Conversations About Science

[worldspy99]

Fascinating read...
?Smoking-gun evidence? of galaxies forming from a cold flow | Ars Technica

 

[N_LaRUE]

So a bit of a story and some links.

When I was in Finland visiting family one of my wife's cousins has a two year old. Now aside from the (hysterical) little evil laugh she picked up (she uses it when she's going to do something bad which makes it even funnier) which would make a exorcists take notice she had something that reminded me of a couple of articles I'd read in the past. It had to do with her grip. Now I don't have kids but I can tell you one thing, trying to get anything off this child when she had a grip on it was difficult. I'm pretty confident this is not unique.

In infants it's known as the Palmar Grasp Reflex. This is a vestige of our common ancestry with apes and monkeys. The grip is fairly strong. How strong? Follow the links for some interesting pictures and videos.

https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2009/07/16/the-vestigial-grasp-of-infants/

https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/the-grasping-reflex-of-babies-a-vestigial-trait/

I know there's many who still question evolution but I think it's by far the coolest thing.

 

[Pete]

I seem to remember that Mythbusters tested this a few years ago - as in "How hard is it really to take candy from a baby?".

There's also an emotional strength that can't be measured in Newtons.

 

[N_LaRUE]

I seem to remember that Mythbusters tested this a few years ago - as in "How hard is it really to take candy from a baby?".

There's also an emotional strength that can't be measured in Newtons.

Episode 153 – "MiniMyth Madness"

It is easy to take candy from a baby.

Adam and Jamie measured the amounts of force required to simply pick up a lollipop versus taking one from a baby. They tried snatching the lollipop from babies of various ages (6–18 months), and found that the babies would actively fight to keep the candy. Younger ones tended to use brute force to hold on to the lollipop, while older ones used different tactics such as crying and moving the candy out of reach. Picking up the candy required 0.08 pounds-force (0.36 N), while taking it from the babies took an average of 2.01 pounds-force (8.9 N), indicating that the latter is actually harder to do than the former.

BUSTED

Though this is interesting I prefer the pictures in the article.

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

Thanks for those articles, N_LaRUE. Great reads.

 

[N_LaRUE]

Thanks for those articles, N_LaRUE. Great reads.

Glad you liked them.

Ignorance, there is a cure.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Mark your calendar ? rare ?Supermoon? total lunar eclipse this month | Local News - KCCI Home

 

[worldspy99]

I have always been fascinated with neutrinos. This is a really nice article...
Signs of neutrinos from the dawn of time, less than a second after the Big Bang | Ars Technica

 

[N_LaRUE]

I can't wait to hear more about this. This is really fascinating.

New human-like species discovered in S Africa - BBC News

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/sep/10/new-species-of-ancient-human-discovered-claim-scientists

 

[Laura Knotek]

8 Scientific Discoveries That Prove Evolution is Real

 

[worldspy99]

Never mix science and politics, but what the heck. This was an interesting article nonetheless...very classy Governor!
California governor sends Ben Carson a thumbdrive with climate change report | Ars Technica

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

Brilliant YouTube channel if you have a bit of extra time.
https://youtu.be/zY-PBkxAE0Y

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[worldspy99]

What an awesome video!
You probably know that our solar system is big. But do you have a grasp on just how big it really is?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=414&v=zR3Igc3Rhfg

 

[Laura Knotek]

Beauty beyond - winning astronomy photography - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34256496

Sent from my rooted Nexus 7 (2013) using Tapatalk

 

[Laura Knotek]

Bloomberg - Gliding at the Edge of Space for Science http://bloom.bg/1j9Sbpx

Sent from my rooted Nexus 7 (2013) using Tapatalk

 

[Laura Knotek]

[h=1]That Stinky Cheese Is a Result of Evolutionary Overdrive[/h]http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/29/s...se-is-a-result-of-evolutionary-overdrive.html

 

[worldspy99]

Reading this made me very happy. I hate Styrofoam with a passion as it is so difficult to recycle and doesn't decompose very easily.
http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/30/mealworms-styrofoam-soil/

 

[Laura Knotek]

World's oceans facing biggest coral die-off in history, scientists warn

http://www.theguardian.com/environm...gest-coral-die-off-in-history-scientists-warn

 

[worldspy99]

Not a fun science story to read...
http://m.sfgate.com/education/article/Embattled-astonomer-resigns-from-UC-Berkeley-post-6570702.php

 

[Laura Knotek]

If anyone has Netflix, please check out "The Physics of Light". It is a Korean series that is awesome so far. I've watched the first two episodes: Einstein's special theory of relativity and general theory of relativity. The shows explain both in a way that is understandable to the general public. They also provide historical background into Einstein's life at the time. Very cool stuff. I can't wait to watch the other episodes.