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I toured an old mine recently and now I want to learn more about how they operate. [more inside]
posted by aeighty at 9:48 AM - 11 answers

A ground fire burnt through a forest floor of dead leaves near us. [more inside]
posted by ebesan at 12:12 PM - 8 answers

Lots of deer around here, walking through my yard. I would like to give them something to eat. What have you done? [more inside]
posted by falsedmitri at 9:26 AM - 13 answers

I am worried, post-election, that a lot of research data (publicly available and otherwise) may be deleted, particularly if it supports human caused climate change, effectiveness of vaccines, sex/gender research and so on. Are there any concerted efforts to archive at-risk data elsewhere either in relatively-safe public institutions (eg CERN or University of California), or via some private institutions, perhaps in a distributed manner? [more inside]
posted by foonly at 6:56 AM - 7 answers

Can you help me with telescope recommendations? [more inside]
posted by Nolechick11 at 1:59 PM - 12 answers

How about thirds, fifths? If my envelope calculations are right, the frequencies of the edges of human light perception are not quite an octave apart (7.8e14s^-1 , 4e14s^-1). So maybe there are some animals that can see a full octave. Is there interesting interference, as there is with sound? If so, can we see it in smaller but rational ratios?
posted by clew at 2:21 PM - 8 answers

I caught a raven making a sound like “lum-lum-lum-lum.” Is this a known raven behavior? Does it have a specific purpose? [more inside]
posted by jimfl at 8:06 AM - 9 answers

Are the Halloween skeletons identifiable as male or female skeletons or are they so fake you can't tell? [more inside]
posted by Art_Pot at 5:08 PM - 6 answers

I remember reading about (but can only find this news article with googling) a theory that the flatness of human faces resulted in the prominence of breasts, with the idea being that it was easier for babies to suckle breasts than nipples on a flat surface. Has anything more been written about this? [more inside]
posted by Hactar at 6:24 AM - 4 answers

Is it possible to have a mylar balloon, pillow shaped, stay absolutely still about 5 feet off the ground in a closed room, with no air drafts. I don't want it floating around. A proper mix of helium and regular air should work, right. [more inside]
posted by Czjewel at 4:11 PM - 17 answers

I vaguely recall reading recently that the idea of early humans hunting mammoths by driving them into pits might be outdated or inaccurate. Something about more efficient hunting strategies maybe? If this rings a bell, please share any articles or information you have! My Google-fu is failing me.
posted by korej at 11:30 PM - 3 answers

What is the book equivalent to "An Immense World" but for plants? Space? Mushrooms? Deserts? Microbes? Anything else? [more inside]
posted by dede at 2:52 PM - 18 answers

The birthday of someone near and dear to me fast approaches. This person is totally fascinated by the moon and outer space in general but not in a science nerd sort of way. More of a dreamy “if-I-could-only-get-there-wow-how-beautiful” kind of way. I’ve already gotten him a copy of Cosmicomics, but I would also like to get some authentic meteorite dust/a small piece of meteorite if it is at all possible to acquire something like this legally and for under $200 ish. [more inside]
posted by leafmealone at 7:02 PM - 9 answers

I want to make a little cosy-corner in my office where we can take meetings and get some light therapy. What sort of ceiling bulb or tube should I use? [more inside]
posted by Iteki at 1:51 AM - 7 answers

My area of the city has posters up everywhere warning about mosquito spraying tonight. This is a huge section of coastal NYC. Ive seen hundreds of monarch butterflies on my walk home today. I assume they’re migrating because Ive never seen them before. Is the spraying going to kill them? This seems like a nightmare scenario.
posted by octaviabutlerfan at 1:19 PM - 9 answers

I had a garment drying outside overnight and this morning it was covered with little white bugs. They were also on the straps of a bag that we left out on the porch, but nowhere else. Both things are black. Photo [more inside]
posted by amandabee at 4:37 PM - 3 answers

I know there are 24 hours in a day, and I always thought of that as "1 rotation of the Earth," but thinking about it more now, I realize that they're slightly different, and the more I try to figure this out, the more confused I get. [more inside]
posted by Bugbread at 6:36 AM - 7 answers

My partner just started testosterone shots and I swear I can detect a change in their bofy odor within a few hours of injection. They think I’m having a psychosomatic response based on my knowledge of the shot happening. Who’s right? [more inside]
posted by lloquat at 1:48 PM - 10 answers

In the US, we have a wastewater surveillance program. Many states give easy access to local levels and historical data, e.g. Illinois. I would like to see any examples of adaptive public health policy that is set to change based on current wastewater levels. [more inside]
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:01 AM - 3 answers

I got a new light fixture! It's a metal frame and the bulb is surrounded by hanging glass prisms. Help me figure out which way to hang the prisms for maximum rainbow effect? [more inside]
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:44 AM - 4 answers