Quirky Science Facts!

[Buffy]

Paul Dirac was a Cher fan....

 

YouTube - Cher - Dark Lady http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnYAkvCpom0

 

Pick a flower on Earth and you move the farthest star, :hihi:

Buffy

[Pyrotex]

The original trick for making flawless plate glass -- with no "wiggles" -- was to pour molten glass into large shallow pots already half filled with molten tin. The glass floated on the tin, and after a few minutes, the plane of contact between them became exactly that, a "plane" of almost perfect flatness.

Then the temperature of the tin was reduced until it was still molten, but the glass had hardened. The temperature was reduced slowly so the glass would temper (release internal stresses).

[Pyrotex]

• Women use 20,000 words a day while men only use 7,000

 

Hey Gwen! It says here that women use almost three times as many words a day as men do. Hah! You see, I was right? Women just talk too much, and this here proves it!

 

But, Pyro dear, the reason we women have to talk so much is because you guys never listen, and then we have to repeat ourselves.

 

What?

[Michaelangelica]

New Scientist reports that, with giirls, size does matter.

We guys knew that all the time.:shrug::singer:.

Hitting the spot: One of the biggest stories of the year was the news that Italian researchers had managed to locate the mysterious G-spot using ultrasound scans.

We returned to the subject in our end-of-year review, with the news that the researchers are now using their scans to show women where their G-spots are - and sometimes teaching them to have vaginal orgasms for the first time.

 

Both articles attracted a torrent of comments, as might be expected. There was plenty of chat about whether New Scientist should be writing about the science of orgasms at all, but thankfully the consensus seemed to be that we should. "If only it was some healthy violence, instead of this horrible pleasure thingy - THEN it would be ok for the kiddies," said Quinkin.

 

But perhaps the most, er, intriguing contribution came from our resident, um, "original thinker", Polemos. We can't say we really understand his statement that "Orgasm = Nonlocality". But other readers seemed to get it: none more so than Crespine: "Does Polemos live anywhere near me? That was just hot."

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2008/12/the-best-comments-of-2008.html

Some argy bargy about it here, if you really want to know the facts and ruin a good story.

 

Ultrasound nails location of the elusive G spot

Ultrasound nails location of the elusive G spot - life - 20 February 2008 - New Scientist

Bigger is better when it comes to the G spot

Bigger is better when it comes to the G spot - 06 July 2002 - New Scientist

[stereologist]

it wasn't until the 60's that scientists realised that the continents were not locked in place on the surface of the globe.

 

Continental drift was written about in the 1910s by Wegener. I read his book back in my undergrad days. Plate tectonics was the 60s idea. In drift the continents move across the globe like boats on an ocean. In plate tectonics the continents move because they are on conveyer belts of moving plates.

[Pyrotex]

Continental drift was written about in the 1910s by Wegener. I read his book back in my undergrad days. Plate tectonics was the 60s idea. ...

Absolutely spot on!

Thanks for mentioning this.

 

I have a very religious cousin who just "knows" that the Bible proves that continents are locked into their "sockets" and cannot move. And he found a couple of quotes from scientists to back it up. One was a geologist in the 1800's so that hardly counts! :singer:

 

And the other was Wegener! And the quote from his book was out of context and slightly garbled (accidentally? I think not!) so that it sounded like Wegener was saying that continents could NOT move. :singer:

 

Another fact, Wegener actually lived long enough to see the Plate Tectonics "movement" in the 60's confirm his theory, long after he had retired. That was great. Justice.

[Michaelangelica]

two groups

1. Pole Dancers who menstruated normally

2. Pole Dancers, on the pill, who also menstruate.

 

Group one received "significantly" more tips from male patrons on their most fertile days :QuestionM :)

New Scientist (2008/9? don't make me look for it)

[vanamoinen1]

Honey may contain the spores of Clostridium botulinum and can cause infant botulism--thus, don't feed a baby honey.

[vanamoinen1]

Further to Pyrotex--pools of mercury were also used to serve as a pouring surface for glass.

[Michaelangelica]

Meet the world’s only immortal animal

Meet the world’s only immortal animal | ZME Science

[Michaelangelica]

Food for thought

 

● The life expectancy of doctors in the US is about 10 years less than the average population.

