Today I Learned

[imatfaal]

 

I wondered about that as well. The article did says the longest was an oil well but didn't say what that meant. The article also referenced a SciShow video link which it did not provide. Perhaps the details are in that nonexistent video link.

 

Oil wells can go considerable (10km) lateral distances too

[DrmDoc]

Today I learned why some motorcyclists crash. It seems that most crashes are due to poor cycling skills and inattentiveness.

[Itoero]

I just learned Stephen Hawking may win a Nobel Prize if they find evidence for soft hairs on Black Holes.

Here is the paper he wrote: https://arxiv.org/abs/1601.00921

[koti]

Curtesy of swansont I have learned a colloquialism today which I will definitely use myself in the future:

"argument by rectal retrieval"

[Mordred]

Lol I liked that one too

[StringJunky]

 

Oil wells can go considerable (10km) lateral distances too

A lateral 'hole' is a 'tunnel'.

[Itoero]

Today I learned that most or many Greenland sharks are blind due to parasitic copepods living on their eyeballs.

They are ectotherm and live in water that's about 2°C which explains why they move so slowly, they swim 1,22 km/h on average.

The Greenland shark has the longest known lifespan of all vertebrate species.

One shark was estimated to be a minimum of 272 years and a maximum of 512 years. And they probably reach sexual maturity at 150 years.

[imatfaal]

A lateral 'hole' is a 'tunnel'.

Some of the wells in Sakhalin and in Qatar are very deep - but also have a a huge lateral component. If my memory serves me correctly the Sakhalin holes are 12000m deep with 7000 metres lateral - definitely not a tunnel; whereas the real biggies in Qatar are 12000m deep with 10000m lateral. But still an oilwell and not something I would call a tunnel

[StringJunky]

Some of the wells in Sakhalin and in Qatar are very deep - but also have a a huge lateral component. If my memory serves me correctly the Sakhalin holes are 12000m deep with 7000 metres lateral - definitely not a tunnel; whereas the real biggies in Qatar are 12000m deep with 10000m lateral. But still an oilwell and not something I would call a tunnel

I was kidding really, based on I tend to think of holes as somewhere around vertical.

[Itoero]

Today I learned Mexico city is sinking!

It's mostly built on a lake bed, filled with aquifers.

They are draining the aquifers to drink and it causes the city to drop.

It has sunk more then 9 meters in a 100 years!

[Velocity_Boy]

Today I learned why some motorcyclists crash. It seems that most crashes are due to poor cycling skills and inattentiveness.

Really? That surprised you that some accidents are caused by operator error? Or not paying attention? No reason it should. In this regard it's the same for us motorcyclists as it is for car drivers.

 

I've been riding for over fifteen years and still use a cycle as my primary transport. I can offer you some more info on this topic.

 

The most common type of bike v auto accident is when the car turns left in front of the bike on a two way road. The bike t-bones the auto and the cyclist either flies into the side of the vehicle or he clears it over the top. This sort of accident accounts for almost half of all bike wrecks. The second most common scenario in bike v car is when an auto just rear ends a cycle stopped at a red light.

 

For bike accidents with no other vehicles involved the most common is when the cyclist simply takes a corner or s turn too fast. And just runs out of road, as we say.

The poo of a million people can hold $13m worth of precious metals (US Geological Survey).

Thats gotta be a typo.

 

Thirteen million bucks from the fecal output of one million humans?

 

So, in your typical BM from today there was $13.00 worth of minerals in it?

 

Pardon the pun, but bullshit.

 

 

Gotta link?

Edited April 30, 2017 by Velocity_Boy

[StringJunky]

Really? That surprised you that some accidents are caused by operator error? Or not paying attention? No reason it should. In this regard it's the same for us motorcyclists as it is for car drivers.

 

I've been riding for over fifteen years and still use a cycle as my primary transport. I can offer you some more info on this topic.

 

The most common type of bike v auto accident is when the car turns left in front of the bike on a two way road. The bike t-bones the auto and the cyclist either flies into the side of the vehicle or he clears it over the top. This sort of accident accounts for almost half of all bike wrecks. The second most common scenario in bike v car is when an auto just rear ends a cycle stopped at a red light.

 

For bike accidents with no other vehicles involved the most common is when the cyclist simply takes a corner or s turn too fast. And just runs out of road, as we say.

 

Thats gotta be a typo.

 

Thirteen million bucks from the fecal output of one million humans?

 

So, in your typical BM from today there was $13.00 worth of minerals in it?

 

Pardon the pun, but bullshit.

 

 

Gotta link?

Did you not notice 'US Geological Survey'?

 

 

In a previous study, another team of scientists calculated that the waste from one million Americans could contain as much as $13m (£8.6m) worth of metals. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32026636

Edited April 30, 2017 by StringJunky

[Strange]

Thirteen million bucks from the fecal output of one million humans?

 

So, in your typical BM from today there was $13.00 worth of minerals in it?

 

Pardon the pun, but bullshit.

 

 

I somehow doubt that it was a per diem figure. Perhaps annually? Which would make it about 3 cents. Not completely implausible.

[Endy0816]

Yep, annual. Get to it everyone

 

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es505329q

[StringJunky]

My second link in the thread sorts that out; per annum:

 

 

Scientists are perusing poop at America’s wastewater treatment facilities for gold, silver, copper and other useful metals. The sewage from one million people could net $13 million in metals each year, all while making fertilizer more efficient.

https://www.rt.com/usa/243377-mining-sewage-precious-metals-studies/

 

[John Cuthber]

I discovered that:

It's impossible to talk about poop without someone making a "bullshit" pun

there's gold in there (presumably significantly more in some cases than others; I quite like Goldschläger.)

The nitrogen in poop is almost certainly worth more than the gold.

[DrmDoc]

Today I learned that nearly two-thirds of all cancers are caused by natural mutations amid our body's cellular replication process. Our body replaces trillions of cell throughout our lifetime. Essentially, the shear number of cell replacements predisposes the process to errors that can produce cancerous mutant cells regardless of our lifestyle or exposure to carcinogens. It seems, in a majority of cases, getting cancer might just be bad luck rather than an unhealthful lifestyle.

Edited May 4, 2017 by DrmDoc

[koti]

Today I learned that by using a combined Uranium 235 & Uranium 238 dating method it is possible to achieve an error margin in dates of rocks as low as less than 2 million years in 2,5 billion years.

[Manticore]

Today I learned (not for the first time) that having the latest experimental version of every piece of software is not always a good idea.

[StringJunky]

Today I learned (not for the first time) that having the latest experimental version of every piece of software is not always a good idea.

Being on the crest of the wave does mean you fall off more often.

[koti]

Today I learned that male ducks grow new penises every year.

[Manticore]

Today I learned that male ducks grow new penises every year.

That must take a hell of a lot of energy. Do you know how big those things are?

[DrP]

I thought birds just had little holes... I'll have to look that up again when I get home - I probably shouldn't go searching for penises on the internet while I am here at work.

[koti]

That must take a hell of a lot of energy. Do you know how big those things are?

Theyre cork screw shape and pretty huge and disgusting for such a warm and fuzzy animal as a duck. I'd post a gif but it's disturbing.

[DrKrettin]

Today I learned that most people use penises as a plural of penis, whereas penes is much easier. I was trying to post something constructive about the word "drake" but gave up.