ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 795

Poor Semen Quality May Be A Warning Sign Of Other Health Issues

Health and Medicine





Photo credit:

frentusha / iStockphoto

Dealing with infertility can be a stressful time for the seven million Americans who seek treatment each year. Half of all male infertility cases are due to subpar semen quality, which can be affected by lifestyle factors like smoking, obesity, and excessive alcohol consumption.

One Atheist’s View of Christmas

This is a post by guest contributor Peter Mosley.  First, let me say that I don’t really mind calling December 25th “Christmas.”  This is in spite of the fact that, historically speaking, December 25th was once called “Dies Natalis Solos Invicti,” which was basically a holiday in the name of the Roman sun god Sol Invictus that marked [Read More...]

Colliding Galaxies Are Producing A Spectacular Light Show

Space





Photo credit:

Chandra X-ray Observatory

Some 130 million light years away, within the constellation Canis Major, two twinkling spiral galaxies are in the process of colliding, treating our eyes to a dazzling show.

12 Brutal Comments From Peer Reviewers

Editor's Blog





Photo credit:

iQoncept / Shutterstock

Scratch that…and that as well… We all know that if a scientist wants to have their work published in a journal, it must first go through a peer review process.

5 of the World’s Most Dangerous Chemicals

They explode when you touch them. Even a millionth of a gram can kill you. They can even disable you with their horrifying smell. SciShow introduces you to give of the most dangerous chemicals in the world.

Hosted by: Hank Green

———-

Like SciShow? Want to help support us, and also get things to put on your walls, cover your torso and hold your liquids? Check out our awesome products over at DFTBA Records: http://dftba.com/scishow

Or help support us by subscribing to our page on Subbable: https://subbable.com/scishow

———-

Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet?

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/scishow

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/scishow

Tumblr: http://scishow.tumblr.com

Thanks Tank Tumblr: http://thankstank.tumblr.com

Sources:

http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/things_i_wont_work_with/

http://web.archive.org/web/20060318221608/http://www.airproducts.com/nr/rdonlyres/8479ed55-2170-4651-a3d4-223b2957a9f3/0/safetygram39.pdf

http://www.bunkertours.co.uk/germany_2004.htm

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.201100300/abstract

http://www2.chemistry.msu.edu/courses/CEM958/10-11/talks/Spahlinger.pdf

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=6&po=12

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=MSDOAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA3-PA6&lpg=RA3-PA6&dq=smell+thioacetone&source=bl&ots=X0UH-GWpAa&sig=5wmkE-x9ZTWlWq5mCb6aQ9Argvw&hl=en&ei=14IoSoXQAtuptgeX0-jWBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&redir_esc=y

http://www.ebah.com.br/content/ABAAAe2O8AA/clayden-greeves-organic-chemistry

https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Thiol.html

http://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/cbook.cgi?ID=C4756052&Mask=8

http://www.psc.edu/science/Klein2000/getting_jump_on_superacids.pdf

http://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2013/08/the-worlds-strongest-acids.html

http://science.howstuffworks.com/acid-info.htm

http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2013/01/09/things_i_wont_work_with_azidoazide_azides_more_or_less.php

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.201100300/abstract

http://web.archive.org/web/20060318221608/http://www.airproducts.com/nr/rdonlyres/8479ed55-2170-4651-a3d4-223b2957a9f3/0/safetygram39.pdf

http://www.purdue.edu/ehps/rem/hmm/pyro.htm

When Did We First Start Controlling Fire?

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

Yuriy Kulik/Shutterstock.com

Researchers working with artifacts uncovered from a cave in Israel reveal that humans only began using fire habitually 350,000 years ago in the Middle Pleistocene. The findings, published in the Journal of Human Evolution this month, could also help explain certain aspects of our anatomical evolution over the last few million years. 

Did Volcanoes Help The Asteroid Kill The Dinosaurs?

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

Jose-Luis Olivares / MIT

It is common knowledge that a massive asteroid collided with the Earth 66 million years ago and caused the events that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs and 50% of all genera on the planet. However, it may have taken more than just the asteroid to cause the extinction event. Some scientists believe that volcanic activity assisted in creating those life-ending conditions.

Pufferfishes Aren’t Holding Their Breath When They’re Inflated

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

Philip Mercurio / www.phil-mercurio.com

A pufferfish on the defensive will rapidly gulp water into its stomach and inflate to Stay Puft proportions. This stretches their exceptionally elastic skin and causes their small spikes to stand on end. The spiny ball that results can be up to four times its normal size, and the trick is to stay inflated for longer than the would-be predator’s attention span. 

Baby Chick Mimics Toxic Caterpillar

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

Anagoria/Wikimedia

Though it will grow up to be a fairly unassuming-looking bird, for the first 18 days of its life a cinerous mourner (Laniocera hypopyrra) is clad in bright orange feathers. These feathers allow the chick to look like a toxic caterpillar, protecting it from predators. In addition to the coloring, the bird actually looks long and slender like a caterpillar as well!

Check out this video from New Scientist:

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwSGk...]

Bird Feathers Appear Red or Blue in Completely Different Ways

Plants and Animals





Photo credit:

Indigo bunting nestled in red foliage / John L. Absher/Shutterstock.com

Blue birds and red birds get their vibrant colors in very different ways, and comparing the two strategies could tell scientists something fascinating about how materials (natural or synthetic) make colors appear. The findings were published in Physical Review E last week.