AskScience AMA Series: I'm Dr. Kathryn Bywaters and I am an astrobiologist at SETI working on developing new ways to look for life! Ask me anything!

---

• AskScience AMA Series: I'm Dr. Kathryn Bywaters and I am an astrobiologist at SETI working on developing new ways to look for life! Ask me anything!
• Why do some storms on Mars cover the whole planet when storms on Earth are smaller and more localized in comparison?
• Are black holes three dimensional?
• Is toffee a non-Newtonian solid?
• Does cucumber, rye, peas, barley, and aloe vera all having 14 chromosomes mean they can breed?
• Why do Earth’s plates move?
• Is there a scientific reason why I can remember the words from pop songs I knew 20 years ago, but it’s difficult to remember new facts?
• Does the expansion of space also increase the distance between an atom's nucleus and its electron cloud?
• How does the brain differentiate between languages in a bilingual speaker?
• What chemical or substance is used for the placebo in clinical trials?
• Why does the difference between HOMO and LUMO diminish in conjugated systems?
• Can being stressed offer any beneficial applications?
• How are underground cables routed? (After covering up)
• Do smaller glaciers melt faster?
• Why is condensation formed above the wings of an airplane?
• How does a spider know how to make a web?
• What is inside of an insect's exoskeleton? [biology]
• Can someone describe the nuclear shell model?
• Why are speakers in concerts aligned in a vertical array?
• What is "E8" in physics in simple terms?
• Why does our brain perceive the color olive as a shade of green, and not yellow?

AskScience AMA Series: I'm Dr. Kathryn Bywaters and I am an astrobiologist at SETI working on developing new ways to look for life! Ask me anything! Posted: 15 Jun 2018 04:00 AM PDT To search for life beyond Earth, we first have to decide on several key factors, such as where we should look? An ideal place to look might be the icy moons around Saturn and Jupiter with their liquid oceans. However, once we decide where to look for life we then need to determine what we will look for and how we will look for it? If there is life in this solar system, other than on Earth, it seems most likely that it will be in the form of microbes. But what if it doesn't look like life on Earth-how will we know when we find it? As a SETI researcher, working on life detection projects, these are the types of questions I ask. I'll be on at 10 am (PT, 1 PM ET, 18 UT) to answer your questions, ask me anything! submitted by /u/AskScienceModerator [link] [comments]

Why do some storms on Mars cover the whole planet when storms on Earth are smaller and more localized in comparison? Posted: 15 Jun 2018 05:00 AM PDT submitted by /u/981981981 [link] [comments]

Are black holes three dimensional? Posted: 14 Jun 2018 10:38 AM PDT Most of the time I feel like when people think of black holes, they [I] think of them as just an "opening" in space. But are they accessible from all sides? Are they just a sphere of intense gravity? Do we have any evidence at all of what the inside is like besides spaghettification? submitted by /u/greengasser [link] [comments]

Is toffee a non-Newtonian solid? Posted: 15 Jun 2018 03:07 AM PDT It snaps when you bite it and mooshes and squishes when you chew it....... not really a solid or liquid, what kind of matter is toffee why is it so weird? submitted by /u/marsstroller [link] [comments]

Does cucumber, rye, peas, barley, and aloe vera all having 14 chromosomes mean they can breed? Posted: 15 Jun 2018 04:52 AM PDT submitted by /u/ShameSpirit [link] [comments]

Why do Earth’s plates move? Posted: 15 Jun 2018 04:40 AM PDT And does the weight of ocean water have any affect at all? I understand how plates move, but does anyone know what affects movement? Ex. the affects of ocean water weight might have on plate tectonics? And does the weight of ocean water have any affect at all? I understand how plates move, but does anyone know what affects movement? Ex. the affects of ocean water weight might have on plates? The volcano in Hawaii got me thinking about this in a roundabout way. The volcano in Hawaii got me thinking about this in a roundabout way. submitted by /u/KevinSorbone [link] [comments]

Is there a scientific reason why I can remember the words from pop songs I knew 20 years ago, but it’s difficult to remember new facts? Posted: 14 Jun 2018 06:10 PM PDT submitted by /u/cbudryk [link] [comments]

Does the expansion of space also increase the distance between an atom's nucleus and its electron cloud? Posted: 14 Jun 2018 10:01 PM PDT submitted by /u/RazgrizS57 [link] [comments]

