science
Topics and developments in science and medicine, presented by Futurism.
The Ocean Is Important. How Important?
Without the ocean, we simply wouldn't survive! We ALL rely on it, even those who live miles away from the shore. The ocean covers nearly three-quarters of the earth's surface and holds 97% of the planet's water. Believe it or not, the ocean also generates more than half of the oxygen in the earth's atmosphere. Don't believe me? Let me explain. Phytoplankton are plants that live near the water’s surface and drift with the currents. These plants produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis, a process which converts carbon dioxide and sunlight into sugars the organism can use for energy. Put simply, they produce oxygen the same way that trees do. But on a much larger scale. Scientists believe that phytoplankton contribute to between 50 to 85 percent of the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere. That's a lot.
By Kader Folles8 years ago in Futurism
Climate Change
You’ve probably heard climate change at some point or another, whether it’s someone claiming it’s a hoax, or a scientist rambling about the importance of us changing the way we live. To understand climate change and its importance first we must know what it is. Climate change is defined as, “a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.”
By Clare Woodford8 years ago in Futurism
Crowdfunding Science
Scientific discovery has always required extensive resources and large purse strings. But with decreasing sources of funding, getting a project off the ground can be daunting. Grants often require some sort of pilot data and preliminary analysis, both of which can be costly. And for those living in countries where funding is scarce, finding any source is incredibly important. Many researchers have begun to look at alternatives, one of these being crowdfunding.
By Liza Saguto8 years ago in Futurism
Facts About Nuclear Fallout
In the event of nuclear fallout, here are some facts you may find useful. Nuclear Fallout: In the event of a substantial nuclear winter (1), widespread nuclear fallout, pollution, severe drop in temperatures resulting in a winter-like state, ozone depletion, and severe overcast will likely occur. Twilight at noon is an event that occurs because smoke caused by burning cities, as well as forests and industrial sites, gathers in the stratosphere, which in turn causes the sunlight to diminish (2), resulting in darker daylight hours. With the sun blocked by smoke, this could result in a food shortage due to loss of crops and animals around the world could potentially go extinct. Some scientists speculate on how long it would take for the smoke clouds in the atmosphere to diminish, BUT according to a study done in 2007 by Brian Toon and Alan Robock, the detonation of fifty nuclear missiles could launch the entire world into ten years of smoke cover and a three-year temperature drop of about 2.25 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature should return to normal after twenty-five years. In the event of nuclear detonation, the most immediate fatalities will be because of the detonation itself or the heat caused by the explosion. One megaton hydrogen bomb will have a blast radius of between two and five miles (3). A crater is formed when a nuclear bomb hits the ground, causing particles from the surface area that was struck to become irradiated from the explosion, which is then carried into the sky, resulting in the “mushroom cloud.” This nuclear material that is left over gets pushed around just like a “normal” cloud does and can be visible and appear to be a sand-like or flaky substance. Coming into large quantities of this substance can be life threatening. Nuclear radiation would affect anyone outside of the immediate blast zone. Radiation sickness can kill as many, if not more, people than the blast would, but the affects would happen over time, opposed to the immediate destruction of a nuclear bomb. Moments after an atomic bomb hits, a hard, black rain consisting of thick black globs textured similarly to oil will fall from the sky. In Hiroshima (7), this event occurred 20 minutes after the bomb detonated and the rain covered about twelve miles around where the event of ground zero took place. This substance is approximately one hundred times more irradiated than it would have been if you were to have stepped into the center of the blast zone. In the event of a nuclear detonation, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) (8) could quite possibly shut down an entire electrical system. If the EMP is powerful enough, it could wipe out an entire country's electrical grid. Lights could go out, refrigerators would stop functioning, resulting in food loss, street lamps would stop working; telephones, televisions, and stop-light signals alike would all cease to operate. Nuclear radiation produces a chemical known as strontium-90, which is capable of tricking your body into thinking that the chemical is calcium when inhaled or ingested. Afterwards, your body will distribute it into your bones and teeth. Bone cancer is what follows.
By Olibia Bailey-Odom8 years ago in Futurism
Why Those 2 Silicon Valley Billionaires Are Wasting Their Time & Money
Beginning 'round the time that Tad Friend, over at The New Yorker, published his October 10, 2016 article on Y Combinator founder, Sam Altman, the rumors flew far and fast concerning an odd footnote he included concerning the whole simulation hypothesis myth, popular amongst Silicon Valley elites. According to Friend's account, two Silicon Valley billionaires were taking the idea so seriously, that they had begun to "secretly engage scientists to work on breaking us out of the simulation".
By Marshall Barnes8 years ago in Futurism
Did Jurassic Park Teach the Scientists of Today Anything?
We have all watched the popular science fiction, adventure film Jurassic Park directed by Steven Spielberg and released in 1993. Based on the best-selling book by Michael Crichton and making $1.029 billion at the box office, Jurassic Park became a phenomenon worldwide, both adults and children alike fell in love with the idea that dinosaurs could be brought back through science.
By Kathryn Barnsley8 years ago in Futurism
Where the Body Ends and the Self Begins
In a few months we will be able to see the first human head transplant. After years of preparation and planning, surgeons hope that the procedure, successful or not, will lead to new treatments for the severely disabled. The procedure itself will be a grueling thirty six hours, and if the early tests on mice are any indication, the volunteer patient might only have a few hours to enjoy his new body. Other researchers point to other dangers that might arise, including a real possibility that the severely damaged spinal cord nerves might trigger unimaginable, permanent pain. Regardless, the surgeons are moving forward in what they hope will be a great leap for science.
By Haybitch Abersnatchy8 years ago in Futurism
