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"In a letter written in 1924, who wrote ""You will be interested to hear that I have found a Cepheid variable in the Andromeda Nebula"" and transformed our view of the universe forever?"
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Cepheid variable She published it in 1912 with further evidence. In 1913, Ejnar Hertzsprung conducted research on Cepheids. His research would later require revision, however. In 1915, Harlow Shapley used Cepheids to place initial constraints on the size and shape of the Milky Way, and of the placement of our Sun within it. In 1924, Edwin Hubble established the distance to classical Cepheid variables in the Andromeda Galaxy, until then known as the "Andromeda" "Nebula", and showed that the variables were not members of the Milky Way. Hubble's finding settled the question raised in the "Great Debate" of whether the Milky Way
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The Andromeda Nebula The Andromeda Nebula The Andromeda Nebula () is a 1967 Soviet Science fiction film starring Sergei Stolyarov and directed by Yevgeni Sherstobitov at the Dovzhenko Film Studios. The film was originally intended to be the first episode of a series of films, alternatively titled as "The Andromeda Nebula: Episode I. Prisoners of the Iron Star", but the remaining parts were never made due to Stolyarov's death. It is based upon the "Andromeda Nebula" novel by Ivan Yefremov and follows the story of a group of humans on the spaceship "Tantra" who are tasked with investigating the home planet of an
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In the fall of 2013, The New England Journal of Medicine reported on a certain 'Mississippi Baby' whose case was thought of as a landmark event in medical history. The conclusions made about her were reversed in July 2014. She was in the news for what reason?
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Mississippi baby Mississippi baby The Mississippi baby (born 2010) is a Mississippi girl who in 2013 was thought to have been cured of HIV. She had contracted HIV at birth from her HIV-positive mother. Thirty hours after the baby was born, she was treated with intense antiretroviral therapy. When the baby was about 18 months old, the mother did not bring the child in for scheduled examinations for the next five months. When the mother returned with the child, doctors expected to find high levels of HIV, but instead the HIV levels were undetectable. The Mississippi baby was thought to be the
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The New England Journal of Medicine depicts the Rod of Asclepius crossed over a quill pen. The dates on the logo represent the founding of the components of the "New England Journal of Medicine": 1812 for the "New England Journal of Medicine and Surgery and Collateral Branches of Medical Science", 1823 for the "Boston Medical Intelligencer", 1828 for the "Boston Medical and Surgical Journal", and 1928 for the "New England Journal of Medicine". Notable articles from the course of the "New England Journal of Medicine's" history include: On April 25, 1996, "NEJM" announced their new website, which published each week the abstracts for research articles and
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Oklo in Gabon, Africa is the only known place in the world where what reaction occurs naturally?
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Oklo Oklo Oklo is a region near the town of Franceville, in the Haut-Ogooué province of the Central African state of Gabon. Several natural nuclear fission reactors were discovered in the uranium mines in the region during 1972. Gabon was a French colony when prospectors from the French nuclear energy commissariat (the industrial parts, which later became the COGEMA and later Areva NC) discovered uranium in the remote region in 1956. France immediately opened mines operated by Comuf (Compagnie des Mines d'Uranium de Franceville) near Mounana village in order to exploit the vast mineral resources and the State of Gabon was
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Nuclear reactor physics U has a much shorter half-life (700 million years) than U (4.5 billion years), so in the distant past the percentage of U was much higher. About two billion years ago, a water-saturated uranium deposit (in what is now the Oklo mine in Gabon, West Africa) underwent a naturally occurring chain reaction that was moderated by groundwater and, presumably, controlled by the negative void coefficient as the water boiled from the heat of the reaction. Uranium from the Oklo mine is about 50% depleted compared to other locations: it is only about 0.3% to 0.7% U; and the ore contains
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The Flammarion engraving that can be frequently seen on book covers sought to illustrate what belief system?
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Flammarion engraving Flammarion engraving The Flammarion engraving is a wood engraving by an unknown artist, so named because its first documented appearance is in Camille Flammarion's 1888 book "L'atmosphère: météorologie populaire" ("The Atmosphere: Popular Meteorology"). The engraving has often, but erroneously, been referred to as a woodcut. It has been used to represent a supposedly medieval cosmology, including a flat earth bounded by a solid and opaque sky, or firmament, and also as a metaphorical illustration of either the scientific or the mystical quests for knowledge. In fact, even in the Early Middle Ages, almost all Christian scholars agreed the Earth was
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Flammarion engraving the image to propagandize the myth that medieval Europeans widely believed the Earth to be flat. In his book, however, Flammarion never discusses the history of beliefs about the shape of the Earth. His text suggests that the image is simply a fanciful illustration of the false view of the sky as an opaque barrier. Flammarion engraving The Flammarion engraving is a wood engraving by an unknown artist, so named because its first documented appearance is in Camille Flammarion's 1888 book "L'atmosphère: météorologie populaire" ("The Atmosphere: Popular Meteorology"). The engraving has often, but erroneously, been referred to as a woodcut.
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British physicist David Deutsch is regarded as the father of what field of science which is certain to see more interest as the scale of the world's need for data processing increases?
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David Deutsch David Deutsch David Elieser Deutsch (; born 18 May 1953) is an Israeli-born British physicist at the University of Oxford. He is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Atomic and Laser Physics at the Centre for Quantum Computation (CQC) in the Clarendon Laboratory of the University of Oxford. He pioneered the field of quantum computation by formulating a description for a quantum Turing machine, as well as specifying an algorithm designed to run on a quantum computer. He is a proponent of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. Deutsch has expounded a new criterion for scientific explanation, which is
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The World Is What It Is in 1996. The biography has been extensively reviewed: the reviewers include Paul Theroux, who wrote an earlier book about Naipaul. The biography was selected by the editors of the "New York Times Book Review" as one of the "Times"' "10 Best Books of 2008". It won the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award in Biography, and the British literary award the Hawthornden Prize. The World Is What It Is The World Is What It Is: The Authorized Biography of V. S. Naipaul is a biography of the Nobel Prize-winning author V. S. Naipaul by Patrick French. It was published in
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The modern-day cattle breed of 'Heck' came about when it was attempted to bring back what extinct species?
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Heck cattle Heck cattle Heck cattle are a hardy breed of domestic cattle. These cattle are the result of an attempt by the Heck brothers to breed back the extinct aurochs from modern aurochs-derived cattle in the 1920s and 1930s. Controversy revolves around methodology and success of the programme. There are considerable differences between Heck cattle and the aurochs in build, height, and body proportions. Furthermore, there are other cattle breeds which resemble their wild ancestors at least as much as Heck cattle. Heck cattle originated in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s in an attempt to breed back domestic cattle to
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Heck cattle the mistake man made when killing the species off. Heinz was the director of the Hellabrunn Zoological Gardens in Munich and Lutz of the Berlin Zoological Gardens. Only eleven years after they started their breeding experiments, just as the Weimar Republic was drawing to a close, they each announced success. The two brothers used different selections of cattle breeds in their breeding-back attempts. For example, Lutz Heck (in Berlin) used Spanish fighting bulls, while Heinz Heck (in Munich) did not. The Berlin breed seemingly did not survive the Second World War, so all modern Heck cattle go back to the
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If the Solvay Conferences of the early 1910s set the tone for 20th century physics, the Dartmouth Conferences of 1956 have similar importance for what field of science?
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Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence of artificial intelligence and to help members to keep abreast of research outside their immediate specialties. The magazine has been published continuously since 1980. AAAI organises the "AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence", which is considered to be one of the top conferences in the field of artificial intelligence. In addition to AAAI Fellowship, the AAAI grants several other awards: The ACM-AAAI Allen Newell Award is presented to an individual selected for career contributions that have breadth within computer science, or that bridge computer science and other disciplines. This endowed award is accompanied by a prize of $10,000, and is supported
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Dartmouth Conferences (peace) of the two countries. Together with Philip Mosely, a professor at Columbia, he organized the American side of the conference. The Soviet Peace Committee organized the Soviet side of the first conference and several that followed. The Ford Foundation provided financial support for the American side. That first conference took place in October 1960 on the campus of Dartmouth College. It began to set the model for the conferences that followed. The discussions covered most issues then important in U.S.-Soviet relations. As later, they were kept off the record. Several things distinguished the Dartmouth Conferences from others that brought Soviets
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What is the name of the six-letter ore from which niobium and tantalum are extracted and whose mining is said to have fueled many modern day African conflicts?
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Coltan mining and ethics Coltan mining and ethics Coltan is a metallic ore from which the very similar elements niobium, also known as columbium, and tantalum are extracted. Coltan mining specifically in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been associated with human rights violations. The coltan industry is worth billions of dollars a year. Prices for coltan ranged between $50 and $200 per pound in 2012-and have spiked much higher in the past when supplies were scarce, when the PlayStation 2 was first introduced. In 2006, Australia, Brazil, and Canada produced 80% of the world's coltan, but as of 2012, coltan's main producers are
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Mining industry of Burundi a branch of the government is responsible for peat production which is extracted notably in the Akanyara Valley near Buyongwe and in 2005 unmined resources of peat were stated by the Burundian government to total around 36 million metric tons. However Burundi has no resources of coal, natural gas, or petroleum meaning that electricity production in the country was very problematic. Hydroelectric power stations now account for most of the country’s electricity production as they do not have the natural reserves to produce it. Mining industry of Burundi Burundi is a producer of columbium (niobium) and tantalum ore, tin ore,
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The 1610 book Sidereus Nuncius (Starry Messenger) that contained several sketches of the moon was published by whom?
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Sidereus Nuncius Sidereus Nuncius Sidereus Nuncius (usually Sidereal Messenger, also Starry Messenger or Sidereal Message) is a short astronomical treatise (or "pamphlet") published in New Latin by Galileo Galilei on March 13, 1610. It was the first published scientific work based on observations made through a telescope, and it contains the results of Galileo's early observations of the imperfect and mountainous Moon, the hundreds of stars that were unable to be seen in either the Milky Way or certain constellations with the naked eye, and the Medicean Stars that appeared to be circling Jupiter. The Latin word "nuncius" was typically used during
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Sidereus Nuncius In addition, he named his discovered four moons of Jupiter the "Medicean Stars," in honor of the four royal Medici brothers. This helped him receive the position of Chief Mathematician and Philosopher to the Medici at the University of Pisa. Ultimately, his effort at naming the moons failed, for they are now referred to as the "Galilean moons". The reactions to "Sidereus Nuncius", ranging from appraisal and hostility to disbelief, soon spread throughout Italy and England. Many poems and texts were published expressing love for the new form of astronomical science. Three works of art were even created in response
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According to Guinness Book, the greatest concentration of animals ever speculatively guessed concerned what scourge of crops?
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Rocky Mountain locust Rocky Mountain locust The Rocky Mountain locust ("Melanoplus spretus") is an extinct species of locust that ranged through the western half of the United States and some western portions of Canada until the end of the 19th century. Sightings often placed their swarms in numbers far larger than any other locust species, with one famous sighting in 1875 estimated at in size (greater than the area of California), weighing 27.5 million tons and consisting of some 12.5 trillion insects, the greatest concentration of animals ever speculatively guessed, according to "Guinness World Records". Less than 30 years later, the species was
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Scourge of the Slave Lords concluded the review with an evaluation stating: "The quality of the new campaign material varies from excellent to acceptable, but at its best, it’s really satisfying. As a campaign pack, we’re talking a minimum of nine big gaming sessions (and probably more; if the DM develops the campaign outlines and additional encounters). It’s occasionally clumsy and unconvincing, but what it lacks in polish and refinement it makes up for in sheer mass, energy, and fiendishness." "Scourge of the Slave Lords" was ranked the 20th greatest "Dungeons & Dragons" adventure of all time by "Dungeon" magazine in 2004. Scourge of the
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What famous theorem proposed in 1964 clearly delineated the areas of classical mechanics and quantum mechanics?
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Interpretations of quantum mechanics deterministic and the other not. Local realism has two aspects: A precise formulation of local realism in terms of a local hidden-variable theory was proposed by John Bell. Bell's theorem, combined with experimental testing, restricts the kinds of properties a quantum theory can have, the primary implication being that quantum mechanics cannot satisfy both the principle of locality and counterfactual definiteness. It should be noted that regardless of Einstein's concerns about interpretation issues, Dirac and other quantum notables embraced the technical advances of the new theory while devoting little or no attention to interpretational aspects. The Copenhagen interpretation is the
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Helmholtz theorem (classical mechanics) Helmholtz theorem (classical mechanics) The Helmholtz theorem of classical mechanics reads as follows: Let be the Hamiltonian of a one-dimensional system, where is the kinetic energy and is a "U-shaped" potential energy profile which depends on a parameter formula_4. Let formula_5 denote the time average. Let Then The thesis of this theorem of classical mechanics reads exactly as the heat theorem of thermodynamics. This fact shows that thermodynamic-like relations exist between certain mechanical quantities. This in turn allows to define the "thermodynamic state" of a one-dimensional mechanical system. In particular the temperature formula_11 is given by time average of the
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The Nice model, named for the French city, seeks to explain the formation of what?
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Nice model Nice model The Nice () model is a scenario for the dynamical evolution of the Solar System. It is named for the location of the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, where it was initially developed, in 2005 in Nice, France. It proposes the migration of the giant planets from an initial compact configuration into their present positions, long after the dissipation of the initial protoplanetary disk. In this way, it differs from earlier models of the Solar System's formation. This planetary migration is used in dynamical simulations of the Solar System to explain historical events including the Late Heavy Bombardment
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Nice for What "extremely poppy and sounds like a bid for continued commercial dominance". "Billboard" named "Nice for What" the fifth-best song of 2018. In the United States, Drake became the first artist to have a new number-one debut replace his former number-one debut ("God's Plan") at the top of the Hot 100. It debuted with 88,000 downloads sold and 60.4 million streams. "Nice for What" became the 30th song in "Billboard" history to enter at number one. It also became Drake's fifth US number-one song overall and third as a lead artist. The song also became the first song to debut on
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Usually named for the places where they are found, what are traditionally classified into three types as stony, iron and stony-iron?