How does the brain differentiate between languages in a bilingual speaker? Posted: 14 Jun 2018 08:49 AM PDT I grew up speaking English and Spanish. I just knew which words to use depending on who I was speaking to, even with strangers. How did I know this? How do I separate the English from the Spanish? It seems like it was an inherent trait, but did I learn this or does the brain differentiate between the two languages somehow? Why don't I accidentally slip in English words to my Spanish conversations, or vice versa? submitted by /u/infinitum3d [link] [comments]

What chemical or substance is used for the placebo in clinical trials? Posted: 15 Jun 2018 03:01 AM PDT Whenever I read a paper on a clinical trial or medical experiment, the literature always mentions placebos being used for the control group, but never says what the patients in the control group are actually given for a placebo. So what chemical or substance is actually used for a placebo in medical and clinical trials? submitted by /u/Justgoahead123 [link] [comments]

Why does the difference between HOMO and LUMO diminish in conjugated systems? Posted: 15 Jun 2018 01:26 AM PDT Between HOMO and LUMO energy submitted by /u/Kteinon [link] [comments]

Can being stressed offer any beneficial applications? Posted: 14 Jun 2018 05:18 PM PDT So this may be strange to ask but let me explain. I have never been one to stress out on obstacles I face in life. This would seem fantastic but I have notice a critical flaw in it. My motivation for school work, self improvement, pursing relationships, and challenging life dilemmas, all seem to fly over my head. To put it as simple as I can. I don't care about much and I often wonder if I could stress out these subjects, I would in theory be more pressured hence (motivated) to try my best to provide relief from the stress. I'd just like to know is being stressed in some cases actually beneficial and how can I induce a sense of urgency to motivate myself to accomplish more things? submitted by /u/LsgtSpepperD [link] [comments]

How are underground cables routed? (After covering up) Posted: 14 Jun 2018 06:18 PM PDT Are there underground tunnels and robots that route cables underground? How are new cables routed after covering up? submitted by /u/lazoyausuxx [link] [comments]

Do smaller glaciers melt faster? Posted: 14 Jun 2018 07:09 PM PDT My grandfather and I are debating on whether small glaciers melt faster or slower. I'm saying slower because there is less surface area for the sun to melt the glacier, but my grandfather says the sun heats the surrounding surfaces and those surfaces store the heat thus melting it faster, and if it wasn't covering that surface it wouldn't have melted as fast. submitted by /u/Durml [link] [comments]

Why is condensation formed above the wings of an airplane? Posted: 14 Jun 2018 11:45 AM PDT Why does condensation form in the low pressure air above the wings of an airplane when low pressure generally causes evaporation? submitted by /u/Dnak_Mems [link] [comments]

How does a spider know how to make a web? Posted: 14 Jun 2018 09:30 AM PDT Adult spiders don't teach their offspring how to make a web, so how does a new spider know how to make a web? Especially the spiders that make larger webs across relatively large distances. How do they know what to do? submitted by /u/GeneralPsycho5 [link] [comments]

What is inside of an insect's exoskeleton? [biology] Posted: 14 Jun 2018 10:06 AM PDT What I am actually wondering is do insects have meat? If not, what is inside their shell, and what happens if it is cooked? submitted by /u/badrabbitman [link] [comments]

Can someone describe the nuclear shell model? Posted: 14 Jun 2018 07:37 AM PDT I stubmled upon this wiki page and found it fascinating. I remember learning in school about the atomic shell model and how electrons occupied shells at different energy levels. Is this analogous to the electron shell model but with respect to atomic nucleons? Do nucleons have orbitals or energy levels they can transition into and out of, and what application might this have (such as electron energy level transitions usually produce spectral lines and can identify elements)? submitted by /u/ngong0 [link] [comments]

Why are speakers in concerts aligned in a vertical array? Posted: 14 Jun 2018 06:35 AM PDT How is this the best setup for sound distribution? What is the physics behind it? submitted by /u/Develter [link] [comments]

What is "E8" in physics in simple terms? Posted: 14 Jun 2018 08:44 AM PDT submitted by /u/NathanielEssex83 [link] [comments]

Why does our brain perceive the color olive as a shade of green, and not yellow? Posted: 14 Jun 2018 06:14 AM PDT For instance, the CMYK combination 0,0,100,30 is solely yellow and black, but to me at least (as well as according to Wikipedia) it's considered a category of both yellow and green in spite of having no blue whatsoever. submitted by /u/19djafoij02 [link] [comments]

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

Theoretically if there were 6 black holes making a cube shape that blocked off all entrances and you went into the empty space between the black holes (without getting sucked in) what would happen to space and time around you and outside of the theoretical black hole cube?

