Does the mass of a black hole increase by any appreciable amount by absorbing photons?

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• Does the mass of a black hole increase by any appreciable amount by absorbing photons?
• When you find the sin of a cosine of a tangent of an angle - for any number so long as it's in degrees and not radian - why does the answer always approach 0.0174?
• How does a tempered glass screen for your smart phone pass the sense of touch to the sensors below?
• Could you put a wind turbine on a sky-scraper?
• How do rocket engines prevent back-flow of ignited fuel?
• Have we seen evidence of a fourth or higher spatial dimensional universe by looking at everyday natural objects in this, our three dimensional visible universe?
• What would be the smallest thing from which to observe the effects of time dilation?
• If you placed our solar system much closer to the galactic core, what would be different?
• Can information be transmitted through the weak or strong nuclear forces?
• Did the earth's geological axis ever change? Could there be a 'wobble' and the poles shift?
• What are some of Newton's less famous discoveries?
• Why is osmotic pressure divided by ZERO at the y-intercept in osmometry of polymers?
• What are sugar's effects on our body?
• How do cation channels get specificity?
• Why can some mosquito species carry viruses like zika and other species are unable to carry it?
• Why are the blades on hole punches a concave shape?
• Are there any differences in language development between the genders during the early years (0-8 years)?
• How does a neutron star die?
• Why do certain faces scare us? Like a smiling face, a blurry face, or... No face?

Does the mass of a black hole increase by any appreciable amount by absorbing photons? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 01:24 PM PDT We all know that light cannot escape from black holes. Over the course of tens/hundreds/thousands of millions of years, does a black hole absorb so much light that its mass could measurably increase? submitted by /u/bluespartans [link] [comments]

When you find the sin of a cosine of a tangent of an angle - for any number so long as it's in degrees and not radian - why does the answer always approach 0.0174? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 05:24 AM PDT It can be done with any number, so long as you don't find the sin of a sin, or the cos of a cos, or the tan of a tan What I mean is, you can do sin(cos(tan(sin(cos(tan(x))))))) for any combination of sin, cos, tan and get 0.0174 so long as there are no sin/cos/tan adjacent to each other. Why does this happen? submitted by /u/h0ne [link] [comments]

How does a tempered glass screen for your smart phone pass the sense of touch to the sensors below? Posted: 15 Apr 2016 06:44 AM PDT The title pretty much sums it up. I can guess that it would be through heat or possibly shadow but I can't say for sure. It probably isn't from pressure because the tempered glass seems very hard and therefore wouldn't flex much. submitted by /u/Year3030 [link] [comments]

Could you put a wind turbine on a sky-scraper? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 03:59 PM PDT I'm wondering if it's economically and technologically feasible to put a wind-farm style turbine on the roof of a sky-scraper or other tall building to generate power for that particular building. submitted by /u/TXLibertarian [link] [comments]

How do rocket engines prevent back-flow of ignited fuel? Posted: 15 Apr 2016 12:26 AM PDT In other words, how is ignited fuel stopped from flowing up the fuel lines? And also if it did, what would happen? (Regard bi propellant rockets.) submitted by /u/Revilokrik [link] [comments]

Have we seen evidence of a fourth or higher spatial dimensional universe by looking at everyday natural objects in this, our three dimensional visible universe? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 03:54 PM PDT 4D objects theoretically can be seen in the third dimension which we live in, but we would only see a slice of the object. To us it would be 3D and natural. Are there certain geological shapes that regularly occur in this universe that point to a higher dimensional universe that we just can't see? If they point to a higher dimensional universe, do we simply dismiss this as having natural shape in a 3D universe. Could we be missing something right beneath our noses? submitted by /u/washor [link] [comments]

What would be the smallest thing from which to observe the effects of time dilation? Posted: 15 Apr 2016 06:07 AM PDT I understand that atoms for instance with their half life could show wether they've "jumped ahead" in time... Or do they? I have this impression mainly because of the vague understanding I have on how atomic clocks work. But could you go smaller? Could a single subatomical particle show time dilation's effects? submitted by /u/Mahtavaa [link] [comments]

