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  • What are the actual benefits of using hydrogen as a fuel source?

    So many organizations and individuals tout hydrogen fuel as some carbon-free energy panacea, since it offers a method of energy storage without any direct emissions. However, basically everything I've read on the topic explains that producing hydrogen to use as fuel requires high amounts of energy in the first place, which almost always comes from fossil fuels. Due to the laws of thermodynamics, the amount of energy used to create hydrogen will always be less than the amount yielded by the hydrogen as fuel (to my understanding, at least).

    If producing hydrogen requires high amounts of (usually polluting) energy, and the energy resulted from the hydrogen is lower than the energy needed, what is the point of using hydrogen at all? Wouldn't it be more efficient to just use the energy generated from the initial energy source, since there would be less energy loss from using it directly than there is from producing hydrogen? Am I misunderstanding the point of hydrogen fuel?

    3 AnswersAlternative Fuel Vehicles1 month ago
  • Why don’t we search for microbial life in Venus’ atmosphere?

    I’ve seen a bit of discussion lately regarding some scientists who speculate that dark, UV-absorbing patches in Venus’ atmosphere may be caused by airborne microbial life, living in the planet’s upper atmosphere.

    Yet despite these speculations, I haven’t been able to find much information on any actual proposals or plans to further investigate this hypothesis. 

    Given that we already currently have probes orbiting Venus, and we have previously landed probes on the harsh surface of Venus (albeit only for a few hours), it seems like having a probe perform direct atmospheric research should be relatively easy, especially if there exists the possibility of discovering microbial life.

    Here’s one of the articles I’m referring to

    https://earthsky.org/space/could-microbes-be-affec...

    7 AnswersAstronomy & Space1 year ago
  • How could a spacecraft as compact as Orion possibly take humans to locations beyond Earth?

    I know very little regarding aerospace engineering, so I may be entirely mistaken regarding this whole concept, so please forgive my ignorance.

    After looking up a few links regarding NASA's planned mission to Mars, they said that the Orion capsule is their planned vehicle of transportation to Mars and a near-Earth asteroid.

    However, based on some pictures of Orion mock-ups I have found (http://theeuropafiles.net/images/orion.jpg, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thu... http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=200... the capsule itself seems incredible compact. It seems barely able to house a single person for a few days, let alone multiple people for numerous months.

    So could someone explain, in simplest terms, how a capsule as compact as Orion could possibly house numerous people for several months at a time? This may be my unfamiliarity with the field talking, but wouldn't it make more sense (albeit a lot more money and resources) to use a much larger spacecraft, similar to the Hermes from The Martian novel/film?

    Again, I am not familiar with the specifics (or anything for that matter) regarding the engineering and design of spacecraft, so forgive my ignorance.

    10 AnswersAstronomy & Space4 years ago
  • What provides the gravity for the ships in the Alien movies?

    None of the ships in the Alien movies (Nostromo, Sulaco, Prometheus, Covenant, etc) have any sort of rotation employed to produce artificial gravity. Have the movie writers or the novels or anyone/anything ever explained what is providing the vessels with Earth-like gravity?

    5 AnswersMovies4 years ago
  • Marine Biology vs Physical Oceanography vs Hydrology Major?

    As I said in my previous question, I am a high school Junior who is looking forward in life, and trying to decide what career to pursue - ideally one in the aquatic sciences.

    My whole life, I ve been in love with biology, but over the past few years, i ve realized I have an immense dislike for wet lab work. I just find it too confusing and stressful, especially when working with chemical or microbiological samples. For this reason, I ve considered fisheries science or bioacoustics for a career (since they re more applied biology, with more computer & statistical work), though I m not sure how wet-lab intensive these fields are.

    On the other hand, I m also interested in physics, so I ve considered going into physical oceanography, with a focus on fields such as oceanic mixing & climate dynamics (with respect to oceanography). I m not too familiar with this field, but it seems to involve less wet-lab and chemistry work.

    Finally, I ve also grown an interest in hydrology, especially in relation to geology and meteorology. Again, I m not too familiar with hydrology, but it sees to involve less wet-lab/chemistry work.

    So which of these fields

    -marine biology (esp. fisheries science & bioacoustics)

    -physical oceanography (esp. climatology)

    -hydrology (esp. meteorological)

    would be the best major for someone who enjoys the aquatic sciences, but dislikes wet-lab work?

    Note that I do plan on talking to my guidance counselor about this, but I just want to hear some ideas first.

  • Biology vs Geology vs Physics vs Engineering for a major?

    I'm currently a Junior in high school, so I know I still have time to decide for college, but I still want to plan ahead.

