Post by: TheAspiringDoc on January 13, 2016, 01:09:43 pm
Feel free to post anything from one sentence to ... however big ::)
Maybe it's worth us tagging our posts (e.g. bio, physics, chem)
Post by: TheAspiringDoc on January 13, 2016, 01:28:02 pm
Biology
Some salamanders - those of the family plethodontidae -can breathe through their skin and don't have lungs (well they develop them as embryos but yeah).
The fact that lungless salamanders can live in a very diverse range of thermal conditions puzzles scientists because theoretically lungs' enormous surface area is important in thermoregulation.
Plethodontidae are relatively small, are "thread" shaped, and have a low rate of metabolism - all of which serve to compensate for the lack of the favourable SA over which gas exchange can occur : volume ratio which is usually provided by the lungs of an organism.
It has been found that during embryonic development, lungs in plethodontidae do start to form, but never fully mature and are only of minor importance in the family's gas exchange methods.
Most of their gas exchange occurs due to high levels of vascularisation (vessel formation) in the skin, mouth, pharynx and larynx.
All of this is effectively caused by the activation and expression of a gene which codes for a protein that makes cell membranes more permeable for gases (which obviously helps with the gas exchange)
Post by: keltingmeith on January 13, 2016, 01:28:41 pm
Post by: Syndicate on January 13, 2016, 01:46:57 pm
sub::AstroPhysics
The rate of Dark Energy acclerated expansion is increasing every second, and has influenced many scientists to believe that the universe is going to rip apart, rather than the old theroy, which states that the universe is going to deflate/ come back like a spring does (F = -kx) :o
It is also known that due to the strechting, many planets and stars are moing further away from one anoher, which was observed during a red-shift examination, and thus proved that the acceleration is increasing, rather than decreasing.
Interesting to know, how the universe is going to conclude :P
Post by: pi on January 13, 2016, 01:52:37 pm
They are perhaps the most durable of known organisms. They can withstand temperature ranges from 1 K (−272°C) to about 420 K (150°C), pressures about six times greater than those found in the deepest ocean trenches, ionizing radiation at doses hundreds of times higher than the lethal dose for a human, the vacuum of outer space (tested on the FOTON-M3 mission in 2007), and they can go without food or water for more than 10 years.
Who wants one as a pet now? :P (unfortunately you won't be able to see it as they're about 0.5mm long in size!)
source: wikipedia (obviously I used a more reputable source for the book!)
Y'all should consider liking a page such as https://www.facebook.com/IFeakingLoveScience if you want lots of good fun facts and links!
Post by: TheAspiringDoc on January 13, 2016, 02:13:11 pm
There are three classes of UV, distinguished from each other by their wavelengths.
The highest frequency (shortest wavelength) UV class, UV-C (<290nm) can not pass through our atmosphere. This leaves UV-A and UV-B. The skin reacts differently to each type of UV radiation.
Mast cells that reside in the dermis of the skin are affected by UV radiation, and they release histamine, which causes inflammation and explains the redness of the skin following overexposure to UV.
Post by: pi on January 13, 2016, 02:23:57 pm
Indeed there are three types of ultraviolet radiation, but only two reach the earth's surface (UV-A and UV-B)as UV-C is filtered out by the ozone layer so isn't clinically relevant.
Of the two that are, UV-A mostly causes skin ageing and can also be a 'minor' risk factor for various skin cancers, whilst UV-B causes redness and sunburn and is a major risk factor for all types of skin cancer.
What's cool is that the glass we use for windows and the like block UV-B (but not UV-A!). So to put that into an AN perspective, while we're all studying next to our windows, we're 'enjoying sunlight' and also reducing our risk of sunburn and skin cancers. However, this does not prevent long term damage from UV-A, hence sunscreen is always advised :P
Post by: qazser on January 13, 2016, 02:25:38 pm
It takes longer for a photon to travel from the core of the sun to its surface than from the sun to earth.
Post by: geminii on January 13, 2016, 05:07:45 pm
There's enough DNA in an average person's body to stretch from the Sun to Pluto, and back - 17 times.
There's a shark called the Goblin Shark. When it is about to bit something, opens what seems to be its mouth, but then its actual mouth pops out of its mouth...confusing, I know. But amazing! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q3BD7gjncQ
The Komodo Dragon only has to create a tiny cut in its prey to kill it. The bacteria in its mouth is so toxic that its prey becomes infected and dies within a few days.