---

• Theoretically if there were 6 black holes making a cube shape that blocked off all entrances and you went into the empty space between the black holes (without getting sucked in) what would happen to space and time around you and outside of the theoretical black hole cube?
• Why cant we just make smaller rockets?
• Is there a stable solution of n-body orbits in 3D where one body is significantly smaller than the rest?
• Can a fathers abuse of alcohol affect the number of dopamine receptors in their child?
• Solar cells and TV's keep getting more power efficient, how about things like air conditioners, or other appliances?
• How deep is the magnetic North or South Pole?
• How do companies especially Google handle the huge influx of data sent to them hourly without having their servers run out of storage?
• Is saying "shh" an universal human behaviour for commanding silence, or does it vary from culture to culture?
• With regards to CPU architecture how does branch predicting actual predict an instruction?
• Why do objects reach terminal velocity?
• In rough waters, do fish have a hard time getting around? Are there rapids where fish can't go?
• How does a moth know what color it is to camouflage itself?
• How do we know the shape of the milky way?
• How often are new genes created during genetic recombination?
• Can you hear electricity?
• Is Brownian motion just a catch-all for unexplained particle movement smaller than a micrometer?
• Does temperature affect sound?
• Ask Anything Wednesday - Biology, Chemistry, Neuroscience, Medicine, Psychology
• How do we know gravitational acceleration is the same as other forms of acceleration?
• How does medication (pills, etc.) expire after a certain period? What makes it "go bad" or become ineffective?

Theoretically if there were 6 black holes making a cube shape that blocked off all entrances and you went into the empty space between the black holes (without getting sucked in) what would happen to space and time around you and outside of the theoretical black hole cube? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 06:20 PM PDT For a better understanding of the question let's say it's a hollow sphere composed of black holes. This sphere is completely encapsulated and blocking off the outside universe. Otherwise great answers! I'm humbled for everyone who has taken interest and time to provide insight. submitted by /u/BORKED_POTATO [link] [comments]

Why cant we just make smaller rockets? Posted: 14 Jun 2018 04:39 AM PDT So i was doing some reading last night on getting into space and one of the challenges is getting all the weight of a shuttle through the atmosphere and into space. My question is, and it may be a stupid one with a simple answer, why can we not just use smaller rockets? Is it just not worth the money to send one up without a large payload? Are the rockets used to send exploratory vehicles similar in size to a transport rocket such as the falcon heavy? Would it not reduce the cost of launching a rocket to send a lighter rocket with less fuel and mass? submitted by /u/macabrechaff [link] [comments]

Is there a stable solution of n-body orbits in 3D where one body is significantly smaller than the rest? Posted: 14 Jun 2018 05:38 AM PDT This question was brought on by the recent question about 6 blackholes arranged in a cube, which had some obvious problems, but it got me thinking about wether you could have a stable multibody orbit like a stable Plummer sphere as shown here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywgoXuVe33s with all the bodies bar 1 being blackholes, and the final body being a human or a spaceship. If the Plummer sphere problem has too much abstraction to be accurate, what about a 3 body solution? or a 4? and so on? I've found what appear to be stable 3 body solutions, including the famous figure 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKvnn1r-9Iw. But i would not be able to approach finding a solution with the parameters i'm asking for. Edit: It's been pointed out that I've conflated the meaning of periodic and stable. In terms of this question a periodic solution would satiate me, a stable solution or any comment on the possibility of one would be worth gold submitted by /u/sebmensink [link] [comments]

Can a fathers abuse of alcohol affect the number of dopamine receptors in their child? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 08:38 PM PDT My father told me the reason he doesn't show his emotions as much as I do, is because my grandfather was an alcoholic and due to this, my father was born with less dopamine receptors than normal. I'm skeptical of this, but I don't want to directly call him out. Is there any truth to what he is saying? submitted by /u/Dral-Tor [link] [comments]

Solar cells and TV's keep getting more power efficient, how about things like air conditioners, or other appliances? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 02:03 PM PDT Is an air conditioner of today leagues more efficient than one built 40 years ago? If not, why not? Are all of our things way better than they used to be or have some things hit a cap on how much we can refine them? submitted by /u/zakkara [link] [comments]