If you placed our solar system much closer to the galactic core, what would be different? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 03:10 PM PDT submitted by /u/Skrilllexxx [link] [comments]

Can information be transmitted through the weak or strong nuclear forces? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 01:53 PM PDT Seeing as we can measure the frequency of electromagnetic and gravitational waves and thereby transmit information using those forces, is it possible to do something similar with the weak or strong nuclear forces? Or do they only operate on a scale that prohibits useful applications? submitted by /u/ThatOneStoner [link] [comments]

Did the earth's geological axis ever change? Could there be a 'wobble' and the poles shift? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 03:39 PM PDT For example, could the south pole been further north, like in Australia? (not a question about magnetic poles) submitted by /u/magictron [link] [comments]

What are some of Newton's less famous discoveries? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 10:22 AM PDT submitted by /u/thefourthchipmunk [link] [comments]

Why is osmotic pressure divided by ZERO at the y-intercept in osmometry of polymers? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 12:13 PM PDT For determining the number average molecular weight of polymers by osmometry the following equation is used: (Pi/C) = RTA1 + CRTA2. C is concentration of solute, A1 is first virial constant, A2 is second virial constant, R is universal gas constant and T is temperature. The equation represents a straight line, where (Pi/C) is on Y-axis and C is on x-axis. Doesn't that mean that the y-intercept is equal (Pi/0) at C=0, So how is it possible ? submitted by /u/PureImmortal [link] [comments]

What are sugar's effects on our body? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 12:35 PM PDT I suppose this could be the wrong subreddit, but when I ask this question on google, all I get are clickbait lists and not-so-believable websites' takes on what could be the effects. I'm just trying to figure out if I'm correct when I say that "Coke Zero is better at waking you up and keeping you awake than regular Coke because the sugar will eventually make you tired." submitted by /u/ethret [link] [comments]

How do cation channels get specificity? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 04:25 PM PDT I understand that cations like Na+ will not go through Cl- channels because of cationic amino acid residues lining the Cl- channel pore, but how do cation channels select for 1 cation? Does Na+ flow through K+ channels? If not, what stops Na+ flow? submitted by /u/patchitup [link] [comments]

Why can some mosquito species carry viruses like zika and other species are unable to carry it? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 01:35 PM PDT submitted by /u/KHiggi [link] [comments]

Why are the blades on hole punches a concave shape? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 11:39 AM PDT submitted by /u/sashadt [link] [comments]

Are there any differences in language development between the genders during the early years (0-8 years)? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 02:23 PM PDT Hi, I am currently writing an essay on early years language development (0-8 years), more specifically on gender differences. Is there a clear scientific consensus on the differences? Who are the researchers, what major theories are there, is it all genetic or rather sociocultural? Thanks in advance! submitted by /u/murcuo [link] [comments]

How does a neutron star die? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 09:39 PM PDT submitted by /u/CmdrStruggleSnuggle [link] [comments]

Why do certain faces scare us? Like a smiling face, a blurry face, or... No face? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 12:28 PM PDT These seem to be popular in horror movies/stories but I'm not sure why they are so terrifying submitted by /u/Fitfarm [link] [comments]

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How could one bake a cake in zero-gravity? What would be its effects on the chemical processes?