Chemistry
When Helium is cooled to the lowest temperature possible (-273 degrees Celsius), it becomes a liquid - and an amazing one at that! It starts flowing AGAINST gravity, up through the test tube and spilling out!
Post by: blacksanta62 on January 15, 2016, 08:34:11 pm
This is one of my favorites:
Biology: Saliva contains the chemical opiorphin which is approx. six times as strong as morphine. A natural painkiller which can be isolated and could potentially be used in the future. Tests are being carried out on rats and you can find the article here: http://www.news-medical.net/news/2006/11/15/21008.aspx
Keep calm and read on!
Post by: TheAspiringDoc on January 15, 2016, 09:01:23 pm
This is an interesting post. Anyone else like reading medical reports (Doc), breakthroughs in science etc?I can't seem to find any info on why such a substance would be present in saliva yet?
This is one of my favorites:
Biology: Saliva contains the chemical opiorphin which is approx. six times as strong as morphine. A natural painkiller which can be isolated and could potentially be used in the future. Tests are being carried out on rats and you can find the article here: http://www.news-medical.net/news/2006/11/15/21008.aspx
Keep calm and read on!
very interesting though!
Post by: blacksanta62 on January 15, 2016, 09:13:07 pm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723094841.htm
Post by: DeezNuts on January 15, 2016, 09:14:16 pm
friendly fact: did you know bears have huge shuddering orgasms that can last up to 30 minutes?
I wish to be a bear
but on a more serious note..or rather, less serious?...mosquitoes have shovel shaped penises that can scoop out rival sperm from inside a female mosquito ..the more you know :o
Post by: TheAspiringDoc on January 15, 2016, 09:16:52 pm
Zoology??um righty oh :o
friendly fact: did you know bears have huge shuddering orgasms that can last up to 30 minutes?
I wish to be a bear
but on a more serious note..or rather, less serious?...mosquitoes have shovel shaped penises that can scoop out rival sperm from inside a female mosquito ..the more you know :o
well why would that first one be evolutioarily important?
Post by: Callum@1373 on January 15, 2016, 09:23:04 pm
Post by: Syndicate on January 15, 2016, 09:25:18 pm
sub::Elements
Four new elements were found at the start of this year! The elements are yet to be named, are were found in Japan(1), US(2) and Russia(1). It is also known that due to the discovery of these elements, the seventh row of the periodic table will finally by completed!
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2016/01/new-elements-periodic-table-seventh-row-iupac
Lot more information here :)
Post by: DeezNuts on January 15, 2016, 09:26:29 pm
um righty oh :o
well why would that first one be evolutioarily important?
I have no idea......I actually stumbled across that fact whilst doing research for Lit related work......
Post by: keltingmeith on January 15, 2016, 09:26:49 pm
The word "acid" immediately scares people because they think "corrosive". However, not all acids are dangerously corrosive (or very corrosive at all!) - common examples include carbonic acid, which is present in most soft drinks and is responsible for the "fizzy" taste, and hydrogen sulfide, which can be found near active volcanic sites and is responsible for the "eggy" smell associated with thermal pools.
Another misunderstood concept relating to acids is that the stronger they are, the scarier they are. This is not true - the strength of an acid is not related to its corrosiveness. In fact, hydrofluoric acid (made popular for its use of dissolving a body in Breaking Bad) is actually a rather weak acid, with only a pKa of about 3.14. In comparison, the strong acid hydrochloric acid has a pKa of about -6 and carbonic acid has a pKa of about 6. (note: the smaller pKa, the stronger the acid). Put bluntly, despite being several times more dangerous than HCl, HF has an "acid strength reading" waaaaay closer to that of a can of soft drink.
Post by: blacksanta62 on January 15, 2016, 09:32:41 pm
Anyone heard of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)? New form of technology where you take adult cells, add (4 I believe) gene sequences which encode the instructions for a cell to have stem-cell like capabilities, culture it and harvest it and grow new stem cells. The induction rate is only really between 0.01-0.1% but new research is finding ways to reach greater efficiency. This would allow for us to test drugs on an individual patients cells before they let the drug actually enter the body, can mean tissue regeneration is made up of a patients OWN cells, and can allow for quicker discovery of drugs for diseases by creating say neurons from the skin cells of a patient with Lou Gehreg's disease for example. Amazing possibilities ;D I'm doing a speech on iPSCs at the National Youth Science Forum, really interesting stuff.
