Are any two electrons, or other pair of fundamental particles, identical?

---

• Are any two electrons, or other pair of fundamental particles, identical?
• Are photons taking longer to travel due to expansion of universe?
• Will a black hole eventually "fill up" or does more "stuff" going in increase its gravitiational pull and therefore make it bigger?
• What happens to compounds with unstable isotopes after decay?
• Is light mass-less? (other Qs)
• If humans could digest petrol/gas how much energy could we gain from it? How much would it take to make us go for a day?
• Ask Anything Wednesday - Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science
• Given that a black hole can be completely described by mass, spin, and charge, would it even be possible to discern a black hole with equal mass spin and charge as an electron from an actual electron?
• Can planetary rings cause tidal forces on their planet?
• What is the difference between Hox Genes, Regulatory Genes and Gene Switches?
• If force is equal to mass times acceleration, why will getting hit by a fast-moving car destroy me but a glacier's slower but much more massive hit just unnoticeably nudge me along?
• If a calorie is a unit of energy (to take 1 litre of water up 1 degree celcius), how can there be zero calorie Energy Drinks? Are they a scam?
• What is actually an electromagnetic field?
• Why does the d sub-level split its energy when ligands are bound to transition metals?
• How does our body tolerance to a certain compounds work?
• Do doublecortin-positive cells have to match the host to be effective in healing the brain?
• Why can we see the colours of lasers?
• What makes topical analgesics work in some places but not others?
• Do we know for certain that nutrinos do not travel faster than light?
• How does a pigeon's vision and balance switch between walking mode and flying mode?

Are any two electrons, or other pair of fundamental particles, identical? Posted: 17 Feb 2016 03:45 AM PST If we were to randomly select any two electrons, would they actually be identical in terms of their properties, or simply close enough that we could consider them to be identical? Do their properties have a range of values, or a set value? submitted by /u/_prdgi [link] [comments]

Are photons taking longer to travel due to expansion of universe? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 06:30 AM PST As universe exapnds, so does distance between any two points (it's how I understand it, please correct me if I'm wrong). does that mean that photons have a longer distance to travel as it goes? submitted by /u/Nevermore3012 [link] [comments]

Will a black hole eventually "fill up" or does more "stuff" going in increase its gravitiational pull and therefore make it bigger? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 07:16 AM PST I know Hawking radiation can eventually disperse a black hole, but is this the only way a black hole can cease to exist? submitted by /u/flippitus_floppitus [link] [comments]

What happens to compounds with unstable isotopes after decay? Posted: 17 Feb 2016 02:46 AM PST My chemistry knowledge is scarce, but for example: If PuO2, with plutonium 238 that decays into some other element that doesn't bond that well with oxygen (or simply loses a valence electron), what happens to that oxygen? Does this spawn oxygen ions? Would it be an endo- or exothermic reaction? submitted by /u/Barcelus [link] [comments]

Is light mass-less? (other Qs) Posted: 17 Feb 2016 04:22 AM PST Does it lose energy as it moves? If it has mass, how does it not lose energy or speed over time? submitted by /u/Mozeeon [link] [comments]

If humans could digest petrol/gas how much energy could we gain from it? How much would it take to make us go for a day? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 06:11 AM PST submitted by /u/Reddithorian [link] [comments]

Ask Anything Wednesday - Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science Posted: 17 Feb 2016 07:05 AM PST Welcome to our weekly feature, Ask Anything Wednesday - this week we are focusing on Engineering, Mathematics, Computer 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! submitted by /u/AutoModerator [link] [comments]

Given that a black hole can be completely described by mass, spin, and charge, would it even be possible to discern a black hole with equal mass spin and charge as an electron from an actual electron? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 11:21 AM PST Excluding Hawking radiation. submitted by /u/iv_loc [link] [comments]

Can planetary rings cause tidal forces on their planet? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 11:02 AM PST Basically, assuming no "moon(s)" orbiting the planet, would planetary rings (such as those around Saturn) cause tidal forces on the planet, in lieu of a moon? submitted by /u/Tijuano [link] [comments]

What is the difference between Hox Genes, Regulatory Genes and Gene Switches? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 12:59 PM PST I am having difficulty differentiating the three. Are Hox Genes and Gene Switches both Regulatory Genes or are they something different? My sources don't specify clearly enough. submitted by /u/Bsillly [link] [comments]

