Interesting Stuff Thread

Bannasidhe · 19-06-2013 11:22PM

recedite wrote: »

They already have a shot of Uranus.

Oh thank goodness, I was afraid the Sunday People had that. There's a load off.

Hotblack Desiato · 20-06-2013 12:14AM

Bannasidhe wrote: »

I plan to moon it.

Careful now.

'Naked rambler' Stephen Gough jailed for flouting Asbo

Bannasidhe · 20-06-2013 12:47PM

ninja900 wrote: »

Careful now.

'Naked rambler' Stephen Gough jailed for flouting Asbo

I was intending to moon it from the comfort of my enclosed back garden rather than Glasgow so I should be ok...

Gbear · 20-06-2013 02:56PM

There seems to a be a lot of crazy in Australia but there's little interesting nuggets that come out of that part of the world every now and again:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-20/nsw-passes-controversial-vaccination-laws/4769002

From next January, a childcare centre can refuse to enrol a child whose parents or guardians cannot show proof of vaccination or provide an approved exemption.

Sulla Felix · 20-06-2013 03:08PM

Gbear wrote: »

There seems to a be a lot of crazy in Australia but there's little interesting nuggets that come out of that part of the world every now and again:

http://Iwww.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-20/nsw-passes-controversial-vaccination-laws/4769002

I don't mind that at all. Unfortunately people are going to listen to jim carey before a qualified epedemiologist. The only answer to wilful ignorance on the issue is a nice big stick.

Anyway, what I came to post:
The Greeks who worship the ancient gods http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22972610

I particularly like the part where other religions have to get permission from the orthodox church to build a temple/church.

recedite · 20-06-2013 09:43PM

President Obama criticizes religious segregation of kids inherent in church owned schools. Lots of people get upset.
Good old JFK would never have said anything like that. Now he was a true Irishman. If only we could have him back again.

joseph brand · 20-06-2013 10:02PM

Microbiome of the upper troposphere: (Earth is surrounded by a bubble of bacteria, 33,000 feet above)

Also here:

Earth’s upper atmosphere—below freezing, nearly without oxygen, flooded by UV radiation—is no place to live. But last winter, scientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology discovered that billions of bacteria actually thrive up there. Expecting only a smattering of microorganisms, the researchers flew six miles above Earth’s surface in a NASA jet plane. There, they pumped outside air through a filter to collect particles. Back on the ground, they tallied the organisms, and the count was staggering: 20 percent of what they had assumed to be just dust or other particles was alive. Earth, it seems, is surrounded by a bubble of bacteria

Hotblack Desiato · 20-06-2013 11:31PM

Maybe Mars isn't as inhospitable for life as we thought!

Sulla Felix · 20-06-2013 11:45PM

ninja900 wrote: »

Maybe Mars isn't as inhospitable for life as we thought!

I've never gotten a straight answer to this but it probably goes in my "Things I believe without any evidence" list, I think life on Earth probably started in relatively easy places, and only colonized the extremes of the atmosphere, places like sulphuric acid baths, deep ice and so on, in increments.

I'd love to be shown otherwise though.

Hotblack Desiato · 21-06-2013 12:28AM

Still though, it's colonised places not thought possible until recently, e.g. black smokers.

Sarky · 21-06-2013 03:13AM

Aye, hydrothermal vents and the isolated ecosystems that grow around them are incredible. Beautiful, colourful life thriving at huge pressure and temperature, in pitch darkness the sun could never reach. Amazing stuff.

Was it Douglas Adams who said it (or something like it)? "life flourishes everywhere it possibly can; where it can't, it just takes a little longer."

Hotblack Desiato · 21-06-2013 03:18AM

I was told as a kid that all life on earth depended on sunlight. WRONG!!!!! :pac:

kiffer · 21-06-2013 08:38AM

Sarky wrote: »

Aye, hydrothermal vents and the isolated ecosystems that grow around them are incredible. Beautiful, colourful life thriving at huge pressure and temperature, in pitch darkness the sun could never reach. Amazing stuff.

Was it Douglas Adams who said it (or something like it)? "life flourishes everywhere it possibly can; where it can't, it just takes a little longer."

Think that was Terry Pratchett...
There's also a lovely line where he describes a volcanic vent on the ocean floor, how no light reaches and none of the animals even have eyes, but for some reason the worm living there is a beautiful shade of red.

ninja900 wrote: »

I was told as a kid that all life on earth depended on sunlight. WRONG!!!!! :pac:

In fairness it takes a while for these things to trickle down...

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10336-gold-mine-holds-life-untouched-by-the-sun.html#.UcQCVSXhTFo

legspin · 21-06-2013 09:07AM

http://www.upworthy.com/long-shot-doctors-inject-fatal-virus-into-dying-girl-this-100-true-story-will-amaze-you?g=2&c=ufb1

I hope this is true.

