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Tuesday, September 13, 2016

AskScience AMA Series: We are the GeoHazards Messaging Collaboratory here to talk about how we study geohazards like earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis. Ask Us Anything!

AskScience AMA Series: We are the GeoHazards Messaging Collaboratory here to talk about how we study geohazards like earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis. Ask Us Anything!

AskScience AMA Series: We are the GeoHazards Messaging Collaboratory here to talk about how we study geohazards like earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis. Ask Us Anything!

Posted: 13 Sep 2016 05:00 AM PDT

Hi Reddit! We're scientists and educators from IRIS, UNAVCO, SCEC, and the USGS - and we're here to talk about earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes! We'll discuss anything from how we conduct and synthesize research, to how it is being applied in the real world, to how you can get prepared. Dr. Wendy Bohon (IRIS), Beth Bartel (UNAVCO), Jason Ballmann (SCEC) and Dr. Ken Hudnut (USGS/SCEC) will be on hand to answer your questions along with other (in)famous seismologists and geologists! We'll be on at 12 PM EDT (16 UT), ask us anything!

  • From Wendy: My research focuses on examining how the surface and near surface of the earth changes as the result of earthquakes. Now, I focus on improving public education and perception of science, particularly seismology. I'm currently the Informal Education Specialist at IRIS.
  • From Beth: As the outreach specialist for UNAVCO, I work to engage people in natural hazard science in fun, innovative ways, with a focus on deformation-how the Earth moves before, during, and after catastrophic events. My past research was in volcano deformation and I spent years installing equipment for UNAVCO to measure motions relating to earthquakes and glaciers as well.
  • From Jason: I am a Communications Specialist at the Southern California Earthquake Center, (SCEC), where I manage outreach campaigns focused on science education, preparedness, and mitigation. My objectives are to advise and bring people together across many organizations and countries in making the world a more engaged, informed place through applying social science research and communications best practices.
  • From Ken: As the Science Advisor for Risk Reduction for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Natural Hazards Mission Area I try to understand and explain natural hazards in order to help people. I am responsible for ensuring USGS hazards science is being applied to help solve societally relevant problems. My background is in earthquake science.
submitted by /u/AskScienceModerator
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South Korea just got hit with a 5.4 magnitude earthquake. 3 days ago, North Korea carried out a nuclear weapons test that caused a 5.3 magnitude seismic event. Is it possible that today's earthquake is a result of the nuclear testing several days ago?

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 08:33 AM PDT

How did we determine the shape of electron orbitals?

Posted: 13 Sep 2016 12:40 AM PDT

Would AC -> DC converter work with DC as input?

Posted: 13 Sep 2016 02:12 AM PDT

So, if I have a large batery pack and want to power something that requires DC, but the devices "power brick" is ment to be pluged in ordinary AC wall outled - can I put the bateries in series to get 220 volts DC and and just connect the power brick to get whatever voltage the device requires?

submitted by /u/KaktitsM
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Is there one dominant method currently used to measure the age of the earth or do we use several more or less equally?

Posted: 13 Sep 2016 05:34 AM PDT

If there is one that is used a lot more than others, why? Are the others less accurate?

submitted by /u/Hashi856
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Can large volcanic eruptions like Krakatoa be traced in ice core records?

Posted: 13 Sep 2016 05:17 AM PDT

Years ago I heard about the discovery of the memristor. Haven't heard anything about them since. What's the story? Are they being used widely?

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 08:34 PM PDT

It was hailed as a breakthrough discovery and would supposedly allow all kinds of new (or improved) things. But I've not seen anything about them for years.

submitted by /u/Turd_City_Auto_Group
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Is 20 infinitely larger than 1 infinity?

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 09:52 PM PDT

If I was given the option between receiving infinitely many $20 bills and infinitely many $1 bills, would my choice matter in terms of getting more money?

submitted by /u/black_gold_badger
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Why does tilting a laptop screen increase the contrast and make finer details easier to see?

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 01:21 PM PDT

If two people moved away from each other, with each person travelling just over half the speed of light, would they be able to communicate with each other?

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 10:06 AM PDT

Or is this scenario impossible?

submitted by /u/UnitedVindicator
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Do plants and animals have a common ancestor?

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 09:42 AM PDT

Does the reported scientific consensus about the safety of consumable GMOs include an evaluation of studies about their effects on human gut microbiomes and epigenetic codes?

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 02:05 PM PDT

Why do earthquakes 'shake' everything? Why don't the tectonic plates just slide into place in one smooth motion?

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 09:40 AM PDT

In calculating standard deviation, why do you square the variances instead of taking the absolute value of the variances?

