest resolution image of a star that is not the sun?


What is the highest resolution image of a star that is not the sun?

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Why do enzymes have such a higher affinity for transition state analogues compared to the substrate or product?

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I've read the wiki page on it and other sources. I guess I understand the how, but I'm having a hard time with the why.

submitted by /u/WaterChemistry
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Why does pressure decrease as velocity decreases?

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Using the equation A1v1 = A2v2, we know that velocity and Area are inversely related. Using the pressure equation, we can say A = F/P. We can then say (F1/P1)v1 = (F2/P2)v2. Shouldn't velocity and pressure be directly related?

submitted by /u/firewall245
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How are satellite's able to broadcast hundreds of HD channels, given limited bandwidth, spectrum, and power?

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How is it that DirecTV and Dish network are able to broadcast so many channels? I am guessing since satellite's are primarily a one way connection, they are concurrently broadcasting all channels and streams down to earth at any given time. How is this done with limited bandwidth and spectrum? Also, how much power do these consume? It seems like these satellite's would require tons of power for receiving, processing and sending the signals.

submitted by /u/hoti0101
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¿What are your thoughts about the flat earthers?

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I've seen a lot of comments in videos arguing that the Earth is in fact flat, things like the government trying to make us think that the Earth is round, even saying that gravity isn't like what we are told. I don't follow that 'belief' (because as I saw it started mostly as a cult or a sect), because well, there are many proofs that the Earth is actually round, people have seen it from space, not CGI, nor false images or edited. And it really butthurts me when I see one of these guys out there making up data, facts, or having so called "valid arguments". You could put some facts on the comments...

submitted by /u/QueWeaHermano
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How do we mathematically describe the motion of ocean waves, or waves at a fluid-fluid interface?

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Do magnetic fields affects our brains connections?

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I learned that the Faraday-Lenz law tells that a conductor in a magnetic field will react in different ways (don't know how actually). So this question came out in my head, are our neuronal connections affected by a large magnetic field, despite if it is a variable one or a static one?

submitted by /u/hyperm36
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How much does the sun's gravity influence our pull towards the earth?

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I've included a picture to help my question.

Person B is pointing exactly at the sun. Person A is on the exact opposite side of the earth. Assuming person A and person B are exactly the same in mass, let's say 100 kilograms, does the sun's pull make person A weigh more than B?

If so, how big is this difference between them?

submitted by /u/Mc_Smack
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Instantaneous communication via quantum entanglement?

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I've done some reading about the nature of quantum physics, and have heard it explained how despite the ability for quantum particles to effect each other at great distance, there is no transfer of "information." Where the arbitrary states of "up" and "down" are concerned there is no way to control these states as the receiver sees them. They are in fact random.

But I got to thinking about how we could change what event constitutes a "bit" of information. What if instead of trying to communicate with arbitrary and random spin states, we took the change in a state to be a "1" and the lack of change to be a "0."

Obviously the biggest argument against this system is that sometimes a quantum state will not change when measured. Therefore, if the ones and zeros being transmitted only have a 50% chance of being the bit that was intended.

What if then, to solve this problem, we created an array of 10 quantum particles which we choose to measure, or leave alone in exact 1 second intervals. If we want to send a "1" to the reciever we first measure all 10 particles simultaneously. If any of the receiver's 10 particles change state, then that indicates that a "1" was sent. If we want to send a zero, we "keep" the current measurement. Using this method there could only be a false zero 1 out of 210 times. Even more particles in the array would ensure greater signal accuracy.

Also, we could increase the amount of information being sent by increasing the frequency of measuremt. Is there something wrong with my thinking?

submitted by /u/labowley
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Why is Seattle so much warmer than New England, both equally north?

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To change from D to L-Glucose, I've been told we switch the orientation of the last chiral carbon. However, D and L glucose are enantiomers, but switching the final carbon as instructed makes it not an enantiomer. How is this the case?