A-maze-Zing :o :o :o
Post by: Callum@1373 on January 15, 2016, 09:33:09 pm
(made popular for its use of dissolving a body in Breaking Bad)Legit my favorite scene!!!! I TOLD YOU TO GET THE F****** POLYETHENE
Post by: DeezNuts on January 15, 2016, 09:35:48 pm
um righty oh :o
well why would that first one be evolutioarily important?
in fact, sometimes I wonder about the legitimacy of evolution in the sense that it is supposed to be an universally applicable/accepted concept. I believe that there are simply some things that will be an act of nature we will never truly understand.
One such example I can think of at the moment is a bird called Kakapo, which I believe is not only flightless but actually exudes an odor that attracts predators to them - hence it is no surprise it is now an endangered species.
Some info here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/100929-birds-body-odor-rats-new-zealand-science-environment/
Post by: blacksanta62 on January 15, 2016, 09:37:09 pm
Too much bio for my tastes. :P I'm bringing in more... Not... Bio...
The word "acid" immediately scares people because they think "corrosive". However, not all acids are dangerously corrosive (or very corrosive at all!) - common examples include carbonic acid, which is present in most soft drinks and is responsible for the "fizzy" taste, and hydrogen sulfide, which can be found near active volcanic sites and is responsible for the "eggy" smell associated with thermal pools.
Another misunderstood concept relating to acids is that the stronger they are, the scarier they are. This is not true - the strength of an acid is not related to its corrosiveness. In fact, hydrofluoric acid (made popular for its use of dissolving a body in Breaking Bad) is actually a rather weak acid, with only a pKa of about 3.14. In comparison, the strong acid hydrochloric acid has a pKa of about -6 and carbonic acid has a pKa of about 6. (note: the smaller pKa, the stronger the acid). Put bluntly, despite being several times more dangerous than HCl, HF has an "acid strength reading" waaaaay closer to that of a can of soft drink.
Would you say that bases can sometimes be even more dangerous than acids? Teacher specified that just because it's a base we were working with that it shouldn't be treated with less care than an acid. Especially since it's missing those acid triats such as burning on contact with the eye
Post by: keltingmeith on January 15, 2016, 09:41:45 pm
Would you say that bases can sometimes be even more dangerous than acids? Teacher specified that just because it's a base we were working with that it shouldn't be treated with less care than an acid. Especially since it's missing those acid triats such as burning on contact with the eye
Without a doubt - something that I've used a lot in research is something called a "base bath". The purpose of the base bath is to completely and utterly destroy whatever is in your glassware. For example, you've got a beaker, reacted some stuff in it, and now it's covered with some weird black thing stuck to the sides. Easy fix - just chuck it in the base bath over night, and it'll be as good as new.
Why we use a base bath instead of an acid bath? No clue, because acid baths do exist. :P In all honesty, it could be down to it simply being that our base we use is cheaper than the acid would be. However, this thing is so concentrated, that if you put a hand into it, you will lose your hand - whenever using the base bath, we ALWAYS wear two layers of gloves - one latex/nitrile, and one heavy duty rubber glove, because the base bath is just that damn corrosive and dangerous.
Compare this to carbonic acid, which people literally pay money to drink because it tastes so good. :P
Post by: geminii on January 15, 2016, 09:46:12 pm
Chemistry
sub::Elements
Four new elements were found at the start of this year! The elements are yet to be named, are were found in Japan(1), US(2) and Russia(1). It is also known that due to the discovery of these elements, the seventh row of the periodic table will finally by completed!
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2016/01/new-elements-periodic-table-seventh-row-iupac
Lot more information here :)
I heard about this, it's pretty cool! Apparently they're now continuing to look for more.
Post by: blacksanta62 on January 15, 2016, 09:48:50 pm
Without a doubt - something that I've used a lot in research is something called a "base bath". The purpose of the base bath is to completely and utterly destroy whatever is in your glassware. For example, you've got a beaker, reacted some stuff in it, and now it's covered with some weird black thing stuck to the sides. Easy fix - just chuck it in the base bath over night, and it'll be as good as new.
