Interesting Facts Created 15 years ago2008-12-10 15:04:26 UTC by Striker

Let's begin a little science interesting stuff thread here

Well, just post some facts and then comment or whatever, thread for the bored ones, like me

I'll begin with one fact :

Do you know that Galaxy Andromeda is heading towards our galaxy at the speed of aprox 400,000 km/h?(or second I don't remember,correct me if I'm wrong and you know about this:D).
In a couple of million years the 2 galaxies will collide, resulting into one or 2 black holes. Our faith(destiny or whatever, shitty english) ?
2 possibilities : 1. We are sucked in one of the black holes. Bye-bye earth.
2. The Solar System is catapulted out of the galaxy. We may survive or even get attracted by another galaxy !

Wow. That literally kicked my ass

Do you know that Galaxy Andromeda is heading towards our galaxy at the speed of aprox 400,000 km/h?(or second I don't remember,correct me if I'm wrong and you know about this:D).
In a couple of million years the 2 galaxies will collide, resulting into one or 2 black holes. Our faith(destiny or whatever, shitty english) ?
2 possibilities : 1. We are sucked in one of the black holes. Bye-bye earth.
2. The Solar System is catapulted out of the galaxy. We may survive or even get attracted by another galaxy !

That's absolutely preposterous. Rooster's can't lay eggs.

The supercomputer in 2012 is misleading. They said it will be more capable than the human brain, but really, it will just have more processing power. Computers can never be as capable as the brain because the brain doesn't operate under binary logic-- while the computer has to take into account every possibility, the brain can just ignore what isn't relevant. Better for math, worse for creative thinking.

That's absolutely preposterous

Happy to say you're wrong.

The Andromeda-Milky Way collision is a predicted galaxy collision, due to take place in approximately three billion years time

Thus, while it is known that the Andromeda galaxy is getting closer to the Milky Way by about 120 km/s

Source

Happy to say you're wrong.

Happy to say rooster's can't lay eggs.

Happy to say rooster's can't lay eggs.

Really? What if the rooster is transgendered? I bet he could lay an egg then. Refer to this article on the possibility on males having babies: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Story?id=6244878&page=1

In the American state of Connecticut, A pickled cucumber is not legally considered a pickle unless it bounces.

The human body exposed to outer space

In scores of science fiction stories, hapless adventurers find themselves unwittingly introduced to the vacuum of space without proper protection. There is often an alarming cacophony of screams and gasps as the increasingly bloated humans writhe and spasm. Their exposed veins and eyeballs soon bulge in what is clearly a disagreeable manner. The ill-fated adventurers rapidly swell like over-inflated balloons, ultimately bursting in a gruesome spray of blood.

As is true with many subjects, this representation in popular culture does not reflect the reality of exposure to outer space. Ever since humanity first began to probe outside of our protective atmosphere, a number of live organisms have been exposed to vacuum, both deliberately and otherwise. By combining these experiences with our knowledge of outer space, scientists have a pretty clear idea of what would happen if an unprotected human slipped into the cold, airless void.

In the 1960s, as technology was bringing the prospect of manned spaceflight into reality, engineers recognized the importance of determining the amount of time astronauts would have to react to integrity breaches such as a damaged spacecraft or punctured space-suits. To that end, NASA constructed an assortment of large altitude chambers to mimic the hostile environments found at varying distances above the Earth, accounting for factors such as air pressure, temperature, and radiation. Adventurous volunteers were subjected to simulations of the conditions found several miles up, and a handful of animal tests were conducted with even lower pressures.

Using the data from these experiments and their knowledge of outer space, scientists were able to make some reasonable conclusions about how the human body would respond to sudden depressurization. A series of accidents over the years proved most of their extrapolations to be accurate. In 1965, in a space-suit test gone awry, a technician in an altitude chamber was exposed to a hard vacuum. The defective suit was unable to hold pressure, and the man collapsed after fourteen seconds. He regained consciousness shortly after the chamber was repressurized, and he was uninjured. In a later incident, another technician spent four minutes trapped at low pressure by a malfunctioning altitude chamber. He lost consciousness and began to turn blue, but escaped death when one of the managers kicked in one of the machine's glass gauges, allowing air to seep into the chamber.

