Desiccated spruce branches will curl up or down depending on weather conditions, and have been used as artisanal weather predictors in Eastern North America. What particular properties does the structure of spruce branches have which makes them behave in the way they do?

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• Desiccated spruce branches will curl up or down depending on weather conditions, and have been used as artisanal weather predictors in Eastern North America. What particular properties does the structure of spruce branches have which makes them behave in the way they do?
• How do scientists stop the environment from causing wave function collapse when doing QM experiments?
• How does synesthesia work? Is it possible to acquire/induce it in a non-synesthete brain?
• Did trees bear fruits before there were mammals to eat them?
• Can bugs with an exoskeleton (ants, beetles, scorpions etc.) survive a cracked skeleton or heal themselves?
• How much more energy will fusion of lithium-6 deuteride release than fission of uranium-235?
• Burnt toast tasted very similar to burnt popcorn because it has a distinct "burnt" taste. What is it exactly that we are tasting, and why is it common between completely different foods?
• Why do we grab a part of our body when it gets injured?
• Can we make small, lab-sized, analyzable nuclear explosions?
• [Chemistry] Why does plastic turn white when it's twisted or bent?
• Are seagulls able to drink salt water to stay hydrated? Do they have an internal system to filter salt water?
• How do companies put such specific expiration dates on products that sometimes go years into the future?
• How was helium discovered?
• Why do children wet the bed, yet adults are able to control their bladders even though regardless of age we are both asleep?
• Do larger people have larger organs?
• Is there magnetic field around charge moving with constant linear velocity?
• How do we obtain our gut flora?
• How do you tell a boy vs girl via ultrasound?
• What is the focal length of the human eye(s)? Is it the same for every healthy human?
• Would someone please explain what's going on to cause the effect in this gif?
• When a straight rope is flicked at one end, a 'wave' appears in the rope travels down its length.. What determines the speed at which this wave travels?
• What "pushes" teeth out?

Desiccated spruce branches will curl up or down depending on weather conditions, and have been used as artisanal weather predictors in Eastern North America. What particular properties does the structure of spruce branches have which makes them behave in the way they do? Posted: 17 Aug 2017 05:27 AM PDT Reference: http://survinat.com/2014/02/spruce-barometer/ I'm particularly curious about what, in the wood structure, induces such a specific directionality to this behavior. submitted by /u/Gargatua13013 [link] [comments]

How do scientists stop the environment from causing wave function collapse when doing QM experiments? Posted: 17 Aug 2017 01:26 AM PDT My assumption has always been that things like the double slit experiment must be performed in a vacuum to prevent the air from interfering with the electrons being fired. However, is it possible to completely prevent ALL particles from contaminating the environment? For example photons emitted from the equipment, stray cosmic rays, etc? How is this overcome? submitted by /u/barroon_animar [link] [comments]

How does synesthesia work? Is it possible to acquire/induce it in a non-synesthete brain? Posted: 16 Aug 2017 10:06 PM PDT submitted by /u/fugazzeta [link] [comments]

Did trees bear fruits before there were mammals to eat them? Posted: 17 Aug 2017 06:32 AM PDT As per my understanding (which is limited), fruits exist so that mammals will eat them and spit out the seeds far away from the parent tree, spreading the seeds around. Because of this, would it be biologically viable/possible for fruits to exist before mammals had evolved to the point where they could eat them? submitted by /u/PredatorSane [link] [comments]

Can bugs with an exoskeleton (ants, beetles, scorpions etc.) survive a cracked skeleton or heal themselves? Posted: 16 Aug 2017 07:20 PM PDT submitted by /u/Djbrr [link] [comments]

How much more energy will fusion of lithium-6 deuteride release than fission of uranium-235? Posted: 17 Aug 2017 12:04 AM PDT In terms of thermonuclear bombs, the secondary stage (comprised of 6LiD which is compressed and heated to induce D-T fusion) supposedly releases many times more energy than the primary stage (comprised of a supercritical mass of U-235 or plutonium with a small amount of deuterium and tritium to boost the explosion) despite there not being a whole lot more material. If you have, say, 1kg of U-235 that undergoes fission and 1kg of 6LiD used in a fusion reaction, how much more energy will the fusion release than the fission? I've heard that it's around 7x more but I can't be sure. submitted by /u/Ambidextroid [link] [comments]

