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Science

Dihydrogen Monoxide In Your Home!

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man in chemical suit

Upon doing some research, I have found that large amounts of the chemical compound Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is inside my own home and I thought I would mention that it’s likely in your home as well. I feel that it’s important to point out some of the hazards associated with the chemical compound.

  • Solid Dihydrogen Monoxide can be dangerous especially when exposed to your skin for long periods of time.
  • When Dihydrogen Monoxide is in a gaseous state it can cause severe burns.
  • It corrodes and oxidizes many metals which can lead to damage of infrastructure like bridges or many of the common items in your home.
  • DHMO is a major component of acid rain.

What makes all of this even more scary is that Dihydrogen Monoxide is almost guaranteed to be in your home and it’s likely in all forms, solid, liquid and gas. I have found a helpful website that goes into greater detail about the uses and dangers of DHMO.

** For those who become especially concerned about DHMO please head here.

For images of the chemical compound head here.

The Science of Bullets Underwater in Slow Motion

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I saw this video trending on Youtube and had to share it with you guys. In a great two part video by the theslowmoguys and smartereveryday, we get to see some amazing and unexpected things happen when a gun is fired underwater. Not only is this awesome to watch but there’s a lot of really cool science going on here.

The first video really focuses on the high speed footage while the second part explains the science in a little more detail, so it’s well worth watching both parts. Both of these channels are on my subscribe list for sure and I’m sure you’ve seen videos from one of these channels before as well, but in the odd chance you haven’t, you can get your geek fix and check out some of their most popular videos.

Earth and Moon As Seen From Saturn

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EarthFromSaturn
Earth as seen From Saturn, PhotoTaken by Cassini on July 19th 2013. (Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)

It’s not too often that we see our world from afar but when we do it’s truly an amazing and humbling experience. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft was able to get into position next to the great planet of Saturn and take a look back at Earth from 900 million miles away. The image is in color and in high resolution, Earth is nothing but a blue dot with a small white dot next to it, that white dot is the Moon of course. Saturn’s rings reflect sunlight towards the camera and against the black backdrop of outer space, it looks truly beautiful.

Cassini’s picture reminds us how tiny our home planet is in the vastness of space, and also testifies to the ingenuity of the citizens of this tiny planet to send a robotic spacecraft so far away from home to study Saturn and take a look-back photo of Earth.” Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist, at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

As NASA points out, pictures like these are very rare because Earth appears very close to the sun at that distance and trying to take a picture could ruin the camera’s sensitive electronics with that much sunlight hitting it. This is just one section of an image that will become a mosaic of Saturn’s rings. You can read the original article and see a full-resolution version of this image from NASA.

 

Stephen Hawking Intros Big Bang Theory

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Comic-Con is always full of surprises and über geeky moments and I think Stephen Hawing introducing the Big Bang Theory panel is one of those moments. Not only does he do the theme song, which is awesome, but he does mention his book,  A Brief History of Time, and an upcoming movie about his life titled Hawking which is set to be released on September 20th, 2013 in the UK.

NASA 2020 Focus is Life on Mars

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Mars2020RoverConcept
Mars 2020 Rover Concept (Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

On July 09, 2013 NASA discussed their outline for the 2020 Mars Rover. Their focus will be primarily on looking for signs of past life on the red planet as well as collecting samples to bring back to Earth for analysis.  The sample information could help with future manned missions to Mars as we would need to have a greater understanding of the resources available to us.

There are many hazards on the martian surface that must be better understood before we go sending our best to go walking around out there. Even the dust of Mars could be very dangerous to explorers, add into account the higher radiation levels and potential for wild weather and you could be in real trouble.

NASA’s 2020 mission aims to build on the tremendous success of Curiosity. The 2020 mission will not only look for signs of past life but also attempt to understand what it takes for life to take hold. NASA will also focus on how to use the resources on Mars to survive long periods of time on the planet. Creating oxygen, collecting carbon dioxide, and creating fuel are just a few examples of the engineering hurdles that the Mars 2020 mission could help us jump.

 The Mars 2020 mission concept does not presume that life ever existed on Mars, however, given the recent Curiosity findings, past Martian life seems possible, and we should begin the difficult endeavor of seeking the signs of life. No matter what we learn, we would make significant progress in understanding the circumstances of early life existing on Earth and the possibilities of extraterrestrial life.” – Jack Mustard, chairman of the Science Definition Team and a professor at the Geological Sciences at Brown University in Providence, R.I.

Want a more in-depth look at the future plans for Mars Rover missions? The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) offers a rich experience with the latest updates and multimedia.