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Stony-iron meteorite Stony-iron meteorite Stony-iron meteorites or siderolites are meteorites that consist of nearly equal parts of meteoric iron and silicates. This distinguishes them from the stony meteorites, that are mostly silicates, and the iron meteorites, that are mostly meteoric iron. Stony-iron meteorites are all differentiated, meaning that they show signs of alteration. They are therefore achondrites. The stony-irons are divided into mesosiderites and pallasites. Pallasites have a matrix of meteoric iron with embedded silicates (most of it olivine). Mesosiderites are breccias which show signs of metamorphism. The meteoric iron occurs in clasts instead of a matrix. They are in the top
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Stony Creek (Black Creek tributary) Stony Creek (Black Creek tributary) Stony Creek is a tributary of Black Creek in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Hazle Township and West Hazleton. Its named tributaries include Cranberry Creek and Wolffs Run. Stony Creek is considered to be impaired by acid mine drainage and also has measurable concentrations of iron, aluminum, and manganese. The Llwellyn Formation and the Mauch Chunk Formation can be found near the creek. Land uses in its watershed include forested land and barren land. A reservoir has been constructed in the watershed and at least one
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Which scientific great's equation is seen in the field of quantum mechanics as the equivalent of Newton's Second Law?
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Schrödinger–Newton equation Schrödinger–Newton equation The Schrödinger–Newton equation, sometimes referred to as the Newton–Schrödinger or Schrödinger–Poisson equation, is a nonlinear modification of the Schrödinger equation with a Newtonian gravitational potential, where the gravitational potential emerges from the treatment of the wave function as a mass density, including a term that represents interaction of a particle with its own gravitational field. The inclusion of a self-interaction term represents a fundamental alteration of quantum mechanics. It can be written either as a single integro-differential equation or as a coupled system of a Schrödinger and a Poisson equation. In the latter case it is also referred
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Quantum mechanics one uses the analytic result for a simple quantum mechanical model to generate a result for a more complicated model that is related to the simpler model by (for one example) the addition of a weak potential energy. Another method is the "semi-classical equation of motion" approach, which applies to systems for which quantum mechanics produces only weak (small) deviations from classical behavior. These deviations can then be computed based on the classical motion. This approach is particularly important in the field of quantum chaos. There are numerous mathematically equivalent formulations of quantum mechanics. One of the oldest and most
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Thomas Hunt Morgan won a Nobel Prize for his studies of inheritance and pioneered the use of which tiny organism?
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Thomas Hunt Morgan Thomas Hunt Morgan Thomas Hunt Morgan (September 25, 1866 – December 4, 1945) was an American evolutionary biologist, geneticist, embryologist, and science author who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1933 for discoveries elucidating the role that the chromosome plays in heredity. Morgan received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in zoology in 1890 and researched embryology during his tenure at Bryn Mawr. Following the rediscovery of Mendelian inheritance in 1900, Morgan began to study the genetic characteristics of the fruit fly "Drosophila melanogaster". In his famous Fly Room at Columbia University, Morgan demonstrated that genes are
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Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal The Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal is awarded by the Genetics Society of America (GSA) for lifetime contributions to the field of genetics. The medal is named after Thomas Hunt Morgan, the 1933 Nobel Prize winner, who received this award for his work with Drosophila and his "discoveries concerning the role played by the chromosome in heredity." Morgan recognized that Drosophila, which could be bred quickly and inexpensively, had large quantities of offspring and a short life cycle, would make an excellent organism for genetic studies. His studies of the white-eye mutation and discovery of sex-linked inheritance
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The Oscillating Universe Theory combines Big Bang and what other event to make-up a cycle?
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Ultimate fate of the universe mechanics and its uncertainty principle. It is not surprising, therefore, that quantum mechanics has given rise to an alternative version of the Big Bang theory. Also, if the universe is closed, this theory would predict that once this universe collapses it will spawn another universe in an event similar to the Big Bang after a universal singularity is reached or a repulsive quantum force causes re-expansion. In simple terms, this theory states that the universe will continuously repeat the cycle of a Big Bang, followed up with a Big Crunch. In order to best understand the false vacuum collapse theory,
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History of the Big Bang theory not measured with high accuracy until COBE in 1990). After some reformulation, the Big Bang has been regarded as the best theory of the origin and evolution of the cosmos. Before the late 1960s, many cosmologists thought the infinitely dense and physically paradoxical singularity at the starting time of Friedmann's cosmological model could be avoided by allowing for a universe which was contracting before entering the hot dense state, and starting to expand again. This was formalized as Richard Tolman's oscillating universe. In the sixties, Stephen Hawking and others demonstrated that this idea was unworkable, and the singularity is an
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German engineer Arthur Scherbius invented the first of what machines extensively used during WWII?
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Enigma machine Enigma machine The Enigma machines are a series of electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines mainly developed and used in the early- to mid-20th century to protect commercial, diplomatic and military communication. Enigma was invented by the German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I. Early models were used commercially from the early 1920s, and adopted by military and government services of several countries, most notably Nazi Germany before and during World War II. Several different Enigma models were produced, but the German military models, having a plugboard, were the most complex. Japanese and Italian models were also in
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Arthur Scherbius cipher of the world and the military conversation of the Germans was optimally protected during World War II. Scherbius however couldn't experience the success of his machine. Scherbius died in a horse carriage accident in 1929. In “Turing’s Cathedral” by George Dyson it is noted that “…a cryptographic machine had been invented by the German electrical engineer Arthur Scherbius, who proposed it to the German navy, an offer that was declined. Scherbius then founded the Chiffriermaschinen Aktiengesellschaft to manufacture the machine, under the brand name Enigma, for enciphering commercial communications, such as transfers between banks. The German navy changed its
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English physician John Snow successfully traced the outbreak of what disease to a water pump?
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Hand pump the soil, it is more prone to contamination. If such water is not filtered and purified, consumption of it might lead to gastrointestinal or other water-borne diseases. A notorious case is the 1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak. At the time it was not known how cholera was transmitted, but physician John Snow suspected contaminated water and had the handle of the public pump he suspected removed; the outbreak then subsided. Modern hand-operated community pumps are considered the most sustainable low-cost option for safe water supply in resource-poor settings, often in rural areas in developing countries. A hand pump opens access
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John Snow Reverend Henry Whitehead), he identified the source of the outbreak as the public water pump on Broad Street (now Broadwick Street). Although Snow's chemical and microscope examination of a water sample from the Broad Street pump did not conclusively prove its danger, his studies of the pattern of the disease were convincing enough to persuade the local council to disable the well pump by removing its handle (force rod). This action has been commonly credited as ending the outbreak, but Snow observed that the epidemic may have already been in rapid decline: Snow later used a dot map to illustrate
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Philip Zimbardo of Stanford is best known for what experiment conducted in 1971 that highlighted the behavior of people when assigned roles?
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Stanford prison experiment Stanford prison experiment The Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) was a 1971 social psychology experiment that attempted to investigate the psychological effects of perceived power, focusing on the struggle between prisoners and prison officers. It was conducted at Stanford University between August 14–20, 1971, by a research group led by psychology professor Philip Zimbardo using college students. In the study, volunteers were randomly assigned to be either "guards" or "prisoners" in a mock prison, with Zimbardo himself serving as the superintendent. Several "prisoners" left mid-experiment, and the whole experiment was abandoned after six days. Early reports on experimental results claimed that
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The Stanford Prison Experiment (film) financed and produced by Sandbar Pictures and Abandon Pictures, and premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival on January 26, before beginning a limited theatrical release on July 17, 2015. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. Stanford University psychology professor Philip Zimbardo conducts a psychological experiment to test the hypothesis that the personality traits of prisoners and guards are the chief cause of abusive behavior between them. In the experiment, Zimbardo selects fifteen male students to participate in a 14-day prison simulation to take roles as prisoners or guards. They receive $15 per day. The experiment is conducted
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As seen in a scene inspiring Robin Williams in the movie Awakenings, the chemical L-DOPA is widely used in the treatment of what disease?
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L-DOPA reduced levels of dopamine in autopsied brains of patients with Parkinson’s disease, published together with the neurologist Walther Birkmayer dramatic therapeutic antiparkinson effects of intravenously administered -DOPA in patients. This treatment was later extended to manganese poisoning and later Parkinsonism by George Cotzias and his coworkers, who used greatly increased oral doses. The neurologist Oliver Sacks describes this treatment in human patients with encephalitis lethargica in his book "Awakenings", upon which the movie of the same name is based. The 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was also related to -DOPA: the Nobel Committee awarded one-quarter of the prize to William
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Awakenings Screenplay, and the Academy Award for Best Actor (Robert De Niro). Robin Williams was also nominated at the 48th Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama. Awakenings Awakenings is a 1990 American drama film based on Oliver Sacks' 1973 memoir of the same title. It tells the story of Malcolm Sayer, who, in 1969, discovered beneficial effects of the drug L-Dopa. He administered it to catatonic patients who survived the 1917–28 epidemic of encephalitis lethargica. Leonard Lowe and the rest of the patients were awakened after decades and have to deal with a new life in
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James Herrick is credited with the description of a genetic disease in which red-blood cells are in what shape instead of the normal disc shape?
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Pleiotropy to have protein. Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disease that causes deformed red blood cells with a rigid, crescent shape instead of the normal flexible, round shape. It is caused by a change in one nucleotide, a point mutation in the HBB gene. The HBB gene encodes information to make the beta-globin subunit of hemoglobin, which is the protein red blood cells use to carry oxygen throughout the body. Sickle cell anemia occurs when the HBB gene mutation causes both beta-globin subunits of hemoglobin to change into hemoglobinS (HbS). Sickle cell anemia is a pleiotropic disease because the expression
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Biconcave disc Biconcave disc A biconcave disc is a geometric shape resembling an oblate spheroid with two concavities on the top and on the bottom. Erythrocytes are in the shape of a biconcave disc. It has been suggested that this shape is optimal for surface area to volume ratio, but this hypothesis has not been widely accepted. In addition, it has been suggested that the biconcave shape is needed to optimise the blood's flow properties. Biconcave shape of the red blood cells. Mammalian red blood cells also known as erythrocyte are a cellular component of the blood which give the blood its
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The sieve of Eratosthenes is an ancient method used to find what in mathematics?
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Sieve of Eratosthenes of the upper limit, all the remaining numbers in the list are prime. In the example given above that is achieved on identifying 11 as next prime, giving a list of all primes less than or equal to 80. Note that numbers that will be discarded by a step are still used while marking the multiples in that step, e.g., for the multiples of 3 it is , , , , ..., , ..., so care must be taken dealing with this. Sieve of Eratosthenes In mathematics, the sieve of Eratosthenes is a simple, ancient algorithm for finding all prime
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Sieve of Eratosthenes slower much faster than the sieve of Eratosthenes with increasing range. Thus for practical purposes, the maximally wheel factorized Sieve of Eratosthenes is faster than the Sieve of Atkin although the Sieve of Atkin is faster for lesser amounts of wheel factorization. Using big O notation is also not the correct way to compare practical performance of even variations of the Sieve of Eratosthenes as it ignores constant factors and offsets that may be very significant for practical ranges: The sieve of Eratosthenes variation known as the Pritchard wheel sieve has an performance, but its basic implementation requires either a
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What 'continental' moon of the Solar System has become the focus of extra-terrestrial life studies because its smooth surface suggests the presence of an ocean underneath?
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Wonders of the Solar System North-West America is also made, with an explanation of the Missoula Floods that once occurred there, and how the tell-tale signature of water shaped the landscape geologically. The exploration of Mars has revealed possible evidence of its subterranean hydrology, and a visit to the Cueva de Villa Luz in Mexico shows how simple life-forms (such as archaea and snottites) survive in hostile conditions beneath the Earth. Conversely, the hostile frozen topography of Jupiter's moon Europa also reveals the presence and effects of sub-surface water, and Cox visits a cave in Vatnajökull to find microbial signs of life beneath the ice.
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Water on terrestrial planets of the Solar System Water on terrestrial planets of the Solar System The origin and development of water on terrestrial planets, Venus, Earth, Mars, and the closely related Earth's Moon, varies with each planetary body, with the exact origins remaining unclear. Additionally, the terrestrial dwarf planet, Ceres is known to have water ice on its surface. A significant amount of surface hydrogen has been observed globally by the Mars Odyssey GRS. Stoichiometrically estimated water mass fractions indicate that—when free of carbon dioxide—the near surface at the poles consists almost entirely of water covered by a thin veneer of fine material. This is reinforced by
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If Jupiter has the Great Red Spot, which planet has the Great Dark Spot?
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Great Dark Spot or possibly through some other unknown mechanisms. However, in 2016 an almost identical spot emerged in Neptune's northern hemisphere. This new spot, called the Northern Great Dark Spot (NGDS), has remained visible for several years. It is unknown whether this spot is still present on the planet, as observations using the Hubble telescope are limited. Great Dark Spot The Great Dark Spot (also known as GDS-89, for Great Dark Spot - 1989) was one of a series of dark spots on Neptune similar in appearance to Jupiter's Great Red Spot. GDS-89 was the first Great Dark Spot on Neptune to
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Great Red Spot Great Red Spot The Great Red Spot is a persistent high-pressure region in the atmosphere of Jupiter, producing an anticyclonic storm 22° south of the planet's equator. It has been continuously observed since 1830. Earlier observations from 1665 to 1713 are believed to be of the same storm; if this is correct, it has existed for at least ((2019 - 1665)/10 round 0) * 10 years. Such storms are not uncommon within the turbulent atmospheres of gas giants. The Great Red Spot may have existed since before 1665, but the present spot was first seen only after 1830 and well-studied
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Redshift or blueshift that help us see which stars/galaxies are approaching or receding are determined by what effect named for an Austrian physicist?
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Doppler effect at which stars and galaxies are approaching or receding from us; that is, their radial velocities. This may be used to detect if an apparently single star is, in reality, a close binary, to measure the rotational speed of stars and galaxies, or to detect exoplanets. This redshift and blueshift happens on a very small scale, if an object is moving toward earth, there would not be a noticeable difference in visible light Note that redshift is also used to measure the expansion of space, but that this is not truly a Doppler effect. Rather, redshifting due to the expansion
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Blueshift evolves while a photon is passing, the amount of blueshift on approach will differ from the amount of gravitational redshift as it leaves the region. There are faraway active galaxies that show a blueshift in their [O III] emission lines. One of the largest blueshifts is found in the narrow-line quasar, PG 1543+489, which has a relative velocity of -1150 km/s. These types of galaxies are called "blue outliers". In a hypothetical universe undergoing a runaway big crunch contraction, a cosmological blueshift would be observed, with galaxies further away being increasingly blueshifted—the exact opposite of the actually observed cosmological redshift
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What mathematical theorem, the first major theorem to be solved using a computer, was proven in 1976 by Kenneth Appel and Wolfgang Haken with a set of 1936 maps?