Why we use a base bath instead of an acid bath? No clue, because acid baths do exist. :P In all honesty, it could be down to it simply being that our base we use is cheaper than the acid would be. However, this thing is so concentrated, that if you put a hand into it, you will lose your hand - whenever using the base bath, we ALWAYS wear two layers of gloves - one latex/nitrile, and one heavy duty rubber glove, because the base bath is just that damn corrosive and dangerous.
Compare this to carbonic acid, which people literally pay money to drink because it tastes so good. :P
Man that's cool and beneficial at the same time. Are these the kinds of pracs or research you do at uni?
Post by: Photon on January 15, 2016, 09:53:30 pm
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pikachurin
Post by: keltingmeith on January 15, 2016, 09:54:21 pm
I heard about this, it's pretty cool! Apparently they're now continuing to look for more.
They will FOREVER look for more. :P
In particular, what physicists REALLY hope to achieve is what is known as the "island of stability". Like a lot of physics things that we're trying to find through experimentation, this is all theoretical. At the moment, the heaver the atom we make, the less stable it is, some of them only lasting for mere femtoseconds (10^(-15) seconds). However, physicists believe that after a certain point, the so called "island of stability", this trend will reverse, and the atoms will become MORE stable, allowing us what could be a never-ending supply of resources. (mainly in terms of stuff that is reallllllly not renewable and we're running out of)
Man that's cool and beneficial at the same time. Are these the kinds of pracs or research you do at uni?
This was research - if you want to know more about what I was looking out, check out this post here. I didn't do research into acids/bases, mind, I just used them for my research. :P In particular, hydrochloric acid acted as a solvent for one of my reactions - in the last step of the reaction, addition of acid caused what I was aiming to make to precipitate out, then I just had to vacuum it for the desired product. I don't think I used any more acid, but lots of others in the lab were using them as catalysts for their reactions. The only base that regularly got used was the base baths, though, and they were only used for cleaning glassware.
Post by: blacksanta62 on January 15, 2016, 10:04:30 pm
They will FOREVER look for more. :P
In particular, what physicists REALLY hope to achieve is what is known as the "island of stability". Like a lot of physics things that we're trying to find through experimentation, this is all theoretical. At the moment, the heaver the atom we make, the less stable it is, some of them only lasting for mere femtoseconds (10^(-15) seconds). However, physicists believe that after a certain point, the so called "island of stability", this trend will reverse, and the atoms will become MORE stable, allowing us what could be a never-ending supply of resources. (mainly in terms of stuff that is reallllllly not renewable and we're running out of)
This was research - if you want to know more about what I was looking out, check out this post here. I didn't do research into acids/bases, mind, I just used them for my research. :P In particular, hydrochloric acid acted as a solvent for one of my reactions - in the last step of the reaction, addition of acid caused what I was aiming to make to precipitate out, then I just had to vacuum it for the desired product. I don't think I used any more acid, but lots of others in the lab were using them as catalysts for their reactions. The only base that regularly got used was the base baths, though, and they were only used for cleaning glassware.
Is the link you provided above mentioned in detail in VCE? Didn't really learn about polymers and the 3d pic was a bit hazy to me
Sorry for going off topic everyone it's the last question (hopefully) that is slightly off topic
Post by: keltingmeith on January 15, 2016, 10:08:23 pm
Is the link you provided above mentioned in detail in VCE? Didn't really learn about polymers and the 3d pic was a bit hazy to me
Sorry for going off topic everyone it's the last question (hopefully) that is slightly off topic
Argh, I wish. All the fields of chemistry I really love aren't even thought about for VCE... (possible insight as to why I hated 3/4 chem but love uni chem LOL)
I just picked that picture because I felt it simply showed what the structure of a coordination polymer might look like. Here's a whole page of some, though, so go nuts.
Also, if this is science that you find interesting, it's literally in the name of the topic. Defs not off at all. :P
Post by: TheAspiringDoc on January 15, 2016, 10:09:39 pm
in fact, sometimes I wonder about the legitimacy of evolution in the sense that it is supposed to be an universally applicable/accepted concept. I believe that there are simply some things that will be an act of nature we will never truly understand.Just because there's something with a seemingly ineffective trait, I don't think we can necessarily attack the legitimacy of evolution. Sure, the Kakapo might be carrying some pretty dumb genes, but as you said, it's dying out - isn't this a classic case of natural selection?