Burnt toast tasted very similar to burnt popcorn because it has a distinct "burnt" taste. What is it exactly that we are tasting, and why is it common between completely different foods? Posted: 17 Aug 2017 07:24 AM PDT submitted by /u/apox426 [link] [comments]

Why do we grab a part of our body when it gets injured? Posted: 17 Aug 2017 07:09 AM PDT For instance, when I get punched in the arm I usually absentmindedly put my arm around that spot. Is it only to protect it from more damage? submitted by /u/Skeletron430 [link] [comments]

Can we make small, lab-sized, analyzable nuclear explosions? Posted: 17 Aug 2017 06:44 AM PDT submitted by /u/PathOfDawn [link] [comments]

[Chemistry] Why does plastic turn white when it's twisted or bent? Posted: 17 Aug 2017 04:28 AM PDT submitted by /u/Whaty0urname [link] [comments]

Are seagulls able to drink salt water to stay hydrated? Do they have an internal system to filter salt water? Posted: 16 Aug 2017 03:36 PM PDT submitted by /u/mahi_tahi [link] [comments]

How do companies put such specific expiration dates on products that sometimes go years into the future? Posted: 16 Aug 2017 06:23 PM PDT submitted by /u/valorknight99 [link] [comments]

How was helium discovered? Posted: 16 Aug 2017 08:09 PM PDT This question bridges history and chemistry but I'm wondering if anyone has better information about the history of Helium's discovery. Did Janssen and Lockyer work together to determine that the yellow line was proof of a new element? And how did Frankland factor in? Did Langlet and Cleve isolate Helium from Uranium ores or did Ramsay? Did two independent discoveries occur at roughly the same time? How controversial was the yellow line discovery? Did most or all of the scientific community accept that as proof of Helium's existence? submitted by /u/JTanCan [link] [comments]

Why do children wet the bed, yet adults are able to control their bladders even though regardless of age we are both asleep? Posted: 16 Aug 2017 04:27 PM PDT submitted by /u/gogothepirate [link] [comments]

Do larger people have larger organs? Posted: 16 Aug 2017 05:14 PM PDT I'm an above average male, 6 foot 7 inches and 240ish pounds. Are my internal organs like my liver or heart significantly larger than someone like my s/o who is 5 foot 5 inches and 130 pounds? submitted by /u/56Mikes [link] [comments]

Is there magnetic field around charge moving with constant linear velocity? Posted: 17 Aug 2017 01:22 AM PDT If so, please explain how... submitted by /u/Mathew_Orman [link] [comments]

How do we obtain our gut flora? Posted: 16 Aug 2017 05:37 PM PDT submitted by /u/zanarkand07 [link] [comments]

How do you tell a boy vs girl via ultrasound? Posted: 16 Aug 2017 08:43 PM PDT I'm assuming later in pregnancy you can just look for the obvious penis vs. no penis, but in the earlier stages, how can the doctor tell? Is the penis just harder to spot by the untrained eye or are there other ways of knowing? (I tried Googling the answer but the results but the results were all worthless mommy blogs. If anyone knows a good academic resource for questions such as these I'd love to hear about it!) submitted by /u/pm_me_ur_CLEAN_anus [link] [comments]

What is the focal length of the human eye(s)? Is it the same for every healthy human? Posted: 16 Aug 2017 08:36 PM PDT submitted by /u/san_salvador [link] [comments]

Would someone please explain what's going on to cause the effect in this gif? Posted: 16 Aug 2017 10:26 PM PDT According to where I saw it, it's ink dropped into alcohol. (sorry I can't be more specific) http://i.imgur.com/2aWrJu5.gifv submitted by /u/monsto [link] [comments]

When a straight rope is flicked at one end, a 'wave' appears in the rope travels down its length.. What determines the speed at which this wave travels? Posted: 17 Aug 2017 05:52 AM PDT submitted by /u/violently_average [link] [comments]

What "pushes" teeth out? Posted: 16 Aug 2017 11:34 AM PDT Came to think of this after discovering my wisdom teeth started coming out in the wrong direction and thus, pushing the rest of the teeth. So how do teeth move forward with such a strong push? submitted by /u/Silent_Jager [link] [comments]

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How does a computer network like HBO's handle the massive output of data for short bursts of time, like a GoT episode?