Hotblack Desiato · 21-06-2013 09:15AM

Did they dilute it a million million million times first?

kiffer · 21-06-2013 09:24AM

ninja900 wrote: »

Did they dilute it a million million million times first?

The "this is 100% true" in the url sets off my quack alarm but it's true...

Sarky · 22-06-2013 02:33AM

ninja900 wrote: »

I was told as a kid that all life on earth depended on sunlight. WRONG!!!!! :pac:

To be fair, hydrothermal vent life does depend at least indirectly on sunlight. A lot of the nutrients come from the vent, but a solid chunk of it comes from dead animals that DID depend on the sun eventually settling to the depths. We've only known about the vents for a few decades (seriously, it's hard to find anything 3km below sea level), so we still know awfully little about them.

Genomics and sequencing technology have really blossomed in the last ten years though, and with industries so keen to find proteins and enzymes that can withstand extreme pressure and temperature while doing their jobs, obscure ecosystems are among the first to be put through the bioinformatics wringer. Expect a whole lot of interesting stuff to come out of them.

Genghiz Cohen · 24-06-2013 09:25AM

Sarky wrote: »

To be fair, hydrothermal vent life does depend at least indirectly on sunlight. A lot of the nutrients come from the vent, but a solid chunk of it comes from dead animals that DID depend on the sun eventually settling to the depths. We've only known about the vents for a few decades (seriously, it's hard to find anything 3km below sea level), so we still know awfully little about them.

Genomics and sequencing technology have really blossomed in the last ten years though, and with industries so keen to find proteins and enzymes that can withstand extreme pressure and temperature while doing their jobs, obscure ecosystems are among the first to be put through the bioinformatics wringer. Expect a whole lot of interesting stuff to come out of them.

YOU TAKE YOUR SEMANTICS AND YOU GET OUT! GET OUT RIGHT NOW!

Liamario · 24-06-2013 03:51PM

4min 45secs to be precise.

What the actual ****.

endacl · 24-06-2013 04:02PM

legspin wrote: »

http://www.upworthy.com/long-shot-doctors-inject-fatal-virus-into-dying-girl-this-100-true-story-will-amaze-you?g=2&c=ufb1

I hope this is true.

Again. Absolutely in awe of clever people and the ideas they have.

Genghiz Cohen · 24-06-2013 04:05PM

...Where will you be when the acid kicks in....

endacl · 24-06-2013 04:05PM

Liamario wrote: »

4min 45secs to be precise.

What the actual ****.

It's finally happened! He's lost the plot!

FouxDaFaFa · 24-06-2013 07:11PM

Liamario wrote: »

4min 45secs to be precise.

What the actual ****.

One of the weirdest things I've seen in a while.

Did he intend it to look like a crazy cultish brainwashing video?

ShooterSF · 24-06-2013 07:41PM

Its like this but on acid:

Galvasean · 24-06-2013 08:39PM

Liamario wrote: »

4min 45secs to be precise.

What the actual ****.

And they say Dawkins has no sense of humour?

endacl · 24-06-2013 08:40PM

Galvasean wrote: »

And they say Dawkins has no sense of humour?

Indeed! That shirt...

Hotblack Desiato · 24-06-2013 09:39PM

It's not all sunshine and rainbows in the ET world:

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/pupils-beaten-and-handcuffed-on-school-trip-claim-parents-29366921.html

Parents have complained that children from Griffeen Valley Educate Together School in Dublin were seriously bullied by classmates on a trip to a Gaelteacht in Co Donegal.

They have claimed that their children were handcuffed before being punched and kicked by other pupils during a visit to the Annagary Irish-speaking area.

According to one parent, the teachers slept in one house during the five-night trip in May, while the children were housed in a nearby property.

Several parents staged a sit-in at the school in Lucan after the trip to force the board of management to hold an emergency meeting on the matter.

It is understood that the school's anti-bullying procedures have been implemented, including suspensions and mediation and counselling for pupils.

Principal Tomas O Dulaing did not respond to Irish Independent attempts to contact him last night.

He is a member of the United Left Alliance and is vocal on issues relating to cuts in funding for education, was involved in a very public row with local FG TD Derek Keating last month.

What's more amazing than that the teachers decided to all hole up together in one house (doing what?) and leave the kids unsupervised is that it appears the parents weren't taken seriously when they complained.

applejam · 25-06-2013 10:22AM

Seriously sickened by this

the parents had to stage a sit in to get the BOM and principle to actually do anything

What kind of principle thinks this is ok ??

magicbastarder · 25-06-2013 11:14AM

ninja900 wrote: »

Careful now.

'Naked rambler' Stephen Gough jailed for flouting Asbo

there's a very interesting interview with him here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/mar/23/naked-rambler-prison?INTCMP=SRCH

Pherekydes · 25-06-2013 11:25AM

applejam wrote: »

Seriously sickened by this the parents had to stage a sit in to get the BOM and principle to actually do anything
What kind of principle thinks this is ok ??

An unprincipled Principal. :pac:

Interesting Stuff Thread

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