A scientific fact/tidbit you recently learned that you thought was interesting

[EHocking]

No Moth for you!

Yeah, not many Bogongs up my way - plenty of Bogans though.

 

[Puppycow]

I thought this video about the latest science on T. Rex was interesting:


Questions answered include, how large was it at birth (hatching), how long did it take to reach full size, how fast could it run, was it mostly a predator or a scavenger, was it warm-blooded or cold-blooded, and did it have feathers. Also, eyesight and sense of smell. (Jurassic Park lied to us)

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Black Fire Beetles can sense forest fires from a distance of 50km+, rivalling gas chromatography.

 

[PitPat]

Black Fire Beetles can sense forest fires from a distance of 50km+, rivalling gas chromatography.

I was wondering what evolutionary advantage that had...

They can track and fly toward fires from massive distances—documented in studies up to 50 to 80 miles (80 to 100 kilometers) away—allowing them to arrive while the wood is still burning to mate and lay eggs safely away from predators.

 

[Darat]

I was wondering what evolutionary advantage that had...

Hot date!

 

[Andy_Ross]

Apparently some guys at NASA claimed that if Apollo astronauts jumped too high on the moon they'd go straight off into space.

 

[PitPat]

Apparently you'd have to jump at 5,370 mph to escape the moon's gravity.

 

[Wudang]

Apparently some guys at NASA claimed that if Apollo astronauts jumped too high on the moon they'd go straight off into space.

I worked for IBM for 15 years. I knew many long time employees who couldn't use a computer and senior programmers with no idea how computers worked.
Similarly 17 years with HSBC and long time employees who had less financial nouse than a drunk teenager.

 

[Andy_Ross]

It's true, a reliable source posted it in a different thread.

 

[Puppycow]

How Leonardo Da Vinci proved that the sun is hot (and why Aristotle thought it was cold):

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Late 18th deep into 19th century science suggested the sun was made of coal, and calculated how long it could burn before being exhausted ( something like 5,000 years in total).

 

[Andy_Ross]

Science?
All of it?

 

[Puppycow]

Science?
All of it?

It was probably more like a hypothesis. Nobody knew what the sun was.

Experts Doubt the Sun Is Actually Burning Coal

Originally published in August 1863

www.scientificamerican.com

Mid 19th century Scientific America article.

 

[Helen]

How Leonardo Da Vinci proved that the sun is hot (and why Aristotle thought it was cold):

Had to scroll down; I can't watch it and hear what he says at the same time, that beard is faaaar too distracting..

 

[Jim_MDP]

Apparently you'd have to jump at 5,370 mph to escape the moon's gravity.

Well, you know they did train those guys pretty hard back in the day.

 

[EHocking]

Apparently some guys at NASA claimed that if Apollo astronauts jumped too high on the moon they'd go straight off into space.

Unpossible.
Our resident genius has told us that there is no difference between the weight on the moon and the weight on earth of the Apollo 11 Portable Life Support System (PLSS) backpack.

 

[arthwollipot]

I worked for IBM for 15 years. I knew many long time employees who couldn't use a computer and senior programmers with no idea how computers worked.
Similarly 17 years with HSBC and long time employees who had less financial nouse than a drunk teenager.

You don't need to know how to programme a computer in order to manage staff, finances, logistics, and all the other things that go into running a business about computers.

 

[alfaniner]

Unpossible.
Our resident genius has told us that there is no difference between the weight on the moon and the weight on earth of the Apollo 11 Portable Life Support System (PLSS) backpack.

Confusing, of course, weight for mass. If you push a car to move it, that's mass. If you lift it to move it, that's weight.
(The mass is the same regardless of the gravity. Just clarifying it for others who may have missed the difference.)

 

[Wudang]

You don't need to know how to programme a computer in order to manage staff, finances, logistics, and all the other things that go into running a business about computers.

Context matters. The discussion point was lunar escape velocity

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Because the time of rotation of the Earth varies quite a bit, International Atomic Time (TAI), as measured precisely by atomic clocks, and observed solar time (UT1) differ noticeably.
Until this October, this was "fixed" by adjusting the Atomic Time by leapseconds. So far, these were always added, as the earth rotation was slowing, but the next adjustment would have had to be negative, taking a second away.
Many have worried that this might cause a "Y2K" effect, as many critical systems might not be able to cope this subtracting a second.

The new agreement is to let the difference stand, going back to the original value - which means Atomic and Solar time now differ by 37 seconds.
When the difference reaches 1 hour, there will be a leap-hour. Should happen in a few thousand years.