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Four color theorem 1800s, the four color theorem was proved in 1976 by Kenneth Appel and Wolfgang Haken, but only after many false proofs and counterexamples. It was the first major theorem to be proved using a computer. Initially, their proof was not accepted by all mathematicians because the computer-assisted proof was infeasible for a human to check by hand. Since then the proof has gained wide acceptance, although some doubters remain. To dispel any remaining doubts about the Appel–Haken proof, a simpler proof using the same ideas and still relying on computers was published in 1997 by Robertson, Sanders, Seymour, and Thomas.
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Four color theorem in over 400 pages of microfiche, which had to be checked by hand with the assistance of Haken's daughter Dorothea Blostein . Appel and Haken's announcement was widely reported by the news media around the world, and the math department at the University of Illinois used a postmark stating "Four colors suffice." At the same time the unusual nature of the proof—it was the first major theorem to be proved with extensive computer assistance—and the complexity of the human-verifiable portion aroused considerable controversy . In the early 1980s, rumors spread of a flaw in the Appel–Haken proof. Ulrich Schmidt at
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A project by a group of scientists in New South Wales to revive an extinct Australian frog was named after what biblical figure?
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Gastric-brooding frog habitat loss and degradation, pollution, and some diseases may have contributed. The assignment of the genus to a taxonomic family is hotly debated. Some biologists class them within Myobatrachidae under the subfamily Rheobatrachinae, but others place them in their own family, Rheobatrachidae. Scientists at the University of Newcastle and University of New South Wales announced in March 2013 that the frog would be the subject of a cloning attempt, referred to as the ”Lazarus Project”, to resurrect the species. Embryos were successfully cloned, and the project eventually hopes to produce a living frog. The southern gastric brooding frog has been
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Shortland, New South Wales Main Northern Railway. The project also included sediment basins to control run-off and provide habitat for the endangered Green and Golden Bell Frog. Shortland is serviced by the following bus routes operated by Newcastle Buses: 106, 107, 230. The closest railway stations are Sandgate railway station and Warabrook railway station (University), on NSW TrainLink's Hunter Line. Shortland, New South Wales Shortland is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district. It is part of the City of Newcastle local government area and was named after Lt. John Shortland, master's mate of the "Sirius", the
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Schreger lines are the unique identifiers of what valuable substance whose usage has led to the dwindling numbers of something large?
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Schreger line Schreger line Schreger lines are visual artifacts that are evident in the cross-sections of ivory. They are commonly referred to as cross-hatchings, engine turnings, or stacked chevrons. Schreger lines can be divided into two categories. The easily seen lines which are closest to the cementum are the "outer Schreger lines". The faintly discernible lines found around the tusk nerve or pulp cavities are the "inner Schreger lines". The intersections of Schreger lines form angles, which appear in two forms: concave angles and convex angles. Concave angles have slightly concave sides and open to the medial (inner) area of the tusk.
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History of large numbers along with negative numbers and zero, were quite advanced in this aspect. By the 7th century, Indian mathematicians were familiar enough with the notion of infinity as to define it as the quantity whose denominator is zero. Far larger finite numbers than any of these occur in modern mathematics. For instance, Graham's number is too large to express using exponentiation or even tetration. For more about modern usage for large numbers, see Large numbers. To handle these numbers, new notations are created and used. The ultimate in large numbers was, until recently, the concept of infinity, a number defined by
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Which distinctive plant's genus is Dionaea (the mother of Aphrodite in Greek mythology) and species muscipula (Latin for 'mouse-catching device')?
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Dionaea muscipula 'Wacky Traps' Dionaea muscipula 'Wacky Traps' "Dionaea muscipula" 'Wacky Traps' is a cultivar of "Dionaea muscipula", the Venus flytrap. "Dionaea muscipula" 'Wacky Traps' was a clone produced by Cresco Nursery in the Netherlands through tissue culture. This particular clone was discovered in a tray of a bunch of mutants by Mike Ross. It has also been called "Bart Simpson," coined by Ed Read, because of the resemblance of the plant to the animated character's spiky hair. The plant is an extremely slow grower. It has abnormally thick traps and petioles, which are probably the reason why 'Wacky Traps' has trouble closing its
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Cypriot mouse the exception of two species of shrew. The new mouse of Cyprus is the only endemic rodent still alive, and as such can be considered as a living fossil," said Dr. Cucchi. Originally, Dr. Cucchi wanted to call it "Mus aphrodite", as Cyprus is the birthplace of Aphrodite according to Greek mythology. Cypriot mouse The Cypriot mouse ("Mus cypriacus") is a species of mouse endemic to Cyprus. Its primary habitat seems to be the vineyards and fields of the Troödos Mountains region. The mouse was recognized as a new species in 2004 by Thomas Cucchi, a research fellow at the
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What probability riddle originally published in American Statistician in 1975 gained popular attention after it was featured in Parade in 1990?
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Monty Hall problem Monty Hall problem The Monty Hall problem is a brain teaser, in the form of a probability puzzle, loosely based on the American television game show "Let's Make a Deal" and named after its original host, Monty Hall. The problem was originally posed (and solved) in a letter by Steve Selvin to the "American Statistician" in 1975 , . It became famous as a question from a reader's letter quoted in Marilyn vos Savant's "Ask Marilyn" column in "Parade" magazine in 1990 : Vos Savant's response was that the contestant should switch to the other door . Under the standard
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Pompeii in popular culture story backdrop include: Allusions to Pompeii Pompeii is featured in many television biographies and documentaries. It is also featured in ABC's television series called Roman Mysteries. Pompeii in popular culture The ancient Roman city of Pompeii has been frequently featured in literature and popular culture since its modern rediscovery. Pompeii served as the background for the historic novels "The Last Days of Pompeii" (1834) by Edward Bulwer-Lytton (since adapted for film and TV), "Arria Marcella" (1852) by Théophile Gautier, "The Taras Report on Pompeii" (1975) by Alan Lloyd. Pompeii also appears in "Shadows in Bronze" (1990) and other novels in
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What usual first step in the identification of a bacterial species is like a litmus test in that the results are identified by colors (blue/purple for positive and pink/red for negative)?
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Gram-positive bacteria Gram-positive bacteria Gram-positive bacteria are bacteria that give a positive result in the Gram stain test, which is traditionally used to quickly classify bacteria into two broad categories according to their cell wall. Gram-positive bacteria take up the crystal violet stain used in the test, and then appear to be purple-coloured when seen through a microscope. This is because the thick peptidoglycan layer in the bacterial cell wall retains the stain after it is washed away from the rest of the sample, in the decolorization stage of the test. Gram-negative bacteria cannot retain the violet stain after the decolorization step;
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Litmus "Lecanora tartarea" (Norway, Sweden), "Variolaria dealbata", "Ochrolechia parella", "Parmotrema tinctorum", and "Parmelia". Currently, the main sources are "Roccella montagnei" (Mozambique) and "Dendrographa leucophoea" (California). The main use of litmus is to test whether a solution is acidic or basic. Wet litmus paper can also be used to test for water-soluble gases that affect acidity or alkalinity; the gas dissolves in the water and the resulting solution colors the litmus paper. For instance, ammonia gas, which is alkaline, turn the red litmus paper blue. Blue litmus paper turns red under acidic conditions and red litmus paper turns blue under basic or
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What poison associated with indigenous people of a continent comes in the varieties of tubo, calebas and pot?
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Arrow poison Arrow poison Arrow poisons are used to poison arrow heads or darts for the purposes of hunting and warfare. They have been used by indigenous peoples worldwide and are still in use in areas of South America, Africa and Asia. Notable examples are the poisons secreted from the skin of the poison dart frog, and curare (or 'ampi'), a general term for a range of plant-derived arrow poisons used by the indigenous peoples of South America. Poisoned arrows have featured in mythology, notably the Greek story of Heracles slaying the centaur Nessus using arrows poisoned with the blood of the
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Indigenous people of Oaxaca Indigenous people of Oaxaca The Indigenous people of Oaxaca are descendants of the inhabitants of what is now the state of Oaxaca, Mexico who were present before the Spanish invasion. Several cultures flourished in the ancient region of Oaxaca from as far back as 2000 BC, of whom the Zapotecs and Mixtecs were perhaps the most advanced, with complex social organization and sophisticated arts. According to the National Commission for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples (CDI) Oaxaca has the greatest percentage of indigenous people after Yucatán, at 48% of the population. There are 16 formally registered indigenous communities, some
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Because all species of the manatee use fresh water in varying ways, what is the only strictly marine herbivorous mammal?
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Dugong Taiwan, as well as parts of Cambodia, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam. Further disappearances are likely. Dugongs are generally found in warm waters around the coast with large numbers concentrated in wide and shallow protected bays. The dugong is the only strictly-marine herbivorous mammal, as all species of manatee utilise fresh water to some degree. Nonetheless, they can tolerate the brackish waters found in coastal wetlands, and large numbers are also found in wide and shallow mangrove channels and around leeward sides of large inshore islands, where seagrass beds are common. They are usually located at a depth of around
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West Indian manatee federal protections for the manatee remain in place. Until being removed from the endangered list, Manatees received protection from the US Endangered Species Act of 1973. The West Indian manatee is still protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978 and the US Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Sonar technology is also aiding in the West Indian Manatee conservation. Side Scan technology was first introduced in the 1960s, and within the past 20 years, it has been used to aid in manatee conservation. There are currently four ways side scan is being used to research and aid in
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What cell line used in research that was taken from an African-American woman who died in 1951 is the oldest and most commonly used human cell line?
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Cell culture tandem repeat (STR) DNA fingerprinting to authenticate its cell lines. To address this problem of cell line cross-contamination, researchers are encouraged to authenticate their cell lines at an early passage to establish the identity of the cell line. Authentication should be repeated before freezing cell line stocks, every two months during active culturing and before any publication of research data generated using the cell lines. Many methods are used to identify cell lines, including isoenzyme analysis, human lymphocyte antigen (HLA) typing, chromosomal analysis, karyotyping, morphology and STR analysis. One significant cell-line cross contaminant is the immortal HeLa cell line. As
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HeLa HeLa HeLa (; also Hela or hela) is an immortal cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest and most commonly used human cell line. The line was derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951 from Henrietta Lacks, a patient who died of cancer on October 4, 1951. The cell line was found to be remarkably durable and prolific which warrants its extensive use in scientific research. The cells from Lacks's cancerous cervical tumor were taken without her knowledge or consent. Cell biologist George Otto Gey found that they could be kept alive, and isolated
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What type of creature was Lonesome George, who died in 2012 and who gained fame as the rarest creature in the world? (hint: he was aged perhaps more than 100 years)
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Lonesome George Lonesome George Lonesome George (c. 1910 – June 24, 2012) was a male Pinta Island tortoise ("Chelonoidis abingdonii") and the last known individual of the species. In his last years, he was known as the rarest creature in the world. George serves as an important symbol for conservation efforts in the Galápagos Islands and throughout the world. George was first seen on the island of Pinta on November 1, 1971, by Hungarian malacologist József Vágvölgyi. The island's vegetation had been devastated by introduced feral goats, and the indigenous "C. abingdonii" population had been reduced to a single individual. It is
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Pinta Island tortoise rise in tortoise population. This also shows that the number of animals in a species can rise despite genetic variation. The last known individual of the species was a male named Lonesome George (), who died on 24 June 2012. In his last years, he was known as the rarest creature in the world. George served as a potent symbol for conservation efforts in the Galápagos and internationally. George was first seen on the island of Pinta on 1 December 1971 by Hungarian malacologist József Vágvölgyi. Relocated for his safety to the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island,
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A 15 meter long mechanical arm called the Canadarm was used to maneuver payloads through the 1980s to 2011 on what type of vehicles?
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Canadarm Canadarm The Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS), also known as Canadarm (Canadarm 1), is a series of robotic arms that were used on the Space Shuttle orbiters to deploy, maneuver and capture payloads. After the Space Shuttle "Columbia" disaster, the Canadarm was always paired with the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS), which was used to inspect the exterior of the Shuttle for damage to the thermal protection system. In 1969, the Canadarm was invited by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to participate in the Space Shuttle program. At the time what that participation would entail had not yet
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Canadarm SRMS the informal name, Canadarm. The first remote manipulator system was delivered to NASA in April 1981. Astronaut Judith Resnik developed the NASA software and onboard operating procedures for the system. In all, five arms—Nos. 201, 202, 301, 302, and 303—were built and delivered to NASA. Arm 302 was lost in the "Challenger" accident. The original Canadarm was capable of deploying and retrieving payloads weighing up to in space. In the mid-1990s the arm control system was redesigned to increase the payload capability to in order to support space station assembly operations. While able to maneuver payloads with the mass
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Renal calculus is not a branch of mathematics but a fancy name for what painful affliction?
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Renal calyx volume that stretches the walls of the calyces. This causes them to fire impulses which stimulate rhythmical contraction and relaxation, called peristalsis. Parasympathetic innervation enhances the peristalsis while sympathetic innervation inhibits it. A "staghorn calculus" is a kidney stone that may extend into the renal calyces. A renal diverticulum is diverticulum of renal calyces. Renal calyx The renal calyces are chambers of the kidney through which urine passes. The minor calyces surround the apex of the renal pyramids. Urine formed in the kidney passes through a renal papilla at the apex into the minor calyx; two or three minor calyces
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What Is Mathematics? What Is Mathematics? What Is Mathematics? is a mathematics book written by Richard Courant and Herbert Robbins, published in England by Oxford University Press. It is an introduction to mathematics, intended both for the mathematics student and for the general public. First published in 1941, it discusses number theory, geometry, topology and calculus. A second edition was published in 1996 with an additional chapter on recent progress in mathematics, written by Ian Stewart. The book was based on Courant's course material. Although Robbins assisted in writing a large part of the book, he had to fight for authorship. Nevertheless, Courant
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The famed oil drop experiment performed by Millikan and Fletcher in 1909 helped determine what fundamental physical constant?
