#informativefacts

[balancednewssummaryapp]

“A Queensland Police car formerly used to drag race hoons in the 1990s has been restored to send a message about road safety at this year's Brisbane Ekka.” Download the Balanced News Summary App on Google Play to read more! #BalancedNewsSummary #didyouknowthat #factsforlife #realnews #knowledgeiskey #dailyknowledge #articles #localnews #educateyourself #australiannews #dailynews #awareness #update #breakingnews #alert #bignews #becurious #unknownfacts #factsmatter #freethinker #informative #informativefacts #brisbane #brisbanenews #dragracing #policenews #roadsafety #brisbaneekka #qldnews https://www.instagram.com/p/CgPBM6RF_Fo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thescienceofreality]

Time to turn your brain to mush with these amazing new science facts!

[thescienceofreality]

See the world through the eyes of a cat. By Shaunacy Ferro | PopSci | Image Credit: Nickolay Lamm

An awesome, disorienting look at kitty vision.

What does the world look like through a cat's eyes? The basic structure of feline eyes is pretty similar to what humans have, but cats' vision has adapted to very different purposes, so the world they see looks familiar, but isn't quite the same as ours. As predators, they need to be able to sense movement well in very low light. To make that work, they have to sacrifice some of the finer detail and color perception that humans have.

Artist Nickolay Lamm, who has previously brought us visualizations of urban heat islands and sea level rise projections, took a look at the world through kitty eyes for his latest project. Lamm consulted with ophthalmologists at the University of Pennsylvania's veterinary school and a few other animal eye specialists to create these visualizations comparing how cats see with how humans do. How we see things is represented on top; how a cat standing next to us would see the same scene appears below. 

Some of the cat-eye facts he took into account: The blurry edges of the pictures represent peripheral vision. Humans have a 20 degree range of peripheral vision on each side. Cats can see 30 degrees on each side. Their visual field overall is just bigger—they see 200 degrees compared to our 180 degrees.

Cat vision isn't so great at a distance. What we can see sharply from 100 feet away, they need to see at 20 feet. From what researchers can tell, cats can see blue and yellow colors, but not red, orange or brown, which is why all the images look a little washed out. Your kitty sees in Instagram, it seems. Not so good for looking at far-away, lush landscapes.

But the last image above shows how much better cats' night vision is.

Cats can see some six to eight times better than us in the dark, partially because they have more rods, a type of photoreceptor in the retina. Their elliptical pupils can open very wide in dim light, but contract to a tiny slit to protect the sensetive retina from bright light. And like other animals that evolved to hunt at night, cats have a tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer of tissue that bounces light that hits the back of the eye out through the retina again for a second chance to be absorbed by the rods. It's also what gives them those terrifying glowing eyes in pictures.

Now go stare deeply into the eyes of a beloved feline.

[thescienceofreality]

The Science of Flaming Farts. By Esther Inglis-Arkell | io9 | Image Credit: Gif made by The Science of Reality, video via Youtube.

You know you've always wondered why farting on a lighter causes a brief burst of flame. Believe it or not, there is rarely any methane in farts, and so methane is not what’s burning when farts are ignited. Find out what does, and why some farts ignite and others don’t.

It’s a commonly-held belief that farts contain methane, which is why they smell and they can ignite. And this would be true, if people were cows. Actually, the gut bacteria of humans generally don’t produce methane. There are certain kinds, which live in a certain percentage of the population, that do produce methane, but it’s far from in the majority of farts.

What actually makes it through your body will depend on many things, including what you put in. Eggs, cauliflower, and meats are often more sulfur-rich and so add a little hydrogen sulfide to the final, ah, product. As for the rest, the largest component is often nitrogen, which is already a good portion of the atmosphere, and so doesn’t ignite all that readily.

What will? Mostly it’s the hydrogen in the hydrogen sulfide that’s released. Occasionally, if the person does have the lucky gut that produces methane, it will burn along with the hydrogen. In order to get the most flammable fart, people will generally eat sulfur-rich foods. It’s not a good idea to hold them in and store them up, as to those who have tested the technique a held-in fart is less likely to catch fire.