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• How does a computer network like HBO's handle the massive output of data for short bursts of time, like a GoT episode?
• "Graphene can do just about anything except leave the lab." Why is graphene so difficult to utilize?
• When something gives off a scent, does it lose mass?
• Can statisticians control for people lying on surveys?
• If we made a perfectly round object, would it be possible to know if it was spinning or not?
• When I leave the window open, is it heat escaping or cold entering that reduces the temperature in my house?
• How are humans able to fart gas out downwards if gasses naturally rise in the body?
• Why do our eyes become red when we are deprived of sleep?
• Ask Anything Wednesday - Economics, Political Science, Linguistics, Anthropology
• Why does the gas constant R show up in so many equations, even ones not involving any gasses?
• What is the purpose of things that are not food smelling good to us?
• Would it be possible to get a sun tan on the moon?
• Why are there no CPUs with an odd number of processing cores?
• [Physics] What exactly determines how a radioactive isotope will decay?
• Is the recording of my voice really what my voice sounds like? I mean is it what people hear when they hear me talk?
• How does ecolocation work when several bats are near eachother?
• What's our galaxy orbiting around?
• What happens in my ears when I close my nostrils and mouth and try to exhale?
• Does uranium actually glow green as it's often depicted? If so, why?
• Is personality genetic? If some of it is how are certain traits determined?
• How complex can 'nuclear molecules' get?
• How are two photons quantum entangled?
• When I zoom all the way in on my camera, the front of the lens goes inwards and then back outwards, while the image smoothly zooms in. Why does the lens change direction halfway?
• Why does it seem like ancient texts (Roman, etc) are written so densely. Were people really that verbose in those days or does it come from translation?

How does a computer network like HBO's handle the massive output of data for short bursts of time, like a GoT episode? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 08:25 AM PDT HBO but have to stream massive amounts of data for about an hour when the episode is first up followed by a percipitous drop-off in usage. Would they have to build a network with the capacity of Netflix just to have this capacity for a few hours a year? Generally how do massive amounts of data get transferred from one source over shortly periods? submitted by /u/stb1150 [link] [comments]

"Graphene can do just about anything except leave the lab." Why is graphene so difficult to utilize? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 10:20 PM PDT submitted by /u/The_Safe_For_Work [link] [comments]

When something gives off a scent, does it lose mass? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 06:35 PM PDT submitted by /u/Reshi90 [link] [comments]

Can statisticians control for people lying on surveys? Posted: 16 Aug 2017 07:58 AM PDT Reddit users have been telling me that everyone lies on online surveys (presumably because they don't like the results). Can statistical methods detect and control for this? submitted by /u/Tin_Foil_Haberdasher [link] [comments]

If we made a perfectly round object, would it be possible to know if it was spinning or not? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 10:00 PM PDT Implying that there is this theoretical perfectly round sphere, if I spun it, wouldn't the fact that it's the same on every side you can imagine make it so you couldn't see the difference between it "facing" north and facing south? Then how would it be possible to know if it was spinning? submitted by /u/Minecraft_Redstoning [link] [comments]

When I leave the window open, is it heat escaping or cold entering that reduces the temperature in my house? Posted: 16 Aug 2017 05:41 AM PDT submitted by /u/jackinfenwa [link] [comments]

How are humans able to fart gas out downwards if gasses naturally rise in the body? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 07:57 PM PDT Inside of a human's rectum, shouldn't solids sink to the bottom gasses rise to the top? How can we fart gas followed by solids? Doesn't physics say it should be the other way around? submitted by /u/Simerty [link] [comments]

Why do our eyes become red when we are deprived of sleep? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 08:17 AM PDT It's a classical sign. Why does it happen? submitted by /u/zorbix [link] [comments]