If force is equal to mass times acceleration, why will getting hit by a fast-moving car destroy me but a glacier's slower but much more massive hit just unnoticeably nudge me along? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 10:53 AM PST Wouldn't that imply the amount of force applied by the car is much more than that of the glacier? Is there a factor like the change in my own acceleration or that the mass I should use is actually my own (and not that of the car's or glacier's) that I'm not accounting for? submitted by /u/elkoubi [link] [comments]

If a calorie is a unit of energy (to take 1 litre of water up 1 degree celcius), how can there be zero calorie Energy Drinks? Are they a scam? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 11:58 AM PST submitted by /u/SuperZvesda [link] [comments]

What is actually an electromagnetic field? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 09:35 AM PST We know what a gravitational field is: the curvature of space-time. However whenever I look for information of electromagnetic fields, the conclusion I get is that a charged particle can make other particles to move without touching them. I know that the answer for this is "the particles do touch each other because their magnetic fields touch" however, this always seemed to me an explanation as magical as the "invisible force working at distance" that Newton described to explain how gravity works. Einstein in the other hand, explained that there is not a force working at distance, but that gravitational fields are nothing but the curvature of space-time. Is there an explanation like this for electromagnetic fields? I mean, do we know what is actually happening to the space between the particles interacting through their electromagnetic fields? submitted by /u/Dimakhaerus [link] [comments]

Why does the d sub-level split its energy when ligands are bound to transition metals? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 07:57 AM PST I teach IB Chemistry HL and one of the required topics to teach is the spitting of the d-level orbitals when transition metals ions are bound to ligands. This is a topic I never learned myself in college and I don't like teaching something I do not know more in depth than what I am requiring of my students. I understand that the charges affect the differently shaped orbitals different affecting their energy levels but that is the extent of what I know. Can someone please explain or point me to some resources to fully understand what is happening here? Thank you! submitted by /u/Mac-n-cheez [link] [comments]

How does our body tolerance to a certain compounds work? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 09:32 AM PST More precisely, I would like to know why paracetamol is not bound to tolerance, while caffeine is. How and why does our body adapt to these things? Or does not adapt. I was looking for this information on the worldwide intranet but could not find a proper answer... maybe reddit will help me :) This post's answer was not detailed enough IMO submitted by /u/HakaBb [link] [comments]

Do doublecortin-positive cells have to match the host to be effective in healing the brain? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 07:27 AM PST Trying to understand this TEDX. Wondering if the cells can be donated from another brain potentially. submitted by /u/Broketographer [link] [comments]

Why can we see the colours of lasers? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 09:09 AM PST Why can we see lasers when they go through dense gases (and not with a naked eye)? Is it possible to change the colour of a laser by changing the gas you are using to see it? submitted by /u/imaginarypiano [link] [comments]

What makes topical analgesics work in some places but not others? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 09:01 AM PST I got Salonpas pain relief patches because i have a stiff neck and a pull or something in my arm. On my neck I feel heat and cooling sensations but on my arm, I feel nothing. What's the difference? submitted by /u/FinalMantasyX [link] [comments]

Do we know for certain that nutrinos do not travel faster than light? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 04:04 PM PST I was watching Cosmos the other day and NdT was talking nutrinos. He explained that we were able to detect nutrinos from a supernova prior to arriving light from the explosion. He explained a theory that posited that the nutrinos were released at the speed of light a moment before everything else while everything else accelerated slowly within the star until reaching the surface and then accelerating to the speed of light. Thus giving the nutrinos a head start. My question is this: was the basis for this theory that the cosmic speed limit of light speed must be true and so nutrinos must have come out earlier, or have we independently verified that they were released earlier than the other stuff? My concern is that our limited ability to test nutrinos may cloud our reasoning and that they may exceed the speed of light. But that we aren't taking that into account in our research. Thanks! submitted by /u/BatmanNoPrep [link] [comments]

How does a pigeon's vision and balance switch between walking mode and flying mode? Posted: 16 Feb 2016 07:58 AM PST When they're flying, their head is like a steady cam, maintaining a set position despite their body orientation. When walking, they're like a heavy metal drummer slamming their head forward and back as they walk. If they can see/balance/find-food with their head shaking like that, why do they need a steady cam mode? submitted by /u/urbanek2525 [link] [comments]

You are subscribed to email updates from AskScience: Got Questions? Get Answers.. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States

To any dentists/orthodontists, how does the adhesive that attaches braces to teeth work?