A typical breakdown of the chemical composition of farts via About.com's Chemistry section:

Nitrogen: 20-90%

Hydrogen: 0-50% (flammable)

Carbon dioxide: 10-30%

Oxygen: 0-10%

Methane: 0-10% (flammable)

Oh, but don’t go for the matches just yet. About a quarter of the fart igniters get burned in the process. There is no way to stress how little anyone likes to get burned in that area. Worse, the ignition of the released fart can ignite gasses higher up the intestinal tract, and sometimes, high in the intestinal tract, there will be swallowed oxygen. Oxygen is swallowed daily, but generally doesn’t make it out of the body because it is so readily absorbed into cells.

Oxygen is also likely to ignite explosively if heated, and this has happened during surgical procedures carried out in the intestinal area – though there is no record of it happening when someone tried to ignite their farts. Still, it’s a bad idea to take even the most remote chance on an internal Hindenburg. Just let this knowledge seep into your mind, and keep your downstairs area well clear of it.

Via Fart Sounds

[thescienceofreality]

Elements in Fireworks via Milky way scientists via About.com  By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Fireworks are a traditional part of many celebrations, including Independence Day. There is a lot of physics and chemistry involved in making fireworks. Their colors come from the different temperatures of hot, glowing metals and from the light emitted by burning chemical compounds. Chemical reactions propel them and burst them into special shapes. Here's an element-by-element look at what is involved in your average firework:

Aluminum - Aluminum is used to produce silver and white flames and sparks. It is a common component of sparklers.

Antimony - Antimony is used to create firework glitter effects.

Barium - Barium is used to create green colors in fireworks, and it can also help stabilize other volatile elements.

Calcium - Calcium is used to deepen firework colors. Calcium salts produce orange fireworks.

Carbon - Carbon is one of the main components of black powder, which is used as a propellent in fireworks. Carbon provides the fuel for a firework. Common forms include carbon black, sugar, or starch.

Chlorine - Chlorine is an important component of many oxidizers in fireworks. Several of the metal salts that produce colors contain chlorine.

Copper - Copper compounds produce blue colors in fireworks.

Iron - Iron is used to produce sparks. The heat of the metal determines the color of the sparks.

Lithium - Lithium is a metal that is used to impart a red color to fireworks. Lithium carbonate, in particular, is a common colorant.

Magnesium - Magnesium burns a very bright white, so it is used to add white sparks or improve the overall brilliance of a firework.

Oxygen - Fireworks include oxidizers, which are substances that produce oxygen in order for burning to occur. The oxidizers are usually nitrates, chlorates, or perchlorates. Sometimes the same substance is used to provide oxygen and color.

Phosphorus - Phosphorus burns spontaneously in air and is also responsible for some glow-in-the-dark effects. It may be a component of a firework's fuel.

Potassium - Potassium helps to oxidize firework mixtures. Potassium nitrate, potassium chlorate, and potassium perchlorate are all important oxidizers.

Sodium - Sodium imparts a gold or yellow color to fireworks, however, the color may be so bright that it masks less intense colors.

Sulfur - Sulfur is a component of black powder. It is found in a firework's propellant/fuel.

Strontium - Strontium salts impart a red color to fireworks. Strontium compounds are also important for stabilizing fireworks mixtures.

Titanium - Titanium metal can be burned as powder or flakes to produce silver sparks.

Zinc - Zinc is used to create smoke effects for fireworks and other pyrotechnic devices.

Learn more about fireworks by clicking the following links:

History of Fireworks

How Fireworks Work

Firework Colors

[thescienceofreality]

The Science of Four-Leaf Clovers

The universally acknowledged Irish mascot that is the three-leafed clover is also known as trifolium repens, which hints at the rarity of the phenomenon of the very existence of a clover with four leaves. The first half of it's scientific name, trifolium, in layman's term means three-leafed. Statistically it's estimated one out of about every 10,000 clovers is four-leafed. 