How deep is the magnetic North or South Pole? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 04:13 PM PDT I assume the magnetic North and South Pole aren't positioned at the exact surface of the planet, just like how the poles in a bar magnet aren't exactly at the very ends of the bar, but a bit more towards the middle. If that's correct, do we know how deep they are underneath the surface? This question came to me as it was mentioned in Jules Verne's Journey to the center of the earth. submitted by /u/ultraking_x2 [link] [comments]

How do companies especially Google handle the huge influx of data sent to them hourly without having their servers run out of storage? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 06:10 PM PDT Youtube, Google Drive, and Gmail. I've been having a lingering curiosity as to how they manage to contain terabytes of data hourly without deleting it. submitted by /u/InfamousComic [link] [comments]

Is saying "shh" an universal human behaviour for commanding silence, or does it vary from culture to culture? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 07:54 AM PDT Maybe wrong subreddit but still. submitted by /u/TheProfessaur [link] [comments]

With regards to CPU architecture how does branch predicting actual predict an instruction? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 07:16 PM PDT I understand there are conditions statements for which the CPU can skip over when it becomes unnecessary to execute. Does it use any mathematical calculation for probability as well? submitted by /u/somethingtosay2333 [link] [comments]

Why do objects reach terminal velocity? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 09:46 PM PDT I know it happens when the opposing drag cancels out the gravitational force, but why does this happen? How do the forces match each other exactly? submitted by /u/HowBen [link] [comments]

In rough waters, do fish have a hard time getting around? Are there rapids where fish can't go? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 12:01 PM PDT submitted by /u/omegasavant [link] [comments]

How does a moth know what color it is to camouflage itself? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 05:29 PM PDT submitted by /u/nikishikas [link] [comments]

How do we know the shape of the milky way? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 10:58 AM PDT Looking at pictures of other galaxy's the milky way has a distinctive shape. It has a galactic bar in the center while other galaxy's have more disk-like centers. How do we know this? submitted by /u/BayesianBits [link] [comments]

How often are new genes created during genetic recombination? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 02:23 PM PDT I guess I am specifically asking about the case of humans or similar. When homologous chromosomes combine, the result is a new chromosome and some chaff. My understanding is that most genes from either parent make it through recombination intact, so the chromosome is new but the genes came from one or the other parent. But my understanding is also that some genes do get recombined once in a while; I'm wondering how frequent this is, i.e. are my genes 99.9% from my two parents, or 90%, or 50%, ballpark? submitted by /u/aggasalk [link] [comments]

Can you hear electricity? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 12:32 PM PDT It sounds like an odd question, but I can sometimes hear a high frequency when my cellphone or watch is charging. How is this possible? submitted by /u/Gingerbeardman13 [link] [comments]

Is Brownian motion just a catch-all for unexplained particle movement smaller than a micrometer? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 05:22 PM PDT I'm learning about this in class and was wondering how a person would distinguish between something like thermal vibrations and Brownian motion. submitted by /u/Koalchemy [link] [comments]

Does temperature affect sound? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 12:39 PM PDT submitted by /u/MarlinsBB [link] [comments]

Ask Anything Wednesday - Biology, Chemistry, Neuroscience, Medicine, Psychology Posted: 13 Jun 2018 08:12 AM PDT Welcome to our weekly feature, Ask Anything Wednesday - this week we are focusing on Biology, Chemistry, Neuroscience, Medicine, Psychology 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]

How do we know gravitational acceleration is the same as other forms of acceleration? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 09:15 AM PDT You often hear that being in a box sitting stationary in a gravitational field is equivalent to being in a box that is accelerating, and there is no way for an observer inside the box to know the difference. How do we know this? Is there any possibility there is some quality to being in a gravitational field that would be different from just being in an accelerating box? What experiments have been done to confirm they are equivalent? Thanks. submitted by /u/ignorantwanderer [link] [comments]

How does medication (pills, etc.) expire after a certain period? What makes it "go bad" or become ineffective? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 06:53 AM PDT submitted by /u/jedo89 [link] [comments]

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

If there was a bag of 10 balls, 9 white and 1 red and 10 people including you has to pick one randomly and who gets the red ball wins, does it matter what order you all pick, or is it better to go first or last with probability?

