- AskScience AMA Series: We are seven leading scientists specializing in the intersection of machine learning and neuroscience, and we're working to democratize science education online. Ask Us Anything about computational neuroscience or science education!
- Hubble just discovered the largest comet to date. Would there be an upper limit to the size of a comet?
- Why do some flowers close their petals at night?
- Does the brain really react to images, even if they are shown for just a really short period of time?
- Do sperm cells bearing a Y chromosome sport surface proteins that reliably distinguish them from the same male’s X chromosome sperm?
- Is there a standard hierarchy for sensory inputs?
- Do anabolic steroids have to be synthesized or can they be found in nature?
- How different are the photosynthetic pathways of chlorophyll in chloroplasts vs. bacteriochlorophyll in purple bacteria?
- Do drinks like Gatorade and Pedialyte actually replenish your electrolytes?
- Can you catch the same cold twice?
- Are there any unique properties of neurons within specific regions of the brain?
- Why does the melting point increase when period increases at group 17,18?
- When a dust storm on mars occurs does the temperature rise since there’s more particles in the atmosphere?
- Why are terrestrial turtles not considered tortoises?
- What mechanism is at play that makes methane worse than CO2 as a GHG?
- Why does epinephrine inhibit insulin secretion during fight or fight response?
- Can antibodies created (or introduced e.g. monoclonal antibodies) in the human bloodstream pass into the gut/intestines and remain effective?
- How is DNA isolated into the 13 different CODIS loci?
- Do cetaceans have a pharynx?
- Is a ionic solution infinite?
- Are there any symbiotic relationships between animals that start mutualistic and have the possibility to turn parasitic?
- Does the Pythagorean theorem hold up in higher dimensions and is there proof for it?
- I have an interesting question for you scientist, which is smoother; a unperturbed soap bubble or a neutron star?
- What is the worst damage a solar flare from our sun could do?
| Posted: 15 Apr 2022 04:00 AM PDT Hey there! We are a group of scientists specializing in computational neuroscience and machine learning. Specifically, this panel includes:
Beyond our research, what brings us together is Neuromatch Academy, an international non-profit summer school aiming to democratize science education and help make it accessible to all. It is entirely remote, we adjust fees according to financial need, and registration closes on April 20th. If you'd like to learn more about it, you can check out last year's Comp Neuro course contents here, last year's Deep Learning course contents here, read the paper we wrote about the original NMA here, read our Nature editorial, or our Lancet article. Also lurking around is Dan Goodman (/u/thesamovar), co-founder and professor at Imperial College London. With all of that said -- ask us anything about computational neuroscience, machine learning, ML/DL applications in the bio space, science education, or Neuromatch Academy! See you at 8 AM PST (11 AM ET, 15 UT)! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 14 Apr 2022 04:52 AM PDT |
| Why do some flowers close their petals at night? Posted: 15 Apr 2022 05:09 AM PDT I was leaving for work this morning in the early hours as usual, and the flowers in the planters were all closed up as usual, but it has never occurred to me before to wonder why. I tried searching for an answer, but can only find explanations of the mechanism (nyctinasty). I can't find any explanation of the benefit of doing so. There must be some energy expenditure involved, so what is the payoff? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 13 Apr 2022 08:50 AM PDT I just thought of the movie "Fight Club" (sorry for talking about it though) and the scene, where Tyler edits in pictures of genetalia or porn for just a frame in the cinema he works at. The narrator then explains that the people in the audience see the pictures, even though they don't know / realise. Is that true? Do we react to images, even if we don't notice them even being there in the first place? [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 14 Apr 2022 07:47 PM PDT Or vice versa? Or, are a male vertebrate animal's spermatozoa really the ultimate gender reveal party, impossible to tell which sex chromosome any given sperm contains, until it either helps create an embryo, or gets cut apart and has its DNA sequenced? To put my cards on the table, I'm working on a science fiction story about a primitive-ish tribe of people that long ago discovered a medicinal plant in their natural environment (my unobtainium). When eaten by a boy or man, this herb causes him to have a moderate illness, followed by the lifelong ability to sire only daughters. It's eventually discovered that the plant's toxin causes a person's immune system to make antibodies which just happen to cross-react with a protein found exclusively on the surface of a sexually mature male's Y-chromosome bearing sperm. In my story, the ability to forego this "treatment" and bear a son is a privilege afforded only one in five males, because their social order and its rules relies on their population always being 80% female. I think I could explore some pretty deep themes about gender and society with a conceit like this. The question is, how "hard boiled" a sci-if concept is this? [link] [comments] |
| Is there a standard hierarchy for sensory inputs? Posted: 14 Apr 2022 11:56 AM PDT Is there a well defined "pecking order" for sensory inputs? For me, it seems like visual input overrides other passive inputs but not deliberate thought. Two examples:
Maybe related: recoiling/arc reflex from cold surface that "feels" hot, power through terrible smell of durian to eat the rather sweet fruit, etc. Is there a general rule like "cognition trumps vision, visions trumps smell, etc"? [link] [comments] |
| Do anabolic steroids have to be synthesized or can they be found in nature? Posted: 15 Apr 2022 12:08 AM PDT Just got to thinking about stoties of strong people throughout history and given some examples was like "they surely weren't natrual". But who knows, maybe they had freak genetics. [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 14 Apr 2022 11:45 PM PDT Ag/Plant Science major here. I imagine it would be a pointless endeavor, but how hard would it be to genetically engineer a plant with purple chlorophyll? [link] [comments] |