Ask Anything Wednesday - Economics, Political Science, Linguistics, Anthropology Posted: 16 Aug 2017 08:07 AM PDT Welcome to our weekly feature, Ask Anything Wednesday - this week we are focusing on Economics, Political Science, Linguistics, Anthropology 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]

Why does the gas constant R show up in so many equations, even ones not involving any gasses? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 07:05 PM PDT submitted by /u/forager51 [link] [comments]

What is the purpose of things that are not food smelling good to us? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 08:23 PM PDT Was at work crossing things off with a sharpie and caught myself sniffing it while I was thinking about something. And I was like "What the heck nose that isn't good for you!" submitted by /u/BiolanKnight [link] [comments]

Would it be possible to get a sun tan on the moon? Posted: 16 Aug 2017 07:11 AM PDT Provided the needs for human survival are met, i.e oxygen and warmth (in a heated Perspex capsule for example) could a person get tanned or sunburned on the moon? If not, why? submitted by /u/Whatsthemattermark [link] [comments]

Why are there no CPUs with an odd number of processing cores? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 06:16 PM PDT Aside from a single core, there aren't any odd numbered core count CPUs that I know of (Tri-core, Penta-core, etc). submitted by /u/mqggaming [link] [comments]

[Physics] What exactly determines how a radioactive isotope will decay? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 12:18 PM PDT Physics graduate here, I've got a decent understanding of nuclear physics but I've never seen an explanation of what exactly determines if a radioactive isotope will decay by alpha, beta, gamma or a mixture of the three. submitted by /u/paddymcg123 [link] [comments]

Is the recording of my voice really what my voice sounds like? I mean is it what people hear when they hear me talk? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 11:21 AM PDT Hey redditers I was recording my voice for my YouTube channel and it when i was listening to my voice and I cringe so badly cause is it what people hear when they hear my voice. submitted by /u/batmankilledjoker24 [link] [comments]

How does ecolocation work when several bats are near eachother? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 08:38 PM PDT If a group of bats are flying within a given area, do they experience 'interference' from one another? Do they use slightly different frequencies? Or are they even able to use signals from other bats to 'see'? submitted by /u/Yoda2000675 [link] [comments]

What's our galaxy orbiting around? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 07:18 AM PDT So our moon orbits around us on earth. Earth orbits around Sol. Sol is orbiting around something in the middle of the milky way. What's the milky way orbiting around? submitted by /u/JawesomeJess [link] [comments]

What happens in my ears when I close my nostrils and mouth and try to exhale? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 07:54 PM PDT Why does that clear my ears and make them "pop"? submitted by /u/MilkShaikh [link] [comments]

Does uranium actually glow green as it's often depicted? If so, why? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 09:14 PM PDT submitted by /u/Xav101 [link] [comments]

Is personality genetic? If some of it is how are certain traits determined? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 11:18 AM PDT submitted by /u/Krahz [link] [comments]

How complex can 'nuclear molecules' get? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 08:24 AM PDT In the 'hard' science fiction book 'Dragon's Egg' by Robert Forward, there is an intelligent species that evolves on the surface of a neutron star, using nuclear interactions to store energy, consume food, have thoughts and immune systems, etc, instead of chemical/electron interactions as life on Earth does. Putting aside the question of how likely this would be or what barriers the magnetic field might pose - how complex can nuclear interactions get? Is there anything equivalent to the element carbon and the rich diversity of molecules it spawns, in a nuclear setting? Are there any realistic candidates for nuclear ATP, DNA, proteins, etc? submitted by /u/zelmerszoetrop [link] [comments]

How are two photons quantum entangled? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 08:18 PM PDT As in, when the Chinese scientists "teleported" a photon by entangling it with another, how did they do that? submitted by /u/Skipp_To_My_Lou [link] [comments]

When I zoom all the way in on my camera, the front of the lens goes inwards and then back outwards, while the image smoothly zooms in. Why does the lens change direction halfway? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 12:04 PM PDT submitted by /u/MaxSupernova [link] [comments]

Why does it seem like ancient texts (Roman, etc) are written so densely. Were people really that verbose in those days or does it come from translation? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 07:19 PM PDT See this roman text for example submitted by /u/cognitiv3 [link] [comments]

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How does our circulatory system handle losing a limb?

