General Science Discussion Thread!

Solar panels charge batteries regardless so that's just pedantic. The whole thing is a system, not literally just the solar cell panel.
 
I guess it depends on what system you have. My family actually has a solar cell that we use to recharge RV batteries and it can't store anything without a battery as far as I can tell. As in there isn't a battery as part of the actual solar panel/cell that we bought.

Or maybe there might be, I haven't examined it closely. My job was to build a cradle for the solar panel, not hook it up to the batteries.
 
Duskull said:
Looks like teleportation may become possible.

http://elitedaily.com/news/world/scientific-breakthrough-may-laid-groundwork-human-teleportation/613912/?twitter=yes&utm_content=buffer7ae65&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

The atoms would need to be completely still, so dead. Also, travelling at a speed faster than light is a contradiction to a fundamental rule of physics, so...
 
Morty said:
Are you here to discuss science or just to try to make Dazzler a reality?
Actually, I did read some sciency thing a while ago where they talked about potentially using really loud areas (such as subway tunnels) and taking the vibrations from the walls and turning them into usable energy.

Don't know how far along that project is, or if they've even started work on it, but it's a nice idea if it can be worked out.
 
It's possible, but there's so little energy in sound that it's totally not worth even trying, especially when there's already a good assload of clean and renewable energy sources that are efficient and plentiful. Sounds and vibrations that will be worthwhile are beyond human tolerance and would probably require more energy put into it than what would come out.

I guess on small-scale terms there's some ideas floating around about having sidewalk panels that collect energy from footsteps and use it to light the way and such. Ideas like these are nifty but probably can only power like a streelight and that's it. It's something, though!!
 
For some reason I decided to look up something I could do as a kid. It's where I can make this thundering/drumming sound within my head. I always thought that I was weird, but now after looking it up, I guess it's a thing.

It's called "Voluntary control of the Tensor Tympani". I kind of looked it up, but apparently it's this thing that is a very rare trait you can have.

Do any of you think you could possibly explain it and what the purpose of it is? (I post it here since it's about a biological part of the body and it's related to science).
 
I'm not sure what causes one to have voluntary control of it, but according to the Wikipedia article, its purpose is to dampen sounds, and what you hear is the sound produced by the contraction of the muscle.
 

If this is of any interest to anybody. It's caused by the melted potassium chlorate, which is oxidised, mixing with the glucose in the gummy bear.
 
Is this similar to the screaming Jelly Babies (or whatever they're called?)
 
oh dear god my parents still think vaccines might give you autism

i mean, they would never hold me or my sister back from getting a vaccine, but wow

i'm not even usually one to criticize my parents, i just wish that they'd listen to me when i tell them it's from a medical journal in 98 that was discredited with fraud
 
Well to anyone who refuses to give their kids vaccines because they believe it causes autism, they're wrong, but let's imagine it's true for a second.

They'd rather have their kid die from a rare and painful and easily preventable disease rather than having a chance at getting any sort of autism.

wat gr8 parenting
 
Morty said:
They'd rather have their kid die from a rare and painful and easily preventable disease rather than having a chance at getting any sort of autism.
but autism is a mental disease

Seriously, there are people who think ADHD is a disease, so I wouldn't be surprised if they think autism is a disease as well.

That's what they think, right?
 
Autism isn't a 100% bad thing, it's a differently structured brain development like ADHD. People tend to ignore the good parts about autistic people rather than highlight some good parts of it. It's exactly like ADHD.
 
One of my best friends has ADHD. He basically gets distracted very easily. Very easily.
 
drugs, attention, trying to be edgy, some sort of victim complex, using it as an excuse for actions, etc.
 
Baby Man said:
Autism isn't a 100% bad thing, it's a differently structured brain development like ADHD. People tend to ignore the good parts about autistic people rather than highlight some good parts of it. It's exactly like ADHD.

^this.

people are just afraid of what they don't understand. there's nothing all that alarming or new about autism, it's just a different way the brain can be wired.

hell, i have (actually clinically diagnosed) autism and i got along just fine.
 
Doctor Walter Bishop said:
i never understand why people are so eager to diagnose themselves with ADD, ADHD, OCD, and the like
what anton said, plus doctors and teachers also seem to be more eager to diagnose kids with it these days

i nearly got labeled as ADHD by my kindergarten teacher before my mom was like "no you're stupid, he's just too advanced for this class because he can read"

i don't know where i'd be today if i was constantly drugged on ADHD meds
 
Dr. Javelin said:
Doctor Walter Bishop said:
i never understand why people are so eager to diagnose themselves with ADD, ADHD, OCD, and the like
what anton said, plus doctors and teachers also seem to be more eager to diagnose kids with it these days

i nearly got labeled as ADHD by my kindergarten teacher before my mom was like "no you're stupid, he's just too advanced for this class because he can read"

i don't know where i'd be today if i was constantly drugged on ADHD meds
You become completely different on those meds. Truly, you do. I took myself off of them about a year ago and I feel so much better without them than with them.
 
Doctor Walter Bishop said:
i never understand why people are so eager to diagnose themselves with ADD, ADHD, OCD, and the like

Self-diagnosis is NEVER a smart thing to do. I'm clinically diagnosed with ADHD, so I know what I'm talking about. All of this self-diagnosis business is merely a form of confirmation bias.

Look, having some urge to 100% game and perfect things is NOT OCD.
 
Back