One such example I can think of at the moment is a bird called Kakapo, which I believe is not only flightless but actually exudes an odor that attracts predators to them - hence it is no surprise it is now an endangered species.
Some info here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/100929-birds-body-odor-rats-new-zealand-science-environment/
Post by: blacksanta62 on January 15, 2016, 10:10:36 pm
Argh, I wish. All the fields of chemistry I really love aren't even thought about for VCE... (possible insight as to why I hated 3/4 chem but love uni chem LOL)
I just picked that picture because I felt it simply showed what the structure of a coordination polymer might look like. Here's a whole page of some, though, so go nuts.
Also, if this is science that you find interesting, it's literally in the name of the topic. Defs not off at all. :P
Cool :) I'll get reading :)
Post by: keltingmeith on January 15, 2016, 10:14:16 pm
Cool :) I'll get reading :)
>>Sends pictures
"Cool, I'll get reading"
... I mean, if you want, sure? :P
Post by: blacksanta62 on January 15, 2016, 10:22:46 pm
Post by: Floatzel98 on January 15, 2016, 11:40:46 pm
Hopefully it is still on topic here. Seems appropriate.
Post by: TheAspiringDoc on January 15, 2016, 11:58:11 pm
Post by: Syndicate on January 16, 2016, 12:10:27 am
Post by: TheAspiringDoc on January 16, 2016, 12:19:00 am
This thread is getting overrun by Biology facts O.o (not that I hate it :p) but Physics and Chem... Everyone forgot about Psych :pUnderrun by the other sciences more like. You can never have too much bio.
Post by: Kalopsic on January 16, 2016, 12:20:48 am
sub::AstroPhysics?
The Great Filter
It is theorised that there is 'something' that prevents life from becoming so advanced that they are able to colonise other planets or even galaxies. Robin Hanson devised an incomplete or complete scale of the evolution of advanced lifeforms and stated that either somewhere along the scale hence our past or future, is the complication that causes life forms to die out. This may be the reason why we have yet to find other civilisations and why there is lack of evidence of life or past life.
It is really deep so have a read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Filter
Similarly related is the Kardashev Scale:
The Kardashev scale measures the advancement of civilisations via their ability to harness the energy around them and categorises this into 3 types of civilsations. Type I is the ability to utilise the energy from the neighbouring star that reaches the planet, Type II is the ability to harness all the energy radiated from the star and Type III is the ability to travel the galaxy and harness the galaxy's energy. As a reference, we're only 0.724 on this scale.
More can be read from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale
Also have a read about Dyson spheres as they are really interesting and not too long ago we had thought we found a Dyson sphere. Not sure if it was debunked or if it's an ongoing investigation
One such example I can think of at the moment is a bird called Kakapo, which I believe is not only flightless but actually exudes an odor that attracts predators to them - hence it is no surprise it is now an endangered species.
Could be a defense mechanism since it could attract multiple predators that end up attacking one another while it gets away.
Post by: pi on January 16, 2016, 12:58:00 am
This thread is getting overrun by Biology facts O.o (not that I hate it :p) but Physics and Chem... Everyone forgot about Psych :p
I'm gonna assume you mean psychiatry (even though you don't mean it!) :P
Let's talk about electroconvulsive therapy or ECT (this is NOT medical advice to replace advice by a qualified doctor), because I think it's super interesting!
The history of ECT is interesting and worth appreciating, cross your legs and take a seat, pi is telling a story. Before, ELETCROconvulsive therapy, there were thoughts of convulsive therapy. Convulsions are basically seizures (a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain), and among other methods, can be induced by means of drugs or electric current. A Hungarian psychiatrist named Dr Meduna was studying patients who had both schizophrenia (a psychotic disorder) and epilepsy (a condition characterised by recurrent seizures). He found that there seemed to be some "antagonism" between these two conditions in these patients, that is that these patients had improved psychotic symptoms after their epileptic seizures. He reasoned, with that being his basis, that if he could induce seizures, he could potentially cure the schizophrenia, amazing right?! He started experimenting and using various drugs to induce convulsions as a therapy option, however it was very dangerous and unreliable. This is where Dr Cerletti from Italy comes into the picture, he decided that those risks were not ideal and using his background knowledge in epilepsy, he decided to introduce electroshocks to induce convulsions. After experimenting first with animals and then patients, he found this form of therapy to be more reliable and less dangerous than the drugs. From there, ECT grew globally as a therapy for not only schizophrenia (for which it is reserved only for certain scenarios which are now fortunately rare), but also for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD, colloquially "depression") or mania (the other 'half' of bipolar disorder I), MDD with psychotic features, and other specific situations.