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• How does our circulatory system handle losing a limb?
• Do smaller animals see smaller things?
• Can a magnetic south pole or a north pole exist on it's own?
• Do the galaxies orbit around something?
• Why do albino animals usually have red eyes?
• If CO2 has a great influence on global warming, does Mars also have its temperature altered, since its atmosphere is 95% CO2?
• Why do mosquitoes inject some venom after they've sucked your blood?
• Is human fertilization random chance with many sperm making it, or are the sperm making an effort to be the one?
• Why is the sun orange but the light we see on earth clear and not tinted orange?
• Can cavitation occur in other types of liquid other than water and what happens when its attempted?
• Why does a battery work on my track pad?
• What is CP symmetry ? How does weak interaction violate it ?

How does our circulatory system handle losing a limb? Posted: 14 Aug 2017 03:21 PM PDT submitted by /u/DankInvertedColors [link] [comments]

Do smaller animals see smaller things? Posted: 14 Aug 2017 05:36 PM PDT submitted by /u/muffola [link] [comments]

Can a magnetic south pole or a north pole exist on it's own? Posted: 15 Aug 2017 05:19 AM PDT Generally if you break a bar magnet in half the two halves become two bar magnets with a north and a south pole in each. But I have wondered (and seen in some physics questions esp in GCE AL Physics) of such a thing. Is this possible at least hypothetically? submitted by /u/Deoxyribau5 [link] [comments]

Do the galaxies orbit around something? Posted: 14 Aug 2017 06:14 PM PDT Do the galaxy cluster orbit around something? if so, why isn't there an actual center of the universe? submitted by /u/IamjustSoul [link] [comments]

Why do albino animals usually have red eyes? Posted: 14 Aug 2017 07:13 PM PDT submitted by /u/LeoDaVinchi [link] [comments]

If CO2 has a great influence on global warming, does Mars also have its temperature altered, since its atmosphere is 95% CO2? Posted: 14 Aug 2017 08:49 PM PDT Mars is cold, but is it warmer than it could be, since some say carbon dioxide affects temperature? Or am I totally stupid and CO2 would only affect temperature on Earth due to other elements that are only present on the Earth's atmosphere? submitted by /u/mr10volt [link] [comments]

Why do mosquitoes inject some venom after they've sucked your blood? Posted: 14 Aug 2017 03:23 PM PDT submitted by /u/juansift [link] [comments]

Is human fertilization random chance with many sperm making it, or are the sperm making an effort to be the one? Posted: 14 Aug 2017 08:42 AM PDT submitted by /u/MandatorySuicide [link] [comments]

Why is the sun orange but the light we see on earth clear and not tinted orange? Posted: 14 Aug 2017 07:34 AM PDT submitted by /u/WholemealBred [link] [comments]

Can cavitation occur in other types of liquid other than water and what happens when its attempted? Posted: 14 Aug 2017 12:25 PM PDT I have seen videos explaining cavitation in water and showing it in slow motion. Also, I have seen small sea creatures that use cavitations to stun prey. While watching videos similar to this video of a shrimp using cavitation showing that this creates a small amount of light and quite a bit of heat. This made me think about if there is research on cavitation with in other types of liquids(liquid, helium, hydrogen, brake fluid, refrigerants) or maybe even plasmas. If there is research on that what was the results, or would it even work? Also, can cavitation occur in space(in a vacuum)? submitted by /u/BIGDATA_Construct [link] [comments]

Why does a battery work on my track pad? Posted: 14 Aug 2017 04:39 PM PDT OK so a kinda weird question, but I don't know why using either end of a battery works if I swipe it across the track pad. It works with some other fully metal things as well. I have no idea why this happens, I asked google but that didn't help so this is my next resort. submitted by /u/JEF_one_F [link] [comments]

What is CP symmetry ? How does weak interaction violate it ? Posted: 14 Aug 2017 11:57 AM PDT submitted by /u/ascendingorbit [link] [comments]

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