Dichotomy’s non-random science questions.

[dichotomy]

a,b: Repositioning of individual atom

 

Ok, I think I have found my answer.

[dichotomy]

Q 32.

Ok, amino acids have been found in interstellar clouds and in meteorites.

 

I can understand finding amino acids in meteorites. But how, basically, do they gather that information from interstellar clouds? Are these 'clouds' near by enough to sample?

 

Extraterrestrial Enigma: Missing Amino Acids In Meteorites

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031104064412.htm

[swansont]

Absorption spectroscopy, most likely. A broadband source of light from a star passes through the cloud and atoms/molecules in it will absorb according to their characteristic spectrum. Since the atoms or molecules couldn't exist in the star, and/or don't have the right red- or blueshift of the star, it can be deduced it came from somewhere in between us and the star.

[dichotomy]

Absorption spectroscopy sounds good to me. I thought there had to be something easier than shooting a space probe into intersteller clouds to retrieve samples. Thanks Swanny!

 

 

Q 33. Why do so many continents and large land masses have a pointy side at the southern side, and a bulky north side?

 

E.g. Nth America, Sth America, Africa, India, Australia, Tasmania, Greenland. Even if you look at the southern parts of Eurasia they seem to be pointing south. There seem to be a lot of triangles out there.

 

Gee, I would have thought this would be a relatively straight forward question??!