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Could China launch a rocket to the Moon or Mars in secret? [more inside]
posted by run"monty at 9:55 AM - 14 answers

Years ago I read a quote about physics being awesome, and how every other science - or perhaps every other intellectual discipline - envied it. And I can't find the thing. I think someone mentioned it in response to a great NASA triumph, like Voyager escaping the solar system. [more inside]
posted by doctornemo at 12:58 PM - 15 answers

Are there examples of animals that sing together in harmony, or in rhythmic coordination? Not like a flock of crows all cawing 'together' in pandemonium, but like with timed entrances and coordinated pitch? [more inside]
posted by eraserbones at 5:25 PM - 19 answers

Say I burn a small piece of wood [more inside]
posted by Czjewel at 7:27 AM - 7 answers

I bought a can of Wegman's Organic Tomato Sauce yesterday. When I opened it a few minutes ago, it popped with positive pressure inside. It smells and looks good. I know that bulging cans are a sign of botulism. I don't have any other tomato sauce, naturally... [more inside]
posted by amtho at 4:53 PM - 10 answers

Seeing the coverage of the LA fires and reading about people who are away from their homes (like were away before, not evacuated), I was thinking about their pictures (because I'm old and still think of pictures as physical things) and how they will just be done. And I was thinking "maybe people who live in wildfire areas should have some kind of underground storage for irreplaceable papers." Would that work? [more inside]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:58 AM - 11 answers

And how could the name distinguish its extraterrestrial origin?
posted by Lemkin at 7:25 AM - 6 answers

I'm in the DC suburbs 48 hours after getting 8 inches of snow. My house is on a cul-de-sac about midway up a steep, 1 mile hill. Said hill is a sheet of ice for all practical purposes, and unascendable without a very powerful 4WD. I want to call to bitch at my county department of public works about my hill, but I'm curious if there 's anything I can request/demand/expect other than the putting down of salt. Thanks!
posted by BadgerDoctor at 7:53 AM - 12 answers

That is: a water covered planet with no visible land anywhere. Is anything known about planets that would rule out the possibility?
posted by Lemkin at 1:46 PM - 7 answers

A few thoughts but that's mostly it. [more inside]
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:28 PM - 8 answers

My 11 year old wants to know "why we like different things" in terms of biology or perhaps neuroscience. Why do cheese and mushrooms taste good to her but not to her sister? What happens in her body/brain when she "like things" and why does it not happen to her sister? I'm stumped!
posted by Omnomnom at 3:38 PM - 17 answers

Are there any descriptions of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake specifically? Not the tsunami but the earthquake itself. Was it felt on land and did it do any damage prior to the tsunami?
posted by sefsl at 9:16 AM - 4 answers

The Big One goes off, you're soaked in rads, and now you're going to die. But what, medically speaking, is happening to you?
posted by Lemkin at 11:07 AM - 14 answers

There's a counterintuitive linkage between human sexual arousal and negative emotions like fear, aggression and disgust. What are some good readings to better understand what causes this? Neuroscience, physiology or animal-behavior perspectives would be ideal, reasonably rigorous evopsych or philosophical takes acceptable as backup. Ideas? [more inside]
posted by Bardolph at 9:13 AM - 8 answers

I'm just wondering about this. In series 1, episode 6 of Spooks (MI-5)(on TUBI now), Tom's girlfriend and her daughter are trapped in a fortified apartment. No way out. With them is a laptop rigged with 6 ounces of C4 with a timer at 2 minutes. They don't know how to disable the bomb. [more inside]
posted by H21 at 9:22 AM - 14 answers

My husband wants to learn the constellations. We have a telescope already. What would be a good gift to help him identify them, preferably one that we can use outside/glows in the dark? Bonus points if we can use it while in the hot tub (so - no screens.) BUT if there's a really cool computer program/subscription that's giftable, I'm all ears. [more inside]
posted by egeanin at 7:04 PM - 16 answers

Can anyone offer more background or context on this incident in trans research? Where does it leave the evidence for blockers improving mental health? (In case this looks like shit-stirring: I'm trans, and I'm trying to help a parent who found that article extremely frightening to read, since she has a trans kid on blockers.) [more inside]
posted by Birds, snakes, and aeroplanes at 3:15 PM - 16 answers

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