| Do drinks like Gatorade and Pedialyte actually replenish your electrolytes? Posted: 14 Apr 2022 11:22 PM PDT I'm asking with specific respect to my (perhaps faulty, and definitely incomplete) understanding that insulin lowers electrolyte levels in the body. Wouldn't the sugar in these drinks spike your insulin, so that the potassium/magnesium in them are essentially voided? [link] [comments] |
| Can you catch the same cold twice? Posted: 14 Apr 2022 04:01 PM PDT |
| Are there any unique properties of neurons within specific regions of the brain? Posted: 14 Apr 2022 09:11 PM PDT For example, do the neurons that comprise the visual cortex have any properties that make them unique compared to neurons in Broca's area? [link] [comments] |
| Why does the melting point increase when period increases at group 17,18? Posted: 14 Apr 2022 11:36 PM PDT Why does the melting point increase when period increases at group 17,18? Can't find it on internet [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 14 Apr 2022 03:44 PM PDT |
| Why are terrestrial turtles not considered tortoises? Posted: 14 Apr 2022 07:27 PM PDT I thought turtles spent more time in the water and tortoises spent more time on land. Then an eastern box turtle wandered into my yard, and now I don't know what to think. [link] [comments] |
| What mechanism is at play that makes methane worse than CO2 as a GHG? Posted: 14 Apr 2022 06:26 PM PDT Howdy folks. I was getting into a debate with a friend (over politics and environmental policy/economic development). And we were discussing the merits and drawbacks of methane/natural gas development to substitute coal, and he was taking a standpoint that upping LNG production was a noble goal for the climate to substitute the world's reliance on coal. I told him (and showed some information) that LNG has somewhere between 25-100x the GHG impact as CO2 and he didn't believe me. Stating that the refractory index between the two substances were similar enough, that he didn't believe the impact was as bad as suggested. I showed and read lots of information stating that it's accepted as fact that methane is significantly worse, but he thought it was exaggerated/politicized. I spent some time trying to find studies explaining the forces at play, and were both rather well learned, but I couldn't actually find anything specific at a molecular/physical level to what creates the increased greenhouse effect. I got some hints that it absorbs significantly more IR radiation, but again, no explanation as to exactly why. Can anyone explain, in as complex terms as required, what causes methane to be that much worse? With recent data on how much wells actually leak, and that were emitting methane at significantly higher rates than previously believed; is there any reason to believe methane is any better than coal, for the next 5-15 years? If we fairly judge the impact of offgassing, leaking, or ancillary issues? We both believe nuclear is a much better option, but he believes investment in LNG production is necessary for our near term energy needs. I thought it was akin to smoking crack because you think your meth habit is negatively affecting your life. [link] [comments] |
| Why does epinephrine inhibit insulin secretion during fight or fight response? Posted: 14 Apr 2022 05:14 PM PDT I thought when during a flight or fight response you want as much glucose and insulin in the bloodstream so that your cells don't starve and can get enough glucose. It seems counterproductive for your body to inhibit insulin secretion during the flight or fight response. Wont' that make us hyperglycemic and don't we need insulin to act as a channel to get glucose into the cells? Thanks in advance! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 14 Apr 2022 09:18 AM PDT |
| How is DNA isolated into the 13 different CODIS loci? Posted: 14 Apr 2022 07:56 PM PDT I understand very generally (A) how DNA is extracted from a sample, to a certain extent (B) how polymerase chain reaction is used to enlarge a sample, how (C) proteins are used to cut the DNA into smaller fragments, and then how (D) the sample is put through gel electrophoresis to create the 13 different bar codes used in CODIS. I am missing the part that happens between steps C and D that makes the samples tested become different. If nothing was done, then the barcodes in the 13 gel strips would look the same, but they don't. I've tried reading through papers on the subject but the language is often too dense for my understanding. Any help would be appreciated :) [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 14 Apr 2022 04:39 AM PDT I was thinking about the migration of the nostrils to the top of the head to become the blow hole, and began to wonder about the internal transformation. Do they have turbinates? Is there still a link to the digestive system like land mammals have, ie a pharynx or equivalent? Thanks! [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 14 Apr 2022 08:34 AM PDT Hello there, If you take salt water with Na+ and Cl- ions and apply current through it. The Cl- ions move towards the positive terminal and the Na+ move towards the negative terminal. Once there, does the Cl- loses its electron that will be, through the circuit, given to the Na+? If so, after some time, does the solution only have atoms (and not ions) of Na and Cl? And therefore is the solution is not conductive anymore? I try to search for my answer, but it seems I can't phrase it correctly... [link] [comments] |
| Posted: 14 Apr 2022 06:33 AM PDT I'm writing a story where the main mystery is to learn why a bacterium which was largely known to be mutualistic has been turning parasitic. Completely unrelated populations are making this same change and I need a trigger. I was looking for real world examples so I could see what kind of reasons it happens but I'm having trouble finding anything. [link] [comments] |
| Does the Pythagorean theorem hold up in higher dimensions and is there proof for it? Posted: 13 Apr 2022 07:36 PM PDT |
| Posted: 14 Apr 2022 09:36 AM PDT by unperturbed I mean as a thought experiment if you had a soap bubble that was somehow isolated from all outside forced like wind and stuff messing it's shape up, would it's surface and shape have a smoothness comparable neutron star and if not please explain why. [link] [comments] |
| What is the worst damage a solar flare from our sun could do? Posted: 14 Apr 2022 06:38 AM PDT How much technology could it knock out in one go, all of earth? Have governments got any plans for when this happens? Have any experts dealt with considering this potential disaster scenario? Everything I have read online is not very specific. [link] [comments] |
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