What could be causing an image of Jesus to appear in this man's truck window? [more inside]
posted by longsleeves on Nov 4, 2009 - 23 answers

Statistics question: is it possible to test sets of cumulative data for significant differences in rate? [more inside]
posted by rollick on Nov 4, 2009 - 8 answers

What biomedical engineering labs are "underrated"? [more inside]
posted by gensubuser on Nov 4, 2009 - 4 answers

Help me find a half-remembered anecdote about robotics and computing taking a cue from ant- or bee-like, hive-mind biological processes -- a story about a car factory's paint process organized with just three rules. [more inside]
posted by Cool Papa Bell on Nov 3, 2009 - 2 answers

Which books can a physicist and a liberal arts type trade to gain a deeper appreciation of literature and science, respectively? Ideally, these would be books we could both read and enjoy. [more inside]
posted by Diagonalize on Nov 2, 2009 - 40 answers

Sci-Fi Movie Filter: Trying to locate the title of a movie I saw in the late 80's. It was set in the US in the near future. A private eye or cop was trying to track down someone smuggling a deadly drug or chemical that - when it came in contact with the human body - dissolved it in a fantastically gruesome fashion with smoke and screaming. [more inside]
posted by ninazer0 on Nov 1, 2009 - 5 answers

Science! How can I use my excessive tech / management / leadership background to enable science (while still getting paid a living wage)? [more inside]
posted by TheOtherSide on Oct 29, 2009 - 3 answers

If I'm sitting on the terraformed surface of a Culture orbital, what does the horizon look like? [more inside]
posted by reverend cuttle on Oct 26, 2009 - 12 answers

What happened to my Shampoo? I mixed two different Shampoo brands about 70/30 and liked the resultant mixture. The next time I mixed them 50/50 and overnight the mixture lost all it's "thickness" (viscosity, I guess) and still works fine, but is as thin as milk if not thinner. [more inside]
posted by Rafaelloello on Oct 23, 2009 - 6 answers

I have just started as a school science technician at an inner city school. Over the holiday I would like to spruce up the 5 science classrooms with displays covering the various disciplines. Does anyone know of any online resources, posters to download/print etc? [more inside]
posted by Saddo on Oct 23, 2009 - 8 answers

Book like William Gibson's Pattern Recognition and Spook Country. Near-future, near-science fiction, non-fantasy, non-artsy-fartsy, delving into technological culture. [more inside]
posted by Cool Papa Bell on Oct 22, 2009 - 38 answers

Help me influence the future of science - or- I have no idea how to finish my student teaching lesson. [more inside]
posted by julie_of_the_jungle on Oct 22, 2009 - 10 answers

Hello! I am leading an Anatomy & Physiology study group for homeschooled teens. The aim is to work at the advanced high school level, but I'm using a college textbook (Thibodeau & Patton), as the illustrations and charts are more useful, and it might come in handy for them for later reference. But I'm not sure how deep to delve. [more inside]
posted by houseofdanie on Oct 21, 2009 - 2 answers

Why do people hate math and science so much? [more inside]
posted by chicago2penn on Oct 17, 2009 - 129 answers

What is the most important scientific question of our time? [more inside]
posted by Demogorgon on Oct 12, 2009 - 44 answers

I'm toying with an idea for a short story or maybe a long story or maybe no story, but the idea has led me to a point where I have a question for those of you who have some knowledge about science and biology. Read on, brave adventurer! [more inside]
posted by kbanas on Oct 12, 2009 - 19 answers

StatisticAnalysisFilter: I took (pretty close to) scientific observations of the general populace in a neighborhood for a few months (personal project, long story). I measured the number of people who had trait X (or did not have trait X) in two locations, A and B. Now, I want to test the statistical significance of these results. Is the chi-square test sufficient for this? Or is there a better option? [more inside]
posted by MoreForMad on Oct 11, 2009 - 7 answers

I have absolutely no comprehension whatsoever of how fiber optic cables can transmit information -- phone calls, emails, whatever -- by using light. Seriously, this makes no sense. Please explain it to me as if I'm a fifth-grader who makes decent grades in science class. [more inside]
posted by mudpuppie on Oct 6, 2009 - 39 answers

How can I be use my spare time to advance a scientific cause? [more inside]
posted by adverb on Oct 6, 2009 - 16 answers

What distance could a ship circumnavigate, using theoretically proven technologies, by the end of the century, traveling as far into space as possible and still returning home in 900 years? [more inside]
posted by marcuswebb on Oct 3, 2009 - 13 answers

Looking for an article regarding the fact that single men are responsible for more social breakthroughs than are married men/fathers. [more inside]
posted by myodometer on Oct 3, 2009 - 3 answers

Are the benefits of sauna therapy real? Some family members of mine talk about saunas being useful for "getting out heavy metals." Supposedly, the body sweats them out. [more inside]
posted by mdpatrick on Oct 3, 2009 - 11 answers

Poor science journalism gets trashed regularly on the blue. What are some sources of good science journalism? Do you have a favorite science writer? Is there one article that you read years ago that stands out in your mind as truly excellent? [more inside]
posted by SouthCNorthNY on Oct 2, 2009 - 23 answers

