Science Is Brilliant

jtotheizzoe: freshphotons: Surface Tension. Curious how this...

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:48:43 +0000

freshphotons:

Surface Tension.

Curious how this sorcery happens? You bet you are.

An insect like a wasp or a water strider can rest atop the water, held up by surface tension. This means that the cohesive force of the water molecules sticking to each other is stronger than the force of the bug being pushed down by gravity. This works because it spreads its weight out over a large surface area (like snowshoes).

That creates a slight indentation in the top of the water, changing the direction that the light coming down is refracted and re-directing it slightly sideways (that’s where the bright halos around the dark areas come from). And what’s the absence of light?

A shadow.

All those words in picture form:

A helpful little song ‘strange charm’ to remember...

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 12:46:09 +0000

A helpful little song ‘strange charm’ to remember the quarks!

polarbearsarebrilliant: Russian Meteor Strike, February 2013

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 22:06:10 +0000

polarbearsarebrilliant:

Russian Meteor Strike, February 2013

protostellar: Trigonometry.

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 22:34:50 +0000

protostellar:

Trigonometry.

The Difference Between an Asteroid, Meteor and a...

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 16:51:00 +0000

The Difference Between an Asteroid, Meteor and a Comet:

Asteroids (Bo.Right) and comets(Bo.Left) are both classified as ‘near earth objects’. An asteroid is composed of mainly metals and rock whereas comets are mostly ice (hence the long tail), sometimes containing carbon, and come from much further away in the solar system.

When a comet comes within distance of the sun, dust is liberated from the icy tail: forming meteoroids. Asteroids also break-up into meteoroids but, because they are much larger, will normally have to endure impact with each other before this happens. When meteoroids enter the Earth’s atmosphere and heat up, they become meteors (Perseid Meteor; Top) if they survive this without vaporization and make it to the Earth’s ground, they proceed to become described as meteorites.

NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/

Spermatophore: is essentially a glob of spermatozoa along with...

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 16:19:06 +0000

Spermatophore: is essentially a glob of spermatozoa along with nutrients the male has stored specially. It is described as a nuptial ’gift’ to help the female produce offspring. For example butterflies need lots of sodium to lay their eggs. Some insects, mollusks and other inveterate (such as arachnids) do this. How polite.

The Human Brain Project: Is the...

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 18:39:33 +0000

The Human Brain Project:
Is the extraordinary innovation to attempt to completely map the human brain and create a super computer with the capabilities of realistically reflecting the mega completion it holds its mystery. Based in Switzerland -along with 80 other European constitutions- they,cooperatively, will combine technology and neuroscience to achieve the feat. It will allow us to see how the brain works; a new way study and (finally) objectively classify brain diseases: giving us an insight otherwise impossible experimentally and theoretically. Not only will it hold new beginnings for medicine but will spark development into computing technology: a ‘neuro-morphic computer’ capable of behaving as a human brain - the capacity to learn from experience. I, for one, am thoroughly excited!

Embryonic Stem Cells: As you are likely to know, stem...

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 10:50:00 +0100

Embryonic Stem Cells:
As you are likely to know, stem cell research is the source of a great controversy because embryos are required. There are other ways of getting stem cells (such as from umbilical cords) however it isn’t efficient enough for proper research. However scientist have found a way to turn adult spinal blood cells into those of a 6 day old embryo. This is done by creating holes in the membrane of the cells with electrodes and injecting 4 types of plasmid. 14 days later the cells have completed their metamorphosis. This is a massive breakthrough; removing the issue from politics and accelerating research. This method is safe (no chance of cell mutations when applied[no cancer]) and efficient (60% success rate). We could soon be curing the incurable.

jtotheizzoe: Imogen Heap Sings Chladni Lines Chladni lines,...

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 10:52:00 +0100

jtotheizzoe:

Imogen Heap Sings Chladni Lines

Chladni lines, the particular patterns of resonance created when a surface vibrates at certain frequencies.