This mis-interpreted symbol of luck is more of a genetic rarity than a bringer of good fortune. Scientists from the University of Georgia studied the DNA of the white clover in 2010, the same plant that is symbolically related with St. Patrick's Day, and not only discovered previously-unknown genes, but revealed one of the newly-observed genes was the very genetic mutation that caused the phenomenon of the "lucky" four-leaf clover. The scientists also revealed the reason four-leaf clovers are rare is because the very gene that causes the growth of an extra leaf is, more times than not, closeted by a different gene that regulates the three-leafed trait. The published work of these scientists is available here in the journal Crop Science.

Even more surprising is that the genetic rarity of extra-leaf-growth doesn't stop at four. There have been known instances of people finding five-leaf clovers, there's even a  Guinness world record for a clover with the most leaves, which just so happens to be 56, which was discovered by Shigeo Obara in Hanamaki City, Japan in 2009. Even better, Shigeo is a retired crop researcher, with a focus on breeding clovers, specifically, which means he had mutually impressive previous world records of abnormally leafed clovers. In 2008 he revealed his 21-leaf clover, which trumped his 18-leaf clover from 2002. 

So next time you find a four-or-more-leaf clover, don't thank luck, thank genetic mutations. While it is, and most likely forever will be, a symbol of good fortune, it is much more than that; due to it's abundance, and a family grouping of over 300 species in the Trifolium family, it is not only a vital crop for many farmers the world over, but can even be used as livestock feed or compost matter, and the clovers respective flowers are one of the honeybees' favourite main source for nectar. 

[thescienceofreality]

The Science of Ant Mills aka Death Spirals.

"Imagine a complex society that can accomplish amazing things, but also has an error in its programming that, occasionally, causes many of its members to run amok and die tragically. This is the situation faced by some species of ants, and the behavior is called a death spiral or an ant mill. You can see several examples in the videos below. The ants seem to have gone insane, walking in an endless circle together.

Ant Death Spiral:

Beebe (1921) described a circular mill he witnessed in Guyana. It measured 1200 feet in circumference and had a 2.5 hour circuit time per ant. The mill persisted for two days, “with ever increasing numbers of dead bodies littering the route as exhaustion took its toll, but eventually a few workers straggled from the trail thus breaking the cycle, and the raid marched off into the forest.”

The cause of this behavior is the technology ant societies use for ground navigation. They follow pheromone trails on the ground laid down by other ants, or they simply follow other ants visually. The system works well normally. A scout ant goes out and finds something. Other ants go back to get more by following the scent trail, or by following each other. However, if a loop gets created, the ants will march blindly, sometimes circling until they die.

You can see an ant pheromone trail being formed in this video: Fire ant pheromone." 

Watch more videos of ant mills here.

[thescienceofreality]

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines astronomy as "the science of objects and matter beyond the Earth's atmosphere", and astrology as "divination based upon the supposed influence of the stars upon human events". Now let's break this down below, not too much, but enough for you to see, through pure language, how obvious the difference is. 

Astronomy: "The science"[also defined as "an area of knowledge that is an object of study", or "knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained through the scientific method". Scientific method is, to put very simply, "finding and stating a problem, the collection of facts through observation and experiment, and the making and testing of ideas that need to be proven right or wrong."] "of objects and matter beyond the Earth's atmosphere."  So, to generally state, astronomy is a science based off of facts and findings, that are continually tested until proven true or false, concerning very real and solid objects and matter within the universe outside of our own planet. 

Astrology: "Divination" [defined as "the art or practice of using omens or magic powers to foretell the future"] "based upon the supposed" [with supposed defined as "mistakenly believed"] "influence of the stars upon human events." Which is very simply stated as practicing with superstitious and immensely exaggerated "magic" and/or "omens" to make generalized, and baseless, predictions for universally microscopic humans depending on our perceived position[s] of the [annual and daily] stars, constellations, and "heavenly bodies" of our night skies/celestial sphere.