A Soviet Soyuz spacecraftArtist's rendering of a Soviet Soyuz spacecraftIn 1971, three Russian cosmonauts aboard an early Soyuz spacecraft tragically experienced the vacuum of space first-hand, as described in the Almanac of Soviet Manned Space Flight:
"?the orbital module was normally separated by 12 pyrotechnic devices which were supposed to fire sequentially, but they incorrectly fired simultaneously, and this caused a ball joint in the capsule's pressure equalization valve to unseat, allowing air to escape. The valve normally opens at low altitude to equalize cabin air pressure to the outside air pressure. This caused the cabin to lose all its atmosphere in about 30 seconds while still at a height of 168 km. In seconds, Patsayev realized the problem and unstrapped from his seat to try and cover the valve inlet and shut off the valve but there was little time left. It would take 60 seconds to shut off the valve manually and Patsayev managed to half close it before passing out. Dobrovolsky and Volkov were virtually powerless to help since they were strapped in their seats, with little room to move in the small capsule and no real way to assist Patsayev. The men died shortly after passing out. [?] The rest of the descent was normal and the capsule landed at 2:17 AM. The recovery forces located the capsule and opened the hatch only to find the cosmonauts motionless in their seats. On first glance they appeared to be asleep, but closer examination showed why there was no normal communication from the capsule during descent."

When the human body is suddenly exposed to the vacuum of space, a number of injuries begin to occur immediately. Though they are relatively minor at first, they accumulate rapidly into a life-threatening combination. The first effect is the expansion of gases within the lungs and digestive tract due to the reduction of external pressure. A victim of explosive decompression greatly increases their chances of survival simply by exhaling within the first few seconds, otherwise death is likely to occur once the lungs rupture and spill bubbles of air into the circulatory system. Such a life-saving exhalation might be due to a shout of surprise, though it would naturally go unheard where there is no air to carry it.

In the absence of atmospheric pressure water will spontaneously convert into vapor, which would cause the moisture in a victim's mouth and eyes to quickly boil away. The same effect would cause water in the muscles and soft tissues of the body to evaporate, prompting some parts of the body to swell to twice their usual size after a few moments. This bloating may result in some superficial bruising due to broken capillaries, but it would not be sufficient to break the skin.

A NASA vacuum chamberA NASA altitude chamberWithin seconds the reduced pressure would cause the nitrogen which is dissolved in the blood to form gaseous bubbles, a painful condition known to divers as "the bends." Direct exposure to the sun's ultraviolet radiation would also cause a severe sunburn to any unprotected skin. Heat does not transfer out of the body very rapidly in the absence of a medium such as air or water, so freezing to death is not an immediate risk in outer space despite the extreme cold.

For about ten full seconds? a long time to be loitering in space without protection? an average human would be rather uncomfortable, but they would still have their wits about them. Depending on the nature of the decompression, this may give a victim sufficient time to take measures to save their own life. But this period of "useful consciousness" would wane as the effects of brain asphyxiation begin to set in. In the absence of air pressure the gas exchange of the lungs works in reverse, dumping oxygen out of the blood and accelerating the oxygen-starved state known as hypoxia. After about ten seconds a victim will experience loss of vision and impaired judgement, and the cooling effect of evaporation will lower the temperature in the victim's mouth and nose to near-freezing. Unconsciousness and convulsions would follow several seconds later, and a blue discoloration of the skin called cyanosis would become evident.

At this point the victim would be floating in a blue, bloated, unresponsive stupor, but their brain would remain undamaged and their heart would continue to beat. If pressurized oxygen is administered within about one and a half minutes, a person in such a state is likely make a complete recovery with only minor injuries, though the hypoxia-induced blindness may not pass for some time. Without intervention in those first ninety seconds, the blood pressure would fall sufficiently that the blood itself would begin to boil, and the heart would stop beating. There are no recorded instances of successful resuscitation beyond that threshold.

Though an unprotected human would not long survive in the clutches of outer space, it is remarkable that survival times can be measured in minutes rather than seconds, and that one could endure such an inhospitable environment for almost two minutes without suffering any irreversible damage. The human body is indeed a resilient machine.

I read that whole thing. Good find.

