The official science thread.

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Kyaw said:
Also am i correct in saying that there is no such thing as heat?
Just vibrations, movement or hitting of particles, right?
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There's definitely heat, yet if you think about it there is no such thing as cold.

Cold is just the absence of Heat (particles void of kinetic energy) and there is a finite degree as to how 'cold' matter can get. No particles be moving at 0 K, just the tumbleweed...


Oh the philosophical conundrums this raises...

Darkness -> Light,
Death -> Life,

.. there's no such thing bro.
 
Can I post cool science pictures?

Microscope Stuff!

01 – A wood or heathland Ant, Formica fusca, holding a microchip
img1.jpg

02 – The surface of an Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory silicon microchip
img2.jpg

03 – Eyelash hairs growing from the surface of human skin
img3.jpg


Click the link for more awesomeness!
 
Dogfacedgod said:
Cool article about a new experiment regarding relativity:

Wired Article
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“It is popular lore that Einstein was right, but no such book is ever completely closed in science,” he said. “While the result in this case does support Einstein, it didn’t have to.”

and that, in essence, is what science is all about.
 
Gorgon said:
Actually, at the speed of light, time stops for you. So from a photon's perspective, the trip took no time.
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You would be right if you hadn't forgotten he's travelling with wife and 3 kids (one is a baby). Try to make that trip without restroom stops now Mr. Time Dilation. ;)

Seriously now. Yeah, I got what you're saying. Was just pointing how annoying/stupid this mistake is.
 
I saw this on the BBC a few days ago regarding traits we have from our aquatic ancestry. The item of interest here is that they have a video of how the human faces forms after conception and I've never ever seen that before.

I found it cool and disturbing at the same time.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13278255
 
Boozeroony said:
I can look at a colony of ants for days. It is like a single organism.
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They are like a miniature society (anthropomorphising much) :D

They were so fascintating, their social structures and interactions. I miss them lol.

Now I have a cat, which is equally awesome, but less fascinating on a scientific level, though she should not neccesarily be.

I find that the thing about the study of science that gets to me the most is always on the small or large scale. Some of it is sublime in the traditional sense, sublime like an epic storm or heatwave, beautiful and scary at the same time.
 
Sirius said:
There's definitely heat, yet if you think about it there is no such thing as cold.

Cold is just the absence of Heat (particles void of kinetic energy) and there is a finite degree as to how 'cold' matter can get. No particles be moving at 0 K, just the tumbleweed...
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but there is also a finite degree as to how hot particles can get, right?
if they're moving at the speed of light, hypothetically, they can't get any hotter
 
OttomanScribe said:
They are like a miniature society (anthropomorphising much) :D

They were so fascintating, their social structures and interactions. I miss them lol.

Now I have a cat, which is equally awesome, but less fascinating on a scientific level, though she should not neccesarily be.

I find that the thing about the study of science that gets to me the most is always on the small or large scale. Some of it is sublime in the traditional sense, sublime like an epic storm or heatwave, beautiful and scary at the same time.
Click to expand...

Bees are equally awesome, albeit more difficult to watch.

Reading up about the way they communicate makes my head spin.
 
Boozeroony said:
Bees are equally awesome, albeit more difficult to watch.

Reading up about the way they communicate makes my head spin.
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i've been wondering, could i keep a small colony of bees on my balcony?
it's probably not legal, but would it theoretically be
e
feasible?
 
scar tissue said:
i've been wondering, could i keep a small colony of bees on my balcony?
it's probably not legal, but would it theoretically be
e
feasible?
Click to expand...

I guess, with some proper tools and equipment it should be possible. How far are your neighbors? ;)
 
Gorgon said:
NASA released the Astrobiology Graphic Novel - Issue #2. Brief look in comic book format at the history of Astrobiology research. You can find a link on the same page to the first issue.

http://www.astrobiology.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=36967


Let's not let this thread die, please!
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Cool stuff.

I won't let this thread die. i will post some cool scientific news every now and then. Of course, people are very welcome to discuss anything related to science.
 
From The Dust said:
NASA released a comic on the history of astrobiology? No wonder why NASA is so cool. Hey present stuff that appeals to the masses
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I recently found out a high school buddy is now working at NASA. Got to FB him someday.
 
ThoseDeafMutes said:
Why, you planning on dying in the next few decades?
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Is there really a good chance that we will see radical life extension therapies in mere decades? I know people like Kurzweil and De Gray speculate on it but it always seemed so far fetched.
 
How has this not been posted yet...

science.jpg


Funnily enough we were nearing the end of our lecture on Cosmic Microwave Background radiation today when our lecturer popped up the CMB spectrum taken from COBE, followed by this comic. It so much more satisfying when seeing it up infront of a physics lecture, people get it.
 