In comparison, on one hand you have a science concerning the stars, and other celestial bodies, outside of Earth's own atmosphere and how they exist and coexist within their respected "systems". On the other hand you have an "art", of sorts, based upon superstitious and fallible predictions of individual human lives that are assumably determined by the stars and planets in relation to their positions within our skies. 

In ancient times astrology was so commonplace during the beginnings of astronomy that astronomers and astrologers were usually one in the same, and "well versed" in both subjects and practices. Although nowadays, thanks to the continuous advancements of  the science world and our growing knowledge of the universe, astrology may seem a bit silly and childish, but it's quite easy to understand, when looking into the origins of astronomy, why astrology was originally so popular and quickly accepted by our ancestors. 

The sun and moon in our sky clearly influence our lives in many ways, from determining seasons to causing the tides, as well as determining the daily amount daylight and darkness. The lunar phases even happen to coincide with many biological cycles, such as crops. Of course, when looking into the night sky, our ancestors observed the planets alongside the plethora of stars, including our own, and to them it seemed reasonable to assume they influenced our lives in just as many ways, if not more. Unbeknownst to them, their initial assumptions were correct, aside from positions of stars and planets directly effecting the social/personal aspects of human life, and would remain undiscovered for many years until our understanding of our solar system, and astronomy itself, evolved on many levels. 

Now we recognize the ideas of things like energy and gravity that explain the influences of our Sun and Moon, which also prove, with modern science, that the other planets are too far from us astronomically to have any significant infleunce on our own planet, or anything biological including ourselves and our lives. The data is shown below via this post here:

ON THE GRAVITATIONAL EFFECTS OF THE PLANETS, FROM NASA’S WEBSITE:

Here is a table of tidal forces of the Sun, Moon, and Planets. With the Sun’s tidal force equal to 1.00, the following values are given in Thompson (1981):

Moon: 2.21

Sun: 1.00

Venus: 0.000113

Jupiter: 0.0000131

Mars: 0.0000023

Mercury: 0.0000007

Saturn: 0.0000005

Uranus: 0.000000001

Neptune: 0.000000002

Pluto: 0.0000000000001

ON THE MAGNETIC EFFECTS OF THE PLANETS, FROM WIKIPEDIA:

Others have proposed conventional causal agents such as electro-magnetism within an intricate web of planetary fields and resonances in the solar system. Scientists dismiss magnetism as an implausible explanation, since the magnetic field of a large but distant planet such as Jupiter is far smaller than that produced by ordinary household appliances.

Astrology has fallen by the wayside and has become a children's topic compared to modern scientific endeavours and achievements. With the constant testing and re-testing associated with true science, astrology fails to meet the constantly-questioning requirements of scientific thinking and skepticism. 

While it's roots are easily understandable, considering the limited resources our ancestors had access to, you can now hopefully see why scientists, teachers, and science enthusiasts alike get upset when one mistakes astronomy for astrology and vice versa. With the ever advancing evolution of science, particularly astronomy, astrology became known as a "pseudo-science" of laughable proportions due to it's archaic basis that did not evolve respectably over the course of history through solid scientific methods. Now that you know the difference, I hope you continue to improve your own personal methods of scientific thinking, questioning, and skepticism, as well as straying from taking pseudo-sciences such as astrology as seriously as many people mistakenly still do. 

[thescienceofreality]

Ever wondered how food tastes in space?

"Canadians have a well-known love affair with maple syrup. So, naturally, when Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield took the reins as commander of the International Space Station, it was only a matter of time until the matter of Canadian cuisine came up. But what does food taste like in space? One student from Airdrie, Alberta asked that question during a "Let's Talk Science" event sponsered by the Canadian Space Agency. And Commander Hadfield has the answers.

The most interesting thing to take away from this video -- other than the endless pleasure of watching objects float around in zero gravity -- is Hadfield's description of what sounds like an outer space-induced head cold. The human body is so used to the pressures of gravity that it is constantly working to keep blood in the upper part of the body. But in space, the lack of gravity means blood is free to flow in any direction, something the body has to adjust to, resulting in excess fluids in the head. The result is stuffy sinuses and food that, "doesn't taste like anything."