    All my life, biology has been my favorite subject. I've loved learning about biology and reading new facts from books or the internet. But after taking part of AP Biology in Sophomore year, and after taking 2 years of a Biotechnology major (tech school), I've realized I really dislike chemistry, microbiology, and really lab work as a whole. The things that mostly interest me are population dynamics, ecology, statistics, field research, and computer analysis. Because of this, I've considered things like biostatistics or fisheries science.

    Oceanography has also always been a strong interest of mine, so I initially planned to go into marine biology. However, since I have such a strong dislike for chemistry, microbiology, and lab work (all of which are key components of a career in biology), I'm beginning to consider other fields.

    I've frequently thought about majoring in physics or engineering, since I enjoy mathematics and I could go into different fields of marine science/engineering. I've also thought about majoring in geology, so I could pursue a career in hydrology or meteorology. But I feel like all of these fields won't interest me the way biology does.

    What do you recommend for some who enjoys biology, but dislikes chemistry, microbiology, and lab work? Would going into a career in ecology be suitable for me, or should I consider a different field?

  • Fields of marine science that don't involve heavy chemistry work?

    I'm a high schooler hoping to pursue a career in marine science, ideally with a focus on hydrology, air-sea interactions, coastal systems/processes, oceanic mixing, or marine ecology/fisheries science. After looking at some university websites and emailing a few professors, it seems that most of these fields require some chemistry, though I'm still a bit unsure.

    As much as I love science, chemistry has always been my least favorite subject. It's not that I'm bad at it - I just hate it. Is it possible to pursue an education/career in any of the fields I listed above, or any other fields of marine science, that don't require a heavy workload in chemistry?

    1 AnswerOther - Careers & Employment4 years ago
  • Steering "locking up" when going at high speeds on 2004 Mercury 4hp 4-stroke outboard motor?

    I have a 2004 Mercury 4 horsepower 4-stroke motor. The motor seems to run fine, but there are 2 things that have caught my attention:

    1) Whenever I switch the motor from Neutral into Forward, the motor seems to jump a bit and makes a loud thud. I'm not too worried about this, since me and my dad assume it's normal.

    2) This is more concerning. Whenever I switch the throttle to any somewhat high speed, the steering suddenly "locks up". When this happens, I can only easily turn it to one side, and it will only turn slightly to the other. So I'll be able to turn it right with no problem, but then it won't go left. If I force it, which takes a lot of effort, then I can make it "switch sides", so I'll be able to turn it left with no problem, but then it won't go right.

    Sometimes, it even locks up so that I can barely steer it in either direction, though this has only happened occasionally. This has also happened slightly once or twice while driving slowly, though it's not nearly as hard to "switch sides". It almost always steers fine in all directions at slower speeds, but at higher speeds, it just locks up.

    Does anyone know if the first one issue I mentioned is normal, and whether or not it is even a problem? And could anyone help me figure out what may be causing the second one, and how I can fix it (or if I'll need to take it to a mechanic)? Thanks!

    2 AnswersBoats & Boating5 years ago
  • Steering "locking up" when going at high speeds on 2004 Mercury 4hp 4-stroke outboard motor?

    I have a 2004 Mercury 4 horsepower 4-stroke motor. The motor seems to run fine, but there are 2 things that have caught my attention:

    1) Whenever I switch the motor from Neutral into Forward, the motor seems to jump a bit and makes a loud thud. I'm not too worried about this, since me and my dad assume it's normal.

    2) This is more concerning. Whenever I switch the throttle to any somewhat high speed, the steering suddenly "locks up". When this happens, I can only easily turn it to one side, and it will only turn slightly to the other. So I'll be able to turn it right with no problem, but then it won't go left. If I force it, which takes a lot of effort, then I can make it "switch sides", so I'll be able to turn it left with no problem, but then it won't go right.

    Sometimes, it even locks up so that I can barely steer it in either direction, though this has only happened occasionally. This has also happened slightly once or twice while driving slowly, though it's not nearly as hard to "switch sides". It almost always steers fine in all directions at slower speeds, but at higher speeds, it just locks up.

    Does anyone know if the first one issue I mentioned is normal, and whether or not it is even a problem? And could anyone help me figure out what may be causing the second one, and how I can fix it (or if I'll need to take it to a mechanic)? Thanks!

    2 AnswersBoats & Boating5 years ago
  • Fishing from Sunfish sailboats?

    I own a 14 foot Sunfish sailboat, and currently live right near a pond that has some good-size bass, pickerel, perch, sunfish, and I think bullhead.

    I was wondering how fishing would be in the Sunfish sailboat?

    If the boat capsized, my rod floats, and I might be able to tie my tackle to it somewhere (since the pond I am at generally doesn't get wind speeds too high, I don't think capsizing will be too big of an issue anyways).