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Harvey Fletcher the parents of seven children. Harvey Fletcher was the father of James C. Fletcher, former president of the University of Utah and NASA Administrator and of Harvey J. Fletcher, a Brigham Young University math professor. In 1911 Fletcher was the first student ever to earn a Ph.D. "summa cum laude" from the University of Chicago. His dissertation research was on methods to determine the charge of an electron. This included the oil drop experiment commonly attributed to his advisor and collaborator, Robert Andrews Millikan. Millikan took sole credit, in return for Fletcher claiming full authorship on a related result for
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Oil drop experiment Oil drop experiment The oil drop experiment was performed by Robert A. Millikan and Harvey Fletcher in 1909 to measure the elementary electric charge (the charge of the electron). The experiment entailed observing tiny electrically charged droplets of oil located between two parallel metal surfaces, forming the plates of a capacitor. The plates were oriented horizontally, with one plate above the other. A mist of atomized oil drops was introduced through a small hole in the top plate and was ionized by an x-ray, making them negatively charged. First, with zero applied electric field, the velocity of a falling droplet
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Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania with its high levels of diversity that includes chimpanzee populations is best associated with which person?
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Gombe Stream National Park Gombe Stream National Park Gombe National Park (often, but incorrectly, called "Gombe Stream National Park"), is located in western Kigoma Region, Tanzania, 10 miles (20 km) north of Kigoma, the capital of Kigoma Region. Established in 1968, Gombe is one of the smallest national parks in Tanzania, with only of protected land along the hills of the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. The terrain is distinguished by steep valleys, and the forest vegetation ranges from grassland to woodland to tropical rainforest. Accessible only by boat, the park is most famous as the location where Jane Goodall pioneered her behavioral research
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Gombe Stream National Park conducted on the chimpanzee populations. The Kasekela chimpanzee community, featured in several books and documentaries, lives in Gombe National Park. Gombe’s high levels of diversity make it an increasingly popular tourist destination. Besides chimpanzees, primates inhabiting Gombe include beachcomber olive baboons, red colobus, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, and vervet monkeys. Red-tailed monkeys and blue monkeys have also been known to hybridize in the area. The park is also home to over 200 bird species and bushpigs. There are also many species of snakes, and occasional hippopotami and leopards. Visitors to the park can trek into the forest to view the
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"In June 1696 Bernoulli addressed a letter to the mathematicians of Europe challenging them to solve two problems concerning curves. Several people including Leibniz sent solutions. Whose solution was submitted anonymously but was recognized by Bernoulli with the words ""tanquam ex ungue leonem"" (we know the lion by his claw)?"
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Daniel Bernoulli Analytique" in being arranged so that all the results are consequences of a single principle, namely, conservation of energy. This was followed by a memoir on the theory of the tides, to which, conjointly with the memoirs by Euler and Colin Maclaurin, a prize was awarded by the French Academy: these three memoirs contain all that was done on this subject between the publication of Isaac Newton's "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" and the investigations of Pierre-Simon Laplace. Bernoulli also wrote a large number of papers on various mechanical questions, especially on problems connected with vibrating strings, and the solutions given
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Later life of Isaac Newton cut off three or more segments having similar properties. Solutions were also obtained from Leibniz and the Marquis de l'Hôpital; and, although Newton's solution was anonymous, he was recognized by Bernoulli as its author; ""tanquam ex ungue leonem"" (we recognize the lion by his claw). In 1699 Newton's position as a mathematician and natural philosopher was recognized by the French Academy of Sciences. In that year the Academy was remodelled, and eight foreign associates were created. Leibniz, Domenico Guglielmini (1655—1710), Hartsoeker, and E. W. Tschirnhaus were appointed on 4 February, James Bernoulli and John Bernoulli on 14 February, and Newton
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Similar to an eclipse, they are among the rarest predictable celestial phenomena. The last one for the 21st century occurred on 5/6 June 2012. They are historically of great scientific importance as they were used to gain the first realistic estimates of the size of the Solar System. Observation for the first time in 1639 provided an accurate estimate of the distance between the Sun and the Earth. Answer?
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Transit of Venus the last Venus transit of the 21st century; the prior transit took place on 8 June 2004. The previous pair of transits were in December 1874 and December 1882. The next transits of Venus will take place on 10–11 December 2117, and 8 December 2125. Venus transits are historically of great scientific importance as they were used to gain the first realistic estimates of the size of the Solar System. Observations of the 1639 transit, combined with the principle of parallax, provided an estimate of the distance between the Sun and the Earth that was more accurate than any other
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The Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and Moon The Eclipse, or the Courtship of the Sun and Moon The Eclipse: Courtship of the Sun and Moon (originally L'éclipse du soleil en pleine lune) is a French silent film made in 1907 by director Georges Méliès. A professor of astronomy gives a lecture instructing on an impending solar eclipse. The class rushes to an observation tower to witness the event, which features an anthropomorphic Sun and Moon coming together. The Moon and the Sun lick their lips in anticipation as the eclipse arrives, culminating in a romantic encounter between the two celestial bodies. Various heavenly bodies, including planets and
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The most recognized form of a jellyfish and a basic stage in its life cycle takes the name of what fearsome monster in mythology? (hint: stone!)
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Jellyfish the presence of a named and cited example indicates that at least that species within its group has been called a jellyfish. The subphylum Medusozoa includes all cnidarians with a medusa stage in their life cycle. The basic cycle is egg, planula larva, polyp, medusa, with the medusa being the sexual stage. The polyp stage is sometimes secondarily lost. The subphylum include the major taxa, Scyphozoa (large jellyfish), Cubozoa (box jellyfish) and Hydrozoa (small jellyfish), and excludes Anthozoa (corals and sea anemones). This suggests that the medusa form evolved after the polyps. Medusozoans have tetramerous symmetry, with parts in fours
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Jellyfish the word "fish" with its connotations of an animal with a backbone, though shellfish, cuttlefish and starfish are not vertebrates either. In scientific literature, "jelly" and "jellyfish" have been used interchangeably. Many sources refer to only scyphozoans as "true jellyfish". The term jellyfish broadly corresponds to medusae, that is, a life-cycle stage in the Medusozoa. The American evolutionary biologist Paulyn Cartwright gives the following general definition: The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines jellyfish as follows: Given that jellyfish is a common name, its mapping to biological groups is inexact. Some authorities have called the comb jellies and certain salps jellyfish, though other
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A 2000s British musical by Mat Fraser whose plot is about the love affair of a guy with phocomelia (a birth defect that causes stunted limbs) is titled after what drug?
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Thalidomide!! A Musical Thalidomide!! A Musical Thalidomide!! A Musical is a British musical written and composed by Mat Fraser, who was born with phocomelia as a result of the drug thalidomide being taken during his mother's pregnancy. Fraser and Anna Winslet play all the roles in the show. The musical premiered at the (London) Battersea Arts Centre's Octoberfest in 2005 and has since played across Britain and at festivals in Cardiff and Versailles, France. The production tells the story of a love affair between Glyn, a thalidomide survivor (Fraser) and an able-bodied woman, Katie Crawford (Winslet), attracted by his phocomelia. Fraser calls the
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A Guy Is a Guy A Guy Is a Guy "A Guy Is a Guy" is a popular song written by Oscar Brand. It was published in 1952. The song originated in a British song, "I Went to the Alehouse (A Knave Is a Knave)," dating from 1719. During World War II, soldiers sang a bawdy song based on "A Knave Is a Knave," entitled "A Gob Is a Slob." Oscar Brand cleaned up the lyrics, and wrote this song based on it. The best-known version of the song, recorded by Doris Day, charted in 1952. It was recorded on February 7, 1952, and released
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The Goldbach's conjecture, one of the oldest unsolved problems in mathematics, states that every even integer greater than 2 can be expressed as a sum of what?
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Parity (mathematics) element for addition, zero, is an element of the even numbers only. An integer is even if it is congruent to 0 modulo this ideal, in other words if it is congruent to 0 modulo 2, and odd if it is congruent to 1 modulo 2. All prime numbers are odd, with one exception: the prime number 2. All known perfect numbers are even; it is unknown whether any odd perfect numbers exist. Goldbach's conjecture states that every even integer greater than 2 can be represented as a sum of two prime numbers. Modern computer calculations have shown this conjecture
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Goldbach's conjecture Goldbach's conjecture Goldbach's conjecture is one of the oldest and best-known unsolved problems in number theory and all of mathematics. It states: The conjecture has been shown to hold for all integers less than 4 × 10, but remains unproven despite considerable effort. A Goldbach number is a positive even integer that can be expressed as the sum of two odd primes. Since four is the only even number greater than two that requires the even prime 2 in order to be written as the sum of two primes, another form of the statement of Goldbach's conjecture is that all
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What systems are classified based on their visual appearance by the Hubble sequence?
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Hubble sequence Hubble sequence The Hubble sequence is a morphological classification scheme for galaxies invented by Edwin Hubble in 1926. It is often known colloquially as the Hubble tuning fork diagram because of the shape in which it is traditionally represented. Hubble’s scheme divides regular galaxies into three broad classes – ellipticals, lenticulars and spirals – based on their visual appearance (originally on photographic plates). A fourth class contains galaxies with an irregular appearance. To this day, the Hubble sequence is the most commonly used system for classifying galaxies, both in professional astronomical research and in amateur astronomy. On the left (in
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Visual appearance Transmissive objects BRDF Visual appearance The visual appearance of objects is given by the way in which they reflect and transmit light. The color of objects is determined by the parts of the spectrum of (incident white) light that are reflected or transmitted without being absorbed. Additional appearance attributes are based on the directional distribution of reflected (BRDF) or transmitted light (BTDF) described by attributes like glossy, shiny versus dull, matte, clear, turbid, distinct, etc. The appearance of reflecting objects is determined by the way the surface reflects incident light. The reflective properties of the surface can be characterized by
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What was the collective name given to the 17 macaques that became known for their use in experiments into neuroplasticity (the ability of the adult primate brain to reorganize itself) and whose life became the focus of significant animal rights activism in the US in the 1980s?
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Animal welfare in the United States testing. The movements became more popular still with the founding of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in 1980 and PETA's years-long legal battle over the Silver Spring monkeys, 17 research macaques found to be living in welfare-compromised conditions in an undercover investigation by PETA's Alex Pacheco. The 1958 HMSA was the first major federal law concerning animal welfare. The HMSA stipulates that animals be "rendered insensible to pain...before being shackled, hoisted, thrown, cast, or cut", and sets out which methods of slaughter are appropriate for which species. The enforcement of the HMSA is questionable. The law lacks
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What Became of the Likely Lads (EP) into the Sun". The remaining tracks are live recordings from the band's gig at London's Brixton Academy in March 2004. What Became of the Likely Lads (EP) What Became of the Likely Lads is a US-only 7 track EP released by British band The Libertines in 2005, following their split the year before. The record consists of an alternative version of "What Became of the Likely Lads" to the one released as a single from "The Libertines" album in 2004. It also contains said album version, without the hidden track known as "France" that can be heard after a period
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What long-held belief that takes its name from the Greek for 'pollution' purported that deadly diseases like cholera and plague were caused by a noxious form of 'bad air'?
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Germ theory of disease was the predominant theory of disease transmission before the germ theory took hold towards the end of the 19th century, and it is no longer accepted as a scientific theory of disease. It held that diseases such as cholera, chlamydia infection, or the Black Death were caused by a "miasma" (μίασμα, Ancient Greek: "pollution"), a noxious form of "bad air" emanating from rotting organic matter. Miasma was considered to be a poisonous vapor or mist filled with particles from decomposed matter (miasmata) that was identifiable by its foul smell. The theory posited that diseases were the product of environmental factors
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Air pollution joint study by the World Bank and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. These productivity losses are caused by deaths due to diseases caused by air pollution. One out of ten deaths in 2013 was caused by diseases associated with air pollution and the problem is getting worse. The problem is even more acute in the developing world. "Children under age 5 in lower-income countries are more than 60 times as likely to die from exposure to air pollution as children in high-income countries." The report states that additional economic losses caused by
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The development of the immuno-suppressant drug ciclosporin in the 1980s gave a fillip to what type of surgeries?
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Ciclosporin an ophthalmic ointment for dogs called Optimmune, manufactured by Intervet, which is part of Merck. It is also used to treat sebaceous adenitis (immune response against the sebaceous glands), pemphigus foliaceus (autoimmune blistering skin disease), Inflammatory bowel disease, anal furunculosis (anal inflammatory disease), and myasthenia gravis (a neuromuscular disease). It is sometimes prescribed for extreme cases of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. Ciclosporin Ciclosporin, also spelled cyclosporine and cyclosporin, is an immunosuppressant medication and natural product. It is taken by mouth or by injection into a vein for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn's disease, nephrotic syndrome, and in organ transplants to prevent rejection.
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Inhaled ciclosporin the vehicle for administration by nebulizer or have used more complicated aqueous-based formulations involving liposomes or other dispersions. Dry powder inhaler as well as propellant metered dose inhaler (pMDI) formulations have also been created and evaluated in the laboratory and in early clinical studies. Ciclosporin was brought to market in 1983 but the first non human aerosol studies were not published until the late 1980s. These efforts probed the anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties of ciclosporin after regional deposition of drug in the lungs. Ciclosporin has been touted as a therapeutic option in moderate to severe asthmatic patients as a corticosteroid
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What was the subject of astronomer Fred Whipple's 'Dirty Snowball' hypothesis?
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Fred Lawrence Whipple encounter with Halley's Comet, in 1986. Whipple died in 2004, aged 97. Awards Named after him Fred Lawrence Whipple Fred Lawrence Whipple (November 5, 1906 – August 30, 2004) was an American astronomer, who worked at the Harvard College Observatory for over 70 years. Amongst his achievements, asteroid and comet discovery, had come up with the "dirty snowball" cometary hypothesis, and invented the Whipple shield. Whipple was born on November 5, 1906, in Red Oak, Iowa, as the son of a farmer. An early bout with polio ended his ambition of being a professional tennis player. Whipple studied at Occidental
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Whipple (crater) polar region of the Moon. Whipple was adopted and named after American astronomer Fred Lawrence Whipple by the IAU in 2009. Whipple (crater) Whipple is a lunar impact crater located on the lunar far side near the northern pole. The crater is located East of the prominent craters Byrd and Peary; the latter of which it is located on the rim of. Whipple is permanently shaded from the Sun. Volatile species of atoms and molecules, such as water (and mercury), that enter the crater freeze, and thus get trapped due to the extremely cold conditions that prevail within the crater.
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In physics, what is the more common term for the Einstein-Rosen bridge that has fascinating implications for time travel?