The mechanism of how ECT works isn't well understood. [jargon warning] It's been shown to increase the release of monoamine neurotransmitters (dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin) and enhance transmission by desensitising presynaptic adrenergic autoreceptors, although there are additionally thought to be effects on the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, frontal cortex, and many other parts of the brain. It's still an area being researched.
There are two main ways of delivering ECT (the patient is given anaesthetic and a muscle relaxant first!). The current can be delivered to both sides of the head or to just one side (the right side), with the doctors titrating the current upwards slowly until it is at therapeutic levels. The current delivery to both sides is the 'gold standard' and is said to be more effective, although it is said that there are less side-effects in the right-sided application (although this is controversial given higher doses of current are needed to induce the convulsion). Common side-effects people report include acute confusion (10-30mins after), anteretrograde amnesia (decreased ability to retain newly required information), retrograde amnesia (forgetting past memories), and headache and some muscle aches. Otherwise, it is generally considered to be safe (again, NOT medical advice!). Also worth noting that ECT is not something that is given once, it usually requires many sessions (10+) and some people need maintenance therapy afterwards as well.
This is a decent-ish video (not exactly how I've seen it done) of how the procedure itself works:
Hope you've all learnt something about 'psych'! ;)
Post by: TheAspiringDoc on January 16, 2016, 02:35:48 pm
Check out this awesome Biology video on epigenetics and x inactivation https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mHak9EZjySs
Post by: wyzard on January 16, 2016, 03:12:00 pm
Here's a really interesting and cool one from physics 8) Negative Absolute Temperature. Sixty Symbols made a really good video describing what is it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTeBUpR17Rw
For anyone's that is familiar with the Kevin scale will definitely know about the concept of absolute temperature where 0K, which is -273.16 degree Celsius, is the lowest temperature that can be achieved by matter, called absolute zero.
The reason 0K is the lowest temperature is because temperature is an indirect way to determine the thermal energy contained in an object, which is the kinetic energy of the constituent particles (the formula of the thermal energy contained in a substance is
However, there do exist certain systems where they have negative absolute temperature. How is that possible? It is like saying the particles have negative kinetic energy, which makes no physical sense.
As it turns out having negative absolute temperature require us to define temperature in an entirely different way using entropy, and 2nd law of Thermodynamics, which states that systems will spontaneously increase its total entropy. Entropy can be thought of as the degree of disorderliness.
Objects with higher temperature have the greater tendency to lose its energy, so if a graph of energy vs entropy is plotted, higher temperature means it has a much less steep gradient, as it is more willing to lose the energy it has to an object with more steep energy vs entropy graph for it to gain total entropy. In other words, temperature can be defined as the inverse of the gradient of the energy vs entropy graph given as:
The objects we are familiar with around us will have greater entropy when it has more energy. Think of the particles getting more disorderly as it has more energy, which is why it has its usual positive temperature.
As it turns out, there exist certain systems that get more orderly when it has more energy, resulting in a negative energy vs entropy graph, one famous example are para-magnetic molecules placed in the presence of external magnetic fields. Such systems have very interesting properties such as spontaneously losing its energy when placed in contact with any object of any temperature, hence having the property of being "hotter than infinity".
Post by: sunshine98 on January 16, 2016, 03:25:57 pm
Thought this video was cool https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0yJwZGxvBA It gets much more interesting towards the end tho.
It's mainly biology (and I think a bit of physics )
Post by: Syndicate on January 16, 2016, 03:26:25 pm
The higher the temperature, the faster the particles are moving about, so they contain higher amounts of kinetic energy, hence higher thermal energy. So there must be a point where the particles have the lowest energy which corresponds to having absolute zero temperature.
