SMF

Lots of information on magnetic fields. http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=earthquake+magnetic+field&hl=en&btnG=Search&as_sdt=1%2C5&as_sdtp=on

Kellymae, I think that rabies is one of those viruses that infects many species, but kills only a few. In my area skunks raised for several generations in captivity can give the virus to another critter, including humans. SM

DrmDoc: Science is a process whereby unexplained phenomena are studied by making logical hypotheses for explanatory mechanisms and then test them by making observations under varying conditions. This process is worthless if the results are not published in a form that allows others to replicate your observations and do more research to advance the knowledge. You are making assertions regarding a phenomenon without providing any scientific basis. Just because your ideas seem to make sense doesn’t mean that they have any relationship to reality. I could claim that dreaming is just an epiphenomenon of housekeeping and data processing organizational functions required for our complex biological computer brain to keep track of reality, and this has just as much validity as what you are saying because I also have no data to support this. So far, what you are asserting is all just opinion, not science, and without the science part there is no way for anyone to evaluate what you say and no way for knowledge to progress. You are just offering your opinion on a website dedicated to science. One of the truths regarding the scientific investigation of brain function that was established many years ago with the abandonment of, for example, Phrenology, was that trying to infer interior mechanisms of the brain on the basis of simple observations of the output of the brain is not at all productive and very, very rarely accurate. What you say may or may not have some relationship to reality, but you have provided no rigorous way to evaluate it. If you have some replicable evidence, publish it and tell us about it. If you wish to just express your opinions, find a dream opinion site to have fun with. SM

Csmyth3025, if Heinlein's vision, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," comes about there will be no worry. One really interesting idea in that novel was the underground human flight chambers. SM

Imatfaal, thanks. I have been just copy-pasting URLs and they usually become clickable. Now I know what to do, that is RTFL. SM

Jeff, I don't think that there has ever been any scientific analysis of dream content that reliably related it to any purposeful thought process, but I wouldn't mind being proven wrong. I do think that all the creativity and meaningful content relative to dreams has been generated by awake minds in retrospect. At least, this is what I gleaned from a conversation with a sleep researcher sometime back. I do know that there is a lot of speculation about this topic, but speculation alone is not science. Just go back to the Google Scholar search and start playing with the search terms, maybe there is something really interesting in the scientific literature. SM

This isn't my area, but I think I recall that the tides on earth are slowing the moon so the earth-moon distance is increasing. Eventually the tides will stop the earth from rotating, relative to the moon, so that both would be tidally locked (not just the moon). If you change the earths rotation, this would shift the time to tidal lock and alter the ultimate moon-earth orbit. I don't know if this would ultimately effect a change in the earth-moon orbit around the sun. SM

There is a lot of opinions here regarding dreaming sleep. Yes it is sleep. For some science, here is a link to a simple Google Scholar search. http://scholar.google.com/scholar?start=0&q=sleep+dream+brain+function&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5 SM

CaptainPanic. I was just thinking that trying to radiate heat to condense water vapor for the generator cycle might take a monster radiator because condensing steam is done at such low temperatures. I suppose you could use a fluid for the turbines that condensed from a vapor at a very high temperature. SM

Csmyth3025. Obviously, Dr. Cooper introduced an interesting concept not a practical transport system. The moon would make it easier to keep the tunnels airless, but maglev for reducing friction isn't energy free and I wonder if the travel time might be quite long in the lesser gravity. If anybody wants to run the math to find out see here- www.physics.unlv.edu/~maxham/gravitytrain.pdf I kind of like the billboard idea. Vacuum Burgers. Lunatic Laundry. Craters of Mystery. See Armstrong's actual footprint HERE! You wouldn't see "one day service." SM EDIT- I don't know why the link doesn't work, but it copy-pastes OK

I think this is a real phenomenon with a longstanding unproven hypothesis that it is due to piezoelectric electricity from breaking rock during an earthquake. There are a couple of other hypotheses that are also unproven. The only explanation that can be ruled out as a hoax or conspiracy theory is attributing this to HAARP. SM

I don't think Honda used a Wankel engine in any production car. These engines had a very good horsepower to weight ratio, were not very efficient, and tended to wear out quickly. I had a Mazda RX7 and it was fun to drive but hard to keep in tune. SM

CaptainPanic, why such a big difference between a spacecraft and a reactor? We are only talking about 100 degrees C, but a huge output. SM

Cooling is a big problem in space because there can be no conduction or convection, only radiation. As for generating power in space, in Japan Mitsubishi Electric and IHI Corp. are working on a space based solar power plant. Similarly, in California Solaren and PG&E are working on solar powered space based electricity generation. http://inhabitat.com/japan-plans-21-billion-solar-space-post-to-power-294000-homes/ http://cleantech.com/news/4361/solarens-plan-outer-space SM

Messenger. You have not presented any credible evidence to support your original claims. Instead you have taken the graphics of others and interpreted them according to your own bias. I wonder what the authors of some of the graphs you have copied would have to say about your conclusions. So, you have not provided any citations to substantiate your claims; you have only presented your own opinions. Your most dramatic error involves the "400 Years of Sunspot Observations" graph which you present to demonstrate that the current increase in temperature is due to insolation from the sun. Unfortunately, instead the graph supports what I have said, sun activity has been flat since 1950. The 11 year cycle of sunspot number averages to a slight decline during the period of rapid warming and CO2 increase, not a dramatic increase. In any case, sunspot number only accounts for a few watts (/meter squared) of variability in the sun's energy. In science, in order to make your case you have to reference a scientific article in which the conclusions from the research actually support your claims. SM Marat. Could you please explain for me how I should interpret your complete inability to support any of your scientific claims while continuing to make political comments on a science forum? Lets start over. Find just one climate science publication in a peer reviewed journal in which the author suggests that an ice age is imminent and there should be some concern about this, or admit that you are wrong. Just one. SM