I'm gonna have to remember to exhale when in a vacuum.

When Luke's happy about my posts, I know they're good ones.

Here's another very interesting thing I've read and I think you should read it too

[u]EARTH v 2.0[/u]

Humanity's home is far from factory-fresh these days. Frankly, the Earth has received its share of scratches and dents, including large asteroid impacts, megavolcanoes, earthquakes, ice ages, and heat waves. It's to be expected. There are over four billion years on the clock, after all.

Though it has long been clear that Earth 1.0 is in need of an upgrade, it was not until a few years ago that someone began to take the notion seriously. In 2004, at a respected international design exhibition called the Venice Architecture Biennale, a young artist and architect named Christian Waldvogel displayed his plans for total global annihilation and the creation of Earth 2.0.

According to Waldvogel, a brave new world could be built from the remains of our current one. The circumference of this construction? dubbed Globus Cassus, or 'hollow sphere' in Latin? would be comparable to the giant planet Saturn. During the multi-million year assembly period, massive hoses would worm deep into the Earth's fiery bowels and suck liquid metal and magma into orbit through four space elevators sited at equal distances around the equator. This material would be squirted out and transformed into a lattice framework to support the rest of the edifice. As the Earth gradually shrivels and shrinks under this onslaught, its gravity would weaken. Over generations, the skies would darken with the relentless encroachment of the enormous structure above.

Of course it would be easy to dismiss the idea as ridiculous fantasy, one belonging only on the pages of the very pulpiest science fiction. Yet the Globus Cassus concept is outlined in all seriousness, with the same level of detail as befits any other entry in an eminent international architectural exposition. While there is much that is quibble-worthy about the plan? both in engineering terms and in its underlying rationale? Waldvogel makes a good case for the idea as an intellectual and philosophical exercise. He presents his scheme as both an architectural design, and as a thought experiment that could turn the way we think about our current planet? and human society? inside out.

Globus Cassus under constructionGlobus Cassus under constructionWaldwogel's suggestion involves the redistribution of the Earth's material from its present clumpy solid-ball form to that of a 150 km (93 mi) thick hollow shell? one with a diameter of 85,000 km (52,817 mi), around seven times that of our current planet. People, plants and animals would live on the inside surface, with rotation of the giant habitat providing a centrifugal gravity-effect to hold everything in place. The habitable surface area would be approximately ten times that of the Earth's. The geometrical construction would take the form of a rounded twenty-faced icosahedron, with air, sea and lands of plenty located on the equatorial regions, and continent-scale silica glass windows allowing sunlight into the interior.

The design appears commendably thorough. Dimensions are calculated carefully with an architect's attention to detail. The symmetrical construction processes, materials used, and function of the space elevator 'scaffolding' are described exhaustively. Even the issue of temporary accommodation for the future occupants is addressed: it's proposed that while construction takes place, humans, plants and animals wait patiently? through countless successive generations? in holding areas or archival nodes in the space elevators. Nor is the provision of basic amenities like air and water overlooked. When the excavated Earth shrivels to a size where gravity can no longer retain its atmosphere and hydrosphere, the envisaged migration of gas and liquid onto the equatorial regions of the newly-built structure is described poetically as the ?Great Rains?. Waldvogel uses detailed computer graphics to illustrate his ideas, and has even published a glossy coffee-table book with colourful pictures depicting the construction of his idealized new world, and the irreversible destruction of our current one.

Yet curiously there are numerous objections to the concept. Perhaps the most fundamental relates to the construction material. Our current understanding of physics dictates that no molecular bonds in any conceivable material could ever be sufficiently strong to hold the structure together: certainly Waldvogel's proposed ferrous-nickel framework would be hopelessly inadequate. Globus Cassus would simply come apart from the internal stresses of its rotation and tidal forces from the Moon and the Sun. Carbon nanotubes form one of the strongest currently-known molecular structures, and are frequently proposed as a construction material for futuristic engineering projects? but even their great tensile strength would be insufficient to keep the hollow habitat in one piece.