Singer Imogen Heap went to her kitchen, grabbed some salt, and made her own!

How Do Bees Fly? Even though it is often used as a famous...

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 11:06:00 +0100

How Do Bees Fly?

Even though it is often used as a famous example of ‘science doesn’t work’, how bees can lift their own weight plus the weight of pollen and nectar was discovered wayyyy back in 2005. Scientists filmed a bee in flight at 6000 frames a second.

It turns out the bee will beat it’s wings around 230 times a second at a 90degree arc. This, in comparison to the fruit fly’s 200bps, proved their first discovery that insects that are smaller don’t always beat their wings faster. Next they mimicked the bee by creating a scaled-sized robot wing. Instead of creating a a single lift per beat (like bird or plane physics which mathematicians initially deemed the bees flight impossible with) It sort of ‘bobs’: peaking it’s lift at the begging middle and end of each wing flap.

It’s flight is much more similar to the hovering of a humming bird. Apart from that, bees generate lift expectantly with high pressure and low pressure similar to the Bernoulli principle.

However, what is interesting is when the bees were put in chambers of oxygen and hydrogen (air density similar to that on high mountains) the bees demonstrated superior control by being able to increase the wing-flaps arc to 140degrees. Increasing the amplitude without increasing the frequency. (Sort of like a bike changing gears). Essentially switching their flight pattern to that of other insects.
-http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/nov/29/science.research
-http://www.livescience.com/528-scientists-finally-figure-bees-fly.html

scienceisbeauty: Click to see infographic (high-res) depicting...

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 19:20:33 +0100

scienceisbeauty:

Click to see infographic (high-res) depicting the suspenseful 7 minutes it takes for Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory) to get from the top of Mars’ atmosphere to its surface.

Credits: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratoty

Landing on Mars Aug. 5, 10:31 P.M. PDT

Why Do Mosquito Bites Itch? It is only the female mosquito that...

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:57:00 +0100

Why Do Mosquito Bites Itch?

It is only the female mosquito that will bite, and when she does we have all experienced the irritating itch that lasts the day. What happens is:

1) She pierces the skin with her proboscis and searches for blood vessels in the upper epidermis.

2.) When she does this, she releases saliva into the blood; her spit contains digestive enzymes and anti-coagulant which keeps the blood flowing. The body’s reaction to this is to release histamine, causing the blood vessels in the area to swell.

3.) This swelling then presses on the nerves which gives us that annoying urge to itch.

http://insects.about.com/od/insectpests/f/mosquitoitch.htm

oneofthepaths: A timeline of the Standard Model of particle...

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 14:45:59 +0100

oneofthepaths:

A timeline of the Standard Model of particle physics.

(via Daily chart: Worth the wait | The Economist)

Light Waves… or Particles: Originally, when Newton...

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 21:14:00 +0100

Light Waves… or Particles:

Originally, when Newton conducted his experiments, it suggested light was very simply demonstrated as a ray (and later on a wave that required no medium of travel). However when Einstein came up with his theory of the photoelectric effect (shooting light at metal made electrons absorb the energy then escape the atom), it suggested that light concentrated energy in pockets - or photons

Every since then, it has angered the science community that both perceptions of light exist. Both are proved yet they cannot live side-by-side.

However, it came as a great shock when Einstein wrote his papers on relativity and described light as a net of waves when he previously acknowledged them as particles. It is known Einstein embraced the idea of Wave-Particle Duality. Meaning he accepted light behaved in both ways and used whichever that best explained/fitted the circumstances.

There is now the idea in quantum mechanics that some particles can exhibit the characteristics of a wave.

Vitamins: A vitamin is simply a chemical that the body...

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 20:51:00 +0100

Vitamins:

A vitamin is simply a chemical that the body cannot synthesize in large enough quantities to sustain the life-form. What this means however, is that vitamins for one organism are not vitamins for the other. For example: Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a vitamin for us - but it isn’t for more other mammals.