---

• To any dentists/orthodontists, how does the adhesive that attaches braces to teeth work?
• What is the difference between something that's hot and emits a color based on how hot it is (like steel going from red to white) and something that burns a color because of its composition (like a cation being burned under a bunsen burner)?
• Why is the switch from IPv4 to IPv6 so difficult? What key principles are slowing migration to the new standard?
• Why can't the immune system prevent shingles outbreaks, since it already has antibodies for the virus?
• I am allergic to cats. Would I also be allergic to tigers, lions and the like?
• So if I dug a hole straight through the earth then jumped in, would I stop in the center, or fall out the other side into the sky?
• Would sea-dwelling mammals and seabirds perceive underwater as blurry/distorted the same way in which we do as humans?
• How does this jpg file know my IP, ISP, Operating System, and Browser?
• Are there any potential ways to modify the human eye to see more of the electromagnetic spectrum?
• Do gravitational waves have a wave equation?
• Is it possible to apply conventional physics to 4D space? If so, is there anything particularly interesting or different about them?
• Why do our eyes involuntarily shut when we hear loud sounds?
• Why is there a need for the concept of dark energy as an explanation for the expansion of the universe?
• If I stood on a platform that was accelerating upwards (towards me) at 9.8m/s/s in space, would it realistically simulate earth's gravity?
• When I take a hot shower, my mirror fogs up. Is the mirror material better for water condensation, or is it simply the most obvious surface that condensation is occurring on?
• What kind of physical properties determines the ions to move across a membrane at a different rate?
• What would happen to life on earth of we were to experience 5,778 K (temperature of the sun) for only a yoctosecond?
• How can the temperature of the vacuum of space be measured when there is almost no matter to measure?
• Does string theory describe any actions or phenomena that occur in the hidden extra dimensions?

To any dentists/orthodontists, how does the adhesive that attaches braces to teeth work? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 08:54 PM PST To be more specific, what is it made of? How do orthodontists remove the adhesive? How do they get it on? What can cause the adhesive to fail? Will it stop working if it is heated or cooled to a certain temperature? Context: I read a post somewhere about someone writing a story based in the Fallout universe about a person who is unfortunate enough to have braces during the beginning of the apocolypse and goes around the wasteland looking for someone who can get them off. That got me thinking: what would happen to a person with braces in the post-nuclear apocolypse wasteland? Would their braces fall out eeventually? Would the person be stuck with them forever? Etc. submitted by /u/BruceTheUnicorn [link] [comments]

What is the difference between something that's hot and emits a color based on how hot it is (like steel going from red to white) and something that burns a color because of its composition (like a cation being burned under a bunsen burner)? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 05:40 PM PST submitted by /u/ballsmen [link] [comments]

Why is the switch from IPv4 to IPv6 so difficult? What key principles are slowing migration to the new standard? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 08:18 PM PST submitted by /u/Jeffplz [link] [comments]

Why can't the immune system prevent shingles outbreaks, since it already has antibodies for the virus? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 03:18 PM PST What I got from reading some articles online is that if you get chickenpox, the virus remains dormant even after you get better. Then sometimes it somehow wakes up, and you develop shingles. My probably stupid but unanswered question is: aren't you supposed to have developed antibodies for varicella zoster? Why does the immune system fail get rid of it before the shingles develop? submitted by /u/khenti-amentiu [link] [comments]

I am allergic to cats. Would I also be allergic to tigers, lions and the like? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 12:43 PM PST I am quite allergic to domesticated cats. For obvious reasons, I haven't had the chance to cuddle with a big cat like a lion, tiger, etc. Would I experience the same reaction or none? Is the same true for dogs (i.e. allergic to domesticated dogs, also allergic to wolves)? submitted by /u/BoboAUT [link] [comments]

So if I dug a hole straight through the earth then jumped in, would I stop in the center, or fall out the other side into the sky? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 07:03 PM PST This might be an idiotic question but I mean, would the gravity stop you, or would your momentum keep you going through? (also yes I know this is impossible and I would burn up in the center of the earth, but this is hypothetical) submitted by /u/shoeless25 [link] [comments]

Would sea-dwelling mammals and seabirds perceive underwater as blurry/distorted the same way in which we do as humans? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 11:15 PM PST Given they are land creatures which also enter the sea- would they see underwater the same way we do? Or is there some sort of evolutionary trait which allows them see clear on land, and clear in the ocean as fish do as well? Please elaborate ! Thanks submitted by /u/universalcathood [link] [comments]