Stanford TorusStanford TorusThen there's the problem of the prolonged construction time, and a related objection to one of the principal stated reasons for the project: the provision of extra living space for the ever-growing human population. The proposed temporary accommodation in the 'archival nodes' provides insufficient gravity at geostationary altitudes for long-term human occupancy. Yet if humans can be made to live in the nodes long-term, why the need for Globus Cassus in the first place? In fact there are numerous alternative proposals for large-scale habitats which could be built more easily: hollowed-out asteroids, giant rotating space stations such as the proposed Stanford torus or Bernal sphere, or even the terraforming of planets such as Mars or Venus.

Waldvogel is far from the first to propose the construction of giant hollow worlds in space. Visionary physicist Freeman Dyson gave his name to the concept of a 'Dyson Sphere'? a colossal structure totally enclosing a star, capable of capturing all its energy for use by a power-hungry civilization. The dimensions of such a structure would be vastly greater than that of Globus Cassus, and rotating versions would have the same ?artificial gravity? acting on the equatorial regions of the inner surface, providing mind-bogglingly huge tracts of habitable land. Of course many of the same objections to Globus Cassus apply to the Dyson Sphere, and the time, energy, and technological difficulties would be correspondingly magnified. Dyson never seriously proposed one of his enormous namesake spheres for our own solar system, but he did see the idea as being theoretically feasible? suggesting a possible way to detect mega-engineering civilizations elsewhere in the galaxy. The 'energy exhaust' from such a construction would be predominantly in the longer wavelengths of infrared, and this tell-tale electromagnetic signature could be detected from Earth. Although a few SETI searches have been carried out with this in mind, no such signature has yet been detected.

Practical objections aside, there are more basic questions to ask of Waldvogel, Dyson, and other would-be mega-engineers. Precisely why a terrestrial or extraterrestrial civilization would want to build such structures may be beyond the grasp of our puny 21st century minds, but it?s hard to accept Waldvogel?s ?extra living space? justification. Apart from the aforementioned easier expansion options, it?s not explained why our near-omnipotent descendants? capable of transmogrifying simple Earth rock into impossibly strong wonder-material and fashioning it into an outlandish, outsized, inside-out living space over the course of millions of years? would still not have mastered basic birth control. Maybe advanced civilizations would build these structures simply to test their technological prowess, or to provide enclosed habitable areas within which they can observe the evolution of life and intelligence on a far grander scale than that which mere lumps of rock can provide.

Perhaps aware of these unanswered questions, Waldvogel provides an intriguing alternative rationale for his hollow global proposal. He asks us to view the Globus Cassus concept as more than just a simple mega-architectural exercise, and suggests that much of its importance lies in its underlying philosophical foundations. With a scheme that explicitly requires the complete destruction of Earth and its rebuilding inside-out, it follows that human society might also end up with a radical re-design. The precise nature of the proposed 'Cassian' society is left vague and open to discussion, but it?s suggested that its values would in some way reflect the shape of the New World. Looking upward, the vision-enhanced citizens of the Globus Cassus would see, instead of blue sky, their neighbours eighty-five thousand kilometres away on the opposite side of the sphere looking back down on them. Waldwogel's hope is that such a situation might change their perspective: with people forced to face each other in this way, maybe they would be, well, nicer. In such a large, well-resourced environment, more open social structures might have the freedom to evolve compared to the rigid hierarchies of the tired old rock-ball we now call home. Waldwogel?s website invites us to consider his proposal in these utopian terms, as a social and metaphorical ?antipode?? or opposite? to our current Earth, as well as a physical one.

The idea's resemblance to science fiction doesn't deprive it of philosophical value. At a time when we are increasingly encouraged to see the Earth as something threatened, fragile and in need of ?saving?, it?s intriguing to contemplate its complete destruction in a positive light. Perhaps in the future, crowds of conservation-minded conservatives will protest on the streets, waving placards reading ?Stop Global Hollowing NOW!? and ?Halt Earth Change.? As the ground starts to thrum and quiver with the work of fearsome engines, it's easy to imagine idealistic social reformers cackling manically at their command consoles in the space elevators towering overhead, as they celebrate the dawn of Earth's final metamorphosis.

Holy cow, have you got nothing better to do?