Zack. Normally the mucus flow is just swallowed without notice. When the flow is high from disease or a smoker, for example, evolution provided us with the cough reflex. When I have a problem with sticky mucus from a virus or allergies I use an over the counter expectorant (e.g. containing guaifenesin) to make it more liquid and easier for the cilia and coughing to clear it. If you have a lot of problems with this for more than a week or so I suggest talking to a physician. Keep in mind that the process of up-regulating mucus production is a natural response that actually helps with the condition that one might have, it is just annoying. SM

Anything that doesn't reflect any visible light appears to be black. Otherwise a warm blooded animal in a light-less environment, such as a cave, could be detected on the basis of infrared radiation. SM

Messenger: Climate scientists are quite aware of the lag in CO2 for some warming periods, and it is true that it is secondary to other forcings in those instances. However, the warming during those periods was contributed to by the increase in CO2 as a positive feedback. This is part of the supporting evidence regarding the atmospheric effects of CO2. This is not one of Gore’s arguments; he is just reporting what has been well verified by the science. Please show some science that contradicts it. The current rise in temperature is quite close to that predicted from the physics. Please provide some research that is contradictory. The increase of temperature from decreasing albedo is not exponential, but it is definitely a positive feedback. Please provide a reference. Regarding your bit about the effects of fresh water in the Gulf Stream, there have been some hypotheses but nothing definite. References please The sun has been pretty constant during the period of increase in temperature predicted by the increase in CO2. Climate scientists always include this in their calculations. Another contradictory reference is needed. Thousands of scientists worldwide have come up with a physical description of the effects of increasing CO2 from fossil sources. Gore reported it pretty accurately. You are asserting that this is not true so you should back up your claims. If you are correct, this should be pretty easy, but keep in mind that opinions of non-experts is not evidence. I am also interested where you got your ideas regarding atmospheric physics. SM

Marat. You apparently don't wish to read any of the links I provided. So, instead I challenge you to support your assertions: There was a rising drumbeat of panic among climate scientists about a coming ice age? I claim that this is urban legend. That methane from humans and cows could make any detectible effect on global temperature? I say not true. Central Greenland was agricultural and supported large Viking communities where there are now glaciers? A nice story but impossible. That there are competing groups of climate scientists? I claim that more than 97% of the thousands of practicing climate scientists world wide are the group that supports the consensus, so who are the other guys? Since you have ignored the information I have supplied to support my assertions, and because this is a science site, it is your turn to support what you say. You seem to believe that this is an important topic so be serious, only peer reviewed science please. SM

Here is a little slimy information related to this thread. In the epithelia of the respiratory tract there are a large number of cells that specifically produce mucus called goblet cells because of their appearance in stained microscope sections. These cells line parts of the nose, the trachea, bronchi, and the many bronchioles in the lungs to help generate a primary function of this air conducting system, which is to clean the air. Entering air swirls around and much of the particulate matter in the air sticks in the mucus layer. The other primary cell type in this epithelia are ciliated cells that sweep the mucus up and out of the lungs and down from the nose to be swallowed. When the air is dusty, smokey, or there is an infection this great mucus river is increased to try to flush out the problem. In the stomach and intestinal tract are many cells, many of which are goblet cells, whose function is to produce mucus, but here it is a lubricant for moving food and provides protection for the epithelial layer. Digestive enzymes and acids could digest the epithelia without some protection. Here the mucus interacts and is a part of an epithelia cell surface coat (glycocalyx) that both protects the cells while promoting transport of digested food (e.g. sugars, amino acids, fatty acids) from the GI lumen into the epithelial cells for use by the body. Below is an illustration of the great mucus river. SM

Without friction the transition would take ~42.2 minutes and the speed passing through the center would be 7,900 meters/second. Interestingly, a tunnel between any two points on the earth would make a gravity powered transit in exactly the same amount of time. This is called a gravity train- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_train and was originally proposed by Paul Cooper in the American Journal of Physics, 1966. SM

Yes boss. Actually, gladly yes. SM

Rktpro. I had a similar experience a long time ago. The dentist knocked off some chunks for me to examine. SM

Marat. I think you live on a different planet than I do. On my planet the manufacture of PV solar panels, inverters, solar water heaters, wind generators, house insulation, and so on, are real products with real value to everyone. Not only that they save money in the long run. Not only that they require people to make and install them. If you think this makes me a neo liberal then I embrace the label. I think you should consider switching your concerns from politics to science and practical solutions because all those people worldwide that you are worried about are going to be having major problems as fossil energy costs go way up and food production suffers from environmental degradation. The sooner we get off of our fossil fuel habit the more likely there will be some of this precious stuff left for manufacturing plastics, medicine, and whatever instead of just burning it. SM

Lemur. Insulation makes a huge difference. Here is a personal anecdote-- Around 1990 I had a friend who moved his lab to a university in northern Ohio. He purchased a house that had been constructed by a builder who was really into energy conservation. The first time I visited it was well below freezing and there was six inches of snow on the ground. There was a 500 gallon tank of hot water fed by solar water heaters on the roof that was used to heat the house so the natural gas heater usually ran only in the early AM. The day I was there it was cloudy but the water coming from the solar heater to the tank was 120 degrees F. In the summer heat the house was comfortable with no installed air conditioning system. The well done insulation in the house is what made the difference. This is not rocket science and usually pays for itself in less than 10 years after which the house continues to save. Like big business, home owners and lending agencies are more concerned with the short term. SM