https://wikenigma.org.uk/2024-03-19T03:00:33+00:00FeedCreator 1.8Mass2024-03-18T21:34:05+00:002024-03-18T21:34:05+00:002024-03-18T21:34:05+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/physics/general/mass__Mass
All physical objects have ‘mass’. The mass is (largely) a consequence of the additions of the masses of the atomic and subatomic particles from which the objects are comprised. Theorists currently support the idea of mass-creation via theThe 'drunken monkey' hypothesis - external edit2024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/psychology/general/drunken_monkeyAnonymousThe 'drunken monkey' hypothesis
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is one of the most common addictive substance abuses. It's estimated that in the US alone, there more than 3 million early deaths each year as a result.( ref.)
Leading to the question - why do humans have such a preference for alcohol?Indus civilisation collapse - external edit2024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/history/indus_collapseAnonymousIndus civilisation collapse
The Indus Civilisation (a.k.a. the Harappan Civilisation) was a flourishing Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from around 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE.
The civilisation, which was highly advanced and substantially urban, is thought to have quite suddenly collapsed.Planetary Nebulae structure2024-03-18T21:07:59+00:002024-03-18T21:07:59+00:002024-03-18T21:07:59+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/physics/cosmology/planetary_nebulae__Planetary Nebulae structure
A Planetary Nebula is a type of 'emission nebula' seen in astronomical observations. They consist of an expanding, glowing shell of ionized gas which was ejected from 'red giant' stars at a late stage in their development.Dinosaur eggshell structure2024-03-18T21:04:46+00:002024-03-18T21:04:46+00:002024-03-18T21:04:46+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/life_sciences/zoology/dinosaur_eggs__Dinosaur eggshell structure
Many of the fossilised dinosaur eggs which have been found have significant surface detail - sometimes called 'decoration'.
The surface texture has been classified into six different types (see Wikipedia), which can, in some cases, be used to distinguish the species.Humour evolution - external edit2024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/psychology/general/humour_evolutionAnonymousHumour evolution
"There are several reasons to suppose humor and laughter could be evolutionarily adaptive. [...] the complexity of humor implicates an established genetic substrate that in turn could suggest evolutionary adaptiveness. Given that even a simple joke can utilize language skills, theory-of-mind, symbolism, abstract thinking, and social perception, humor may arguably be humankind's most complex cognitive attribute. Despite its ostensible complexity, humor is also paradoxically ref…Laughter - external edit2024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/life_sciences/human_body/laughterAnonymousLaughter
"...laughter is more often prompted by banal comments than amusing jokes. That makes it even more mysterious.”
Source : New Scientist August 2009."
Laughter (or something very similar) has been observed in various different species – including chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, orangutans, rats, mice and dogs. Although it’s known that laughter can be induced by various situations, joy, play, relief, and humour etc - the biological function of laughter in humans (if there is one) is no…Bird Migration - external edit2024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/life_sciences/zoology/bird_migrationAnonymousBird Migration
Around 50% of birds migrate (i.e. undertake large-scale routine long distance travel for breeding / feeding).
The distances covered can be huge - e.g. Manx Shearwaters migrate 14,000 km (8,700 mi) each year. The time-triggers, and the methods of route navigation, have been widely investigated, but much of the detail is still unknown.Rhinophyma - external edit2024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/medicine/diseases/r-z/rhinophymaAnonymousRhinophyma
Rhinophyma (Greek “nose growth”) is a benign skin deformity characterized by tumorous growth leading to a large, bulbous, and erythematous (reddish) appearance of the nose.