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• How could one bake a cake in zero-gravity? What would be its effects on the chemical processes?
• What, if any, relativistic effects would the Breakthrough Starshot nanoprobes experience?
• When someone receives a donated organ, do the cells of the new organ change their DNA to that of the host? What becomes of the DNA in the cells of the donated organ?
• Breakthrough Starshot Megathread
• Could a dinosaur regrow a severed tail like some lizards?
• (hypothetical) What would happen if we magically removed 1m^3 of the earth's core?
• 'Biology' At what point would an invasive species be considered integrated into an ecosyste?
• Why can't you absorb mercury (metal) with a sponge?
• What makes it so hard to replace damaged section of spinal cord?
• What is the weakest signal our radio telescope can receive?
• Would it be possible to change all of our SI units so that all the constants we use in scientific equations all become 1?
• Some people can function on a lot less sleep than others. While asleep, what process happens in their body differently (or more rapidly) than those who require more sleep to allow for this variation?
• Can, like the blur of a spinning quarter, an electron density cloud theoretically be analyzed to predict electron path or is it truly probabilistic?
• What's the theoretical upper velocity we can achieve from using gravitational slingshots. Anyone run the numbers?
• When we talk about the age of universe or stars, in what reference frame are we measuring the time?
• [Physics] Why do EM waves that reflect off a surface at very small angles polarize parallel to the surface?
• Why is the synthesis of isopropanol alcohol carried out at higher temperatures when the reaction is product favored at lower temperatures?
• If the universe contained equal amounts of matter and anti-matter, would the universe eventually annihilate to nothing?
• Why do physicists sometimes speculate that the fundamental constants of nature may vary over time or within different parts of the universe?
• Would it be possible for a less dense planet that is further from it's star to orbit faster than one closer?
• Why do objects burn in flames when they enter the atmosphere?
• Are calcium influxes from different receptors "perceived" as different for the cellular processes?

How could one bake a cake in zero-gravity? What would be its effects on the chemical processes? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 09:19 PM PDT Discounting the difficulty of building a zero-G oven, how does gravity affect the rising of the batter, water boiling, etc? How much longer would it take? Would the cosmonauts need a spherical pan? Do speculate on any related physical processes apart from cake rising, which I just thought of as a simple example. Could one cook in zero G? submitted by /u/IntermezzoAmerica [link] [comments]

What, if any, relativistic effects would the Breakthrough Starshot nanoprobes experience? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 05:03 PM PDT The concept for the recently announced Breakthrough Starshot probes to Alpha Centauri sets the target for the interstellar speed of the probes at 100,000,000 miles per hour; ~20% the speed of light. Would traveling at this speed subject the probes to any significant time dilation (perhaps creating novel problems for communications, or even mechanical wear?) or other relativistic effects? Official project page: http://breakthroughinitiatives.org/Initiative/3 Media announcement (source of 20% speed of light claim): http://www.vox.com/2016/4/12/11415516/stephen-hawking-alpha-centari-breakthough-starshot-yuri-milner submitted by /u/ArtfulJamster [link] [comments]

When someone receives a donated organ, do the cells of the new organ change their DNA to that of the host? What becomes of the DNA in the cells of the donated organ? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 08:12 PM PDT submitted by /u/vocabularian [link] [comments]

Breakthrough Starshot Megathread Posted: 13 Apr 2016 03:32 PM PDT Hi everyone! We're getting a number of questions related to the Breakthrough Starshot, a project to design a nanoprobe mission to Alpha Centauri. Come join us and ask your questions here! NY Times article Ars Technica article Some challenges listed submitted by /u/AskScienceModerator [link] [comments]

Could a dinosaur regrow a severed tail like some lizards? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 08:14 PM PDT submitted by /u/Klassix [link] [comments]

(hypothetical) What would happen if we magically removed 1m^3 of the earth's core? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 03:20 PM PDT We had a little discussion over in this post, musing about the hypothetical question of what happened if we beamed away 1m3 of the earths core - would the resulting implosion be noticeable? (assuming a spherical portion of the core's center beamed away) We know so far that the earth's core has an overpressure of 360 Gigapascals and that gravitational effects would probably not play that much of a role. What we don't know is, for example, is, at what speeds would this event happen? How much energy would be released? In what ways does the core's composition play a role? submitted by /u/Dr_Mottek [link] [comments]

'Biology' At what point would an invasive species be considered integrated into an ecosyste? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 07:53 PM PDT It obviously varies from individual ecosystems, but I've always wondered if destroying "invasive species" actually hurts ecosystems based on how long it's been in the environment. submitted by /u/J-1s [link] [comments]