After a few days the body adapts, and Hadfield assures the student audience that food tastes just the same as it does on Earth. He then proceeds to break out the contents of a Canadian goody bag recently brought to the station. Maple syrup in a tube? What will the Canadian Space Agency think of next?"

[thescienceofreality]

Quadriplegic uses her mind to control her robotic arm.

DARPA robot can traverse an obstacle course.

Genetically modified silk is stronger than steel.

DNA was photographed for the first time.

Invisibility cloak technology took a huge leap forward.

Spray-on skin.

James Cameron reached the deepest known point in the ocean.

Stem cells could extend human life by over 100 years.

3-D printer creates full-size house in one session.

Self-driving cars are legal in Nevada, Florida, and California.

Voyager I leaves the solar system.

Custom Jaw transplant created with 3-D printer.

Rogue planet[s] floating through space.

Chimera monkey's created from multiple embryos.

Artificial leaves generate electricity. 

Google goggles bring the internet everywhere.

Higgs-Boson Particle discovery.

Flexible, inexpensive solar panels challenge fossil fuel.

Diamond planet discovered.

Eye implants give sight to the blind.

Wales barcodes DNA of every flowering plant species in the country.

First unmanned commercial space flight docks with the ISS.

Ultra-flexible "willow" glass will allow for curved electronic devices.

NASA begins using robotic exoskeletons.

Human brain is hacked.

First planet with four suns discovered.

Microsoft patented the "Holodeck".

Learn more about each of these scientific break-throughs and discoveries here.

[thescienceofreality]

Coolest Science Stories of the Past Week

Ancient Romans ate like animals.

Pessimists may live longer.

Telepathic rats?

Nut-cracking monkeys show off.

Wanted: Married couple for Mars trip.

Saw-tooth shark.

Brain cells can outlive body.

When Iliad was published.

Ancient shoes turn up in temple.

Bones of Cleopatra’s sister?

[thescienceofreality]

British Columbia's Science World [TELUS World of Science] museum provides some unique scientific facts through their public advertisements. See more, including some videos like the one below, here and here.

Captions of images from left to right, starting at top:

You fart a balloon's worth of gas a day.

Your body contains enough carbon to fill 9,000 pencils.

Cat pee glows under black light.

You have 20sq. feet of skin.

You swallow a litre of snot every day.

Mosquitoes love the colour blue.

You see better when you're scared.

A blue whale's heart is the size of this car

Two most common fears: clowns and heights.

You eat 430 bugs every year.

[thescienceofreality]

This Week in Science:

Tractor beam [miniature] here. Temperature of the universe here. DNA storage here. Dung beetles here. Proto-bird here. Quadruple helix DNA here.

[thescienceofreality]

Is There Poop on the Moon? ft. Smarter Every Day

"In the new episode of Minutephysics, Henry, with a little help from Smarter Every Day, explains how astronauts dump their poop - and other liquid excretory products - when on a mission in space."

[thescienceofreality]

Why is it Dark at Night?

[thescienceofreality]

I finally made a page of a list of scientific terms & definitions that I compiled from multiple sources. [Many of the terms and definitions concern astronomical and cosmological branches of science.] Over the next few weeks I will be making posts for each letter grouping, starting today with the A group. The best way to learn about anything is to start with the basics, and one of the largest basics is vocabulary, so I hope you enjoy some science vocab!!

A

Absolute Magnitude - “A scale for measuring the actual brightness of a celestial object without accounting for the distance of the object. Absolute magnitude measures how bright an object would appear if it were exactly 10 parsecs (about 33 light-years) away from Earth. On this scale, the Sun has an absolute magnitude of +4.8 while it has an apparent magnitude of -26.7 because it is so close.”

Absolute Zero - “The temperature at which the motion of all atoms and molecules stops and no heat is given off. Absolute zero is reached at 0 degrees Kelvin or -273.16 degrees Celsius.”

Absorption Line - “A more or less narrow range of wavelengths in aspectrum that is darker than neighboring wavelengths. Absorption lines are seen in stars.”