How does this jpg file know my IP, ISP, Operating System, and Browser? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 02:33 PM PST Go to this page: http://www.last.fm/forum/21717/_/249772/1 And scroll to the bottom (the bottom of the bottom post, not all the way down to the footer). As part of a user's forum signature, there is an image that knows things about your computer/network. How? An image link is below in case people are reluctant to follow my link above, but you should try it for yourself! http://i.imgur.com/aYxadwg.png submitted by /u/Zagged [link] [comments]

Are there any potential ways to modify the human eye to see more of the electromagnetic spectrum? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 02:02 PM PST We only see a small piece of the electromagnetic spectrum. Is it even possible for man to potentially see more? If that is a possibility, how might technology expand the visible spectrum of light? submitted by /u/theHangedGod [link] [comments]

Do gravitational waves have a wave equation? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 05:47 PM PST All waves should have an equation. Even electron waves have their own equation, derived by Schrodinger and then modified by Dirac to take into account special relativity. In that case, what is the wave equation of a gravitational wave and how do you go about calculating it? submitted by /u/eropagnis [link] [comments]

Is it possible to apply conventional physics to 4D space? If so, is there anything particularly interesting or different about them? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 05:12 PM PST submitted by /u/TheDingusJr [link] [comments]

Why do our eyes involuntarily shut when we hear loud sounds? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 01:01 PM PST For example when hammering nails, i mean wouldn't it be better to look for the source? submitted by /u/Chief_Bandit [link] [comments]

Why is there a need for the concept of dark energy as an explanation for the expansion of the universe? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 04:33 PM PST Apparently points in the universe are increasing their distance with respect to each other. Why does there need to be some kind of force or energy to explain this? Why could the explanation not be that the universal lengthscale just is not constant or something along the lines? submitted by /u/JaqueLeParde [link] [comments]

If I stood on a platform that was accelerating upwards (towards me) at 9.8m/s/s in space, would it realistically simulate earth's gravity? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 06:01 PM PST submitted by /u/coalminnow [link] [comments]

When I take a hot shower, my mirror fogs up. Is the mirror material better for water condensation, or is it simply the most obvious surface that condensation is occurring on? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 01:17 PM PST I understand why the fog occurs, but is it omnipresent or only on the mirror? Why is it more visible on the mirror? submitted by /u/popeye_t_s_m [link] [comments]

What kind of physical properties determines the ions to move across a membrane at a different rate? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 04:10 PM PST In my textbook, it says "In aqueous solution, Na+ and Cl- do not move at the same rate; CL- is more mobile..than Na+. This is because ions dissolved in water carry with them a loosely associated "cloud" of water molecules, and Na+ must drag along a larger cloud than Cl-, causing it to move more slowly". Is there a general rule where I can figure this out by looking at the periodic table? Does it have to do with the size of the ion? Thanks in advance. submitted by /u/ThyrosineChoi [link] [comments]

What would happen to life on earth of we were to experience 5,778 K (temperature of the sun) for only a yoctosecond? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 01:39 PM PST Would it be long enough to boil the earths oceans or is it too short of time to do any serious damage? submitted by /u/xSUPERDUPERx182 [link] [comments]

How can the temperature of the vacuum of space be measured when there is almost no matter to measure? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 12:48 PM PST How can the vacuum be measured when temperature is dependent on the average kinetic energy of matter? submitted by /u/DameMoore2016 [link] [comments]

Does string theory describe any actions or phenomena that occur in the hidden extra dimensions? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 12:43 PM PST Descriptions of string theory indicate various versions of theory require 6, 7, 10 or 11 dimensions whereas we only perceive 3, or 4 dimensions if you count time as one. The fact that we can't see or sense these dimensions is explained by suggestions that they are "compact" or curled up in tiny closed loops. Do any of the string theories describe forces or particles that transmit or translate through these hidden dimensions to create effects we can see and measure in the 3/4 visible dimensions? For example, particle quantum entanglement is bit of mystery in our current physics, especially the apparent "instaneous" communication of the quantum state information between entangled particles when one particle is measured. Do any of the string theories suggest the channel of communication between distantly separated entangled particles could be communicated through these hidden dimensions? Are there any other examples of forces or fields in the standard model that string theory says is operating through these dimensions? submitted by /u/shiningPate [link] [comments]

You are subscribed to email updates from AskScience: Got Questions? Get Answers.. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States

Is there a scientific explanation for the phenomenon of humor?