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My head hurts thinking about it for too long.

Thanks for your input!

submitted by /u/Neechevo
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Why are there different types of antennas?

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I mean, you could just use differently sized dipole antennas for everything, or could you? I am trying to get a hand on SDR but I can't find an overview what antenna would be good for what application

submitted by /u/D4nte188
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What animals, besides humans, have been observed teaching behavior rather than merely learning it, and to what extent?

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I can teach my dog a trick, but clearly he can't teach another dog tricks. Gorillas have been taught sign language, but can they in turn teach it to other gorillas or humans? Crows learn creative ways to crack open nuts, but do they deliberately teach their methods to other crows?

submitted by /u/WildBilll33t
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What temperature does water change from cold to hot to touch, on average?

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Why does water "feel" hot or cold at a specific temperature? Doesn't seem to have to do with body temperature as 98.6 degree Fahrenheit doesn't seem to be warmer than "neutral" temperature, can someone please explain?

submitted by /u/RandyScavenge1
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Are there any attempts to explain the cause/source of the existence of newton's laws, if so then how successful are they?

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Why aren't the Nitrogens on Methyl Azide bonded into a triangle?

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Methyl Azide (CH3N3) as far as I know the bonds between the nitrogens of methyl azide are a resonating triple bond with alternating negative formal charges on N(1) and N(3). Why wouldn't the nitrogens form a triangle shape with the two nitrogens not attached to the carbon forming a double bond two themselves and single bonds to the N that is attached to the carbon? Also wouldn't this theoretical molecule be more stable because no atom on it has a formal charge?

submitted by /u/Quinn94
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How effective are dialysis machines, and whats keeping them at that current effectiveness?

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Monday, February 1, 2016

Do bacteria change the nutritional content of milk when they turn it into yogurt?

Do bacteria change the nutritional content of milk when they turn it into yogurt?


Do bacteria change the nutritional content of milk when they turn it into yogurt?

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We make our own homemade yogurt, by heating milk in a slow cooker, then cooling it and adding a starter culture to sit overnight. This has led me to wonder whether the nutritional content of the resulting yogurt actually differs from the milk we put in.

Could the yogurt have more or fewer calories than the original milk? If so, where did the extra calories come from, or where did they go?

Is it possible that the yogurt has more protein, or different vitamins? What would be used up from the milk in order to produce these?

submitted by /u/Scrumpy7
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Assume I could travel 1000 years back in time...what foods/fruits I could ask for and not be surprised by it's appearance or taste?

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I know that the definition of a strawberry has changed a lot over the past 100 years so, what can I expect of fruit and food if I were to go back earlier?

submitted by /u/phrresehelp
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By the 3rd lifetime episode of major depression, there's a 99% chance of an episode happening again. Are there any scientific publications on the optimal way for someone to recover from a depressive episode and prevent another? Or the mechanisms behind recovery?

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Please link to publications. Thank you in advance.

submitted by /u/Grace-Tech
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Is it possible to start a fire with superheated steam?

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When scientists say "The fundamental forces were decided in a fraction of a second after the big bang", what does that mean?

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I apologize beforehand if this question is confusing, I'm having difficulty figuring our how to word this exactly.

I've heard this phrase said a number of times before, but I'm not entirely sure what exactly this implies. For instance, the ratio between strong and weak nuclear forces is included in this statement. Are there some conditions in which the ratio would have changed?

Essentially, I'm curious about the mechanics of "determining the fundamental forces". Can anyone give a better explanation for this?

submitted by /u/Raknarg
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If the universe is essentially a non-uniform vacuum, could the differences between these areas exert a force between them?

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Sorry if this is a dumb or basic question. I'm not very smart so I just want to be able to wrap my head around this. Blame Mythbusters for lifting a car with a household vacuum if you must. It all made me think of dark energy and how the vacuum of space actually works.