The atoms won't be moving at all, at an abosulte zero. When at abosolute zero, the atoms have no kinetic energy, thus no thermal energy. It is known that, it is currently not possible to acheive such a thing, and the lowest ever recorded temperature was 0.000 000 000 1 of a kelvin (such an achievement!).
But, you made some great points! It was quite interesting to know that, negative kelvin holds hot temeratures. There is a great amount of information loaded here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130104143516.htm
Post by: vox nihili on January 16, 2016, 09:47:31 pm
CRISPR-Cas9 (AKA CRISPR) is a pretty cool one but doesn't get nearly enough air time.
The short and sweet of it is that it's a highly accurate gene editing technology. Basically, it makes use of a bacterial enzyme to cut DNA. The enzyme (known as Cas9) is targeted to a particular sequence of DNA by a special guide RNA. It will on cut the sequence to which it is targeted. Modifications of the technology have allowed CRISPR to be used to insert new sequences of DNA or edit faulty sequences.
(http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v32/n4/images_article/nbt.2842-F3.jpg)
Unlike technologies before it, CRISPR is actually really reliable and it's thought that it may actually be able to be used therapeutically. It has been trialled, last year, on human embryos in China and scientists in the UK have applied to do the same. The trials didn't go so well, but all of the previous work seems to show that CRISPR should work if used correctly.
Of course, such a technology raises a lot of ethical questions. Whilst it hasn't got all that much coverage in Australia, the Guardian (a newspaper in the UK, with an Australian website too incidentally) has given it a lot of air time, even publishing an editorial encouraging scientists to be careful.
Definitely an interesting technology. Almost certainly a Nobel prize in this one too. Watch this space.
A couple of other links:
Good opinion piece with some nice info about how it works
Article about application by UK scientists to use it on embryos
Post by: wyzard on January 17, 2016, 12:49:13 am
The atoms won't be moving at all, at an abosulte zero. When at abosolute zero, the atoms have no kinetic energy, thus no thermal energy. It is known that, it is currently not possible to acheive such a thing, and the lowest ever recorded temperature was 0.000 000 000 1 of a kelvin (such an achievement!).
But, you made some great points! It was quite interesting to know that, negative kelvin holds hot temeratures. There is a great amount of information loaded here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130104143516.htm
Yeah you're right, there's no way we can ever achieve 0K according to the third law of thermodynamics in a finite number of operation ;D all the cryogenics stuff about cooling atoms to really cold temperature has really its own interesting features as well, such as reaching the state of Bose-Einstein Condensate 8)
Also to be more precise, at 0K atoms still be moving about slowly, they'll move with minimum energy called zero point energy, as quantum mechanics forbid atoms with zero kinetic energy due to the uncertainty principle, which is why I said point of lowest energy, not zero energy.
Post by: Syndicate on January 17, 2016, 01:15:58 am
Yeah you're right, there's no way we can ever achieve 0K according to the third law of thermodynamics in a finite number of operation ;D all the cryogenics stuff about cooling atoms to really cold temperature has really its own interesting features as well, such as reaching the state of Bose-Einstein Condensate 8)
Also to be more precise, at 0K atoms still be moving about slowly, they'll move with minimum energy called zero point energy, as quantum mechanics forbid atoms with zero kinetic energy due to the uncertainty principle, which is why I said point of lowest energy, not zero energy.
Yes, you're right as well. Atoms won't be completely stationary at absolute zero, as they would still jiggle [due to zero point energy] (however, as the temperature of the atoms would be 0, the speed would also equal to 0- this is what I meant by them not moving).
Post by: TheAspiringDoc on January 17, 2016, 11:41:09 pm
viviparous animals have embryonic development take place in the mother, which leads to birth of a functioning animal.
Viviparous plants have seeds which germinate (develop and put out shoots) before the seeds detach.
Oviparous animals have their embryos develop in eggs in the mother until the eggs are ready to hatch - at which point they come out.
parthenogenetic reproduction is asexual and involves the development of and unfertilised egg cell (gametophyte) into an embryo.
Microlecithal eggs are small and have little yolk.
yolk is part of an egg or egg cell (ovum) the the developing embryo feeds on. It appears yellow in chicken eggs.
The albumin, or "egg white", is a product of secretions from a hen's oviduct (passage from ovaries to the outside).