I don't know . I like reading all kind of crazy science things

I think I speak for everyone except Luke when I say: tl;dr

I don't know . I like reading all kind of crazy science things

Oh yea?........Then you might be interested in this little e-book titled: "50 things you are not suppose to know". I found this reading gem a few years ago on eBay for just $1. There's a lot of deep, crazy shit here! But of course, you can download it from me for free from here: http://66.7.210.142/~virtualh/50things.pdf

First, make sure you have Adobe Reader installed on your PC, since this e-book is a PDF format file. Once you click on the link I am giving you and the PDF e-book loads up on your web browser, on the upper left hand corner of the PDF screen you will see "Save a Copy", click on it and save your self a copy on your PC, that's it. Anyway, here is the list of the 50 topics covered on this e-book you are not suppose to know about:

e-Book CONTENTS:

01 The Ten Commandments We Always See Aren't the Ten Commandments
02 One of the Popes Wrote an Erotic Book
03 The CIA Commits Over 100,000 Serious Crimes Each Year
04 The First CIA Agent to Die in the Line of Duty Was Douglas Mackiernan
05 After 9/11, the Defense Department Wanted to Poison Afghanistan's Food Supply
06 The US Government Lies About the Number of Terrorism Convictions It Obtains
07 The US Is Planning to Provoke Terrorist Attacks
08 The US and Soviet Union Considered Detonating Nuclear Bombs on the Moon
09 Two Atomic Bombs Were Dropped on North Carolina
10 World War III Almost Started in 1995
11 The Korean War Never Ended
12 Agent Orange Was Used in Korea
13 Kent State Wasn't the Only ? or Even the First ? Massacre of College Students During the
Vietnam Era
14 Winston Churchill Believed in a Worldwide Jewish Conspiracy
15 The Auschwitz Tattoo Was Originally an IBM Code Number
16 Adolph Hitler's Blood Relatives Are Alive and Well in New York State
17 Around One Quarter of "Witches" Were Men
18 The Virginia Colonists Practiced Cannibalism
19 Many of the Pioneering Feminists Opposed Abortion
20 Black People Served in the Confederate Army
21 Electric Cars Have Been Around Since the 1880s
22 Juries Are Allowed to Judge the Law, Not Just the Facts
23 The Police Aren't Legally Obligated to Protect You
24 The Government Can Take Your House and Land, Then Sell Them to Private Corporations
25 The Supreme Court Has Ruled That You're Allowed to Ingest Any Drug, Especially If
You're an Addict
26 The Age of Consent in Most of the US Is Not Eighteen
27 Most Scientists Don't Read All of the Articles They Cite
28 Louis Pasteur Suppressed Experiments That Didn't Support His Theories
29 The Creator of the GAIA Hypothesis Supports Nuclear Power
30 Genetically-Engineered Humans Have Already Been Born
31 The Insurance Industry Wants to Genetically Test All Policy Holders
32 Smoking Causes Problems Other Than Lung Cancer and Heart Disease
33 Herds of Milk-Producing Cows Are Rife With Bovine Leukemia Virus
34 Most Doctors Don't Know the Radiation Level of CAT Scans
35 Medication Errors Kill Thousands Each Year
36 Prescription Drugs Kill Over 100,000 Annually
37 Work Kills More People Than War
38 The Suicide Rate Is Highest Among the Elderly
39 For Low-Risk People, a Positive Result from an HIV Test Is Wrong Half the Time
40 DNA Matching Is Not Infallible
41 An FBI Expert Testified That Lie Detectors Are Worthless for Security Screening
42 The Bayer Company Made Heroin
43 LSD Has Been Used Successfully in Psychiatric Therapy
44 Carl Sagan Was an Avid Pot-Smoker
45 One of the Heroes of Black Hawk Down Is a Convicted Child Molester
46 The Auto Industry Says That SUV Drivers Are Selfish and Insecure
47 The Word "Squaw" Is Not a Derisive Term for the Vagina
48 You Can Mail Letters for Little or No Cost
49 Advertisers' Influence on the News Media Is Widespread
50 The World's Museums Contain Innumerable Fakes

I'm now installing adobe reader ( wtf?! I thought I already have it). Thanks Tito, I'll read with pleasure. Mayber even print some of those articles

[EDIT] Haha, nice cover image

I got really bored once and designed a Megastructure, similar to the dyson sphere, that encircles a star. The star in the centre is gyrated through one revolution each year to create the seasons, and it would rotate to produce gravity. Different zones of the sphere would have differing amounts of gravity - For example, the normal habitable zone would experience roughly 1G of gravity, while industrial zones might experience much less - enough to make sure that things don't float away, yet small enough to make the lifting of huge objects in their costruction easier. The external area of the sphere would experience "negative gravity," which would mean that launching objects into space would be made easier, ridding the inhabitants of the need for rockets or space elevators.