Would a complete vacuum in one region of space exert any influence over a non-complete vacuum right next to it? Would there be pressure differences that would equal out over time as one pulled matter towards it from the other? Do the variable parts of the vacuum of space have any interrelationship at all or is it all just passive without an energy source powering one part or another as there would be with a home vacuum cleaner creating the vacuum?

submitted by /u/Furry_Prick
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Electron Configurations & the Pauli Exclusion Principle - How can an atomic orbital (p,f,d etc) hold more than two electrons if the electron has only two spin modes?

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Do the other quantum numbers come into play to allow non-S orbitals to hold three or more? I'm definitely missing something here, it seems like what I've read about the PEP doesn't line up with, well, the entire periodic table.

submitted by /u/Aplabos
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Can the hardness of rubber change after being under cyclic loading (compression and tension)?

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I know that hardness is typically considered a material property but I also know enough stress will create changes in the molecular properties of rubber.

In the long run I'm trying to relate an easily measurable property of rubber to its lifespan under cyclic loading. Any fingers to point me in the right direction would be great however a simple answer to the titled question would be greatly appreciated.

submitted by /u/ColonelCo
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What's happening inside a propane cylinder when it's being filled?

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I understand that propane in a cylinder is kept in a liquid state at ambient temperature when the pressure in the vapor space reaches a certain level.

I'm just curious what's happening to the gas and liquid inside a tank that is being filled with liquid propane.

Are the pumps typically used strong enough to force liquid into the vessel and cause the vapor being compressed to condense, or is some other physical process happening?

Thank you.

submitted by /u/ShellAnswerMan
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Recently I read that recombination (the coupling of electrons and protons to form atoms) happened 378,000 years after the Big Bang. How can this estimate be so precise?

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Why do flashing lights cause seizures?

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I've never understood how epileptic seizures work. When I watch things that have a lot of brightly-colored flashing lights my eyes hurt at most, but my brain seems okay and everything else seems fine. I don't understand how exactly this can induce a seizure in people and would like to know more.

submitted by /u/Lqnc
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(Physics) why do space agencies not build a plane that can exit the atmosphere instead of shooting a rocket into space?

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My thought process is it is easier to walk up a hill then climb straight up.

submitted by /u/nomansnomad
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Why is easier for bacteria to develop in stagnant water than in running water?

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How can "It's current that kills not voltage" and V=IR both be true?

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What I mean is that if voltage is proportional to current (given constant resistance across the person) then it seems meaningless to say that it's current and not voltage that kills. Unless maybe what they mean is that in these high voltage/low current circuits as soon as the circuit across the person is made the effective voltage across the person drops dramatically. Like for instance if the circuit has a lot of resistance in it then it can nominally have a high voltage drop across an open switch but as soon as it's closed the voltage drop falls to nothing. Or maybe this has something to do with quirks of AC?

submitted by /u/nitram9
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Is it possible to create a solution with a net charge?

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Is there any way to isolate either an anionic or a cationic species in solution and then remove it? The only way I can think of removing a charged particle is by adding an equal amount of oppositely charged particles and reacting them out or by using a magnetic field and removing samples from one part of the solution.

submitted by /u/MIKE6792
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If I shone a very bright infrared or UV (non-visible EM waves) flashlight into my eyes, would I notice it? And could my eyes be damaged by it?

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Since staring at the sun or a bright flashlight can damage your eyes, I'm wondering if non-visible light will do the same, and if I would notice any immediate effects if it happened.

submitted by /u/Frederix_
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So its been over a year since Philae landed, have we learnt anything new?

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Was reading old archives and stumbled on this;

https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/2moow4/has_rosetta_significantly_changed_our/?

The top response was that we hadnt had enough time to analyze the data. Have we now?

 http://m.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Frequently_asked_questions 

Just finished reading this FAQ which outlined some of Rosettas goals and objectives, keen for the results!

submitted by /u/jeffrey2ks
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How do we know what the milky way galaxy looks like?

