This is supposed to be a 3D print of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, from the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. When I saw it, I thought that it looked very familiar from 25 or 30 years ago... and should for any SCA member of about my vintage.


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CBC Radio's national science show "Quirks and Quarks" usually ends with a question from a listener, answered by a specialist that the show has found. This weekend's question is from me:Given all of the TV shows and movies about "mutants", I've been wondering: what proportion of humans are really mutants? That is, having at least one gene that's ( Read more... )

I'm not sure about the Latin. But I've joined the mass exodus from LJ. I've been get-around-to-it-one-of-these-days-ing about moving to Dreamwidth for quite a while; sometimes I need a kick in the pants.  LJ's new terms of service provided that kick.  I feel that if I want to quote Randy Rainbow in saying that P. and the Ritz "love dic... ( Read more... )

The CBC just reported the discovery of a supermassive black hole, of the kind that usually sits at the center of a galaxy, travelling at extremely high speed away from its galaxy.  It's believed to be the result of the merger of two galaxies, with their respective central black holes merging and being flung away ( Read more... )

It would not have occurred to me that one might create permanganate at home by dissolving steel wool in bleach.  Nevertheless: I've got that distinctive grape-juice colour that first-year chem students at Queen's used to ask me "is this a purple solution?" about ( Read more... )

Part of quantum murphydynamics, we have conservation of murphions:

1. If a thing is fixed, another thing will break.
2. If a problem is prevented, another failure will become possible.

 

The other day, in a conversation about the meme of "X is natural, so it's good for you!", I jokingly suggested strychnine arsenate.  Strychnine is an alkaloid, so can form a compound with acids, for example arsenic acid (H₃AsO₄, analogous to phosphoric acid).I am slightly surprised to discover that not only is it a thing, not merely is it a ( Read more... )

But on drying, gerbil pee leaves a tough white residue, poorly soluble in water and difficult to remove from a plastic surface without damage to the plastic.  However, it is readily soluble in concentrated hydrochloric acid, with evolution of gas.  I suspect it's giving off CO2, but I don't have the resources to try to confirm.  It would probably ( Read more... )

I've heard that when people are put in an environment that's completely devoid of day/night cues, they tend to adopt a wake/sleep cycle of about 26 hours.  (On average; there's considerable individual variation, as with any human characteristic.)  So what happens if people are put in an evironment that matches their wake/sleep period?  Do they tend ( Read more... )

The Utah DEA is now concerned that marijuana farms will lead to rabbits getting stoned and not showing their normal habits of self-preservation ( Read more... )