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 11:56 AM PDT

In statistics, to get the standard deviation you take the variance and find the square root. The variance is each data point minus the average, and you square it (and divide by the number of samples). We square these terms because if you added them up without squaring them first, the negatives and positives cancel each other out.

My question is why would it be beneficial to square these individual variances in the first place? Why wouldn't you instead take the absolute value of the individual variances and skip the squaring and square rooting?

submitted by /u/Stormline
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What is time-translation symmetry and how do Floquet time crystals (theoretically) break it?

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 04:07 PM PDT

Do these time crystals have any bearing on "time travel" as it's now understood in the scientific community?

Thank you!

Link to the article that prompted my question.

submitted by /u/truth__bomb
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Are edited genes heritable?

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 09:43 AM PDT

How are thermodynamic quantities calculated? Such as enthalpy, internal energy, entropy, chemical potential, etc.

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 07:28 AM PDT

When metal is exposed to water, does the metal corrode by reacting with the water itself, or dissolved oxygen in the water?

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 01:13 PM PDT

I was curious about which it is reacting with. Does it react with one more than the other?

submitted by /u/rustquestionguy
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What non-cytokinetic signal could drive IgE production without also stimulating IgG production?

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 12:26 PM PDT

Hi r/askscience!

I'm an undergrad in a new Immunology lab and my PI posed this question to me and I am having trouble figuring it out based on the way she worded it. Ignoring cytokines and their impact on driving stimulation of certain immunoglobulins, what inherit mechanism would drive production of IgE over IgG?

My mind takes me to allergy or parasite if we are talking an elevation in IgE but I am not sure by what mechanism this process would occur.

Any information would help!

submitted by /u/BetweenTwoFerns
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Does an inductor coil become a capacitor when 1 of the middle loops is cut?

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 02:11 PM PDT

It would have no direct path for electrons to cross between the 2 sides of the wire (cut somewhere deep in the coil) so to prevent buildup of static charge the 2 now separate but concentric coils should become oppositely charged, total neutral charge.

Do some capacitors work this way? How efficient are they compared to the parallel plate kind? How much efficiency is lost in the transform from inductor to capacitor? What if we put a switch at the break so it could change between capacitor and inductor?

submitted by /u/BenRayfield
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How do seeds know that they are outside of a fruit to begin germination and growth?

Posted: 12 Sep 2016 01:49 AM PDT
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Monday, September 12, 2016

Why can't we see all of the black dots simultaneously on this illusion?

Why can't we see all of the black dots simultaneously on this illusion?

Why can't we see all of the black dots simultaneously on this illusion?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 09:00 PM PDT

Where do squirrels go during hurricanes?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 04:57 PM PDT

How Well Do Giraffe Species Interbreed?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 08:20 AM PDT

Part of the reason given why their identification as 4 species was not noticed is ability of giraffes to Interbreed. How successful are progeny?

Bonus: Could interbreeding be used to aid in conservation efforts, by introducing more diversity into depopulated a giraffe species?

submitted by /u/iamthegodemperor
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[neuroscience] Whаt bеnеfіts dоеs еасh stаgе оf slеер hаvе?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 04:32 PM PDT

I have always thought of epoxies as two part mixtures that react. Now I see single stage epoxies all over. How do they catalyze?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 08:10 PM PDT

If a plant grows from a cutting from another one, are they genetically identical?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 07:10 PM PDT

Is there a correlation between the fat content of milk and it's protein concentration?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 05:57 PM PDT

Basically, as I'm given to understand, proteins are amino acids while fats come from glycerol chains; and while I understand that unused proteins can be turned into fat in the human body, I wanted to know whether or not the protein and fat concentrations of foods were in any way related. Simply looking at nutritional labels of different types of milk, I found that higher fat percent tended to also have higher protein percent, but I can't find an explanation as to why. (sorry for mistakes, this is my first time posting)

submitted by /u/SaitamaMasterRace
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Why can't an object/ship in stationary orbit just use thrusters to descend straight down in a controlled manner?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 07:38 PM PDT

Why are solar panels in fields all angled a certain way, as opposed to pointing towards the sun?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 07:04 AM PDT

edit: towards the sky, not the sun.

submitted by /u/tmello01
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Can a collapsing star have such great mass that the black hole formed completely absorbs the supernova and the star simply "goes dark?"

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 03:37 PM PDT

How can birds fly in a storm/heavy downpour?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 03:04 PM PDT

I was under the impression that birds use updrafts and rising heated air to float along and glide with their wings. No?

submitted by /u/goateguy
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What's the brain's role in interpreting music into dancing? How does that process work at a physiological level?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 05:55 AM PDT

I'm not really familiar with ballets but I'm taking about the type of dancing you may see at a hip hop concert that usually involves highly choreographed dance routines. Also how people dance at clubs and how their moves change depending on song / genre. Or maybe bobbing your head while driving to work and listening to the radio.