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Time travel relativity and general relativity. However, making one body advance or delay more than a few milliseconds compared to another body is not feasible with current technology. As for backwards time travel, it is possible to find solutions in general relativity that allow for it, but the solutions require conditions that may not be physically possible. Traveling to an arbitrary point in spacetime has a very limited support in theoretical physics, and usually only connected with quantum mechanics or wormholes, also known as Einstein-Rosen bridges. Some ancient myths depict a character skipping forward in time. In Hindu mythology, the "Mahabharata" mentions
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Nathan Rosen contributions to modern physics. One of the most lasting discoveries Rosen brought to physics was his formulation of the structure of the hydrogen molecule, a molecule where none of the electrons have a definite quantum number, but the pair of electrons has a pure state. Rosen used what he called "entangled" wave functions to represent the molecule's structure. Nathan Rosen Nathan Rosen (Hebrew: נתן רוזן; March 22, 1909 – December 18, 1995) was an American-Israeli physicist noted for his study on the structure of the hydrogen atom and his work with Albert Einstein and Boris Podolsky on entangled wave functions
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When Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Antony Hewish discovered pulsars in 1967, they were baffled by the unnatural regularity of the radio transmissions. Jocularly suggesting that it was the work of extraterrestrials, they initially named their discovery as LGM-1 which expands to what?
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PSR B1919+21 PSR B1919+21 PSR B1919+21 is a pulsar with a period of 1.3373 seconds and a pulse width of 0.04 seconds. Discovered by Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Antony Hewish on November 28, 1967, it is the first discovered radio pulsar. The power and regularity of the signals were briefly thought to resemble an extraterrestrial beacon, leading the source to be nicknamed LGM-1 (for "little green men"). The original designation of this pulsar was CP 1919, which stands for Cambridge Pulsar at RA . It is also known as PSR J1921+2153 and is located in the constellation of Vulpecula. In 1967, a
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Jocelyn Bell Burnell Jocelyn Bell Burnell Dame Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell (; born 15 July 1943) is an astrophysicist from Northern Ireland who, as a postgraduate student, co-discovered the first radio pulsars in 1967. She was credited with "one of the most significant scientific achievements of the 20th century". The discovery was recognised by the award of the 1974 Nobel Prize in Physics, but despite the fact that she was the first to observe the pulsars, Bell was excluded from the recipients of the prize. The paper announcing the discovery of pulsars had five authors. Bell's thesis supervisor Antony Hewish was listed first,
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"""It was as if you fired a 15-inch shell at a sheet of tissue paper and it came back to hit you."" Who is the 20th century scientist who is describing his most famous experiment in the above words?"
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Ernest Marsden Merit Trophy') bears his name. In 1909, as a 20-year-old student at the University of Manchester, he met and began work under Ernest Rutherford. While still an undergraduate he conducted the famous Geiger–Marsden experiment, called the gold foil experiment, together with Hans Geiger under Rutherford's supervision. This experiment led to Rutherford's new theory for the structure of the atom, with a centralised concentration of mass and positive charge surrounded by empty space and a sea of orbiting negatively charged electrons. Rutherford later described this as "almost as incredible as if you fired a 15-inch shell at a piece of tissue
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If You Could Say It in Words Louisville, Kentucky. The film's West Coast premiere was at the 2009 Method Fest in Calabasas Ca, near Los Angeles. Method Fest is named after the famous "Method" school of acting, showcases breakout acting performances in character and story-driven films. At this festival the film was presented by award-winning writer Dennis Lehane and earned nominations for Outstanding Achievement in Low Budget Filmmaking and for Best Actress (Marin Ireland). If You Could Say It in Words If You Could Say it in Words is a 2008 American romance film written and directed by Nicholas Gray (The Paper Store). It focuses on the
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"In 2010, Andre Geim became the first person to receive both the Nobel Prize and what other unusual prize whose ceremony closes with ""If you didn't win a prize - and especially if you did - better luck next year!""?"
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Ig Nobel Prize Prize in physics in 2010, for his work with graphene. He thereby became the only individual, as of 2018, to have received both a Nobel and an Ig Nobel. The prizes are presented by Nobel laureates, originally at a ceremony in a lecture hall at MIT, but now in the Sanders Theater at Harvard University. It contains a number of running jokes, including Miss Sweetie Poo, a little girl who repeatedly cries out, "Please stop: I'm bored", in a high-pitched voice if speakers go on too long. The awards ceremony is traditionally closed with the words: "If you didn't win
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Ig Nobel Prize a prize — and especially if you did — better luck next year!" The ceremony is co-sponsored by the Harvard Computer Society, the Harvard–Radcliffe Science Fiction Association and the Harvard–Radcliffe Society of Physics Students. Throwing paper planes onto the stage is a long-standing tradition. Professor Roy J. Glauber swept the stage clean of the airplanes as the official "Keeper of the Broom." Glauber could not attend the 2005 awards because he was traveling to Stockholm to claim a genuine Nobel Prize in Physics. The "Parade of Ignitaries" into the hall includes supporting groups. At the 1997 ceremonies, a team of
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"The Montreal Protocol that went into force in 1989 and which was hailed by Kofi Annan as ""... the single most successful international agreement to date ..."" was aimed at protecting what?"
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Montreal Protocol adopted, but not in force). As a result of the international agreement, the ozone hole in Antarctica is slowly recovering. Climate projections indicate that the ozone layer will return to 1980 levels between 2050 and 2070. Due to its widespread adoption and implementation it has been hailed as an example of exceptional international co-operation, with Kofi Annan quoted as saying that "perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date has been the Montreal Protocol". In comparison, effective burden sharing and solution proposals mitigating regional conflicts of interest have been among the success factors for the ozone depletion challenge, where
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Kofi Annan Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018), was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1997 to December 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder and chairman of the Kofi Annan Foundation, as well as chairman of The Elders, an international organization founded by Nelson Mandela. Annan went on to study economics at Macalester College, international relations from the Graduate Institute Geneva and management at MIT. Annan joined the UN in 1962, working for the World Health
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The terms anadromous and catadromous describe what type of living thing referring to its mode of migration? (hint: 'ana' is up and 'cata' is down in Greek)
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Fish migration of different nations, and these are covered differently in the treaty from other fish. Salmon and striped bass are well-known anadromous fish, and freshwater eels are catadromous fish that make large migrations. The bull shark is an euryhaline species that moves at will from fresh to salt water, and many marine fish make a diel vertical migration, rising to the surface to feed at night and sinking to lower layers of the ocean by day. Some fish such as tuna move to the north and south at different times of year following temperature gradients. The patterns of migration are of
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What Is the Fastest Thing in the World? What Is the Fastest Thing in the World? What Is the Fastest Thing in the World? is a Greek fairy tale collected by Georgios A. Megas in "Folktales of Greece". It is Aarne-Thompson type 875 and has many Greek and Slavic variants, generally revolving about the exchange of clever answers. This type of tale is the commonest European tale dealing with witty exchanges. In ballad form, the clever answers to the riddles, and the winning of a husband by them, are found in Child ballad 1, "Riddles Wisely Expounded". A brother argue over how they should split their land, some
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"What's the missing word in this paraphrase of Stephen Hawking's statement that the universe has not existed forever? ""It's true because if it were not, all things would be the same ___."""
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Gibbons–Hawking effect Gibbons–Hawking effect The Gibbons–Hawking effect is the statement that a temperature can be associated to each solution of the Einstein field equations that contains a causal horizon. It is named after Gary Gibbons and Stephen Hawking. The term "causal horizon" does not necessarily refer to event horizons only, but could also stand for the horizon of the visible universe, for instance. For example, Schwarzschild spacetime contains an event horizon and so can be associated a temperature. In the case of Schwarzschild spacetime this is the temperature formula_1 of a black hole of mass formula_2, satisfying formula_3 (see also Hawking radiation).
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Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking is a 2010 science documentary television mini-series written by British physicist Stephen Hawking. The series was created for Discovery Channel by Darlow Smithson Productions and features computer generated imagery of the universe created by Red Vision. The series premiered on 25 April 2010 in the United States and started on 9 May 2010 in the United Kingdom with a modified title, Stephen Hawking's Universe (not to be confused with the 1997 PBS series by the same name). An original soundtrack was composed for the series by television and
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On 25 December 1990 while working at CERN, he implemented the first successful communication between a HTTP client and server via the Internet. In less than 10 years, Time named him as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century. Who?
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CERN httpd last one was under an MIT license. CERN httpd CERN httpd (later also known as W3C httpd) is an early, now discontinued, web server (HTTP) daemon originally developed at CERN from 1990 onwards by Tim Berners-Lee, Ari Luotonen and Henrik Frystyk Nielsen. Implemented in C, it was the first ever web server software. CERN httpd was originally developed on a NeXT Computer running NeXTSTEP, and was later ported to other Unix-like operating systems, OpenVMS and systems with unix emulation layers, e.g. OS/2 with emx+gcc. It could also be configured as a web proxy server. Version 0.1 was released in June
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Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century is a compilation of the 20th century's 100 most influential people, published in "Time" magazine in 1999. The idea for such a list started on February 1, 1998, with a debate at a symposium in Hanoi, Vietnam. The panel participants were former "CBS Evening News" anchor Dan Rather, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, former New York governor Mario Cuomo, then–Stanford Provost Condoleezza Rice, publisher Irving Kristol, and "Time" managing editor Walter Isaacson. In a separate issue on December 31, 1999, "Time" recognized Albert
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A note written in 1637 in the margin of a book says that there are no positive integers x, y and z such that xn + yn = zn, where n is an integer greater than two. This wasn't proved until 1995. Who is the author of this note?
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Fermat's Last Theorem the "Guinness Book of World Records" as the "most difficult mathematical problem", one of the reasons being that it has the largest number of unsuccessful proofs. The Pythagorean equation, , has an infinite number of positive integer solutions for "x", "y", and "z"; these solutions are known as Pythagorean triples. Around 1637, Fermat wrote in the margin of a book that the more general equation had no solutions in positive integers, if "n" is an integer greater than 2. Although he claimed to have a general proof of his conjecture, Fermat left no details of his proof, and no proof
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Proof that π is irrational be 0, because otherwise it would follow from claim 1 that each "f"("x") ("n" ∈ N) would be 0, which would contradict claim 2. Now, take a natural number "c" such that all three numbers "bc"/"k", "ck"/"x" and "c"/"x" are integers and consider the sequence Then On the other hand, it follows from claim 1 that which is a linear combination of "g" and "g" with integer coefficients. Therefore, each "g" is an integer multiple of "y". Besides, it follows from claim 2 that each "g" is greater than 0 (and therefore that "g" ≥ |"y"|) if "n" is large
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What 'explosive' celestial phenomena, abbreviated GRBs, are said to be the most luminous electromagnetic events known to occur in the universe?
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Gamma-ray burst Gamma-ray burst In gamma-ray astronomy, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are extremely energetic explosions that have been observed in distant galaxies. They are the brightest electromagnetic events known to occur in the universe. Bursts can last from ten milliseconds to several hours. After an initial flash of gamma rays, a longer-lived "afterglow" is usually emitted at longer wavelengths (X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, infrared, microwave and radio). The intense radiation of most observed GRBs is thought to be released during a supernova or superluminous supernova as a high-mass star collapses to form a neutron star or a black hole. A subclass of GRBs (the
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Chronology of the universe significant on any smaller timescale. For example, on a timescale of millions of trillions of years, black holes might appear to evaporate almost instantly, uncommon quantum tunneling phenomena would appear to be common, and quantum (or other) phenomena so unlikely that they might occur just once in a trillion years may occur many times. Chronology of the universe The chronology of the universe describes the history and future of the universe according to Big Bang cosmology. The earliest stages of the universe's existence are estimated as taking place 13.8 billion years ago, with an uncertainty of around 21 million years
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What wishing program has become the traditional first program that people see when starting to learn a new programming language?
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"Hello, World!" program it takes to get a "Hello World" program running from scratch. "Hello, World!" program A "Hello, World!" program is a computer program that outputs or displays the message "Hello, World!". Because it is very simple in most programming languages, it is often used to illustrate the basic syntax of a programming language and is often the first program people write. A "Hello, World!" program is traditionally used to introduce novice programmers to a programming language. "Hello, world!" is also traditionally used in a sanity test to make sure that a computer language is correctly installed, and that the operator understands
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First-generation programming language First-generation programming language A first generation (programming) language (1GL) is a grouping of programming languages that are machine level languages used to program first-generation computers. Originally, no translator was used to compile or assemble the first-generation language. The first-generation programming instructions were entered through the front panel switches of the computer system. The instructions in 1GL are made of binary numbers, represented by 1s and 0s. This makes the language suitable for the understanding of the machine but far more difficult to interpret and learn by the human programmer. The main advantage of programming in 1GL is that the code
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In the hardware industry, what 'stirring' word describes the process of coating of iron/steel with zinc to prevent rusting?
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Zinc flake coating typical galvanic zinc coating, which in the tests (generally run in accordance with ISO 9227) often achieve only 96 to 200 hours. The material for the zinc flake coatings gets supplied in liquid form and needs to be prepared to the desired conditions before application. The viscosity, temperature and stirring time prior to application all play an important role here. The material can be applied using the following application techniques: Prior to coating, the parts’ surface needs to be pre-treated. Pickling with acids (e.g. sulfuric or hydrochloric acid) produces atomic hydrogen and can penetrate into the steel structure and make
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Zinc flake coating of the automotive industry have set new objectives. Corrosion protection and appearance are no longer the only and most important characteristics. In addition to the applications in the automotive industry, these coating systems are also found in wind power systems, the construction industry, electrical equipment (plant construction), trucks and other markets as well. Zinc flake coatings create what is known as cathodic protection: the less noble zinc ‘sacrifices’ itself in order to protect the underlying metal. Steel can be protected in this way. The coating thickness is often between 5 µm and 15 µm, with thicker layers also possible where
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What namesake thought experiment intended to demonstrate the limitation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics features a malevolent creature opening doors in a chamber?
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Second law of thermodynamics in "B" will have increased while in "A" they will have slowed down on average. Since average molecular speed corresponds to temperature, the temperature decreases in "A" and increases in "B", contrary to the second law of thermodynamics. One response to this question was suggested in 1929 by Leó Szilárd and later by Léon Brillouin. Szilárd pointed out that a real-life Maxwell's demon would need to have some means of measuring molecular speed, and that the act of acquiring information would require an expenditure of energy. Maxwell's 'demon' repeatedly alters the permeability of the wall between "A" and "B". It
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Thought experiment attempts to demonstrate the ability of a hypothetical finite being to violate the 2nd law of thermodynamics. The ancient Greek δείκνυμι "(transl.: deiknymi)", or thought experiment, "was the most ancient pattern of mathematical proof", and existed before Euclidean mathematics, where the emphasis was on the conceptual, rather than on the experimental part of a thought-experiment. Perhaps the key experiment in the history of modern science is Galileo's demonstration that falling objects must fall at the same rate regardless of their masses. This is widely thought to have been a straightforward physical demonstration, involving climbing up the Leaning Tower of Pisa
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A hypothetical elementary particle called the Higgs boson that is the subject of studies using the Large Hadron Collider has been given what 'divine' name by the mainstream media?