Why can't you absorb mercury (metal) with a sponge? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 02:23 PM PDT If sponges absorb liquids, and mercury is a liquid metal, why can't mercury be absorbed by a sponge? submitted by /u/EarthThroughTheLens [link] [comments]

What makes it so hard to replace damaged section of spinal cord? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 06:05 PM PDT I've Googled around and haven't found a very good answer to this question. What are some of the problems that make it so hard for us to replace damaged sections of a spinal cord? submitted by /u/glambx [link] [comments]

What is the weakest signal our radio telescope can receive? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 02:45 PM PDT The starshot project made me wonder how we would communicate with a cell phone like emitter light years away. I know that this is already a problem with probes (like New Horizons), which are both considerably larger and closer. submitted by /u/giantsqueed [link] [comments]

Would it be possible to change all of our SI units so that all the constants we use in scientific equations all become 1? Posted: 14 Apr 2016 12:27 AM PDT It's been a while since I've taken any science courses but I remember all the constants were in terms of some SI units. Like Coulomb's constant is in terms of newtons and metres and coulombs, and the gravitational constant is in terms of of newtons and metres and mass. Would it be possible to change our SI units for mass and force and distance and all the other things that different constants are in terms of in order to make each constant equal 1 (or if not 1 at least some whole number) in terms of our new SI units? If it's possible what might some of those units look like? submitted by /u/aJrenalin [link] [comments]

Some people can function on a lot less sleep than others. While asleep, what process happens in their body differently (or more rapidly) than those who require more sleep to allow for this variation? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 01:29 PM PDT submitted by /u/clitbeastwood [link] [comments]

Can, like the blur of a spinning quarter, an electron density cloud theoretically be analyzed to predict electron path or is it truly probabilistic? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 02:18 PM PDT This front page post of a spinning quarter got me wondering. The macroscopic view shows a blurry 'cloud' not visually unlike an electron density cloud. Not just that, but an electron density cloud is often described as probabilistic, with the position being otherwise unknowable. Similarly, the position of the quarter can be expressed in probabilistic terms: the quarter has, at any given moment, an equal probability of making any angle θ with respect to a coordinate plane orthagonal to the spin axis. Without knowledge of underlying patterns, that is the best approximation possible. Yet, with classical physics, the 'cloud' may be analytically deconstructed to determine the path or position of the quarter. All that is required is known data, in this case, the velocity, mass distribution, size, etc. These form conditional probabilities that make for a predictable path, thus expressible in terms of equations (eg. the probability that the angle 1 second from now is π radians is 100% given that the current angle is 0, angular velocity is π rads/s, angular acceleration is 0, etc; θ' = θ+w*t+(1/2)αt2 Is nature truly probabilistic, or do we simply not have the mathematical expressions and measurement sensitivity required to find the underlying patterns? submitted by /u/Ignatius7 [link] [comments]

What's the theoretical upper velocity we can achieve from using gravitational slingshots. Anyone run the numbers? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 05:02 PM PDT submitted by /u/EqualWeight [link] [comments]

When we talk about the age of universe or stars, in what reference frame are we measuring the time? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 10:00 AM PDT submitted by /u/hawaldaar [link] [comments]

[Physics] Why do EM waves that reflect off a surface at very small angles polarize parallel to the surface? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 03:03 PM PDT Preferebly with a nice metaphor to help a friend of mine understand submitted by /u/firewall245 [link] [comments]

Why is the synthesis of isopropanol alcohol carried out at higher temperatures when the reaction is product favored at lower temperatures? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 09:45 PM PDT It is stated in my chemistry text book that the industrial process is carried out at 180 degrees Celsius. I cant wrap my head around why this is the case. submitted by /u/Revircs [link] [comments]

If the universe contained equal amounts of matter and anti-matter, would the universe eventually annihilate to nothing? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 02:12 PM PDT By equal amounts I mean for each electron a positron, neutron and antineutron, etc. submitted by /u/DoTheDew420 [link] [comments]