Is it some process that excites certain nerves and makes you want to move to the beat? How do we make the choice of what move goes with the beat?

submitted by /u/FrancisOntheHood
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Physical significance of S(q) structure factor against scattering vector q?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 04:21 PM PDT

In diffraction experiments it is common to graph the structure factor against the scattering vector q. My question is what exactly do the peaks in the resultant plot from x-ray diffraction of neutron diffraction physically correspond to? Also, I think it would help to frame the answer in the case of a non periodic structure (or perfect crystal scenarios). Any help would be appreciated.

submitted by /u/AisleEight
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Why can our immune systems get rid of some viruses, where others can stay in the body for the rest of our lives?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 03:03 PM PDT

How come that the immune system can get rid of, for example, the influenza virus in about a week where HIV stays forever? What makes a virus more dangerous from a different one?

submitted by /u/Shedvoy
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How do in-cell organelles "know" what to do, and how do they move?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 12:46 PM PDT

I remember from high school biology that there's a lot of activity happening inside cells. DNA is unzipped and copied and proteins are manufactured at the ribosome, then packaged at the Golgi. How are any of these capable of moving or performing any action at all, and how do they know to do the right thing?

submitted by /u/numb3red
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What is the Corealis Effect like at the equator?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 03:15 PM PDT

Given E = p * c, why can't energy be "converted" into momentum?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 02:33 PM PDT

What determines a mach/shock diamond's color?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 01:50 PM PDT

I see that some planes create a blue and orange color. However, planes like the SR-71 Blackbird in this photo and the F-35 in this create only one color, not both. Sometimes they even come out purple and pink. The space shuttle's engine's also pure blue

submitted by /u/boeing186
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How do we calculate wavelegnth using pixel number and intensity?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 08:53 PM PDT

Is there a formula or some general method?

submitted by /u/mickandrorty312
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Why does it look like people on the ISS are upside down?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 02:32 PM PDT

It's as if all blood pools in their heads. Is that the reason, and if so, why?

Example 1

Example 2

submitted by /u/ercafnerc
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Sunday, September 11, 2016

What might be different if the earths rotation was in the other direction?

What might be different if the earths rotation was in the other direction?

What might be different if the earths rotation was in the other direction?

Posted: 10 Sep 2016 05:50 PM PDT

Does the salt content in saltwater elicit a higher pain response from saltwater marine life?

Posted: 10 Sep 2016 05:30 PM PDT

I mean, they would probably know no difference, but would the pain response in say, a shark, be reduced if the water immediately surrounding the wound were freshwater? Or has marine life adapted to it? Thanks!

submitted by /u/EphemeralBlue
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Cats & Dogs have many nipples. What creatures have the most nipples. Why?

Posted: 10 Sep 2016 11:14 AM PDT

Could matter/light escape the event horizon of a relatively tiny black hole under influence of another?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 06:39 AM PDT

Say point A in space is just beyond the event horizon of a small to medium black hole, but also further beyond the event horizon of a second super-massive black hole. This second one will, if I recall correctly, have an event horizon many many times bigger.

If for some theorectical reason these black holes do not merge instantly, could there be a brief window of time where matter that is already beyond the event horizon of the small black hole get dragged back into the massive one?

I am not very informed about the details surrounding black holes so my idea could be completely wrong and/or law of physics breaking.

Thanks!

submitted by /u/Dagl1
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Would running with or against the rotation of an artificial gravity ring in space significantly change the effect it had on you?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 06:36 AM PDT

If this was the case could you completely negate the affect of gravity by sprinting against the rotation resulting in the situation where you were floating in place as the ring was rotating without you.

submitted by /u/Nemo_8
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A number line is necessary to contain all real numbers. A complex plane is necessary to contain all complex numbers. Is there any kind of number that needs a three dimensional space to contain?

Posted: 10 Sep 2016 06:29 PM PDT

Is it possible for any type of magnetism to actually repel a ferromagnetic material?

Posted: 10 Sep 2016 05:28 PM PDT

Given the fact that braces can work on adult jaws, are other bones in the body able to be morphed or translated out of position given exterior reinforcement?

Posted: 10 Sep 2016 10:16 PM PDT

So I was just watching a gif of a timelapse of sagging teeth being morphed by braces into a regular jaw, and I was wondering if other (stronger?) bones could be affected the same way, and the ways they could be moved along. I have some examples that I was specifically thinking about.