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Higgs boson first in his seminal 1967 paper) meant that by around 1975–76 others had also begun to use the name 'Higgs' exclusively as a shorthand. The Higgs boson is often referred to as the "God particle" in popular media outside the scientific community. The nickname comes from the title of the 1993 book on the Higgs boson and particle physics, "" by Physics Nobel Prize winner and Fermilab director Leon Lederman. Lederman wrote it in the context of failing US government support for the Superconducting Super Collider, a part-constructed titanic competitor to the Large Hadron Collider with planned collision energies of
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Very Large Hadron Collider a collider. Very Large Hadron Collider The Very Large Hadron Collider (VLHC) is a hypothetical future hadron collider with performance significantly beyond the Large Hadron Collider. There is no detailed plan or schedule for the VLHC; the name is used only to discuss the technological feasibility of such a collider and ways that it might be designed. The Future Circular Collider concept would qualify as such a collider. Given that such a performance increase necessitates a correspondingly large increase in size, cost, and power requirements, a significant amount of international collaboration over a period of decades would be required to
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In biology, what 3-letter word derived from the Swedish for 'play' is a gathering of males of certain bird species for the purposes of mating display?
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Bird-of-paradise lek-type mating system. Others, such as the "Cicinnurus" and "Parotia" species, have highly ritualised mating dances. Males are polygamous in the sexually dimorphic species, but monogamous in at least some of the monomorphic species. Hybridisation is frequent in these birds, suggesting the polygamous species of bird of paradise are very closely related despite being in different genera. Many hybrids have been described as new species, and doubt remains regarding whether some forms, such as Rothschild's lobe-billed bird of paradise, are valid. Birds-of-paradise build their nests from soft materials, such as leaves, ferns, and vine tendrils, typically placed in a tree
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Assortative mating can arise as a consequence of intrasexual competition. In some species, size is correlated with fecundity in females. Therefore, males choose to mate with larger females, with the larger males defeating the smaller males in courting them. Examples of species that display this type of assortative mating include the jumping spider "Phidippus clarus" and the leaf beetle "Diaprepes abbreviatus". In other cases, larger females are better equipped to resist male courtship attempts, and only the largest males are able to mate with them. Assortative mating can, at times, arise as a consequence of social competition. Traits in certain individuals may
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Global warming be damned. The 19th century biologist Louis Agassiz who studied Alpine glaciers was the first to propose that the Earth had been subject what phenomena in the past?
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History of climate change science initial rejection, Perraudin eventually convinced Ignaz Venetz that it might be worth studying. Venetz convinced Charpentier, who in turn convinced the influential scientist Louis Agassiz that the glacial theory had merit. Agassiz developed a theory of what he termed "Ice Age" — when glaciers covered Europe and much of North America. In 1837 Agassiz was the first to scientifically propose that the Earth had been subject to a past ice age. William Buckland had led attempts in Britain to adapt the geological theory of catastrophism to account for erratic boulders and other "diluvium" as relics of the Biblical flood. This
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The Book of the Damned The Book of the Damned The Book of the Damned was the first published nonfiction work by American author Charles Fort (first edition 1919). Concerning various types of anomalous phenomena including UFOs, strange falls of both organic and inorganic materials from the sky, odd weather patterns, the possible existence of creatures generally believed to be mythological, disappearances of people, and many other phenomena, the book is considered to be the first of the specific topic of anomalistics. The title of the book referred to what he termed the "damned" data - data which had been damned, or excluded, by modern
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If Jane Goodall is to chimpanzees, Birutė Galdikas, who worked for a long time in Borneo is to what animal?
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Birutė Galdikas the basis of her doctoral studies, and she earned her doctorate in anthropology from UCLA in 1978. Galdikas pioneered the study of the orangutan, a great ape native to parts of Indonesia and Malaysia. Galdikas convinced Leakey to help orchestrate her endeavor, despite his initial reservations. In 1971, Galdikas and her then-husband, photographer Rod Brindamour, arrived in Tanjung Puting Reserve, in Indonesian Borneo. Galdikas was the third of a trio of women appointed by Leakey to study great apes in their natural habitat. Dubbed by Leakey "The Trimates" the trio also included Jane Goodall, who studied chimpanzees, and Dian Fossey,
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Jane Goodall than 40 films: Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall, 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her over 55-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees since she first went to Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania in 1960. She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots & Shoots programme, and she has worked extensively on conservation and animal welfare issues. She has served on the board of the
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In biology, the theory that states that an animal's development from embryo to adult resembles the stages in the evolution of its ancestors is commonly expressed as what three word phrase?
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Recapitulation theory Recapitulation theory The theory of recapitulation, also called the biogenetic law or embryological parallelism—often expressed using Ernst Haeckel's phrase "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny"—is a historical hypothesis that the development of the embryo of an animal, from fertilization to gestation or hatching (ontogeny), goes through stages resembling or representing successive stages in the evolution of the animal's remote ancestors (phylogeny). It was formulated in the 1820s by Étienne Serres based on the work of Johann Friedrich Meckel, after whom it is also known as Meckel–Serres law. Since embryos also evolve in different ways, the shortcomings of the theory had been recognized by
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Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution the "light of evolution" came originally from the vitalist Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, whom Dobzhansky much admired. In the last paragraph of the article, Dobzhansky quotes from de Chardin's 1955 "The Phenomenon of Man": The phrase "nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution" has come into common use by those opposing creationism or its variant called intelligent design. While the essay argues (following de Chardin) that Christianity and evolutionary biology are compatible, a position described as "evolutionary creationism" or "theistic evolution", the phrase is also used by those who consider that "in biology" includes
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The common basilisk is a lizard found in Central and South American rain-forests and is known for its ability to run on water. What is its appropriate nickname?
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Common basilisk "Systema Naturae". Common basilisk The common basilisk ("Basiliscus basiliscus") is a species of lizard in the family Corytophanidae. The species is endemic to Central America and South America, where it is found near rivers and streams in rainforests. It is also known as the Jesus Christ lizard, Jesus lizard, South American Jesus lizard, or lagarto de Jesus Cristo for its ability to run on the surface of water. The common basilisk can be distinguished from similar species within its range by its large size and the high fin-like crest along its back. Most common basilisks are brown and cream in
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Common collared lizard Common collared lizard The common collared lizard ("Crotaphytus collaris"), also called eastern collared lizard, Oklahoma collared lizard or collared lizard, is a North American lizard that can reach in length (including the tail), with a large head and powerful jaws. They are well known for the ability to run on their hind legs, looking like small versions of the popular images of theropod dinosaurs. Chiefly found in dry, open regions of Mexico and the south-central United States including Missouri, Texas, Arizona, and Kansas, the full extent of its habitat in the United States ranges from the Ozark Mountains to southern
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What is the only major planet of the Solar System that takes its English name from Greek mythology?
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Discovery and exploration of the Solar System Domenico Cassini later discovered four more moons of Saturn and the Cassini division in Saturn's rings. Edmond Halley realised in 1705 that repeated sightings of a comet were recording the same object, returning regularly once every 75–76 years. This was the first evidence that anything other than the planets orbited the Sun. Around this time (1704), the term "Solar System" first appeared in English. In 1781, William Herschel was looking for binary stars in the constellation of Taurus when he observed what he thought was a new comet. Its orbit revealed that it was a new planet, Uranus, the first
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Stability of the Solar System essentially the distance from sun to earth). These are now known as the Kirkwood gaps. Some asteroids were later discovered to orbit in these gaps, but their orbits are unstable and they will eventually break out of the resonance due to close encounters with a major planet. Another common form of resonance in the Solar System is spin–orbit resonance, where the period of spin (the time it takes the planet or moon to rotate once about its axis) has a simple numerical relationship with its orbital period. An example is our own Moon, which is in a 1:1 spin–orbit resonance
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The mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot is best known for his work on the geometry of what unusual shapes?
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Benoit Mandelbrot opinion "The deepest and most realistic finance book ever published". Benoit Mandelbrot Benoit B. Mandelbrot (20 November 1924 – 14 October 2010) was a Polish-born, French and American mathematician and polymath with broad interests in the practical sciences, especially regarding what he labeled as "the art of roughness" of physical phenomena and "the uncontrolled element in life". He referred to himself as a "fractalist" and is recognized for his contribution to the field of fractal geometry, which included coining the word "fractal", as well as developing a theory of "roughness and self-similarity" in nature. In 1936, while he was a
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Benoit Mandelbrot Battelle Fellow at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Mandelbrot was promoted to an Officer of the Legion of Honour in January 2006. An honorary degree from Johns Hopkins University was bestowed on Mandelbrot in the May 2010 commencement exercises. A partial list of awards received by Mandelbrot: Mandelbrot died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 85 in a hospice in Cambridge, Massachusetts on 14 October 2010. Reacting to news of his death, mathematician Heinz-Otto Peitgen said: "[I]f we talk about impact inside mathematics, and applications in the sciences, he is one of the most important figures of the last
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What controversial theory in evolutionary biology proposes that most sexually reproducing species will experience little or no evolutionary change and remain in an extended state called stasis?
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Punctuated equilibrium Punctuated equilibrium Punctuated equilibrium (also called punctuated equilibria) is a theory in evolutionary biology which proposes that once species appear in the fossil record the population will become stable, showing little evolutionary change for most of its geological history. This state of little or no morphological change is called "stasis". When significant evolutionary change occurs, the theory proposes that it is generally restricted to rare and geologically rapid events of branching speciation called cladogenesis. Cladogenesis is the process by which a species splits into two distinct species, rather than one species gradually transforming into another. Punctuated equilibrium is commonly contrasted
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Extended evolutionary synthesis the extended synthesis want them to be considered first-class evolutionary causes. The biologist Eugene Koonin wrote in 2009 that "the new developments in evolutionary biology by no account should be viewed as refutation of Darwin. On the contrary, they are widening the trails that Darwin blazed 150 years ago and reveal the extraordinary fertility of his thinking." The extended synthesis is characterized by its additional set of predictions that differ from the standard modern synthesis theory: The extended evolutionary synthesis is currently being tested by a group of scientists from eight institutions in Britain, Sweden and the United States. The
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What substance registered in 1870 and widely used as a replacement for ivory is regarded as the first synthetic plastic?
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Celluloid Celluloid Celluloids are a class of compounds created from nitrocellulose and camphor, with added dyes and other agents. Generally considered the first thermoplastic, it was first created as Parkesine in 1856 and as Xylonite in 1869, before being registered as "Celluloid" in 1870. Celluloid is easily molded and shaped, and it was first widely used as an ivory replacement. The main use was in movie and photography film industries, which used only celluloid film stock prior to the adoption of acetate safety film in the 1950s. Celluloid is highly flammable, difficult and expensive to produce and no longer widely used;
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Synthetic fence Synthetic fence A synthetic fence, plastic fence or (when made of vinyl) vinyl or PVC fence is a fence made using synthetic plastics, such as vinyl (PVC), polypropylene, nylon, polythene (polyethylene) ASA, or from various recycled plastics. Composites of two or more plastics can also be used to increase strength and UV stability of a fence. Synthetic fencing was first introduced to the agricultural industry in the 1980s as a low cost/durable solution for long lasting horse fencing. Now, synthetic fencing is used for agricultural fencing, horse race track running rail, and residential use. Synthetic fencing is generally available preformed,
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The Danjon Scale is a five-point scale for measuring the appearance and luminosity of a particular heavenly body during what type of event?
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Danjon scale Danjon scale The Danjon Scale is a five-point scale useful for measuring the appearance and luminosity of the Moon during a lunar eclipse. It was proposed by André-Louis Danjon in 1921, when postulating that the brightness of a lunar eclipse was related to the solar cycle. An eclipse's rating on the scale is traditionally denoted by the letter "L". The scale is defined as follows: Determination of the value of L for an eclipse is best done near mid-totality with the naked eye. The scale is subjective, and different observers may determine different values. In addition, different parts of the
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Figure rating scale Figure rating scale The Figure Rating Scale (FRS) also known as the Stunkard Scale is a psychometric measurement developed in 1983 as a tool to determine body dissatisfaction in women and men. This scale has also been developed for measuring adolescent body image. This type of measurement was originally developed and validated to indicate the weight status of relatives of research subjects when other specific measurements or self-reported values were unavailable. This scale is a visible measure of how an individual perceives his or her own physical appearance. Each figure presents nine male and nine female schematic silhouettes, ranging from
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Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining of the body's internal organs (the mesothelium) is usually caused by exposure to what substance?
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I Miss You (Miley Cyrus song) a very close relationship with her paternal grandfather, Ron Cyrus, a Democratic legislator in the state of Kentucky and public servant, whom she referred to as "Pappy". He was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers many of the body's internal organs, and struggled with the illness for several years as result of exposure to asbestos. Cyrus then relocated from Franklin, Tennessee to Los Angeles, California to commence work on the Disney Channel original series "Hannah Montana". At the sight of her grandfather ailing from afar, Cyrus was inspired to compose
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Mesothelioma Mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The most common area affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lining of the abdomen and rarely the sac surrounding the heart, or the sac surrounding the testis may be affected. Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma may include shortness of breath due to fluid around the lung, a swollen abdomen, chest wall pain, cough, feeling tired, and weight loss. These symptoms typically come on slowly. More than 80%
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Which lady physicist was part of the team that discovered nuclear fission for which her colleague Otto Hahn won the Nobel and is often mentioned as the most glaring example of womens scientific achievement overlooked by the Nobel committee?