Why do physicists sometimes speculate that the fundamental constants of nature may vary over time or within different parts of the universe? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 02:00 PM PDT Is there either empirical data, or theoretical reasons to believe that the fundamental constants have changed and/or can change? Or is this speculation just because no physical law explicitly forbids it from happening? Or is the speculation because it would possibly resolve the Goldilocks enigma? submitted by /u/medschoolprof [link] [comments]

Would it be possible for a less dense planet that is further from it's star to orbit faster than one closer? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 10:13 AM PDT submitted by /u/hellpigsblack1 [link] [comments]

Why do objects burn in flames when they enter the atmosphere? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 11:37 PM PDT What makes this happen? and how did NASA accurately solved this? submitted by /u/pulpheroe [link] [comments]

Are calcium influxes from different receptors "perceived" as different for the cellular processes? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 10:12 PM PDT I am trying to wrap my head around the immensity of the cellular pathways, specifically in respect to long-term-potentiation (LTP). There are several LTP induction techniques and several forms of LTP such as NMDAR dependent and independent, however most, if not all of the ionotropic parts of LTP involve a calcium influx. And several metabotropic systems do so as well. Where my comprehension seems to fail is when I try to understand why one calcium influx is different from another; non-glurA2 AMPA receptors can just like NMDAR and voltage gated calcium channels induce a calcium influx into the cell yet this influx does not have the same effect depending on the receptor it was induced by. Do these receptors/channels have some sort of secondairy metabotropic activty to specify their target cascades. Possibly the target enzymes are in close(r) proximity to certain receptors? Calcium influx from PKC/IP3 cascade raises calcium concentration in the cytosol and can activate camkk, mapk and PKA (among others). Does a calcium influx through voltage gated channels also increase the activity of all of these enzymes? If this is the case, how is there any specificity in these systems? If however this is not the case, how is the difference in calcium specified (and what is the role of ionotropic receptors herein?). Sorry for the wall of text and my apologies if I made incorrect assumptions, I hope someone can help! Thanks, Dagl submitted by /u/Dagl1 [link] [comments]

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AskScience AMA Series: I'm Ken Kosik, a neuroscientist and neurologist studying the vast landscape of Alzheimer's disease. AMA!

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• AskScience AMA Series: I'm Ken Kosik, a neuroscientist and neurologist studying the vast landscape of Alzheimer's disease. AMA!
• "Our Sun is unusually metal-rich for a star of its age and type." -- What does this mean?
• why "Steam" is the driving force of most of the power plants for more than 150 years? Does no other fluid has capability to replace it?
• Does a sonic boom become louder as the object producing it becomes faster?
• Is the glass on my phone screen getting worn away by my scrolling thumb?
• How exactly does chronic high blood sugar cause damage to the body?
• When humming in the shower or in an echoey room, why does one tone seem to reverberate more than any other tone?
• Is it possible to know the wavelength of a laser just by knowing the material of the active laser medium?
• What is the purpose of a neuron's baseline firing rate?
• How will the alpha-centauri nanoprobes handle the enormous amounts of acceleration to get to 20% the speed of light in a matter of minutes?
• How strong are duck legs?
• The nano-particles heading to Alpha Centauri are going to travel at relativistic speeds, arriving in ~20 years. If they're going at relativistic speeds, wouldn't that seem like much longer to us here on Earth?
• If the universe is bound to collapse, could it be possible that the universe is already collapsing?(more details)
• How much of the universe is, by mass, not planets, stars, asteroids, etc.?
• With regards to tapping CSF with a lumbar puncture: how do they teach students not to hit the spinal nerves?
• What happens to a photon as it travels directly towards the center of a blackhole or massive object?
• Why does winter get colder after the solstice when days start to become longer?
• What keeps our stomach acid in our stomach but passes other liquids?
• Is it possible for a large object to orbit a smaller object? or will the smaller object always orbit larger ones?
• What is the scientific reasoning behind why we can't create artificial enzymes to catalyze specific reactions?
• How does quantum tunnelling work?
• What happens when you sprinkle iron filings on a superconductor?

