Clipmarks | Aribeth's 'science' clips

Wacky Sci-Fi “Laws”

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:14:27 GMT

clipped by: haraya
clipper's remarks: If that’s not enough for you, check out Wikipedia’s list of eponymous laws.

Clip Source: www.mentalfloss.com

1. Hanlon’s Razor (aka Hanlon’s Law)

“Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.”

2. Sturgeon’s Law

“Ninety percent of everything is crap.”

3. O’Toole’s Corollary of Finagle’s Law

“The perversity of the Universe tends towards a maximum.”

4. Clarke’s Three Laws

The third is by far the most famous:

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

5. Asimov’s Laws of Robotics

First law: A robot may not harm a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
Second law: A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
Third law: A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

There’s also a Zeroth Law.

6. The Dilbert Principle

the most ineffective workers are systematically moved to the place where they can do the least damage: management.. (See also: the Peter principle

Tags: laws, science, science fiction, writers, humor, list, people, robots, work, life

Do parallel universes really exist?

Sun, 04 May 2008 15:19:39 GMT

clipped by: fewstingscorpio
clipper's remarks: Something to ponder while you look up into the night sky. The best time is a campfire with some friends or family. Interesting conversation...
To read the full article:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/parallel-universe.htm

Clip Source: science.howstuffworks.com

Do parallel universes really exist?

In 1954, a young Princeton University doctoral candidate named Hugh Everett III came up with a radical idea: That there exist parallel universes, exactly like our universe. These universes are all related to ours; indeed, they branch off from ours, and our universe is branched off of others. Within these parallel universes, our wars have had different outcomes than the ones we know. Species that are extinct in our universe have evolved and adapted in others. In other universes, we humans may have become extinct.

With his Many-Worlds theory, Everett was attempting to answer a rather sticky question related to quantum physics: Why does quantum matter behave erratically?

In fairly short order, physicists studying the quantum level noticed some peculiar things about this tiny world. For one, the particles that exist on this level have a way of taking different forms arbitrarily.

Tags: science, universe, "quantum physics", "parallel universes", metaphysics

Could Jupiter wreck the solar system?

Sun, 04 May 2008 12:13:24 GMT

clipped by: Aribeth
clipper's remarks: "So what's the likelihood Mercury could crash into the Earth? If it did, the asteroid that most likely wiped out the dinosaurs will seem like a drop in the ocean compared with a planet 4880 km in diameter slamming into us. There will be very little left after this wrecking ball impact.

But here's the kicker: There is only a 1% chance that these gravitational instabilities of the inner Solar System are likely to cause any kind of chaos before the Sun turns into a Red Giant and swallows Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars in 7 billion years time. So, no need to look out for death-wish Mercury quite yet… there's a very low chance that any of this will happen. But some good news for Mars; the researchers have also found that if the chaos does ensue, the Red Planet may be flung out of the Solar System, possibly escaping our expanding Sun. So, let's get those Mars colonies started! Well, within the next few billions of years anyhow…"

Good stuff for the next science-fiction movie

Clip Source: www.universetoday.com

Could Jupiter Wreck the Solar System?

Happily orbiting the Sun, the eight planets (plus Pluto and other minor planets) appear to have a high degree of long-term gravitational stability. But Jupiter has a huge gravitational influence over its siblings, especially the smaller planets.

The huge gravitational pull of Jupiter seems to be bullying Mercury into an increasingly eccentric death-orbit, possibly flinging the cosmic lightweight into the path of Venus. To make things worse, there might be dire consequences for Earth…

The researchers

Jacques Laskar

Konstantin Batygin

and Gregory Laughlin

formulate four possible scenarios as to what may happen as Mercury gets disturbed:

Mercury will crash into the Sun
Mercury will be ejected from the solar system altogether
Mercury will crash into Venus
Mercury will crash into Earth

The last option is obviously the worst case scenario for us, but all will be bad news for Mercury, the small planet's fate appears to be sealed.

Tags: science, space, astronomy

RealClimate: Real Scientists on Real Science

Fri, 02 May 2008 07:09:00 GMT

clipped by: abailart
clipper's remarks: A bit boring. Deals with the science of climate change.

Clip Source: www.realclimate.org

Climate science is one of those fields where anyone, regardless of their lack of expertise or understanding, feels qualified to comment on new papers and ongoing controversies. This can be frustrating for scientists like ourselves who see agenda-driven 'commentary' on the Internet and in the opinion columns of newspapers crowding out careful analysis.