Paracetamol Vs. Aspirin Vs. Ibuprofen: Paracetamol works by...

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 20:31:05 +0100

Paracetamol Vs. Aspirin Vs. Ibuprofen:

Paracetamol works by reducing the amount of prostaglandins. These are produced in response to injury. They sensitise nerve endings and synapses and inform the brain about pain. Paracetamol reducing this is thought to increases pain thresholds. Paracetamol also controls fever by interacting with the brain.

Aspirin and Ibuprofen both have anti-inflammatory properties. Aspirin is different to Ibuprofen as it permanently prohibits COX1 and 2 enzymes - It is not often used to relieve pain any-more, however. Instead aspirin is preferred because of it’s ability to thin the blood and interact with blood platelets (preventing heart attacks and strokes). Aspirin and Ibuprofen could be preferred over paracetamol because in preventing COX1/2 enzymes from breaking down receptive chemicals - it also prevents the production of chemicals that cause symptoms of illness :such as fever or sore throats:

Hypnic Jerks - Last night I was very tired, so you can imagine...

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 10:49:43 +0100

Hypnic Jerks -

Last night I was very tired, so you can imagine the frustration at not being able to sleep because my body was spasm-ing!

In the morning I went to look this up and it turns out it’s a registered thing. A Hypnic Jerk (or Myoclonus contraction) often happens to people just as they’re falling asleep. This is caused by the brain getting confused about the signals of the body’s relaxation. The feeling of muscle relaxation before sleep is very similar to that of the loss of contraction in your legs when you’re falling (I.e. you don’t do anything to stand up any more). So, as a reflex, the body jerks in order to try and ‘catch’ yourself and retain balance.

This is also an explanation of why people often think about falling or roller coasters before sleeping. It’s not really a dream, but the body hallucinating to compensate for why you feel like you’re floating.

milesian: An articial trachea grown out of stem cells on a...

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:09:56 +0100

milesian:

An articial trachea grown out of stem cells on a bio-reactor, under controlled conditions. The first permenant artifical organ ever grown.

Read More

Acoustic Resonance (or:how the singer breaks the glass) - All...

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 19:25:40 +0100

Acoustic Resonance (or:how the singer breaks the glass) -

All molecules naturally oscillate (‘vibrate’), and they all do this at differing frequencies. Resonance is the theory that when we find the natural vibration frequency of an object, and then project a wave of that frequency at it: it absorbs more energy and more force is given out by the vibrations. (Or: the opera singer sings at the frequency that the glass is naturally vibrating, resonance occurs, and the glass smashes)

People have found many uses for this, and one you’re probably familiar with is the microwave. Here, instead, the electric field matches the water molecules frequency, and these oscillate to heat the food.

Resonance can also be a disadvantage, however. Navy sonar has been known to match cranial air-spaces inside whales and dolphins: increasing pressure inside their skulls and killing them.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_resonance
Save the Whales!: http://blog.seattlepi.com/candacewhiting/2012/03/08/how-navy-sonar-kills-whales-and-dolphins/

Addiction: Addiction to drugs or behaviour is caused by...

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 22:35:23 +0100

Addiction: Addiction to drugs or behaviour is caused by associating the action with pleasure. When a gambling addict gambles: endorphins, adrenaline and serotonin is released to the brain. The brain ‘learns’ this, and then makes connections to seek this behaviour. This, in things like drugs, leads to tolerance; as more is needed to produce the levels one was initially experiencing.

It is important to note that physical chemical dependence is very much different from addiction. When someone who is dependant goes ‘cold-turkey’ they can experience withdrawal symptoms. These tend to be the exact opposite of the drugs affects. (i.e. depressants will cause seizures and spasms). The longer the half-life of the drug the longer the withdrawal stages. Withdrawal symptoms can include anything from depression, cravings, violent shaking and vomiting to death. It is not suggested an addict abruptly stop taking drugs, although withdrawal symtoms can be treated and subdued.