Boozeroony said:
Applied to this job last week.

Suits me pretty well, I think.
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Got an invitation. Interview is in 2 weeks, but I have never been rejected when I applied for a job. And that includes 3 PhD-student positions.

Confident ;)
 
some fun question to the science folks like us. If you had a choice to sequence the human genome today would you use DNA nanoball method that is being used by a company called Complete Genomics or develop your own that uses DNA microarrays to do it.
 
sullytao said:
Is there really a good chance that we will see radical life extension therapies in mere decades? I know people like Kurzweil and De Gray speculate on it but it always seemed so far fetched.
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It could fall a lot of different ways. They might cure aging next week and have it being cheap enough that most people can afford it. Or it might be 2050, and require monthly treatments that set you back $5,000 each.

My guess is that we will see life extension sooner rather than later. It sort of seems to be the case that humans age and die by design (it's not good in evolutionary terms to have old blood hang around forever), and we can do some very promising things with mice right now (Circa late 2010, people at Harvard not only halted but reversed aging in mice). That doesn't imply we will be able to do that for people eventually, but it might just be the case.

There are initiatives specifically trying to work on this problem as well. The so called "Manhattan Beach Project" is the one that springs to mind immediately (since they set that "cure aging by 2029" target).
 
Zapages said:
some fun question to the science folks like us. If you had a choice to sequence the human genome today would you use DNA nanoball method that is being used by a company called Complete Genomics or develop your own that uses DNA microarrays to do it.
Click to expand...

I'd 454-pyrosequence that bitch. Or use 3rd gen. sequence methods.
 
Boozeroony said:
I'd 454-pyrosequence that bitch. Or use 3rd gen. sequence methods.
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pyrosequencing is amazing from what I have read. I just like the idea of using arrays mixed with DNA nanoball method as it mixes DNA chip/arrays. Both are amazing.

Both of them are 3rd gen or next gen sequencing methods. :)
 
Zapages said:
pyrosequencing is amazing from what I have read. I just like the idea of using arrays mixed with DNA nanoball method as it mixes DNA chip/arrays. Both are amazing.

Both of them are 3rd gen or next gen sequencing methods. :)
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I see what you mean now. DNA nanoball is great from what I've read.
 
Guys/gals, I need to know what the best overall general Microbiology text available is. I'm thinking of getting the latest edition of Brock's Biology of Microorganisms. What do you think?
 
Gorgon said:
Guys/gals, I need to know what the best overall general Microbiology text available is. I'm thinking of getting the latest edition of Brock's Biology of Microorganisms. What do you think?
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I like Brock. There are lots of pretty pictures in it.
 
Gorgon said:
Guys/gals, I need to know what the best overall general Microbiology text available is. I'm thinking of getting the latest edition of Brock's Biology of Microorganisms. What do you think?
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It is good.

Not sure which edition I have, but I'd guess it is not the latest. Nonetheless, it is a great source.
 
archnemesis said:
I like Brock. There are lots of pretty pictures in it.
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That's not exactely one of my criteria for buying the book, although it's welcome, lol.

Anyway, got another possibility going for my PhD studies. Right now I have two different possibilities but I'll only know if the later one is a go by next month. I really hope so because I'm far more interested in the new possibility.

I'll let you guys/gals know later when I have news.

Regarding the book some people mentioned earlier, Molecular Biology of the Cell, do the microbiologists here think it's a "must have" that I will need throughout my PhD as a source? Is it good for Prokariots? Because if this PhD goes ahead I'm goign to be working with pathogenic bacteria.

Also, is there any "must have" books for bacteriology and microbial ecology?

Thanks for everything, I really need some advice here.
 
Gorgon said:
That's not exactely one of my criteria for buying the book, although it's welcome, lol.

Anyway, got another possibility going for my PhD studies. Right now I have two different possibilities but I'll only know if the later one is a go by next month. I really hope so because I'm far more interested in the new possibility.

I'll let you guys/gals know later when I have news.

Regarding the book some people mentioned earlier, Molecular Biology of the Cell, do the microbiologists here think it's a "must have" that I will need throughout my PhD as a source? Is it good for Prokariots? Because if this PhD goes ahead I'm goign to be working with pathogenic bacteria.

Also, is there any "must have" books for bacteriology and microbial ecology?

Thanks for everything, I really need some advice here.
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These are generally very expensive books and really not of any use for a PhD. unless it's completely different in the US, dunno.
 
Hey ScienceGAF, I have a question if I am permitted to ask?