AskScience AMA Series: I'm Ken Kosik, a neuroscientist and neurologist studying the vast landscape of Alzheimer's disease. AMA! Posted: 13 Apr 2016 04:53 AM PDT My name is Ken Kosik. I'm a neuroscientist and neurologist at University of California, Santa Barbara. I'm fascinated by nearly every facet of Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders. I tend to think about the nervous system in terms of genetics and cellular and molecular biology, but also find the clinical questions compelling. AMA! The incidence of Alzheimer's disease is spiraling upward. By age 85 the likelihood of getting the disease approaches 50%, a grim reward for the octogenarian. Few diseases are as simultaneously cruel and mysterious as Alzheimer's for its ability to obliterate a lifetime of memories and destroy histories even as it robs the person of his or her capacity to function in the present. And because we use memory to envision the future, Alzheimer's disease also takes away expectations, anticipation, and hope. Nearly 25 years ago, on a trip to Colombia, Dr. Francisco Lopera introduced me a family he had been tracking for the previous decade. We began a collaboration to find the cause of their early onset dementia, which turned out to be Alzheimer's disease, and to identify the mutation responsible for the autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. The mutation turned out to be the substitution of glutamic acid for an alanine at position 280 of the presenilin I gene. The large extended family that harbors this mutation consists of about 5000 people whose lineage can be traced to a single founder, probably a conquistador who came from Spain not long after Christopher Columbus. Those family members who harbor the mutation are genetically determined to get a particularly aggressive early onset form of Alzheimer's disease with the first symptoms apparent by age 45. The hallmark amyloid begins to collect in the brain about a decade earlier. Recently, this large Colombian family has begun to participate in a clinical trial that is testing an antibody directed at amyloid in the hope that the drug can reduce the amyloid burden and retard disease progression. This story and others related to Alzheimer clinical trials is the subject of a NOVA PBS documentary titled "Can Alzheimer's Be Stopped?" produced by Sarah Holt. I hope you will be able to watch it on the evening of April 13 at 9/8c on PBS: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/alzheimers-be-stopped.html By the way, this is AMA so please feel free to ask me about my other research interests, which include brain evolution and a research project on how the earliest cells during human development become neurons. I'll be back at 12 pm EDT to answer your questions, ask me anything! submitted by /u/Kenneth_Kosik [link] [comments]

"Our Sun is unusually metal-rich for a star of its age and type." -- What does this mean? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 05:59 AM PDT Source: http://www.astrobio.net/news-exclusive/galactic-habitable-zones/ The statement is found almost midway down the article. What metallicity would be expected for a star a) of the Sun's age and b) of the Sun's type? Is there any implication here? E.g., Was the sun likely formed elsewhere in the galaxy, such as the galactic center, etc. Wikipedia says: "Population I, or metal-rich stars, are young stars with the highest metallicity out of all three populations. The Earth's Sun is an example of a metal-rich star. These are common in the spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy." So it's common to find young, metal-rich stars in the spiral arms. The sun is located just outside of a spiral arm. The sun is young and metal-rich. So what exactly would make the sun's metallicity unusual? It seems to be exactly what one would expect based on the sun's location and age... submitted by /u/mavajo [link] [comments]

why "Steam" is the driving force of most of the power plants for more than 150 years? Does no other fluid has capability to replace it? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 04:53 AM PDT submitted by /u/Khurram_mehdi [link] [comments]

Does a sonic boom become louder as the object producing it becomes faster? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 06:09 AM PDT Or is this more mass or volume related? submitted by /u/McCainOffensive [link] [comments]

Is the glass on my phone screen getting worn away by my scrolling thumb? Posted: 13 Apr 2016 05:47 AM PDT submitted by /u/woodenlife [link] [comments]

How exactly does chronic high blood sugar cause damage to the body? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 06:16 AM PDT I know high blood sugar can cause organ damage, eye damage and can lead to people needing amputations, but why is this exactly? Whats going on in the body? Edits: Thank you all so much for your responses, I'm reading through all of them. submitted by /u/RobotPixie [link] [comments]

