Recent comments in /f/science

Huntguy t1_j6t4z7n wrote

Reply to comment by JMEEKER86 in US Emissions of the World’s Most Potent Greenhouse Gas Are 56 Percent Higher Than EPA Estimates. Electric utilities are likely responsible for the nation’s higher than expected emissions of sulfur hexafluoride, a greenhouse gas 25,000 times worse for the climate than carbon dioxide. by Wagamaga

It feels like this article was written by big oil.

“But look at this! It’s way worse than co2!”

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asdaaaaaaaa t1_j6t4rjo wrote

Reply to comment by cittatva in Planting more trees could axe summer deaths by a third. Modelling of 93 European cities finds that increasing tree cover up to 30% can help lower the temperature of urban environments by an average of 0.4°C and prevent one in three heat deaths as a result. by MistWeaver80

Did you let them get established before letting them handle extreme weather? It's wise to protect and sorta baby younger/less mature plants/trees and give them a bit more attention. Generally the older a tree is, the more it can stand certain things like freezing temps and such.

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JMEEKER86 t1_j6t4nyb wrote

Reply to comment by Huntguy in US Emissions of the World’s Most Potent Greenhouse Gas Are 56 Percent Higher Than EPA Estimates. Electric utilities are likely responsible for the nation’s higher than expected emissions of sulfur hexafluoride, a greenhouse gas 25,000 times worse for the climate than carbon dioxide. by Wagamaga

Yeah, it's basically clickbait trying to deflect from the real problems. It's like how nukes being far more powerful than guns doesn't mean much when more guns kill more people every single year than nukes ever have. Sure, one may be 25,000x more powerful, but there's way waaaaaay more than 25,000x difference in quantity.

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bootsforever t1_j6t3f80 wrote

Reply to comment by OathOfFeanor in Planting more trees could axe summer deaths by a third. Modelling of 93 European cities finds that increasing tree cover up to 30% can help lower the temperature of urban environments by an average of 0.4°C and prevent one in three heat deaths as a result. by MistWeaver80

I see your point. Again, that's a problem that has a lot of different variables. First of all, any solution must be particular to the local conditions. Los Angeles is different from Seattle is different from Charleston is different from Paris is different from Venice (and so on). Second, different species of tree have dramatically different requirements and live in wildly different conditions.

For example, The American Southeast is full of live oaks, which provide lots of shade and are well suited to the environment there. Those trees wouldn't do as well in, for example, desert climates in Arizona; however, the Palo Verde tree thrives in that region, and is used as a street tree that provides shade, beauty, habitat, etc.

I wouldn't recommend slapping a bunch of oaks and maples in the Arizona desert, and I also wouldn't recommend covering South Carolina in Palo Verde.

Edit:

I also agree that there is an increasing need for energy efficient air conditioning that can be powered by renewable resources. I do not think vegetation is the only answer to this problem. We are at a stage where we need a multi-pronged approach to these vast and complicated issues.

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Wagamaga OP t1_j6t317y wrote

Reply to Scientists have shown for the first time that briefly tuning into a person's individual brainwave cycle before they perform a learning task dramatically boosts the speed at which cognitive skills improve. by Wagamaga

Scientists have shown for the first time that briefly tuning into a person’s individual brainwave cycle before they perform a learning task dramatically boosts the speed at which cognitive skills improve.

Calibrating rates of information delivery to match the natural tempo of our brains increases our capacity to absorb and adapt to new information, according to the team behind the study.

University of Cambridge researchers say that these techniques could help us retain “neuroplasticity” much later in life and advance lifelong learning.