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As in shape, size, density, etc. I know that we haven't sent any satellites or probes outside of our home galaxy, and seeing as how we cant look at our galaxy from the "outside" like we can do to other ones, how is it that we can tell what it looks like?

submitted by /u/craftycommando
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How does nutrition effect the cognitive functioning of the brain when blood is seperated from the brain?

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As far a I'm concerned the blood circulation transports the nutrients all over the body. But since the brain doesn't let any blood in I was wondering how food can effect the cognitive functioning. I've read stuff about omega fatty acids having positive effects, but don't really understand why.

submitted by /u/sii_rida
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If a molecule absorbs sufficient energy to be elevated to a vibrational level that is higher in energy than the first excited singlet state, is it possible for the molecule to remain in the ground singlet state? Or is it by default then in the first excited state?

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Sunday, January 31, 2016

AskScience Panel of Scientists XIV

AskScience Panel of Scientists XIV


AskScience Panel of Scientists XIV

Posted:

Please read this entire post carefully and format your application appropriately.

This post is for new panelist recruitment! The previous one is here.

The panel is an informal group of redditors who are either professional scientists or those in training to become so. All panelists have at least a graduate-level familiarity within their declared field of expertise and answer questions from related areas of study. A panelist's expertise is summarized in a color-coded AskScience flair.

Membership in the panel comes with access to a panelist subreddit. It is a place for panelists to interact with each other, voice concerns to the moderators, and where the moderators make announcements to the whole panel. It's a good place to network with people who share your interests!


You are eligible to join the panel if you:

  • Are studying for at least an MSc. or equivalent degree in the sciences, AND,

  • Are able to communicate your knowledge of your field at a level accessible to various audiences.


Instructions for formatting your panelist application:

  • Choose exactly one general field from the side-bar (Physics, Engineering, Social Sciences, etc.).

  • State your specific field in one word or phrase (Neuropathology, Quantum Chemistry, etc.)

  • Succinctly describe your particular area of research in a few words (carbon nanotube dielectric properties, myelin sheath degradation in Parkinsons patients, etc.)

  • Give us a brief synopsis of your education: are you a research scientist for three decades, or a first-year Ph.D. student?

  • Provide links to comments you've made in AskScience which you feel are indicative of your scholarship. Applications will not be approved without several comments made in /r/AskScience itself.


Ideally, these comments should clearly indicate your fluency in the fundamentals of your discipline as well as your expertise. We favor comments that contain citations so we can assess its correctness without specific domain knowledge.

Here's an example application:

 Username: /u/foretopsail General field: Anthropology Specific field: Maritime Archaeology Particular areas of research include historical archaeology, archaeometry, and ship construction. Education: MA in archaeology, researcher for several years. Comments: 1, 2, 3, 4. 

Please do not give us personally identifiable information and please follow the template. We're not going to do real-life background checks - we're just asking for reddit's best behavior. However, several moderators are tasked with monitoring panelist activity, and your credentials will be checked against the academic content of your posts on a continuing basis.

You can submit your application by replying to this post.

submitted by /u/AskScienceModerator
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If you were orbiting a black hole just a few feet outside the event horizon and you stuck your arm past, what would happen when you tried to pull it out?

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Is anthropogenic climate change predicted to modify seasonal lag?

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I was out jogging in shorts today on what is normally the coldest day of the year, and I was wondering, ignoring stochastic weather patterns and my own confirmation bias, whether anthropogenic climate change is expected to move the coldest day of winter farther away from the solstice.

submitted by /u/iorgfeflkd
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Why do we think that the universe should be slowing down without dark energy pushing it to accelerate?

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How do we know that there is another force responsible for the acceleration of matter in the universe (i.e. dark energy) rather than the acceleration being a direct result of the big bang itself? Why do we think that everything should be slowing down at this point without that force? Having a bit of trouble with my phrasing as I'm not well versed, but hopefully this gets my question across.

submitted by /u/shrubberynights
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Is there a way that lexical-taste synesthesia could develop in a manner similar to color-grapheme synesthesia being learned from colorful refrigerator magnets?