Ablation - “A process by where the atmosphere melts away and removes the surface material of an incoming meteorite.”

Accretion - “The process by where dust and gas accumulated into larger bodies such as stars and planets.”

Accretion Disk - “A disk of gas that accumulates around a center of gravitational attraction, such as a white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole. As the gas spirals in, it becomes hot and emits light or even X-radiation.”

Achondrite - “A stone meteorite that contains no chondrules.”

Albedo - “The reflective property of a non-luminous object. A perfect mirror would have an albedo of 100% while a black hole would have an albedo of 0%.”

Albedo Feature - “A dark or light marking on the surface of an object that may or may not be a geological or topographical feature.”

Altitude - “The angular distance of an object above the horizon.”

Angles - “Are measured in degrees or arcminutes (denoted by a single quote) or arcseconds (denoted by a double quote) or radians. 1 radian = 180/pi = 57.2958 degrees, 1 degree = 1o = 60 arcminutes = 60’ = 3600 arcseconds = 3600”.”

Antimatter - “Matter consisting of particles with charges opposite that of ordinary matter.  In antimatter, protons have a negative charge while electrons have a positive charge.”

Antipodal Point - “A point that is on the direct opposite side of a planet.”

Apastron - “The point of greatest separation of two stars, such as in a binary star system.”

Aperture - “The size of the opening through which light passes in an optical instrument such as a camera or telescope. A higher number represents a smaller opening while a lower number represents a larger opening.”

Aphelion - “The point in the orbit of a planet or other celestial body where it is farthest from the Sun.”

Apogee - “The point in the orbit of the Moon or other satellite where it is farthest from the Earth.”

Apparent Magnitude - “The apparent brightness of an object in the sky as it appears to an observer on Earth. Bright objects have a low apparent magnitude while dim objects will have a higher apparent magnitude.”

Arc minutes - “There are 60 minutes (denoted as 60’) of arc in 1 degree. In the sky, with an unobstructed horizon (as on the ocean), one can see about 180 degrees of sky at once, and there are 90 degrees from the true horizon to the zenith. The full moon is about 30’ (30 arc minutes) across, or half a degree. There are 60 seconds (denoted 60”) of arc in one minute of arc.”

Asteroid - “A small planetary body in orbit around the Sun, larger than a meteoroid but smaller than a planet. Most asteroids can be found in a belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The orbits of some asteroids take them close to the Sun, which also takes them across the paths of the planets.”

Astrochemistry - “The branch of science that explores the chemical interactions between dust and gas interspersed between the stars.”

Astronomical Unit (AU) - “A unit of measure equal to the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, approximately 93 million miles.”

Astronomy - “The branch of science that deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole.”

Astrometry - “The careful, precise measurement of astronomical objects, usually made with respect to standard catalogues of star positions. For comet orbit computations, astrometry good to 1” or 2” (1 or 2 arc seconds), or better, is the standard nowadays.”

Atmosphere - “A layer of gases surrounding a planet, moon, or star. The Earth’s atmosphere is 120 miles thick and is composed mainly of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and a few other trace gases.”

Aurora - “A glow in a planet’s ionosphere caused by the interaction between the planet’s magnetic field and charged particles from the Sun. This phenomenon is known as the Aurora Borealis in the Earth’s northern hemisphere and the Aurora Australis in the Earth’s Southern Hemisphere.”

Aurora Australis - “Also known as the southern lights, this is an atmospheric phenomenon that displays a diffuse glow in the sky in the southern hemisphere. It is caused by charged particles from the Sun as they interact with the Earth’s magnetic field. Known as the Aurora Borealis in the northern hemisphere.”

Aurora Borealis - “Also known as the northern lights, this is an atmospheric phenomenon that displays a diffuse glow in the sky in the northern hemisphere. It is caused by charged particles from the Sun as they interact with the Earth’s magnetic field. Known as the Aurora Australis in the southern hemisphere.”

Axis - “Also known as the poles, this is an imaginary line through the center of rotation of an object.”

Azimuth - “The angular distance of an object around or parallel to the horizon from a predefined zero point.”