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Nobel Prize Black's key role. Political subterfuge may also deny proper recognition. Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassmann, who co-discovered nuclear fission along with Otto Hahn, may have been denied a share of Hahn's 1944 Nobel Chemistry Award due to having fled Germany when the Nazis came to power. The Meitner and Strassmann roles in the research was not fully recognised until years later, when they joined Hahn in receiving the 1966 Enrico Fermi Award. Alfred Nobel left his fortune to finance annual prizes to be awarded "to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind". He
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Nuclear fission neutrons was the product of nuclear fission, Hahn was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1944 (the sole recipient) "for his discovery of the fission of heavy nuclei". (The award was actually given to Hahn in 1945, as "the Nobel Committee for Chemistry decided that none of the year's nominations met the criteria as outlined in the will of Alfred Nobel." In such cases, the Nobel Foundation's statutes permit that year's prize be reserved until the following year.) News spread quickly of the new discovery, which was correctly seen as an entirely novel physical effect with great scientific—and potentially
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Named for a scientist who discovered it in 1961, what is the term for the number of times a normal cell population will divide before it stops?
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Hayflick limit Hayflick limit The Hayflick limit or Hayflick phenomenon is the number of times a normal human cell population will divide before cell division stops. The concept of the Hayflick limit was advanced by American anatomist Leonard Hayflick in 1961, at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US. Hayflick demonstrated that a normal human fetal cell population will divide between 40 and 60 times in cell culture before entering a senescence phase. This finding refuted the contention by Nobel laureate Alexis Carrel that normal cells are immortal. Each time a cell undergoes mitosis, the telomeres on the ends of each chromosome
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The purpose of a system is what it does be balanced by a more straightforwardly descriptive view. The term is used in many fields including biology and management. The purpose of a system is what it does The purpose of a system is what it does (POSIWID) is a systems thinking heuristic coined by Stafford Beer. Stafford Beer coined the term POSIWID and used it many times in public addresses. In his address to the University of Valladolid, Spain, in October 2001, he said "According to the cybernetician, the purpose of a system is what it does. This is a basic dictum. It stands for bald fact, which makes
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In 2001, a successful tele-surgical operation was carried out by a team of surgeons in New York on a patient located in France using sophisticated robotics.Can you guess what this 'trans-Atlantic' operation was called?
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Remote surgery an operation through telesurgery is not precise but must pay for the surgical system, the surgeon, and contribute to paying for a year’s worth of ATM technology which runs between $100,000-$200,000. The first true and complete remote surgery was conducted on 7 September 2001 across the Atlantic Ocean, with French surgeon (Dr. Jacques Marescaux) in New York City performing a cholecystectomy on a 68-year-old female patient 6,230 km away in Strasbourg, France. It was named Operation Lindbergh. after Charles Lindbergh’s pioneering transatlantic flight from New York to Paris. France Telecom provided the redundant fiberoptic ATM lines to minimize latency and
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Lindbergh operation Lindbergh operation The Lindbergh operation was a complete tele-surgical operation carried out by a team of French surgeons located in New York on a patient in Strasbourg, France (over a distance of several thousand miles) using telecommunications solutions based on high-speed services and sophisticated Zeus surgical robot. The operation was performed successfully on September 7, 2001 by Professor Jacques Marescaux and his team from the IRCAD (Institute for Research into Cancer of the Digestive System). This was the first time in medical history that a technical solution proved capable of reducing the time delay inherent to long distance transmissions sufficiently
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"""I am become Death, the shatterer of Worlds."" This quote from the Hindu treatise Bhagavad Gita was famously used at what 1945 event?"
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Harold F. Cherniss atomic bomb was exploded in the Trinity Test, Oppenheimer was famously supposed to have quoted a saying from the Bhagavad-Gita: 'Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.' Oppenheimer had studied Sanskrit at Berkeley and it was Cherniss who introduced Oppenheimer to his Sanskrit teacher, Arthur W. Ryder. Oppenheimer later claimed to have said those words but there is no contemporary evidence. In 1945, after Hiroshima and Nagasaki when Oppenheimer had become one of the world's most famous scientists, Cherniss saw him at Berkeley. In 1947, Oppenheimer accepted an offer to take up the directorship of the Institute for
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I Am Become Death I Am Become Death "I Am Become Death" is the fourth episode of the third season of the NBC science fiction drama series "Heroes" and thirty-eighth episode overall. It was written by Aron Coleite and directed by David Von Ancken. The episode aired on October 6, 2008. The title is a reference to a phrase from the "Bhagavad Gita" and was famously quoted by J. Robert Oppenheimer; "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Peter travels four years into the future with his future self, in order to learn what he can. To the horror of both Peters,
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There is no such thing as knowing this a little. The 'rabbit test' developed in 1927 by Bernhard Zondek and Selmar Aschheim was used to check for what?
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Bernhard Zondek the pituitary. His studies on pituitary-ovary interaction were instrumental in establishing this fundamental tenet. He discovered that the chorionic tissue of the placenta had endocrine capacity and this led to diagnostic techniques important for the recognition and treatment of hydatidiform mole and chorionic carcinoma. His work with the gynecologist Selmar Aschheim led to his bioassay for human chorionic gonadotropin, originally using mice, known as the Aschheim-Zondek or A-Z test. Later variations on this test used rabbits or amphibians, leading to the phrase "the rabbit died" to describe the discovery of a new pregnancy using the rabbit test. Bernhard Zondek Bernhard
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Selmar Aschheim placenta was responsible for the elaboration of the hormone. Selmar Aschheim Selmar Aschheim (4 October 1878 – 15 February 1965) was a German gynecologist who was a native resident of Berlin. Born into a Jewish family, in 1902 he received a doctorate of medicine in Freiburg, and later became director of the laboratory of the "Universitäts-Frauenklinik" at the Berlin Charité. In 1930 Aschheim attained the chair of biological research in gynecology at the University of Berlin. In 1933 he fled Nazi Germany and moved to Paris, where he worked in medical research at the Hôpital Beaujon. Aschheim was a specialist
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In chemistry, what is the common name for the alkane hydrocarbons with the general formula C(n)H(2n+2), the simplest form of which is the methane (CH4) gas?
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Alkane Alkane In organic chemistry, an alkane, or paraffin (a historical name that also has other meanings), is an acyclic saturated hydrocarbon. In other words, an alkane consists of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in a tree structure in which all the carbon–carbon bonds are single. Alkanes have the general chemical formula CH. The alkanes range in complexity from the simplest case of methane (CH), where "n" = 1 (sometimes called the parent molecule), to arbitrarily large and complex molecules, like pentacontane (CH) or 6-ethyl-2-methyl-5-(1-methylethyl)octane, an isomer of tetradecane (CH) IUPAC defines alkanes as "acyclic branched or unbranched hydrocarbons having the
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Methane in the Martian atmosphere. Methane could be produced by a non-biological process called ’'serpentinization" involving water, carbon dioxide, and the mineral olivine, which is known to be common on Mars. Methane Methane ( or ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one atom of carbon and four atoms of hydrogen). It is a group-14 hydride and the simplest alkane, and is the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Earth makes it an attractive fuel, though capturing and storing it poses challenges due to its gaseous state under normal conditions for temperature and pressure.
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Were he alive in 2006, the American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh would have been disappointed as his discovery was 'dwarfed.' What did he discover in 1930?
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Clyde Tombaugh Clyde Tombaugh Clyde William Tombaugh (; February 4, 1906January 17, 1997) was an American astronomer. He discovered Pluto in 1930, the first object to be discovered in what would later be identified as the Kuiper belt. At the time of discovery, Pluto was considered a planet but was later controversially reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006. Tombaugh also discovered many asteroids. He also called for the serious scientific research of unidentified flying objects, or UFOs. Tombaugh was born in Streator, Illinois, son of Muron Dealvo Tombaugh, a farmer, and his wife Adella Pearl Chritton. After his family moved to
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Clyde Tombaugh However, in the October 10th issue, LaPaz said the magazine article was "false in every particular, in so far as reference to me is concerned." Both LaPaz and Tombaugh were to issue public denials that anything had been found. The October 1955 issue of "Popular Mechanics" magazine reported: "Professor Tombaugh is closemouthed about his results. He won't say whether or not any small natural satellites have been discovered. He does say, however, that newspaper reports of 18 months ago announcing the discovery of natural satellites at 400 and 600 miles out are not correct. He adds that there is no
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NASA's series of Great Observatories satellites are the following four powerful space-based telescopes. What is the missing word? (hint: An Indian-born American scientist known for his 'limit') 1. The Hubble Space Telescope 2. The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory 3. The Spitzer Space Telescope 4. ___ X-ray Observatory
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Hubble Space Telescope Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. Although not the first space telescope, Hubble is one of the largest and most versatile and is well known as both a vital research tool and a public relations boon for astronomy. The HST is named after the astronomer Edwin Hubble and is one of NASA's Great Observatories, along with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Spitzer Space Telescope. With a mirror, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near
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Space telescope Space telescope A space telescope or space observatory is an instrument located in outer space to observe distant planets, galaxies and other astronomical objects. Space telescopes avoid many of the problems of ground-based observatories, such as light pollution and distortion of electromagnetic radiation (scintillation). In addition, ultraviolet frequencies, X-rays and gamma rays are blocked by the Earth's atmosphere, so they can only be observed from space. Theorized by Lyman Spitzer in 1946, the first operational space telescopes were the American Orbiting Astronomical Observatory OAO-2 launched in 1968 and the Soviet Orion 1 ultraviolet telescope aboard space station Salyut 1 in
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What non-technical term is given to a condition where the thumb, when extended (as in a 'thumbs-up'), stretches backwards toward the nail and outwards?
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Racquet nail Racquet nail In racquet nails (also known as trachyonychia(reference-SRB's manual of surgery), nail en raquette, and racquet thumb), the nail plate is flattened, the end of the thumb is widened and flattened, and the distal phalanx is abnormally short. In racquet nails, the width of the nail bed and nail plate is greater than their length. The condition is painless and asymptomatic. Racquet nails usually occur on one or both thumbs, but may appear on all fingers and toes. It may be genetic, inherited as an autosomal-dominant trait, or acquired. Genetic disorders associated with racquet nail include Larsen syndrome, Brooke–Spiegler
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Cat's paw (nail puller) in the mid-19th century, wood was viewed as so plentiful in North America that if it became necessary to change one's location, "you might even burn your house down and pick up the nails in the ashes". Back then, nail pullers were designed to preserve the condition of the nail for reuse, and thus the design of most nail pullers ended up being what is known as the slide hammer type, which is still used today. Old lumber has now become much more valuable than the nails that might hold it in place, so there has been a move toward
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What is a type of chemical mixture where one substance is dispersed evenly throughout another?
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Mixture Mixture In chemistry, a mixture is a material made up of two or more different substances which are mixed. A mixture refers to the physical combination of two or more substances in which the identities are retained and are mixed in the form of solutions, suspensions and colloids. Mixtures are one product of mechanically blending or mixing chemical substances such as elements and compounds, without chemical bonding or other chemical change, so that each ingredient substance retains its own chemical properties and makeup. Despite that there are no chemical changes to its constituents, the physical properties of a mixture, such
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Chemical substance and the International Chemical Identifier or InChI. Often a pure substance needs to be isolated from a mixture, for example from a natural source (where a sample often contains numerous chemical substances) or after a chemical reaction (which often give mixtures of chemical substances). Chemical substance A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. It cannot be separated into components by physical separation methods, i.e., without breaking chemical bonds. Chemical substances can be simple substances, chemical compounds, or alloys. Chemical elements may or may not be included in the definition, depending on expert
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Literally meaning 'on the kidney', what hormone that participates in the 'fight or flight' response of the body is produced by the adrenal glands?
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Fight-or-flight response Fight-or-flight response The fight-or-flight response (also called hyperarousal, or the acute stress response) is a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival. It was first described by Walter Bradford Cannon. His theory states that animals react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, preparing the animal for fighting or fleeing. More specifically, the adrenal medulla produces a hormonal cascade that results in the secretion of catecholamines, especially norepinephrine and epinephrine. The hormones estrogen, testosterone, and cortisol, as well as the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, also affect how
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Fight-or-flight response playing, mating, or nothing at all. An example of this is kittens playing: each kitten shows the signs of sympathetic arousal, but they never inflict real damage. Fight-or-flight response The fight-or-flight response (also called hyperarousal, or the acute stress response) is a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived harmful event, attack, or threat to survival. It was first described by Walter Bradford Cannon. His theory states that animals react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, preparing the animal for fighting or fleeing. More specifically, the adrenal medulla produces a hormonal cascade that
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Woods Hole, Massachusetts is famous for having many institutes in what field of science?
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Woods Hole, Massachusetts Woods Hole, Massachusetts Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. The population was 781 at the 2010 census. It is the site of several famous marine science institutions, including Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Marine Biological Laboratory, the Woods Hole Research Center, NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (which started the Woods Hole scientific community in 1871), the Woods Hole Science Aquarium, a USGS coastal and marine geology center, and the home campus of
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Woods Hole School site, was built as a two-room structure in 1870, and enlarged to four classrooms in 1885. In the summer, the Woods Hole School is the home of the Children's School of Science. In the winter, the Woods Hole School is the home of the Woods Hole Daycare Cooperative. Woods Hole School The Woods Hole School is a historic school building at 24 School Street in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States within the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts. The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It is a two-story wood-frame structure, with a gable roof capped
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Meaning 'indicator' in Greek, what is the part of a sundial that casts the shadow called?
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Sundial Sundial A sundial is a device that tells the time of day when there is sunlight by the apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the word, it consists of a flat plate (the "dial") and a "gnomon", which casts a shadow onto the dial. As the Sun appears to move across the sky, the shadow aligns with different "hour-lines", which are marked on the dial to indicate the time of day. The "style" is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, though a single point or "nodus" may be used. The gnomon casts a
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Sundial, Taganrog at the Depaldo Stairs, the new one casts a shadow at the plate, set at an angle of 47 ° 12 '(the latitude of Taganrog) to the horizon. This made it possible to make the time scale of the time scale even, and also made it possible to count the time in winter and summer according to the additional scale. The error in counting on these clocks is less than 1 minute. Sundial, Taganrog The Sundial () in Taganrog was set in 1833. It is situated in Grecheskaya Street, close to the Depaldo Stairs. It is officially declared an object
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In 1931, the American physical chemist Harold Urey demonstrated the existence of what type of 'weighty' liquid that proved important in the development of the atomic bomb?