---

• Is there a scientific explanation for the phenomenon of humor?
• How come, if we know the genetic sequence of an organism, we can't just...generate it? Could this ever be possible, and why or why not?
• Can time be divided into infinitely small increments?
• Why does a flat universe indicate an infinite universe?
• What's the deepest hole we could reasonably dig with our current level of technology? If you fell down it, how long would it take to hit the bottom?
• In the 19th century, the concept of ether was disproven, but the Higgs field sounds a lot like ether to me. How are they different?
• What's the effect of sound in a object moving at high speeds (as much as to experience time dilation) ? Also , will our thought processes be slower and would we be aware of that?
• No information can travel faster than c, so no event inside an event horizon can have any causal effect on the external universe. How then do external objects "know" the mass of a black hole? Is that information somehow accumulated at/outside the event horizon over the life of the black hole?
• What is the difference between two vectors or lines being perpendicular v. being orthogonal? Or, if there is no difference, why do we have two different terms to describe the same thing?
• Specifically, how are senescent cells harmful to the body?
• How can an up quark decay into a down quark?
• If you were to choose a number randomly between 0 and infinity, what are the odds your number is a 4?
• Why is the areas around the deserts and tropics hotter than the areas around the equator?
• Would merging black holes without accretion disks produce a flash of light or other particles?
• Has the Banach–Tarski paradox been generalized to higher dimensions? Can it be generalized?
• How are novel metabolite precursors identified?
• If it only takes 23 people in a room to have a 50% chance that two of them share a birthday, how many shuffles of a standard card deck does it take to have a 50% chance that two of them are the same (they end in the same order of cards in the deck) ?
• Did LIGO get incredibly lucky with two black holes colliding or are these fairly frequent?
• With technology advancing to a point where stem cells are being used to regrow new body parts and attach them, but do the nerves attach also?
• What would happen to a tachyon in a black hole?

Is there a scientific explanation for the phenomenon of humor? Posted: 14 Feb 2016 06:43 AM PST When you think about it, humor and laughter are really odd. Why do certain situations cause you to uncontrollably seize up and make loud gaspy happy shouts? Does it serve a function? Do any other animals understand humor, and do they find the same types of things funny? submitted by /u/FilthyGodlessHippie [link] [comments]

How come, if we know the genetic sequence of an organism, we can't just...generate it? Could this ever be possible, and why or why not? Posted: 14 Feb 2016 03:42 PM PST submitted by /u/paprikashi [link] [comments]

Can time be divided into infinitely small increments? Posted: 14 Feb 2016 08:33 PM PST Or is there a finite limit? submitted by /u/evictor [link] [comments]

Why does a flat universe indicate an infinite universe? Posted: 14 Feb 2016 06:24 PM PST submitted by /u/zebleck [link] [comments]

What's the deepest hole we could reasonably dig with our current level of technology? If you fell down it, how long would it take to hit the bottom? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 05:58 AM PST submitted by /u/The_Sven [link] [comments]

In the 19th century, the concept of ether was disproven, but the Higgs field sounds a lot like ether to me. How are they different? Posted: 14 Feb 2016 07:21 AM PST submitted by /u/glidingclyde [link] [comments]

What's the effect of sound in a object moving at high speeds (as much as to experience time dilation) ? Also , will our thought processes be slower and would we be aware of that? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 05:46 AM PST If someone standing behind me talks to me , or if I use headphones to listen to music while moving in a vehicle close to the speed of light, how would it feel like? submitted by /u/lickmyspaghetti [link] [comments]

No information can travel faster than c, so no event inside an event horizon can have any causal effect on the external universe. How then do external objects "know" the mass of a black hole? Is that information somehow accumulated at/outside the event horizon over the life of the black hole? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 12:15 AM PST submitted by /u/turnpikelad [link] [comments]

What is the difference between two vectors or lines being perpendicular v. being orthogonal? Or, if there is no difference, why do we have two different terms to describe the same thing? Posted: 14 Feb 2016 05:06 PM PST I was reading Gilbert Strang's Linear Algebra and its Applications, and came across a chapter on orthogonality. I can see no difference between orthogonality and perpendicularity, so I was wondering if there actually was one. submitted by /u/c3n3k [link] [comments]