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When a black hole is rotating what exactly is physically rotating?

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Black holes are supposedly a singularity (to the best of our knowledge) if the black hole is a singularity how can it be rotating? Is space itself rotating? Do we know that black holes actually rotate, i.e. have we detected rotating black holes in some way?

submitted by /u/ergzay
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If space is constantly expanding and stars/galaxies are moving through space at high speed, how come the constellations have remained the same for all of recorded astronomical history?

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I recently saw a Facebook post from a "flat-earther" (someone who believes Earth is a flat plane and not a globe) that posed this question as supposed "proof" that we live on a flat earth and that the rest of the universe orbits us.

submitted by /u/masterianwong
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How is it that radiation suits protect people?

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Maybe this is TV magic and I don't know what a real suit looks like but it seems like people become immune to radiation when they put on these thin plastic suits. How is it that radiation can be so dangerous and yet so easily dealt with.

submitted by /u/Xoboo
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Which circumstances must be present to have a tidal locked planet/moon?

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I just watched the newest video of "In a Nutshell" about red dwarfs were they say, that planets which circle red dwarfs in an inhabitable distance would be too close to the star and therefore tidal locked, just like the moon is tidal locked to our earth. (time-code to the point in the video)

So, which circumstances must be present, that such a tidal lock develops?

Why are for instance moons like Himalia (surrounds Jupiter) or Phoebe (surrounds Saturn) not tidal locked?

submitted by /u/SikkiNixx
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What would our color spectrum look like if we had four (or two!) cones rather than three?

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I had already asked this question on asksciencefiction, but was told it probably belonged here.

FWIW, I'm asking mostly from a writing perspective, as in I want to have a species that varies in number of cones, or the specific wavelengths of cones than humans, but I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the idea. I'm currently learning about visual sensation and perception in one of my courses this semester, if that helps at all with answers either

submitted by /u/Azdusha
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What is the minimum amount of time a human can perceive?

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It's regularly stated that someone next to a detonating nuclear bomb would feel nothing. But what would be the minimum amount of time needed to feel something? Would people on the planes on 9/11 for example actually have felt anything?

submitted by /u/I_Am_Really_Terrible
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Every summer in NYC, the mosquitoes are surprisingly prevalent. Every winter, obviously, they die off. How do they repopulate?

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What is causing the erosion in the cracks of this rock on the Moon?

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This is a recent image taken from China's Yutu rover. The large rock has several cracks in it, the corners of which appear to be worn, with "soft" corners. I assume the cracks were more sharp when they were created.

I'm aware that the Moon has a tenuous atmosphere, but is it enough to produce wind-borne erosion?

submitted by /u/Phydeaux
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How accurate is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's theory of 'Flow'?

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I'm wondering, how well respected are Csikszentmihalyi and his book Flow (1990) in academic psychology circles?

I have heard the theory detailed by numerous internet commentators, and searching for his work here on Reddit -- I've found it mostly discussed on pseudo-scientific subs such as Myers-Briggs centered groups and other questionable, less than rigorous self-help subs such as r/getmotivated.

It seems Csikszentmihalyi does hold a reputable position at Claremont's graduate psychology program, but I was just wondering how his theories have been received in the academic sphere.

Thanks.

submitted by /u/williamiamiam
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Do superconductors exhibit zero resistance at all frequencies, or is it only 0-ohm at DC?

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My understanding is that a superconductor has a structure that has a very long mean-free-path for electrons.

When you have a high frequency current, does the skin effect push the current to the edges of this path and cause collisions, i.e. R>0?

Or is this not how superconductors work?

submitted by /u/harrypancakes
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If an outbreak occurs in a small population, e.g. meningitis on a college campus, can you determine patient zero from antibody concentration alone using a technique such as ELISA?