 

● In 1973, Israeli doctors went on strike for a month, and there were 50% less deaths nationwide.

 

● In 1976, doctors in Colombia went on strike for two months, and 38% less people died.

 

● In 1978, doctors in England went on strike for a month, and there were 40% less funerals.

 

I leave it to you to make your own conclusions.

■ Dr Amir Farid Isahak is a medical specialist who practises holistic, aesthetic and anti-ageing medicine. He is a qigong master and founder of SuperQigong. For further information, e-mail [email protected]. The views expressed are those of the w

Rejuvenate me!

[stereologist]

You forgot to include this part of the quote:

The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column.

 

I don't believe these claims, especially the first. A 10 year disparity in life expectancy is huge. That's about twice the difference in male female life expectancies.

 

I also question the correctness of the other 3 statements.

[Michaelangelica]

************************************************************************

A duck's quack doesn't echo,

 

and no one knows why.

************************************************************************

[Michaelangelica]

Each human testicle produces between 18-25,000 sperm per minute.

 

Seems like overkill doesn't it?:)

http://hypography.com/forums/biology/19888-have-human-males-past-their-biological-2.html#post270448

 

No wonder we are so tired.;)

[Michaelangelica]

You forgot to include this part of the quote:

 

 

I don't believe these claims, especially the first. A 10 year disparity in life expectancy is huge. That's about twice the difference in male female life expectancies.

 

I also question the correctness of the other 3 statements.

You could be right

Google Answers: Avg. life expectancy/morbidity of male doctors in U.S., states, countries

and

Life expectancy of doctors:

 

“No recent national studies have been published on age at death and

causes of death for U.S. physicians, and previous studies have had

sampling limitations… Data in this report are from the National

Occupational Mortality Surveillance database and are derived from

deaths occurring in 28 states between 1984 and 1995. Occupation is

coded according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census classification

system… Among both U.S. white and black men, physicians were, on

average, older when they died, (73.0 years for white and 68.7 for

black) than were lawyers (72.3 and 62.0), all examined professionals

(70.9 and 65.3), and all men (70.3 and 63.6).

 

The top ten causes of death for white male physicians were essentially the same as those of the general population, although they were more likely to die from

cerebrovascular disease, accidents, and suicide, and less likely to

die from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia/influenza,

or liver disease than were other professional white men.”

Am J Prev Med 2000, Volume 19, pages 155-159

Mortality rates and causes among U.S. physicians.

Frank E, Biola H, Burnett CA.

Abstract at Mortality rates and causes among U.S. physicians. [Am J Prev Med. 2000] - PubMed Result

Google Answers: life expectancy stats

 

However the decrease in mortality with strikes seems to be true.

Fortunately for morticians the medical doctors do not strike too long. During these short periods of protest the business of morticians is devistated.

bmj.com Rapid Responses for Siegel-Itzkovich, 320 (7249) 1561

Physicians have now gone on strike on 3 different occasions in Israel --in the 1950's, again in the 1970's or 80's and now in the the year 2000. In all 3 occasions the mortality rate has dropped, on one or two occasions by 50%.

ScienceDirect - The Lancet : MORTALITY IN JERUSALEM DURING THE 1983 DOCTORS' STRIKE

, the literature suggests that reductions in mortality may result from these strikes.

ScienceDirect - Social Science & Medicine : Doctors' strikes and mortality: A review

and

County mortality rates declined steadily during the slowdown, rising abruptly to a peak in the first week that elective surgery was resumed, and then levelling off to usual rates.

ScienceDirect - Social Science & Medicine. Part C: Medical Economics : Doctor slowdown: Effects on the population of Los Angeles county*1

[Boerseun]

The vibrator, apparently, was invented by a physician to treat women who suffered from "hysteria".

[stereologist]

Michaelangelica I looked up some of the referenced links you posted and what I found was a quote of the original statement. The 3 strikes in Israel claim appears to be an internet myth, not a result of a study.

 

I was not able to get through the links this evening from Science Direct. I have a vague recollection of seeing that these too were just repeats of the original claim.