RealClimate is a commentary site on climate science by working climate scientists for the interested public and journalists. We aim to provide a quick response to developing stories and provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary.

we will not get involved in political or economic issues that arise when discussing climate change. The validity of scientific information is completely independent of what society decides to do (or not) about that information.

Science Links

Communicating Climate

Tags: science, climate

Is Humanity Destined to Self-Destruct?

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:31:01 GMT

clipped by: Sheroug
clipper's remarks: Interesting read. The article is divided into several parts, I only clipped a bit from Part 1.

Clip Source: www.indiana.edu

"Is Humanity Destined to Self-Destruct?"

by Lynton Keith Caldwell

"In remaking the earthly environment, modern society has failed to take into account the full significance of resulting changes in the circumstances of life on earth."

Aided by science and science-based technology, modern humanity has achieved great material success. But scientific findings also suggest that in pursuit of this achievement human society may inadvertently be putting its future at risk.

The capabilities that have enabled modern humanity to attain present levels of civilization may be insufficient to overcome the risks incidental to this achievement.

science and technology have enabled humans to reshape the world more rapidly than has growth in understanding of the risks as well as the benefits of these advances.

For centuries humans lived within the parameters of nature, benefitting from its beneficence, adapting to its rhythms, and coping with its adversities.

The science of Addiction

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:24:09 GMT

clipped by: dakotayii
clipper's remarks: Flash - why we feel -" High "

Clip Source: learn.genetics.utah.edu

Mouse Party

Note:

The simplified mechanisms of drug action presented here are just a small part of the story. When drugs enter the body they elicit very complex effects in many different regions of the brain. Often they interact with many different types of neurotransmitters and may bind with a variety of receptor types in a variety of different locations. For example, THC in marijuana can bind with cannabinoid receptors located on the presynaptic and/or postsynaptic cell in a synapse.

Where applicable, this presentation primarily depicts how drugs interact with dopamine neurotransmitters because this website focuses on the brain's reward pathway. Mouse Party is designed to provide a small glimpse into the chemical interactions at the synaptic level that cause the drug user to feel 'high'.

Tags: science

The body in depth

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:04:27 GMT

clipped by: deb2012
clipper's remarks: for our viewing pleasure online

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Thanks to Stanford University’s school of medicine

the 25-volume “Stereoscopic Atlas of Human Anatomy”

will soon be available to the world. The school is bringing the images online

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Tags: science

What planet is this?

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 19:19:51 GMT

clipped by: Aribeth

Clip Source: www.ironicsans.com

Waterworld

What planet is this?

It’s Earth, of course, viewed from around 9900 miles above a small island called Tetiaora, one of the few bits of land on this half of the planet.

It’s weird that there’s a view of earth that’s almost entirely water.

Tags: photo, image, french polynesia, atoll, science

Evolution:24 myths and misconceptions

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:47:43 GMT

clipped by: Aribeth
clipper's remarks: It doesn't matter if people do not understand evolution
"Survival of the fittest" justifies "everyone for themselves"
Evolution is limitlessly creative
Evolution cannot explain traits such as homosexuality
Creationism provides a coherent alternative to evolution

Creationist myths:

Evolution must be wrong because the Bible is inerrant
Accepting evolution undermines morality
Evolutionary theory leads to racism and genocide
Religion and evolution are incompatible
Half a wing is no use to anyone
Evolutionary science is not predictive
Evolution cannot be disproved so is not science
Evolution is just so unlikely to produce complex life forms
Evolution is an entirely random process
Mutations can only destroy information, not create it
Darwin is the ultimate authority on evolution
The bacterial flagellum is irreducibly complex
Yet more creationist misconceptions
Evolution violates the second law of thermodynamics

Clip Source: www.newscientist.com

Evolution: 24 myths and misconceptions

16 April 2008

It will soon be 200 years since the birth of Charles Darwin and 150 years since the publication of On the Origin of Species, arguably the most important book ever written. In it, Darwin outlined an idea that many still find shocking – that all life on Earth, including human life, evolved through natural selection.

And yet despite an ever-growing mountain of evidence, most people around the world are not taught the truth about evolution, if they are taught about it at all. Even in the UK, the birthplace of Darwin with an educated and increasingly secular population, one recent poll suggests less than half the population accepts evolution.