1) If a constant pressure is applied to the sides of a person's hands, would the bones of the hand eventually be pushed inwards permanently? If so, would the bones of the hand break before this happens? If that's the case, why does the portion of the skull attached to the teeth not break from braces?

2) Let's suppose a put a (very painful) "pusher" between the bones of my wrist that just exerts a constant outwards force on the horizontal plane relative to my hand. Would my 7" wrists become 8" wrists? Or is the length of the forearm bone a problem? Also, assuming I constantly consumed vitamin k2, d, c, and calcium, would the bone still suffer, or would it be perfectly fine?

3) I don't like the length of my legs. If I attach two ropes with a pulling force to each end of my fibula and tibia, would the bones simply break, or would it be stretched? Or, are these two bones simply too big for this to work?

I know that especially in regards to the 3rd question, there was a medieval torture contraption that worked by pulling on the limbs. However, if I remember correctly, that machine caused pain by ripping out some of the bones from their respective joints, and eventually tearing the skin and muscle.

submitted by /u/truedino
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Why are humans more afraid of spiders and insects than, say, wild animals?

Posted: 10 Sep 2016 09:04 PM PDT

The reaction to seeing them is visceral, as opposed to seeing animals that can actually kill me, like a lion or a bear. They're two different types of fears, but most people seem way more afraid of spiders & insects.

submitted by /u/TheGaySister
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If we can't determine the orbit of an electron and only have a "probability plot" of where it is likely to be when we try and look, does this not just highlight our inability to track properly?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 07:04 AM PDT

Progesterone Cream (USP) is rubbed into skin to be absorbed into the bloodstream in an hour. With this understanding of skin permeability, is it known if chemicals/bleach used in hair dying could also get into the bloodstream, or react with skin in some way to be absorbed into the body?

Posted: 10 Sep 2016 09:16 PM PDT

I recently learned that many women rub Bio-identical (USP) Progesterone cream into their skin, to get it quickly into the bloodstream, blowing my mind, as I thought skin was way more impenetrable than that. Now, all the various strong chemicals people (especially women in pursuit of beauty) put on skin seem scary. Which ones can be absorbed into the body?

submitted by /u/pineapple918
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[Physics] Why are there so many different units for radiation/radioactivity?

Posted: 10 Sep 2016 11:22 AM PDT

It seems like, between greys, roentgens, Sieverts, rads, curies, it's a confusing mess. Is it just a matter of different international standards?

submitted by /u/_REDSTOOL_
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Why don't lungs seem to ever get tired ?

Posted: 10 Sep 2016 10:41 PM PDT

Does Hydrogen (relative atomic mass of 1) weigh (approximately) the same as 1/12th of a Carbon-12 atom?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 02:50 AM PDT

So relative atomic mass is relative to 1/12th of a carbon-12 atom, so does that mean hydrogen approximately weighs the same as 1/12th of carbon 12?

submitted by /u/has101
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Do the points where a curve function and its derivative intersect hold some significance?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 06:25 AM PDT

We're doing calculus in school now. And I was wondering whether the points where y = y' are used in science, engineering or some field? Are they called something? I was wondering when I graphed a cube function and its derivative like this.

submitted by /u/AlphaDonkey1
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Seems like we often cure diseases in mice as a stepping stone to curing them in people. So, are these therapies made available to veterinarians, so that actual mice (pet mice) can see some benefit from these breakthroughs?

Posted: 10 Sep 2016 09:50 PM PDT

Why are ferrofluids so black?

Posted: 10 Sep 2016 04:46 PM PDT

Is light absorption a property of ferrofluids, and if so, why so?

submitted by /u/glidepath
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For what reason do we not see any Agarwood farms in the US? If it has to do with climate could you produce such a climate indoors with hydroponics seeing how the product of tree is so valuable?

Posted: 10 Sep 2016 09:00 PM PDT

I hear the tree is fast growing as it takes 4 years to flower.

If it's possible to use hydroponics you could perhaps tweak things so that you almost always produce the best grade of product.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agarwood

First-grade agarwood is one of the most expensive natural raw materials in the world,[citation needed] with 2010 prices for superior pure material as high as US$100,000/kg, although in practice adulteration of the wood and oil is common, allowing for prices as low as US$100/kg.[4] A whole range of qualities and products are on the market, varying in quality with geographical location, botanical species, the age of the specific tree, cultural deposition and the section of the tree where the piece of agarwood stems from.[5] Oud oil is distilled from agarwood, and fetches high prices depending on the oil's purity. The current global market for agarwood is estimated to be in the range of US$6 – 8 billion and is growing rapidly

Most paper now comes from either recycled material such as wood chips,or from wood that's sourced from tree farms. So why not grow Agarwood instead of pine trees for paper?

http://i.imgur.com/Pdf2p07.jpg

a cord of wood weighs 1814.37 kg, so if you could produce the top grade material in a hyrdroponic farm you would make up to 181,400,000 dollars off a cord of agarwood.

submitted by /u/strunberg
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Model on how chain mails propagate? How many % of people need to forward them?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 04:29 AM PDT

Hey,

so I've read an article in a newspaper about a whatsapp chain mail telling people that a certain contact is a hacker or some BS like that. I've not seen such a message in years and I'm quite surprised that they still exist, but I guess my contacts aren't people who would forward this.