When humming in the shower or in an echoey room, why does one tone seem to reverberate more than any other tone? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 06:58 AM PDT submitted by /u/SittingInFear [link] [comments]

Is it possible to know the wavelength of a laser just by knowing the material of the active laser medium? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 07:03 PM PDT submitted by /u/Vacks [link] [comments]

What is the purpose of a neuron's baseline firing rate? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 06:58 PM PDT Why do neurons exhibit baseline firing rates when stimuli aren't present? Could this potentially be explained in some measure as to how consciousness or subconsciousness are interpolated in the brain? Or do they have a more obvious significance in maintaining healthy functioning and preventing neuronal degradation as well as allowing information to be interpreted and processed more quickly when a stimulus is presented? Does it hold no known function at all? As a final thought, there seems to be very little information on this topic, other than the fact that it exists. Am I missing something obvious or is this just not a very interesting topic for the science community? Thank you in advance to anyone who answers! submitted by /u/HandsYouLemons [link] [comments]

How will the alpha-centauri nanoprobes handle the enormous amounts of acceleration to get to 20% the speed of light in a matter of minutes? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 11:16 AM PDT According to this article the nanoprobes that Hawking just announced that are to be sent to Alpha Centauri will be accelerated to .2c in just a matter of minutes. Back of the envelope calculations show that this will require something on the order of 1000g or more sustained acceleration for those minutes. How can those probes be made to survive something like this? submitted by /u/dargscisyhp [link] [comments]

How strong are duck legs? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 06:47 PM PDT Watching Planet Earth, and noticed that a duckling was capable of jumping at least twice it's height. So, exactly how strong are duck legs? submitted by /u/ju5tr3dd1t [link] [comments]

The nano-particles heading to Alpha Centauri are going to travel at relativistic speeds, arriving in ~20 years. If they're going at relativistic speeds, wouldn't that seem like much longer to us here on Earth? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 05:44 PM PDT ...or do I have it backwards? If I learned anything from Planet of the Apes, (spoiler alert) it's that I shouldn't travel too fast compared to the Earth unless I want to propel myself far into the future. submitted by /u/tsjo [link] [comments]

If the universe is bound to collapse, could it be possible that the universe is already collapsing?(more details) Posted: 13 Apr 2016 12:14 AM PDT im going with the assumption that we find new stars in the distance after a few years because it takes a long time for light to travel to earth. after all the millions (billions?) of years that it took for light to travel to earth, the universe has expanded alot more.could it be possible that through all those years the expansion stopped and started collapsing? submitted by /u/nick256 [link] [comments]

How much of the universe is, by mass, not planets, stars, asteroids, etc.? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 07:14 PM PDT Obviously these celestial bodies are much denser, but so much of space is "mostly empty" I'm wondering how they compare. submitted by /u/CatchHere8 [link] [comments]

With regards to tapping CSF with a lumbar puncture: how do they teach students not to hit the spinal nerves? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 06:14 AM PDT I know headaches are quite frequent, but nerve root damage is actually really low, from what I have seen less than 1%. How do they know and train people to hit just the right spot? It seems to me that a millimeter too far, and you are scratching a nerve. submitted by /u/Zorbabuddha [link] [comments]