Shared misconceptions:

Everything is an adaptation produced by natural selection

Natural selection is the only means of evolution

Natural selection leads to ever-greater complexity

Evolution produces creatures perfectly adapted to their environment

Evolution always promotes the survival of species

Dreams in High Fidelity: a painting that evolves

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:36:34 GMT

clipped by: amgumen
clipper's remarks: Visit this amazing site

Clip Source: hifidreams.com

Tags: art, science

Starship and science fiction Creatures Dimensions

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:10:12 GMT

clipped by: astronkyttaron
clipper's remarks: For science fiction lovers :--)

Clip Source: www.merzo.net

WELCOME TO STARSHIP DIMENSIONS...

A Museum of Speculative Fiction inspired Spaceships

This site is intended to allow science fiction fans to get an impression of the true scale of their favorite science fiction spacecraft by being able to compare ships across genres, as well as being able to compare them with contemporary objects with which they are probably familiar.

The scales are based on meter-to-pixel ratios so that they are accurate on any platform. The background grid is divided into groups of ten, and larger groups of one hundred pixels, to allow for easy measurement.

The charts are intended to be interactive such that Internet explorer users may click and drag the starships within the charts to arrange them in whichever way they please

Above all, this site is intended as an homage to the many great people who have created these ideas for us to enjoy, so Enjoy!

Clip Source: www.merzo.net

Yoda

R2D2

E.T.

Maria

Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927)

Klingon

Mangalore

Taun We

Clip Source: www.merzo.net

Babylon 5 Starships

Klingon Starships

Clip Source: www.merzo.net

Tags: science fiction, movies, entertainment, starships, ufo

20 Things You Didn't Know About Sex

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 08:16:45 GMT

clipped by: Aribeth
clipper's remarks: 6 Barbary macaques have a distinctive way to get their mates to make a sperm donation: yelling. If the female does not shout, the male almost never climaxes.

7 How do we know this? German primatologist Dana Pfefferle watched a group of macaques, counting the females’ yells and the males’ pelvic thrusts. She says this work is “quite weird, but it’s science.”

8 Here in the US of A, that kind of stuff ends up on YouTube.

9 Because Barry White sounds terrible underwater: Fish can produce a variety of noises with their bones, teeth, and gas bladders. Grant Gilmore of Estuarine Coastal and Ocean Science Inc. says that male fish probably use some of these sounds to woo females.

10 The spiny anteater, an egg-laying mammal native to Australia and New Guinea, has a penis with four heads, but only two fit into the female at once.

11 The tiny male paper nautilus, an octopus, impregnates the much larger female by shooting his penis (a modified tentacle) into her—and leaving it there.

Clip Source: discovermagazine.com

And you thought you knew everything...

1 Life emerged on earth about 3.8 billion years ago, but sex did not evolve until more than 2 billion years later. Dirty limericks emerged only quite recently, geologically speaking.

2 Sex—what is it good for? Scientists are not sure, since asexual reproduction is a better evolutionary strategy in some important ways.

3 For those who refuse to commit to one strategy: The hermaphroditic earthworm Dendrobaena rubida has both male and female genitalia. If it cannot find a partner, the worm doubles up so that its female bits and male bits can go to town.

4 Although famously monogamous, female Adélie penguins slip away from their mates occasionally to couple with unattached males. They exact a fee (pdf) for such a dalliance—stones to bolster their nests—not unlike certain people.

5 Some talented penguin teasers can get a gift even without putting out. Again, not unlike certain people.

Tags: sexual behaviour, sexuality, animals, nature

Pluto lovers,don't despair

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:13:29 GMT

clipped by: Aribeth

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

Is Rekindling the Pluto Planet Debate a Good Idea?

Pluto lovers, don't despair: Researchers have not given up the fight for the former ninth planet. Many of them put up a fuss two years ago when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) downgraded Pluto and other smaller bodies in the solar system to the status of mere dwarf planets. Now they plan to revive the debate, this time under the banner of public understanding of science.

Researchers on both sides of the issue are set to gather in August at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., for what's being called "The Great Planet Debate: Science as Process."

Pluto has always stood out from the other planets. At roughly a fifth the mass of the moon, it is the largest of the icy bodies that make up the Kuiper belt beyond Neptune's orbit. Unlike the four inner (terrestrial) planets, it has a tenuous atmosphere at best.

Tags: astronomy, science