This made me thinking: what % of people need to forward those messages for them to be "alive"? I've tried to find research about this but I couldn't find anything.

I'm quite sure it's very similar to how diseases and vaccines work, with a 100% working vaccine for thsoe who don't send the message and 100% chance of getting the disease if not vaccinated. So could I use those models? The only question would be how many people are those who send the mails interact with.

submitted by /u/FalconX88
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When an object becomes statically charged, are the molecules in the object ionized?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 12:27 AM PDT

For example when wool and nylon are rubbed together both become charged. Let's say nylon is negatively charged. Do the nylon molecules become ionized?

submitted by /u/ebo1
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Is the temperature difference between the north and south pole purely because of the axis of revolution the earth has relative to the sun?

Posted: 11 Sep 2016 12:26 AM PDT

Is the human brain wired to naturally perceive only a certain number of orders of magnitude?

Posted: 10 Sep 2016 06:40 PM PDT

Example 1

Consider this example (people who don't know math can skip to the next one, don't worry):

You want to plot this function: y=(floor(x))2. Now say you pull up your favorite program and you put the equation in and the program plots the thing.

So here it is on your screen, you set it to only show the first quadrant - say x<15, y<200 - and there you have it: 16 discernible steps.

Now you wanna see more steps, so you edit your axis range and you go x<20, y<400: 21 discernible steps.

Now I go higher to x<30, y<900 and things start to get a little weird: I KNOW in this particular case that there are 31 steps in the picture and I can discern them, but the difference between the 1st and 2nd step is getting minimal.

Let's ramp things up to x<150, now anything before 5 is a straight line.

At x<300, everything before 20 is a straight line. At x<1000 it's 50. And so on and so forth...

Basically if I want to see bigger things, I'm gonna have to scale things up, but that way I won't be able to see little things anymore.

Now, of course, this example could be easily dismissed as a problem of my screen's resolution. If I had a bigger screen with a higher resolution I could probably plot 300 fully discernible steps. But of course this stops working when you wanna see the 10,000th step, then things would start to get blurry again at the bottom.

I suspect this to be an inherent property of human perception: do we have a fixed scale that sets what is the biggest size and the smallest size in a series of objects we can perceive at the same time?

Next example:

Example 2 (EDIT: I found this video that is basically the same thing I'm describing below but with stars instead of cubes, I highly suggest watching it)

Imagine yourself on a flat, infinitely wide and infinitely long piece of land. Somewhere a bit ahead of you is a series of cubes placed one next to the other in a row that runs from left to right. Each cube is twice the size of the one to its left.

You wanna see the most cubes you can so you start backing away from the cubes. This way, bigger cubes enter your field of view on the right and smaller cubes enter your view from the left. Pretty soon you start to find that if you keep backing away you'll definitely see bigger cubes, but you'll also lose perception of the smaller cubes on the left.

So you stop backing away and you just move sideways to the right to see bigger cubes, but as you go to the right, you find that the big cubes are just getting too big for your field of view, you HAVE to step back to see them entirely.

Also, same thing with the small cubes on the left. If you're too far back and you wanna see smaller and smaller cubes, you'll have to step in and move to the left, but this is gonna make you lose sight of the bigger cubes.

My question is: is there an intrinsic limitation in my brain to not only see, but picture something, then something twice as big, then something 10 times as big and something 100 times as big without losing sight (or perception) of the original thing I was picturing?

Also, I would be surprised to find out I was the first one to THINK of this problem, so I would suppose it might be something quite basic which I still can't find stuff about because I'm probably putting in all the wrong keywords. Could you help me out on this too? What's the field of study which cares about this kinda thing?

submitted by /u/swedocme
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Why are differentiation and integration opposites?

Posted: 10 Sep 2016 11:26 PM PDT

Graphically, derivatives are the slopes of tangent lines, and integrals are the area underneath curves (at least in 2-D). Why are these opposites of each other? Why do they "undo" each other?

submitted by /u/WittilyItaly
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