What would explain the variable winters/summers in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire? I was thinking on this the other day and I didn't want to speculate as I am unsure.
 
Gorgon said:
That's not exactely one of my criteria for buying the book, although it's welcome, lol.

Anyway, got another possibility going for my PhD studies. Right now I have two different possibilities but I'll only know if the later one is a go by next month. I really hope so because I'm far more interested in the new possibility.

I'll let you guys/gals know later when I have news.

Regarding the book some people mentioned earlier, Molecular Biology of the Cell, do the microbiologists here think it's a "must have" that I will need throughout my PhD as a source? Is it good for Prokariots? Because if this PhD goes ahead I'm goign to be working with pathogenic bacteria.

Also, is there any "must have" books for bacteriology and microbial ecology?

Thanks for everything, I really need some advice here.
Click to expand...

As mentioned before, MBotC is a very good book, but not a must have if you're going for a PhD in microbiology. I'd recommend it for cytology and/or biochemistry, not microbiology.

Maybe this is what you're looking for?
 
OttomanScribe said:
Hey ScienceGAF, I have a question if I am permitted to ask?

What would explain the variable winters/summers in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire? I was thinking on this the other day and I didn't want to speculate as I am unsure.
Click to expand...
Well since it doesn't just get colder, it also gets darker that suggests something to do with the planet's axial tilt. A huge nutation perhaps?
 
OttomanScribe said:
Hey ScienceGAF, I have a question if I am permitted to ask?

What would explain the variable winters/summers in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire? I was thinking on this the other day and I didn't want to speculate as I am unsure.
Click to expand...
since it's a work of creative fiction, the only person that can give you a reliable answer to this question is the author.
 
OttomanScribe said:
Hey ScienceGAF, I have a question if I am permitted to ask?

What would explain the variable winters/summers in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire? I was thinking on this the other day and I didn't want to speculate as I am unsure.
Click to expand...

Well our own earth goes through quite drastic temperature change cycles, so I guess it could be similar, on a shorter time scale.
 
Scrow said:
since it's a work of creative fiction, the only person that can give you a reliable answer to this question is the author.
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I wanted fun scientific speculation, I wasn't asking for a definitive. Geez.
Well since it doesn't just get colder, it also gets darker that suggests something to do with the planet's axial tilt. A huge nutation perhaps?
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I was thinking this, so would that cause variations? It seems that in the book it is varied year by year.

Maybe a combination of nutation and an eliptical orbit?

Not sure if I totally got that wiki article lol.

Well our own earth goes through quite drastic temperature change cycles, so I guess it could be similar, on a shorter time scale.
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Hmm.. that could be it. Like on a planet that doesn't have a winter summer cycle, but instead has mini ice ages?
 
OttomanScribe said:
I wanted fun scientific speculation, I wasn't asking for a definitive. Geez.
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*shrug*

the world is a flat disc, held up on the backs of 4 elephants, which are standing on a turtle floating through space. :P

but if we want to assume they're on a planet similar to earth you could just say they're near the north pole.
 
Scrow said:
but if we want to assume they're on a planet similar to earth you could just say they're near the north pole.
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Would this create variable times for winter and summer? With winter/summer long sometimes and short others?
 
OttomanScribe said:
Would this create variable times for winter and summer? With winter/summer long sometimes and short others?
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maybe the planet orbits the sun elliptically and the gravity of other celestial objects tug on it, changing its orbit and rotation. a big red comet features prominently in the story afterall.
 
Boozeroony said:
As mentioned before, MBotC is a very good book, but not a must have if you're going for a PhD in microbiology. I'd recommend it for cytology and/or biochemistry, not microbiology.

Maybe this is what you're looking for?
Click to expand...

Perhaps that will be useful, but I'm not sure I'll be working with the bacteria and their interaction with the human host proper. If this PhD goes ahead I'll be working in microbiology proper with pathogenic bacteria. It will be more along the lines of bacteria life-cycles, transmission from animals to humans with groundwaters as the medium between both, environmental microbiology, perhaps epidemics. I'm not sure, but I think I will be doing this more from the perspective of how the bacteria ends up in the human host and not so much what happens when it gets there.


Thing is, I've graduated in geology and my biological background is stronger in ecology, zoology, biogeography, aquatic ecology, macroevolution, paleontology, etc. Most of my microbiological knowledge has to do with ecology of planktonic microorganisms and paleoecology/micropaleontology. So I'm quite ignorant when it comes to working in microbiology at a more medical/veterinary approach with pathogenic bacteria. That's why I'm trying to get an idea of what would be the kind of textbooks I would need for general background and consultation during such research.
 
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