Post by: tedescostudent on January 20, 2016, 11:37:27 pm
I did 1/2 bio so i know my shit ok
Post by: qazser on January 20, 2016, 11:48:38 pm
when u bite into a fruit you bite into ovaries.
I did 1/2 bio so i know my shit ok
Waiting for that guy that says Banana is a fruit
Post by: geminii on January 21, 2016, 12:28:53 am
Waiting for that guy that says Banana is a fruit
A strawberry isn't a berry, but a banana is! :o
Post by: plants on January 21, 2016, 10:47:37 pm
"University of Washington researchers have performed what they believe is the first noninvasive human-to-human brain interface, with one researcher able to send a brain signal via the Internet to control the hand motions of a fellow researcher."
http://www.washington.edu/news/2013/08/27/researcher-controls-colleagues-motions-in-1st-human-brain-to-brain-interface/
Post by: vox nihili on January 23, 2016, 05:25:23 pm
There was a paper published a few years ago that proposed an addition to the theory of evolution. Basically, they proposed in their paper that evolution doesn't just favour the fittest organisms but also favours more complexity. They backed up their research by comparing these special ring proteins in fungi and mammalian cells. The proteins form a ring that pumps stuff around the cytoplasm (in essence). In animals only two proteins form a ring, whereas in fungi the ring is formed by three separate proteins that come together. The researchers concluded that there is no advantage to the three ringed protein over the two-protein ring (three rings is newer btw) and proposed that it was just the natural propensity for evolution to make things more complex that made the two-protein ring turn into three.
In terms of molecular biology, the three-part ring arose because of neutral mutations and duplications. Won't go into the details of that, because they're outlined well in the article below.
EDIT: found the article. Really, really interesting read imo
Post by: keltingmeith on January 24, 2016, 02:24:38 pm
Scientists may have figured out why a lot of objects in the Kuiper Belt have such weird orbits - they've discovered a 9th planet, with about 10x Earth's mass, orbiting our sun. The maths says that the orbit and mass of this planet is sufficient to cause the orbit of the objects in the Kuiper Belt that we see!
Post by: Orson on January 24, 2016, 02:32:15 pm
Post by: antony01001000 on January 24, 2016, 02:55:43 pm
Post by: Syndicate on March 06, 2016, 02:15:18 pm
It was recently published that there is a 9th planet (currently named as Planet X) in our solar system. The scientists are still trying to get the visual proof to convince everyone. It's quite amazing to know that we will have another planet in our solar system...just so unbelievable.... :D.
Watch this video :P: https://youtu.be/42GeoCVaZQg
Post by: pi on March 06, 2016, 02:17:12 pm
Post by: maximumliewster on March 09, 2016, 10:51:44 pm
sure its a bunch of uni students talking about... stuff, but this helps young ones like me to love the never ending facts and theories of science!!!!
thanks guys, keep going though! It got good! :D :D
Post by: Callum@1373 on March 16, 2016, 09:03:25 pm
Post by: TheAspiringDoc on March 19, 2016, 05:32:35 pm
Did anyone else watch the science themed Q&A the other night? That was the best episode every!!!On what? Catalyst?
Post by: TheProphetPancake on March 19, 2016, 07:04:16 pm
Found this on Reddit the other day :P
Interesting read, especially if you are doing Eng Lang: http://phys.org/news/2016-03-syntax-unique-human-language.html
(it's about how researchers have found out that some birds have their own way of structuring their 'sentences')
Post by: spectroscopy on March 19, 2016, 07:23:56 pm
#spooky
Post by: Photon on April 05, 2016, 01:46:31 pm
Let that sink in for a moment all you Bio students.
Post by: Callum@1373 on April 05, 2016, 03:40:31 pm
It's not the breaking of ATP that releases energy but it's the formation of ADP that releases energy.The breaking of ATP is the formation of ADP!
Let that sink in for a moment all you Bio students.
Post by: Photon on April 05, 2016, 08:06:46 pm
The breaking of ATP is the formation of ADP!
Breaking a molecule is never an exothermic reaction, it's the combination reaction that is what releases the energy. Remember that we're adding a water molecule and that actually adds a hydroxide molecule onto ADP and that is what really releases energy. Energy is required to break ATP but we end up profiting more energy from the formation of bonds between the OH- and ADP.
Post by: pi on April 05, 2016, 08:33:28 pm