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Harold Urey He declined to attend the ceremony in Stockholm, so that he could be present at the birth of his daughter Mary Alice. Working with Edward W. Washburn from the Bureau of Standards, Urey subsequently discovered the reason for the anomalous sample. Brickwedde's hydrogen had been separated from water by electrolysis, resulting in depleted sample. Moreover, Francis William Aston now reported that his calculated value for the atomic weight of hydrogen was wrong, thereby invalidating Birge and Menzel's original reasoning. The discovery of deuterium stood, however. Urey and Washburn attempted to use electrolysis to create pure heavy water. Their technique was
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Harold Urey is also named for him, as is Urey Hall, the chemistry building at Revelle College, UCSD, in La Jolla. UCSD has also established a Harold C. Urey chair whose first holder is Jim Arnold. Harold Urey Harold Clayton Urey (April 29, 1893 – January 5, 1981) was an American physical chemist whose pioneering work on isotopes earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934 for the discovery of deuterium. He played a significant role in the development of the atom bomb, as well as contributing to theories on the development of organic life from non-living matter. Born in Walkerton,
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Taking its name from the Latin word for magpie, what medical disorder is characterized by an appetite for non-nutritive substances (e.g., clay)?
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Pica (disorder) when it involves eating substances such as tile grout, concrete dust, and sand. Dogs exhibiting this form of pica should be tested for anemia with a CBC or at least hematocrit levels. Although several theories have been proposed by experts for causes of pica in animals, there is insufficient evidence to prove or disprove any of them. Pica (disorder) Pica is a psychological disorder characterized by an appetite for substances that are largely non-nutritive, such as ice (pagophagia); hair (trichophagia); paper (xylophagia); drywall or paint; metal (metallophagia); stones (lithophagia) or soil (geophagia); glass (hyalophagia); feces (coprophagia); and chalk. According to
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An Appetite for Wonder are always provisional... Dawkins sees science as the triumph of certainty over superstition. But he shows very little interest in asking what scientific knowledge is or how it comes to be possible.” In "The Independent", Brandon Robshaw describes the book as "[...] a generous appreciation and admiration of the qualities of others, as well as a transparent love of life, literature – and science". An Appetite for Wonder An Appetite for Wonder: The Making of a Scientist is the first volume of the autobiographical memoir by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. The hardcover version of the book was published in
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Until it was named for a character in Ovid's Metamorphoses, what deadly disease had been called the 'French disease' in Italy and Germany, and the 'Italian disease' in France? Guess nobody wanted to associate themselves with it!
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History of syphilis disease, sent by the god Apollo as punishment for the defiance that Syphilus and his followers had shown him. From this character Fracastoro derived a new name for the disease, which he also used in his medical text "De Contagionibus" ("On Contagious Diseases"). Until that time, as Fracastoro notes, syphilis had been called the "French disease" () in Italy, Malta, Poland and Germany, and the "Italian disease" in France. In addition, the Dutch called it the "Spanish disease", the Russians called it the "Polish disease", and the Turks called it the "Christian disease" or "Frank (Western European) disease" ("frengi"). These
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WHO Disease Staging System for HIV Infection and Disease in Adults and Adolescents WHO Disease Staging System for HIV Infection and Disease in Adults and Adolescents WHO Disease Staging System for HIV Infection and Disease in Adults and Adolescents was first produced in 1990 by the World Health Organization and updated in September 2005. It is an approach for use in resource limited settings and is widely used in Africa and Asia and has been a useful research tool in studies of progression to symptomatic HIV disease. Following infection with HIV, the rate of clinical disease progression varies enormously between individuals. Many factors such as host susceptibility and immune function, health care and
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What algebraic system taught in present-day schools is one of the legacies of the philosopher René Descartes to which he lent his name?
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René Descartes Christian medieval period to the modern period, a shift that had been anticipated in other fields, and which was now being formulated in the field of philosophy by Descartes. This anthropocentric perspective of Descartes' work, establishing human reason as autonomous, provided the basis for the Enlightenment's emancipation from God and the Church. According to Martin Heidegger, the perspective of Descartes' work also provided the basis for all subsequent anthropology. Descartes' philosophical revolution is sometimes said to have sparked modern anthropocentrism and subjectivism. One of Descartes' most enduring legacies was his development of Cartesian or analytic geometry, which uses algebra to
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Folium of Descartes Folium of Descartes In geometry, the folium of Descartes is an algebraic curve defined by the equation It forms a loop in the first quadrant with a double point at the origin and asymptote It is symmetrical about formula_3. The name comes from the Latin word "folium" which means "leaf". The curve was featured, along with a portrait of Descartes, on an Albanian stamp in 1966. The curve was first proposed by Descartes in 1638. Its claim to fame lies in an incident in the development of calculus. Descartes challenged Fermat to find the tangent line to the curve at
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What are the four Galilean moons of Jupiter that are named after the lovers of Zeus in Greek myth?
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Naming of moons Ares (the Greek equivalent of the Roman god Mars). The Galilean moons of Jupiter (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto) were named by Simon Marius soon after their discovery in 1610. However, by the late 19th century these names had fallen out of favor, and for a long time it was most common to refer to them in the astronomical literature simply as "Jupiter I", "Jupiter II", etc., or as "the first satellite of Jupiter", "Jupiter's second satellite", etc. By the first decade of the 20th century, the names Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto had once again recovered popularity, but the
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Galilean moons disk, in which formation timescales were comparable to or shorter than orbital migration timescales. Io is anhydrous and likely has an interior of rock and metal. Europa is thought to contain 8% ice and water by mass with the remainder rock. These moons are, in increasing order of distance from Jupiter: Io (Jupiter I) is the innermost of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter and, with a diameter of 3642 kilometers, the fourth-largest moon in the Solar System. It was named after Io, a priestess of Hera who became one of the lovers of Zeus. Nevertheless, it was simply referred
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What mathematical puzzle that consists of three pegs and a number of disks of different sizes in which the objective is to move the entire stack of disks from one peg to another is used in computer science to teach recursion to students of programming?
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Recursion (computer science) algorithms are very similar in their steps. The Towers of Hanoi is a mathematical puzzle whose solution illustrates recursion. There are three pegs which can hold stacks of disks of different diameters. A larger disk may never be stacked on top of a smaller. Starting with "n" disks on one peg, they must be moved to another peg one at a time. What is the smallest number of steps to move the stack? "Function definition": "Recurrence relation for hanoi": Example implementations: Although not all recursive functions have an explicit solution, the Tower of Hanoi sequence can be reduced to an
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Tower of Hanoi is always one possibility, except when all disks are on the same peg, but in that case either it is the smallest disk that must be moved or the objective has already been achieved. Luckily, there is a rule that does say where to move the smallest disk to. Let "f" be the starting peg, "t" the destination peg, and "r" the remaining third peg. If the number of disks is odd, the smallest disk cycles along the pegs in the order "f" → "t" → "r" → "f" → "t" → "r", etc. If the number of disks is
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When it launched the satellite Alouette 1 in 1962, which country became the first non-superpower to enter the space race?
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Alouette 1 Alouette 1 Alouette 1 is a deactivated Canadian satellite that studied the ionosphere. Launched in 1962, it was Canada's first satellite, and the first satellite constructed by a country other than the Soviet Union or the United States. Canada was the fourth country to operate a satellite, as the British "Ariel 1", constructed in the United States by NASA, preceded "Alouette 1" by five months. The name "Alouette" came from the French for "skylark" and the French-Canadian folk song of the same name. A key device on Alouette were the radio antennas consisting of thin strips of beryllium copper bent
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Alouette 1 recorder to store data. It was only possible to obtain data when the satellite was in range of a receiving station. After "Alouette 1" was launched, the upper stage of the rocket used to launch the satellite became a object that would continue to orbit Earth for many years. , the upper stage remains in orbit. The satellite itself became a derelict, remaining in Earth orbit . The "Alouette 1" was named an IEEE Milestone in 1993. It is featured on the Amory Adventure Award. Alouette 1 Alouette 1 is a deactivated Canadian satellite that studied the ionosphere. Launched in
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What non-lethal weapon was named by its inventor Jack Cover after the teen science fiction character Tom Swift?
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Tom Swift Tom condescendingly." Tom Swift's fictional inventions have apparently inspired several actual inventions, among them Lee Felsenstein's "Tom Swift Terminal", which "drove the creation of an early personal computer known as the Sol", and the taser. The name "taser" was originally "TSER", for "Tom Swift Electric Rifle". The invention was named for the central device in the story "Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle" (1911); according to inventor Jack Cover, "an 'A' was added because we got tired of answering the phone 'TSER.'" A number of scientists, inventors, and science fiction writers have also credited Tom Swift with inspiring them, including
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Tom Swift Jr. construction, character and ideas." Nonetheless, the series sold a respectable 6 million copies in its 17-year run, spawned at least four subsequent "Tom Swift" series, and is remembered fondly by generations of children. Tom Swift Jr. Tom Swift Jr. is the central character in a series of 33 science fiction adventure novels for male adolescents, following in the tradition of the earlier Tom Swift ("Senior") novels. The series was titled "The New Tom Swift Jr. Adventures". Unlike the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys titles that were also products of the prolific Stratemeyer Syndicate, the original Tom Swift stories were not
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What is the term coined by Brown and Kulik in 1977 to explain a memory that is laid down in great detail during a significant event, often of national or international importance?
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Flashbulb memory of autobiographical memory because they rely on elements of personal importance, consequentiality, emotion, and surprise. Others believe that ordinary memories can also be accurate and long-lasting if they are highly distinctive, personally significant, or repeatedly rehearsed. Flashbulb memories have six characteristic features: place, ongoing activity, informant, own effect, other effect, and aftermath. Arguably, the principal determinants of a flashbulb memory are a high level of surprise, a high level of consequentiality, and perhaps emotional arousal. The term flashbulb memory was coined by Brown and Kulik in 1977. They formed the special-mechanism hypothesis, which argues for the existence of a special
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Personal-event memory who had experienced high arousal on hearing the news than in those who had experiences relatively little arousal. This better recall of the events of 9/11 for those who had experienced greater arousal supports Pezdek's hypotheses that personal-event memory improves with higher levels of experienced emotion. Finally, they found that event memory is positively correlated with level of emotional arousal and shows significant decline with time. The study indicates that memorable personal events, regardless of age or importance, are often embedded in event clusters and that events organized by these clusters, like episodes in a story, are often causally related,
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The common name of what African tree comes from the mistaken belief of early settlers who thought that malaria was contracted from being around them?
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Vachellia xanthophloea the pods mature they change colour from green to pale greyish brown. Fever trees are fast growing and short lived. They have a tendency to occur as single-aged stands, and are subject to stand-level diebacks that have been variously attributed to elephants, water tables, and synchronous senescence. The name "xanthophloea" is derived from Greek and means "yellow bark" (ξανθός "yellow, golden"; φλοιός "bark"). The common name, "fever tree", comes from its tendency to grow in swampy areas: early European settlers in the region noted that malarial fever was contracted in areas with these trees. It is now understood that malarial
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What Goes Around Comes Around What Goes Around Comes Around What Goes Around Comes Around is an album by Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1979. By 1979, Jennings was on the tail end a hot streak that had made him one of the biggest superstars in country music. He had scored twelve Top 10 country hits since 1973 (including six chart toppers) and had recorded 4 straight #1 country albums, with 1977's "Ol' Waylon" also hitting #15 on the pop charts. Along with fellow outlaw Willie Nelson, he was at the forefront of what was being referred to as outlaw country, a musical
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Derived from the name of an ancient King of Pontus, what is the practice of Mithridatism?
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Mithridatism Mithridatism Mithridatism is the practice of protecting oneself against a poison by gradually self-administering non-lethal amounts. The word is derived from Mithridates VI, the King of Pontus, who so feared being poisoned that he regularly ingested small doses, aiming to develop immunity. Mithridates VI's father, Mithridates V, was assassinated by poisoning, said to be at his mother's orders. After this, Mithridates VI's mother held regency over Pontus until a male heir came of age. Mithridates was in competition with his brother for the throne and his mother began to favor his brother. Supposedly, during his youth, he began to suspect
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Mithridatism and improve the formula. In keeping with most medical practices of his era, Mithridates' anti-poison routines included a religious component, supervised by the "Agari"; a group of Scythian shamans derived from Indian Aghoris who never left him. It has been suggested that Russian mystic Rasputin's survival of a poisoning attempt was due to mithridatism, but this has not been proven. Indian epics talk about this practice too. It has been said that, during the rule of the king Chandragupta Maurya (320–298 BC), there was a practice of selecting beautiful girls and administering poison in small amounts until they grew up,
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What term is given to the biological phenomenon where the size of animals isolated on an island increases dramatically over generations?
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Island gigantism Island gigantism Island gigantism or insular gigantism is a biological phenomenon in which the size of an animal isolated on an island increases dramatically in comparison to its mainland relatives. Island gigantism is one aspect of the more general "island effect" or "Foster's rule", which posits that when mainland animals colonize islands, small species tend to evolve larger bodies, and large species tend to evolve smaller bodies. With the arrival of humans and associated predators (dogs, cats, rats, pigs), many giant as well as other island endemics have become extinct. A similar size increase, as well as increased woodiness, has
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Alternation of generations Initially, Chamisso and Steenstrup described the succession of differently organized generations (sexual and asexual) in animals as "alternation of generations", while studying the development of tunicates, cnidarians and trematode animals. This phenomenon is also known as heterogamy. Presently, the term "alternation of generations" is almost exclusively associated with the life cycles of plants, specifically with the alternation of haploid gametophytes and diploid sporophytes. Wilhelm Hofmeister demonstrated the morphological alternation of generations in plants, between a spore-bearing generation (sporophyte) and a gamete-bearing generation (gametophyte). By that time, a debate emerged focusing on the origin of the asexual generation of land plants
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What potent toxin is extracted from the castor bean?
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Ricin never proven. In spite of ricin's extreme toxicity and utility as an agent of chemical/biological warfare, production of the toxin is rather difficult to limit. The castor bean plant from which ricin is derived is a common ornamental and can be grown at home without any special care. Under both the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention and the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, ricin is listed as a schedule 1 controlled substance. Despite this, more than 1 million metric tons of castor beans are processed each year, and approximately 5% of the total is rendered into a waste containing negligible concentrations of
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Diphtheria toxin is as follows: The exotoxin A of "Pseudomonas aeruginosa" uses a similar mechanism of action. Diphtheria toxin is extraordinarily potent. The lethal dose for humans is about 0.1 μg of toxin per kg of body weight. Death occurs through necrosis of the heart and liver. Diphtheria toxin has also been associated with the development of myocarditis. Myocarditis secondary to diphtheria toxin is considered one of the biggest risks to unimmunized children. Diphtheria toxin was discovered in 1888 by Émile Roux and Alexandre Yersin. In 1890, Emil Adolf von Behring developed an anti-toxin based on the blood of horses immunized with
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