At present its cause is classified as 'unknown' though it is often associated withMicroplastics and human health implications2024-03-18T13:36:15+00:002024-03-18T13:36:15+00:002024-03-18T13:36:15+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/medicine/diseases/m-q/microplastics__Microplastics and human health implications
Note: Microplastic pollution is so widespread that it's now been found contaminating almost all multicellular lifeforms which have been tested. This article is only related to possible risks to human health.Primordial Soup - external edit2024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/life_sciences/life_itself/primordial_soupAnonymousPrimordial Soup
"In 1953 an iconic set of experiments showed that some of the chemical building blocks of life, such as amino acids, could form spontaneously in the atmospheric conditions thought to prevail on the primordial Earth. This gave rise to the idea that the early oceans were a "primordial soup" from which life somehow emerged.Turbulence - external edit2024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/physics/general/turbulenceAnonymousTurbulence
Due to lack of understanding of precise underlying mechanisms, turbulent flow in liquids, gases and powders (etc) can't be exactly described.
This can be very significant when attempting to predict the behaviour of complex natural phenomena - weather systems for example. Or when making predictions about dynamic forces and frictions in turbulence around man-made tech such as aircraft, ships, turbines etc. etc..Paraspeckles (cell component) - external edit2024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/life_sciences/zoology/paraspecklesAnonymousParaspeckles (cell component)
"In cell biology, a Paraspeckle is an irregularly shaped compartment of the cell, approximately 0.2-1 μm in size, found in the nucleus' interchromatin space."
See Wikipedia"
Paraspeckles were first discovered (1990's) in human cancer cells, but are now known to be present in all human primary cells, transformed cell lines and tissue sections.Quantum 'Cheshire Cat' phenomena - external edit2024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/physics/quantum_physics/quantum_cheshire_catAnonymousQuantum 'Cheshire Cat' phenomena
The Quantum Cheshire Cat (QCC) phenomenon was first proposed in a 2013 paper for the New Journal of Physics (ref.) The authors proposed that at quantum level, a particle's properties (e.g. polarization, momentum, spin etc etc )Hibernation - external edit2024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/life_sciences/zoology/hibernationAnonymousHibernation
"Hibernation is an adaptive strategy characterized by a drastic suppression of metabolism, activity and body temperature that allows animals to survive during periods with little or no food availability; hibernation is widespread among mammals. Two types of mammalian hibernators exist: obligate hibernators, such as black bears and ground squirrels, hibernate every winterBig Bang theory - external edit2024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/physics/cosmology/big_bangAnonymousBig Bang theory
There is now a large body of evidence (from different sources) to support the Big Bang Theory for the origin of the universe, but the problem remains as to the origin of the material or energy which initialised it.
As the UK’s Astronomer Royal Martin Rees has put it :Water - its origin - external edit2024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/earth_sciences/waterAnonymousWater - its origin
One obvious difference between Earth and other planets in the Solar System is that it's 70% covered in liquid water. There are at least five major (and very different) theories proposing the origins of such a large volume of water (estimated at around 1.3 billion cubic kilometres).Echolocation (object recognition) - external edit2024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:002024-03-01T13:26:09+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/life_sciences/zoology/echolocationAnonymousEcholocation (object recognition)
Many animals (dolphins, bats, shrews, etc etc) can echolocate. That is, by emitting calls to the environment and listening to the echoes of those calls that return from various objects near them. Some animals - for example dolphins - can not only locate objects, but can also determine what they are. This skill is as yet unexplained.Lottery ticket swaps2024-03-10T13:43:04+00:002024-03-10T13:43:04+00:002024-03-10T13:43:04+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/psychology/general/lottery_ticket_swaps__Lottery ticket swaps
Because the results of (well constructed) lotteries are random, no one ticket is any more likely to win than any other. However, several studies have shown that those who are in possession of a lottery ticket are usually very reluctant to swap itBacterial gliding2024-03-10T13:39:52+00:002024-03-10T13:39:52+00:002024-03-10T13:39:52+00:00https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/life_sciences/zoology/bacterial_gliiding__Bacterial gliding
Many species of bacteria have the ability to move over smooth surfaces - in a process named 'Gliding'. It's a key part of bacterial proliferation, and is used not only to access resources, but also to avoid adverse conditions (e.g. U.V. light sources).