Recent comments in /f/askscience

kilo-kos t1_j56towp wrote

Reply to comment by beipphine in Whats stopping us from sending a probe into a black hole if we haven't already? by stealth941

Hawking Radiation is theoretically not at all related to the contents of the black hole; it should be random.

However... that means that when a black hole evaporates completely, all information that entered it is destroyed. This is a huge open problem in quantum physics known as the Black Hole Information Paradox.

Interestingly, one recently discovered possible solution is that information is able to exit the black hole via wormholes that could mathematically exist, but don't... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epSev7ovVew

But really, we just don't know yet for sure. It's certainly possible that Hawking's original description of Hawking Radiation is incomplete or subtly wrong.

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yonedaneda t1_j56ha1v wrote

Reply to If the left side of your brain controls the right side of your body and vice versa, then what does that mean about people who are left handed? by Reflector368

It is broadly true that the left motor cortex is predominantly involved in the control of the right limbs, and vice versa. This isn’t absolutely true — you still see ipsilateral (same side) activation during movement, although its role in motor control isn’t very clear. There are slight differences in this activation in left and right handed people, and usually the hemisphere opposite the dominant hand is slightly more engaged in ipsilateral movements. Again, the functional role of this difference isn’t very clear.

There are other functional differences, beyond motor control. Language is typically lateralized to the left hemisphere, but greater right hemisphere lateralization is more common in the left handed (and in women).

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[deleted] OP t1_j56fhrp wrote

Reply to comment by Soycordado in Why aren't all amniotes classified as reptiles in the current taxonomic groupings? Couldn't we have just called sauropsids "bird-like reptiles"? by [deleted]

Huh. I never thought about it like that. But when you think about it I guess you're kinda right because saying we're descended from mammal-like reptiles may imply to people with the ladder thinking that reptiles are just "less evolved", when they're not.

Still would've been nice to be able to say I was descended from a dinosaur though lol.

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Calgacus2020 t1_j56fabk wrote

Reply to What color are cancer cells? by jennlara

Cancer cell biologist here. Cancer cells, as others have mentioned, are just cells that are dividing uncontrollably. Some cancer cells will be pigmented, if they're derived from cells that produce pigments, but most are clear and have no discernible color.

For example, various types of skin cancer will be pigmented because skin can produce melanin. In this case, they'll look brown, tan, or black. But, something like bone cancer will be clear under the microscope.

While you can detect cancer cells based on their shape and the shapes of their innards, this typically requires various stains, eg, a stain that specifically colors DNA so you can see the shape of the nucleus.

If you or your son have more questions, feel free to DM me!

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