“Each brain has its own natural rhythm, generated by the oscillation of neurons working together,” said Prof Zoe Kourtzi, senior author of the study from Cambridge’s Department of Psychology. “We simulated these fluctuations so the brain is in tune with itself – and in the best state to flourish.”

https://academic.oup.com/cercor/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cercor/bhac426/6814397

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Billbat1 t1_j6t2v7a wrote

Reply to comment by ChemicalRain5513 in Endangered male northern quolls are giving up sleep in favour of having more sex – and it could be killing them, according to a study that investigated why male northern quolls usually mate themselves to death in one season while females can live and reproduce for up to four years. by MistWeaver80

one of the reasons women arent allowed to fight on the frontlines in a lot of armies is because men are affected more by women get hurt or killed. the stronger emotions is probably an evolutionary trait to protect women above men. its the same reason why women were prioritized over men when the titanic was sinking. theres a lot of scenarios were men have an advantage, when it comes to life and death it seems that womens safety is prioritized.

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AutoModerator t1_j6t2ueh wrote

Reply to Scientists have shown for the first time that briefly tuning into a person's individual brainwave cycle before they perform a learning task dramatically boosts the speed at which cognitive skills improve. by Wagamaga

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FaceDeer t1_j6t2bjc wrote

Reply to comment by cittatva in Planting more trees could axe summer deaths by a third. Modelling of 93 European cities finds that increasing tree cover up to 30% can help lower the temperature of urban environments by an average of 0.4°C and prevent one in three heat deaths as a result. by MistWeaver80

A common issue that I see discussed on /r/marijuanaenthusiasts/ is planting trees too deeply. Once a tree has sprouted it permanently establishes the division point between "root" and "trunk" and produces a different sort of bark on each. If a tree gets replanted deeper than it sprouted it ends up with soil against trunk-bark, which is more prone to rotting.

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PuckSR t1_j6t1g6h wrote

Reply to US Emissions of the World’s Most Potent Greenhouse Gas Are 56 Percent Higher Than EPA Estimates. Electric utilities are likely responsible for the nation’s higher than expected emissions of sulfur hexafluoride, a greenhouse gas 25,000 times worse for the climate than carbon dioxide. by Wagamaga

Quick explainer: They use sulfur hexafluoride because it prevents arcing.

In electrical equipment, you are always worried about an arc forming at switches. You mitigate this by putting space between the two points. This is true for all electrical equipment, even the light switch in your house. The distance an arc can occur is based on the conductivity of the medium. Air is the medium typically used. But with really high-voltage equipment, you need very large gaps. Alternatively, you can use something different than air. That is where hexafluoride comes into use. It allows us to make much smaller equipment for high voltage, because it is less conductive and therefore needs far less spacing.

The alternative to using hexafluoride are:

  • bigger equipment
  • alternative gases, which are more expensive and more hazardous

Both of those things cost money, so the utility industry hasn't been in a big hurry to fix it. But there is no reason we couldn't use an alternative if it was mandated.

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DrMobius0 t1_j6t0gcz wrote

Reply to comment by sweetplantveal in Planting more trees could axe summer deaths by a third. Modelling of 93 European cities finds that increasing tree cover up to 30% can help lower the temperature of urban environments by an average of 0.4°C and prevent one in three heat deaths as a result. by MistWeaver80

A few years back, my family and I visited an amusement park that had a ton of trees around providing shade. The day itself was in the 90s, but it felt perfectly comfortable in the park. Widespread shade is no joke.

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PuckSR t1_j6t08vf wrote

Reply to comment by Various_Oil_5674 in US Emissions of the World’s Most Potent Greenhouse Gas Are 56 Percent Higher Than EPA Estimates. Electric utilities are likely responsible for the nation’s higher than expected emissions of sulfur hexafluoride, a greenhouse gas 25,000 times worse for the climate than carbon dioxide. by Wagamaga

Not really. There are alternatives. SF6 is preferred because it is cheap and works well, but there is no reason you couldn't electrify the grid without it.

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buythedipster t1_j6t04vj wrote

Reply to comment by popkornking in Planting more trees could axe summer deaths by a third. Modelling of 93 European cities finds that increasing tree cover up to 30% can help lower the temperature of urban environments by an average of 0.4°C and prevent one in three heat deaths as a result. by MistWeaver80

I agree. While the average is important, the minute difference downplays how people actually die. In fact, a climate with wild variation in temperature could have the same average as another with very stable temperature, however one would be much more dangerous

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