What happens to a photon as it travels directly towards the center of a blackhole or massive object? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 02:29 PM PDT This is a question that has been bugging me, and I have not been able to find an answer to it yet. I am most likely thinking about something the wrong way, making the wrong assumptions, or am just generally uninformed about the topic, as it is not my area. But let me try to ask it in the clearest way possible (which admittedly might not be all that clear), and hopefully someone more versed on the topic can answer this for me. Background I was watching Richard Feynman's lectures on quantum physics some time ago where he explained the probability of light traveling in a certain direction. To paraphrase this lecture. Light has the probability to travel in any direction, however it has the highest probability to travel along the shortest path in space. Ex light will reflect off of a mirror in a straight line because this is the most probable outcome, due to it being the shortest path the light can travel. Relating this to Relativity, I made the assumption that the gravitational lensing of light moving around a massive object, like a black hole is due to the fact that the massive object will bend space, creating a new "shortest path" for light to travel on, rather than the light just moving "straight" into the object. Which in turn allows us to view stars, etc. "behind" massive objects. Specific Theoretical Situation In Question In general, I am thinking of a theoretical case where there is some immensely massive object that can bend the light from another object directly behind it. I.E. i am thinking of a star that is directly behind, say a blackhole, or galaxy, other more massive object relative to our line of sight. (Though I know we haven't been able to observe gravitational lensing with black holes) Let's say we have some huge spherical gravitational anomaly such that, for a star directly behind it, in a straight line with our viewpoint: (1) The anomaly physically blocks the object completely (if gravitational lensing is ignored) (2) The star behind the object is completely visible to us with gravitational lensing (i.e. all the light from the star travels around the anomaly to make it visible, [which I am not sure is physically possible]), such that the light from the "left" side of the star travels around the "left" side of the object, following the shortest path in space [I am also not sure this is how it works], same with the "right" side and "top", etc. Question(s) If this is an allowable case in physics, what would happen to a photon created directly in the center of the star that travels directly towards the center of the gravitational anomaly? Do we as observers see this photon? If we do, how does the photon travel to us, assuming it takes the shortest path [if it does]? Is there some "default" shortest path in space the photon takes? Or is the path governed purely by probability, meaning it can take any path around the sphere? Does it "hit" the gravitational anomaly and is thus "blocked" from our view? Hopefully this made some sense. Something seems off about this situation, and I have a feeling that it has to do with the assumption I made about how gravitational lensing works, or if it is possible to see an object directly behind another if there is enough gravity, or something along those lines. If someone could set me straight on the issue, I would really appreciate it. Sorry for such a wordy question. submitted by /u/destinytemp24 [link] [comments]

Why does winter get colder after the solstice when days start to become longer? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 05:00 PM PDT Similarly, why does summer get hotter after the other solstice when days start to become shorter? submitted by /u/overyunder [link] [comments]

What keeps our stomach acid in our stomach but passes other liquids? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 05:21 AM PDT Or are we on a constant cycle of passing the stomach acid and producing more? Do absorptive foods like bread or oats soak up stomach acid? submitted by /u/WasteTimeLoseMoney [link] [comments]

Is it possible for a large object to orbit a smaller object? or will the smaller object always orbit larger ones? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:25 AM PDT . submitted by /u/Jiinxt [link] [comments]

What is the scientific reasoning behind why we can't create artificial enzymes to catalyze specific reactions? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 04:53 AM PDT submitted by /u/anxietymeasure [link] [comments]

How does quantum tunnelling work? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 05:58 AM PDT I am currently studying physical chemistry: considering a particle in a one dimensional box with walls of finite heigth, one can demonstrate that the probability of finding the particle outside the box is nonzero, even though its energy is lower than the potential of the wall. I understand that this is the prove that the phenomenon exists and that we cannot know all of it because of Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. My question is: do we really have no idea how a particle quantum tunnels? Do we have any hypothesis? How does a particle simply go through a barrier? I read that Scanning Tunneling Microscope implies that some electrons can surpass the Fermi Level and go on the electrically charged tip of the microscope because the electrons actually "borrow" energy from the tip itself. Generally speaking, does it happen because the particle borrows energy from its surroundings to surpass the barrier? Thanks for any future answers. submitted by /u/Hydropenis [link] [comments]

What happens when you sprinkle iron filings on a superconductor? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 01:02 PM PDT I was watching an episode of QI (Series L: 4. Levity) where Stephen Fry demonstrates a (super cold) super conductor levitating. The scientist present said (from memory, not verbatim) it bent magnetic fields around itself. Would this show up if you sprinkled the super conductor with iron filings like you can with a regular magnet? submitted by /u/richardathome [link] [comments]

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