    What I'm mostly concerned over is if there's enough room to sit and fish comfortably, and if the boat is just capable to fish from in general.

    2 AnswersFishing7 years ago
  • Sound not working on iPhone apps, but still working on videos & music?

    A while ago, I had my iPhone screen cracked and got it fixed by a local repairman. Ever since then, however (about 3 or 4 weeks ago), the sound has not been working right.

    Not one of my apps has the sound working without headphones. No matter what I tried - turning up the phone's volume to max, turning the app's volume to max, turning up the "Music" volume, etc.) it doesn't work unless I have my headphones in. If I have the headphones in, it works fine, but without them, it doesn't work at all.

    That's only on apps. All my music DOES have working sound, as does everything online and any movies I rent.

    Can anyone figure out why

    (A) Only the apps have no sound; all music, videos, etc. do have sound

    (B) Why it only works with headphones in

    (C) (most important of all) How I can fix this?

    2 AnswersSoftware7 years ago
  • Questions on Saw III ending?

    I understand most of it, except I don't get what John meant by "Amanda's life was in Lynn's hands" and that "Lynn was important to Amanda's survival". Amanda also exclaimed "You gave her control over me?!". Lynn didn't have control over Amanda at all.

    I also don't know what he meant by "testing Amanda's willpower to save a life", since Amanda never saved anyone - all she did was keep herself from killing Lynn. This wasn't testing anything except Amanda's ability to not shoot someone.

    Can someone explain?

    2 AnswersMovies7 years ago
  • Why do Naval oceanographic survey ships not have homeports?

    According to this page ( http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=... ) , none of the MSC's oceanographic survey ships have homeports. If they have no homeports, where are they kept at dock when not at sea, or if they need some repairs?

    Also, does anyone have any information where I can get some more detailed information on the MSC oceanographic survey ships?

    2 AnswersMilitary7 years ago
  • Where could someone get more info. on employment with the NOAA NEFSC?

    Can someone provide a link(s) with information about getting a job at the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center?

    The NOAA website's page on Careers was not too much help, since it didn't really provide a list of job openings.

    1 AnswerZoology7 years ago
  • Most videos not appearing on YouTube channel?

    Lately, on all YouTube channels, I cannot see any really new videos or really old videos, only in between. This includes my YouTube channel. In playlists, I can see all videos, but I cannot see most of them on the channel. This makes it nearly impossible to navigate throughout the channel or see any non-playlist videos.

    That is only on my computer. On my iPhone 4, I still have the old YouTube layout, with "Feed", "Videos", "Discussion", etc. so I can see all videos.

    2 AnswersYouTube7 years ago
  • Coast Guard MST questions?

    I've been reading up on Coast Guard ratings, and Marine Science Technician seems most interesting. However, I have a few questions:

    1) Overall, is it harder to get in than most CG ratings?

    2) If you had a degree in environmental sciences, oceanography, biology, or related fields, would it help you in becoming an MST or help you get promoted faster?

    3) Are there a lot of billets open, and if so, is there a lot of competition?

    4) Is boot camp more challenging than other CG rating boot camps, and if so, is it harder mentally or physically?

    I know the Coast Guard is harder to get in than most (if not all) military branches, and that it is usually the most challenging branch to get into mentally, so please don't tell me that.

    2 AnswersMilitary7 years ago
  • Coast Guard MST rating?

    I've been reading up on Coast Guard ratings, and Marine Science Technician seems most interesting. However, I have a few questions:

    1) Overall, is it harder to get in than most CG ratings?

    2) If you had a degree in environmental sciences, oceanography, biology, or related fields, would it help you in becoming an MST or help you get promoted faster?

    3) Are there a lot of billets open, and if so, is there a lot of competition?

    4) Is boot camp more challenging than other CG rating boot camps, and if so, is it harder mentally or physically?

    I know the Coast Guard is harder to get in than most (if not all) military branches, and that it is usually the most challenging branch to get into mentally, so please don't tell me that.

    3 AnswersMilitary7 years ago
  • Which branches of Marine Biology are easiest/hardest to get into?

    My guess is that the hardest one to get into is Marine Mammalogy, since just the idea of making a living off of researching Cetaceans, Pinnipeds, and Sirenians sounds like an awesome idea to anyone (myself included - it is my dream job that I hope to get one day).

    My guess is that the easiest one is probably the study of Plankton, Algae, and small fish (probably less than 18 inches at most), since most websites I've seen say the majority of marine biologists study those three animal groups.

    Are these correct, or are there any branches that are harder or easier to get into?

    2 AnswersBiology7 years ago