Drunkard's Walk Forums

(Thought I'd try to make a thread for the weird and interesting science posts people run across)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30922800

Skrillex reduces mosquito bites.  "The electronic song "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" reduces host attack and mating success in the dengue vector Aedes aegypti."

I know that it popped up in the news on 4/1, but it is an actual paper.

RMH

I can sympathize, dubstep tends to offend my inner ear with its sharp artificial beats and reduce my interest in food or other appetites as well.

https://www.livescience.com/65107-tiny-f...dlets.html

Toads with fluorescent bones.

Several today

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/scien...ution.html

New human species existed in the Philippines - May have been shorter than Homo Floresiensis (the hobbits)



https://www.nationalgeographic.com/scien...ket-newtab

New phase of matter that acts as solid & liquid at the same time


and the one that's all over the place - first picture of a black hole

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47873592

RMH

(04-10-2019, 03:45 PM)RMH99 Wrote: [ -> ]https://www.nationalgeographic.com/scien...ket-newtab

New phase of matter that acts as solid & liquid at the same time

I'm sorry that just annoys me. The solid-liquid-gas thing is a very old idea and like most very old ideas, it's a gross oversimplification. There are lots of materials that combine the properties of solids and liquids, starting with a bucket of fine dry sand, which would behave as a liquid despite being made up of solid particles.

Professionally, I spend a lot of time measuring the damping of rubber compounds, which is a measure of the ratio between them acting like a liquid and acting like a solid.

(04-10-2019, 03:45 PM)RMH999 Wrote: [ -> ]and the one that's all over the place - first picture of a black hole

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47873592

RMH

xkcd puts it into perspective:

So that's a black hole. Does anyone else think it looks like a bagel under heat lamps, or is my diet making me see everything as food?

Yeah, I thought that too. And I don't even like bagelsthat much!

I was thinking a Cheerio, myself.

I was just wondering if it would really look like what they did in the movie, Interstellar, but I guess that just means I'm the true nerd around here. :V :V :V :V

According to the article I read about how they created the effect, the astrophysicist consulted was surprised by it but then realized the answer was probably that it would, and it's not like there's enough resolution to the image to say that no, none of that bright ring is the light of stars around and beyond it bent into that kind of halo.

Funny you should ask...

How does Interstellar measure up against the first photo of an actual black hole? - a conversation with the movie's SFX designer.

https://newatlas.com/fecal-transplants-a...ion/59278/

Showing again that the gut microbiota in humans has a lot more effect on us than we realize.

Humans are bioluminescent

Admittedly incredibly faint bioluminescence...

*edit* Drat, didn't check the date. Is old news (2009)

(04-19-2019, 07:23 PM)RMH999 Wrote: [ -> ]Humans are bioluminescent

Admittedly incredibly faint bioluminescence...

I recall seeing something about this years ago. Sure enough, the paper is dated 2009.

Well. That explains Twilight vampires.

(04-19-2019, 09:48 PM)Bob Schroeck Wrote: [ -> ]Well.  That explains Twilight vampires.

*rimshot*

Dammit BA!!!! You are making me guilty of alcohol abuse!!!

https://www.biotechniques.com/dna-sequen...inst-them/

Parasitic plants taking host plant genes to become better parasites

(08-01-2019, 06:06 PM)robkelk Wrote: [ -> ]Mysterious green icebergs from Antarctica might be fertilizing the southern ocean

"Tekeli-li!  Tekeli-li!"

*gives DH a 'Seriously?!?!?' look*

Hate to tell you this, but I understood the science in the article Rob referenced more understandable than your quip.

Ctulhu Mythos reference, I don't get any further than that Star Ranger.