This would certainly suffer from the same problems as Globus Cassus, and transporting objects across the huge surface - an area of roughly 2.8x10^17 square meters - would be extremely time consuming, but like Globus Cassus, the chances of somebody actually attempting such an endeavour are roughly a trillion to one, so these problems don't matter.

2012 Things
There are thousands of asteroids in hidden orbits that scientists cannot observe. Many of them were seen after they kissed the earth and went by in galactic scale. The known danger from the asteroid is in 2028. But some scientists are watching the possibilities that a hidden asteroid in a stealth-path can destroy human civilization by hitting the earth on December 21, 2012. This is the same date when Mayans predicted the end of the world.

The probability that a ?50-300 Meter (150-1000 Feet) Diameter Asteroid Hitting the Earth? is 1 in 250. It can actually happen any time. The estimated fatalities would be 5000. The probability that a ?1.5 Kilometer (1 Mile) Diameter Asteroid Hitting the Earth? is 2 in 1 million with estimated fatalities of 1.5 billion. A similar catastrophe by a ?10 Kilometer (6 Mile) Diameter, or greater, Asteroid Hitting the Earth? has a probability of 1 in 100 million with 10 Billion fatalities.

Some scientists are concerned that Mayans in their time could see some hidden asteroid paths that are stealth today. The alignment of Sun, Moon and the earth on December 21, 2012 is significant because gravitational release of hidden asteroids can take place. The probabilities shown above are in normal circumstances.

However, the probabilities go thirty times higher during galactic alignments. This means that if there is a lose asteroid in a stealth path, it can deviate from its path and come towards the earth. The biggest problem with the terrestrial science is that we cannot see these stealth asteroids till they hit us or go past us.

I lol'd at This

We're Dewmed!

I'm so sick of this god damn 2012 thing. Shut the hell up about it. Also, stop with the stupid conspiracy theories.

You also bumped a pretty old thread.

@ Tito
Everybody has AdobeReader. And that is not science, it's more of a statistic.

Speaking about years, is it 2009 yet? Or maybe, is it 2010 yet?

Kinda suitable for a thread started in 2008, I guess...

lol.

My employer and I had a brief discussion about 2012. He made a point that we have enough nukes and weapons to blow up Earth 100 times over. An asteroid will not be a problem.

Ya gotta nuke something, eh?

I'm more worried about the people factor. There is enough idiots out there to cause some serious harm to society. That alone is worth worrying about.

blow up Earth 100 times over

not by any means in the literal sense. We have enough nukes to make the earth unlivable for humans 100 times over because of nuclear winter and to a much lesser degree, fallout.

You also bumped a pretty old thread.

Well I'm sorry, I don't get the idea with bumping threads. I think it's a better idea than making a new one

I know we have nukes capable of cracking the planet. That says something if a 2 mile asteroid swings around...

... and I'd pay to see it blow up too.

Why would somebody destroy Terra in the first place ?

not by any means in the literal sense. We have enough nukes to make the earth unlivable for humans 100 times over because of nuclear winter and to a much lesser degree, fallout.

You mean Black Isle and Bethesda have helped the destruction of the planet?

Did you know that your mother grew a penis?

sigh Not this again. I know I've read this on a forum somewhere... Probably here.

I saw this and thought it was pretty interesting. It's only 2 minutes:
Everything You See Is Fake

I know we have nukes capable of cracking the planet.

wow. i never heard that before, but then found a few forum discussions that seem to concur, talking about "super H bombs" capable of physically destroying the planet, and the possibility that Russia might have actually built one!

I found this quote pretty funny:

...and standard ICBM warheads are mostly less than one megaton (although the Russians have a few 25-MT warheads tasked to turning Cheyenne Mountian, home of NORAD, into Cheyenne Lake