I am doing research in a Hematology/Oncology genetics lab and I am looking for computer software that can organize my research data (e.g., new project, dates and findings, results, task management) and was created for scientific purposes. I have a macbook (black), OSX10.6, 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB ram. I am looking for one that is free or inexpensive (under $150). Any help? Thanks.
posted by jbreyfogle on Oct 1, 2009 - 5 answers

NFL/science question: From time to time a sportscaster or writer comments on an NFL kicker's success in the "high elevation" of Denver's Invesco Field. I understand that there's less air pressure when you're a mile above sea level, but does this really have an appreciable effect on a 55-yard field goal attempt?
posted by jackypaper on Sep 29, 2009 - 23 answers

How small can a helium filled foil balloon be...and still float? [more inside]
posted by swiffa on Sep 29, 2009 - 9 answers

I'm looking for good quotations about science (particularly physics) and education that are suitable for the wall of a secondary school (ages 11-18) classroom. [more inside]
posted by alby on Sep 28, 2009 - 21 answers

I am looking for the following scientific article, and PubMed isn't helping me. Can you? [more inside]
posted by sickinthehead on Sep 27, 2009 - 4 answers

How would one go about getting (assisted and monitored) access to scientific/medical research equipment in the Chicago area? (fMRI, MRI, electron microscopes, mass spectrometry) [more inside]
posted by chambers on Sep 24, 2009 - 5 answers

Please help me really grok chemistry. [more inside]
posted by Vorteks on Sep 24, 2009 - 13 answers

I now have blank wallspace and shelfspace in my office -- help me fill 'em with some scientific eye candy! [more inside]
posted by not_on_display on Sep 24, 2009 - 15 answers

I'm taking an innovative course on using technology for humanitarian causes, taught by a professor I really like. But it's awful! How can I tell him what I think, and/or turn this disaster of a course into something worthwhile? [more inside]
posted by k. on Sep 23, 2009 - 29 answers

Is lucid dreaming real, or fiction? Are its practitioners and advocates fringe scientists, spiritualists or charlatans? (or all three in mixed proportion) [more inside]
posted by Potomac Avenue on Sep 23, 2009 - 43 answers

Where/how does someone in their mid-20's with a typical liberal arts education (yay literature! boo math!) start working towards a career in the sciences? [more inside]
posted by domakesaypat on Sep 22, 2009 - 17 answers

Looking for ideas to help kids (2nd graders) learn the scientific method in a hands on way. [more inside]
posted by Doug on Sep 21, 2009 - 7 answers

The seas are rising. Climate change has made it inevitable. I have a strange question... Assuming that world sea-level rises by 1 metre over the next hundred years - Would it be possible to cordon off a section of land, somewhere in the centre of a continent, and flood it to create an artificial ocean, thus reducing the consequences of the sea rise? [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Sep 18, 2009 - 30 answers

What do I do when I graduate if I know I don't want to pursue my undergraduate field? [more inside]
posted by sarahj on Sep 14, 2009 - 19 answers

I'd like to develop a better understanding of the physical and mathematical meanings of the Fourier transform. Can anyone suggest a text that describes some of its applications and elaborates on the importance of the transform to science and mathematics? [more inside]
posted by Aanidaani on Sep 13, 2009 - 11 answers

Is there a name for the sensation of being compelled forward you feel immediately after spending signficant time on a treadmill/running machine? [more inside]
posted by Neale on Sep 10, 2009 - 10 answers

Music evoking awe for the universe and in mankind's capacity for space exploration? [more inside]
posted by chrisalbon on Sep 5, 2009 - 39 answers

Why does water fresh out of the tap look white, and then turn clear? [more inside]
posted by madcaptenor on Sep 3, 2009 - 10 answers

Aside from mugging the tooth fairy, what's the best way to get my hands on a substantial number of real human teeth? It's for science.
posted by Panjandrum on Aug 26, 2009 - 12 answers

Is quantom teleportation instant? [more inside]
posted by quseio on Aug 26, 2009 - 18 answers

Looking for book recs about sci-fi, specifically about gender issues and jetpack-related physics. [more inside]
posted by mumble on Aug 23, 2009 - 27 answers

Another "where to go in America" question (who needs a travel agent when you've got Mefi?). This time, it's a road trip - I want to get away from the cramped little island I'm living on, and the Southwest seems like the place to go. Where should I go and what should I see? [more inside]
posted by The Shiny Thing on Aug 19, 2009 - 20 answers

I'm looking for a forum that hosts discussion in the field of condensed matter physics and/or materials science. I'd like a site where scientists can go to ask and answer questions, similar to Ask.Metafilter, but a general forum would be good as well. Does anyone know of such a site?
posted by Aanidaani on Aug 17, 2009 - 2 answers

Children'sBookFilter: Please help me identify these two young reader novels which I read many years ago. [more inside]
posted by dave99 on Aug 15, 2009 - 5 answers

How to translate the scientific/statistical English words "accuracy" and "precision" into scientific/statistical Russian? [more inside]
posted by ZenMasterThis on Aug 14, 2009 - 4 answers

I'm in a CS 201 Java intro class with a not very good teacher, I need a place where I can search for and ask beginner questions, lots of them, like, what is this called and what does it do? ect. public static char [] bar(String [] a) Thanks everyone
posted by Benzle on Aug 10, 2009 - 14 answers

What's the best literary equivalent of Alien/Aliens? [more inside]
posted by fearfulsymmetry on Aug 9, 2009 - 21 answers