---

• If there was a bag of 10 balls, 9 white and 1 red and 10 people including you has to pick one randomly and who gets the red ball wins, does it matter what order you all pick, or is it better to go first or last with probability?
• What is the benefit of leaded gasoline in cars?
• What is the meaning of "dx" in integration? Why do we need to write it every time you want to integrate a function?
• How do we acquire traffic data?
• What evidence actually exists to support the theory of the unconscious mind as postulated by Freud and Jung?
• Why do some electronics (wifi routers) tell us to wait five minutes when restarting?
• Why are computers more efficient when they are colder?
• Why/how do logs seem to glow red in a bonfire and why do they turn white as they burn?
• Where/how does crude oil get its high energy content from?
• Do different species of wild animals ever work together to achieve common goals?
• I'm currently watching The Big Short and they keep using the term "exposure". What exactly is financial exposure and what does it mean specifically in that context?
• How did Dinosaurs move?
• What actually creates the sound produced from arcing electricity?
• How do Psychiatrists diagnose a patient? By checking off a list? How do they make sure it’s an accurate diagnosis?
• What happens when you raise -1 to fractional powers other than 1/2?

If there was a bag of 10 balls, 9 white and 1 red and 10 people including you has to pick one randomly and who gets the red ball wins, does it matter what order you all pick, or is it better to go first or last with probability? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 01:04 AM PDT submitted by /u/MatthewQuantum [link] [comments]

What is the benefit of leaded gasoline in cars? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 05:41 AM PDT I am aware that leaded gasoline is terrible for the environment and for your health and that is why it's banned in most places. But what is the benefit of putting lead in gasoline that caused people to start doing it in the first place? submitted by /u/AvailableWrongdoer [link] [comments]

What is the meaning of "dx" in integration? Why do we need to write it every time you want to integrate a function? Posted: 13 Jun 2018 05:51 AM PDT submitted by /u/throwaway32241 [link] [comments]

How do we acquire traffic data? Posted: 12 Jun 2018 07:15 PM PDT submitted by /u/dattud [link] [comments]

What evidence actually exists to support the theory of the unconscious mind as postulated by Freud and Jung? Posted: 12 Jun 2018 06:31 PM PDT submitted by /u/Amithrius [link] [comments]

Why do some electronics (wifi routers) tell us to wait five minutes when restarting? Posted: 12 Jun 2018 05:15 PM PDT submitted by /u/russianbadger1435 [link] [comments]

Why are computers more efficient when they are colder? Posted: 12 Jun 2018 01:17 PM PDT I know computers are more energy efficient when they are kept at a lower temperature but what is the reason? Also, do computers run fast when they are kept colder and is this very significant as far as the average computer user is concerned? submitted by /u/ComanderKerman [link] [comments]

Why/how do logs seem to glow red in a bonfire and why do they turn white as they burn? Posted: 12 Jun 2018 05:12 PM PDT submitted by /u/Oxyomic [link] [comments]

Where/how does crude oil get its high energy content from? Posted: 12 Jun 2018 07:19 PM PDT submitted by /u/fuzzyshorts [link] [comments]

Do different species of wild animals ever work together to achieve common goals? Posted: 12 Jun 2018 06:17 PM PDT submitted by /u/TimeMachineToaster [link] [comments]

I'm currently watching The Big Short and they keep using the term "exposure". What exactly is financial exposure and what does it mean specifically in that context? Posted: 12 Jun 2018 09:29 AM PDT submitted by /u/thebrowntown12 [link] [comments]

How did Dinosaurs move? Posted: 12 Jun 2018 09:55 PM PDT Dinosaurs, as far as I am aware, are the branching point between reptiles and birds. So would their movements be more avian or reptilian? submitted by /u/Tilamook [link] [comments]

What actually creates the sound produced from arcing electricity? Posted: 12 Jun 2018 09:10 PM PDT submitted by /u/nachorykaart [link] [comments]

How do Psychiatrists diagnose a patient? By checking off a list? How do they make sure it’s an accurate diagnosis? Posted: 12 Jun 2018 08:49 AM PDT submitted by /u/Riodaweirdo [link] [comments]

What happens when you raise -1 to fractional powers other than 1/2? Posted: 12 Jun 2018 08:01 AM PDT I know (-1)1/2 is i, but what would (-11/)3 be, for example? And how would it work if -1 were raised to an irrational power, like pi? submitted by /u/stack-e [link] [comments]

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