Specifically, how are senescent cells harmful to the body? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 01:04 AM PST It's been in the news recently that mice who have been genetically engineered to destroy their senescent cells upon creation of their signature p16 protein (not sure if that's redundant) have had increased healthy lifespans by about 25%. In this article by GEN News (http://www.genengnews.com/gen-news-highlights/shedding-doddering-cells-could-extend-lifespan-healthspan/81252340/), it's claimed that the senescent cells are harmful to the body because they "[consume] resources and [secrete] factors that are, on the whole, harmful." What factors do senescent cells secrete that are harmful? submitted by /u/ElderineJohn [link] [comments]

How can an up quark decay into a down quark? Posted: 14 Feb 2016 07:31 AM PST I am puzzled as to how this happens since the up quark is lighter than a down quark. The process calls for a W+ boson to be emitted from an up quark, converting the up into a down. Since the up quark is ~1.8-3.0MeV, and the down quark is ~4.8MeV, how does this "decay" happen? submitted by /u/mistaknomore [link] [comments]

If you were to choose a number randomly between 0 and infinity, what are the odds your number is a 4? Posted: 14 Feb 2016 07:00 PM PST or any specific number, for that matter. My guess is literally 0, but that can't be right, can it? submitted by /u/ImUsingTheWrongWords [link] [comments]

Why is the areas around the deserts and tropics hotter than the areas around the equator? Posted: 14 Feb 2016 06:41 AM PST The Sahara Desert, for example, is located around Tropic of Cancer, and not the equator, and is still one of the hottest places on Earth. The insolation around the equator is also much higher, because of the way the Earth is bent. There's also a high pressure around the Tropics and low pressure around the equator. High pressure often have lower temperature than low pressure zones. submitted by /u/SajmonTheFirst [link] [comments]

Would merging black holes without accretion disks produce a flash of light or other particles? Posted: 14 Feb 2016 06:18 PM PST Obviously inspired by the LIGO stuff. I'm asking because I see references to the "luminosity" of the merger, and I'm unclear as to whether that refers to the energy carried away in g-waves or whether energy was carried off in some other way as well. It seems unlikely, but it seems wild for there to be such a large energy release and have it be basically unnoticeable. submitted by /u/phyzome [link] [comments]

Has the Banach–Tarski paradox been generalized to higher dimensions? Can it be generalized? Posted: 15 Feb 2016 04:46 AM PST As I understand it, the Banach–Tarski paradox allows choosing an infinite number of points from a surface, such as a sphere, and by rotating and translating the points, reassemble a different surface, such as two copies of the original sphere or a larger sphere. Has this been generalized? Can it be generalized? Can an infinite selection of surfaces be reassembled into two copies of the original volume they're taken? submitted by /u/anime_a_shit [link] [comments]

How are novel metabolite precursors identified? Posted: 14 Feb 2016 03:12 PM PST For example, if a scientist discovers a new metabolite, how do they begin building a metabolic pathway? I suppose radioactive tracers can be used to identify anything downstream, but how do they identify anything upstream of this new metabolite? submitted by /u/Hamburglar6 [link] [comments]

If it only takes 23 people in a room to have a 50% chance that two of them share a birthday, how many shuffles of a standard card deck does it take to have a 50% chance that two of them are the same (they end in the same order of cards in the deck) ? Posted: 14 Feb 2016 01:00 PM PST submitted by /u/efficiens [link] [comments]

Did LIGO get incredibly lucky with two black holes colliding or are these fairly frequent? Posted: 14 Feb 2016 09:24 AM PST Also, Did we know this was going to happen beforehand? I understand how LIGO detected the gravity waves but how did we detect the merger in the first place? submitted by /u/dimechimes [link] [comments]

With technology advancing to a point where stem cells are being used to regrow new body parts and attach them, but do the nerves attach also? Posted: 14 Feb 2016 03:29 PM PST If the part of the brain that processes the body part was never used because it was never there before, is there some way the brain will connect to the nerves in the newly grown structure and be able to process them, or will the body part be primarily for looks and function, not sensation? submitted by /u/intreption [link] [comments]

What would happen to a tachyon in a black hole? Posted: 14 Feb 2016 11:17 PM PST Since tachyons exist faster than the speed of light, would they be able to exit a black hole? submitted by /u/TheTickterd [link] [comments]

You are subscribed to email updates from AskScience: Got Questions? Get Answers.. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States