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i.e. is antibody titer a reliable indicator of WHEN you were infected? If not, how can epidemiologists determine patient zero?

submitted by /u/yelli2
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Statistically speaking, if I were to generate a number from 1 to infinity, what could that number be?

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Would it have to be infinity? Could it be just any number?

submitted by /u/jinxsimpson
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How can one measure the age of humans?

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I came across this comment about refugees in Sweden saying that adults are getting away with crimes by pretending to be under 15.
I've wondered if there's any way to measure/verify the age of these people, since they throw away their IDs.

submitted by /u/Lustig1374
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Countable vs uncountable infinity: 0 to 1?

Posted:

So, I was just watching this Vsauce video and it states the following part way through:

Even the numbers 0 through 1 are uncountable

And this felt off to me.

Albeit I'm a little tipsy right now, and this post is taking me way too long to write, but isn't the "infinity" countable if you've bounded the upper limit?

Specifically between 0 and 1, I could use a system that went:

0,0.1,0.2,0.3, ..... 0.9

0.01, 0.02, 0.03, ... 0. 99

0.001, 0.002, 0.003 ... 0.999

Basically, can't you cycle through 1, 2, 3 then 4 ... digit numbers, in order, to have a countable infinity? Slowly but surely I'd state every number between 0 and 1.

I've seen this a few times (there are more real numbers between 0 and 1 than integers between 0 and infinity) but it just doesn't sound right to me.

Hopefully someone can explain, and hopefully this question doesn't sound stupid when I wake up in the morning.


Basically, I don't get why this feels uncountable vs fractions which are meant to be countable. And the argument he uses (where you have a list that you can always create a new number) also seems to work for integers where there's no fixed length. All in all, it seems like these feel the same to me.

submitted by /u/Pluckerpluck
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Why do people grind their teeth while sleeping?

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Noticed this last night while my friend crashed with me. Her teeth just kept me up all night.

submitted by /u/BooBoo-is-God
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A few questions regarding incandescence?

Posted:

1: Looking on the interweb, I have come across two sites that say that if something incandesces at the same color, they're generally around the same temperature. Is this true, and why is this?

2: Incandescence is pumping thermal energy into something until it starts glowing. Does that mean that you can make anything incandesce, like water or wood, if it were in an ideal environment (no oxygen ect)?

3: Thermal energy starts with the infrared right? And if you keep adding energy it starts creating visible light. By extrapolating "forward", can we assume that more and more heat will start causing ultraviolet, x-ray, and gamma rays to be eventually emitted (assuming the material doesn't decompose by then)? By extrapolating "backwards", do ALL materials emit radio waves at the very lowest-energy end of the spectrum?

Thanks

submitted by /u/tylerchu
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What can I feed to dinoflagellates?

Posted:

Hello AskScience. My family has some pet dinoflagellates (specifically unicellular protists of the division Dinoflagellata and of the species Pyrocystis fusiformis) and we have been buying "dino food" from the company we purchased them from but I can't shake the feeling that I am dramatically overpaying for a solution I could make myself or purchase from a scientific supply company. Unfortunately the Google has been less than helpful in describing what they eat. (There is an otherwise great page from the Smithsonian however.) So, can anyone tell me what to feed these jewel-encrusted sea monkeys? Thank you!

submitted by /u/putasporkinit
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How do we measure time in the early universe?

Posted:

Can someone help me wrap my brain around what cosmologists mean when they say something like "1 second/minute/year after the Big Bang" How can you measure time in the very early universe before atoms formed? Wouldn't the tremendous gravitational forces also warp the passage of time?

Physics

submitted by /u/Gzogzez88
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What is the smallest possible size a star could have and still be classified as a star?

Posted:

Alternatively, is there a limit as to how large a star can get?

submitted by /u/HiroHitowasalright
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