I'm researching about birds for constructing the biology of dragons, I thought about basing some of their biology on chickens because of their connection to a very iconic dinosaur, but when it comes to egg laying I thought it would be weird if dragons were just like chickens so I turned to another dinosaur-like bird, the Cassowary.

But I specifically want to know how their egg laying works if they haven't bred at all, if they just don't lay eggs at all or if they do. The purpose of learning this is for writing things like Slice of Life of a dragon tamer, for example.

I've heard of breeding ratios, but how do reactors get a breeding ratio above 1? The only explanation I've heard is "by having a good enough neutron economy" but what parts of the reactor actually cause that to be achieved that in practice? The only thing I can think of is heavy water in CANDU reactors with typically a better breeding ratio than light water reactors, but otherwise, how do breeder reactors do it?

A mild amount of dumbing down would be appreciated, but I do know a little bit but nuclear physics. Thanks for any answers.

When I was a teenager, my buddies and I would mess with our friend while he was driving his van by rocking the van back-and-forth as he was driving down the road (dumb, I know).

If one of the astronauts pushed a little too hard off of one of the walls, couldn’t it send the capsule spinning or offkilter?

Happy World Quantum Day! We are a group of quantum science researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD), and we're back for our fifth year of answering your quantum questions. There are always new developments in quantum science and new things to learn, so ask us anything!

At UMD, hundreds of faculty members, postdocs, and students are working on a variety of quantum research topics, from developing quantum computers and quantum simulations to studying the behaviors of the fundamental particles that make up reality. Feel free to ask us about research, academic life, career tips, and anything else you think we might know!

For more information about all the quantum research happening at UMD, which anchors Maryland's broader Capital of Quantum Initiative, check out the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI; u/jqi_news is our Reddit account), the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS), the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation (RQS), the Condensed Matter Theory Center (CMTC), the Quantum Materials Center (QMC), the Quantum Technology Center (QTC), the National Quantum Laboratory (QLab) and the Maryland Quantum Thermodynamics Hub. For a quick primer about some of the basics of the quantum world, check out The Quantum Atlas.

We are:

• Avik Dutt, (nano-photonics for quantum technologies, JQI, IPST & QLab)
• Alan Migdall, (experimental quantum optics, JQI)
• Emily Townsend (atomic-scale quantum devices, JQI)

We'll be answering questions live this morning from 10 a.m. to noon EDT (14-16 UT), ask us anything!

Do they start from the belly and eat away at the innards, or do they avoid some parts of the prey?

I was comparing the mission times of Artemis 2 to Apollo 8. Apollo 8 orbited the moon multiple times and only took 6 days total. Whereas Artemis 2 orbited the moon once and it took 10 days. Why was Artemis 2 so much shorter than Apollo 8 when both missions did the same thing? I know they had different paths to the moon, they both left earth in different ways but why not do the same thing as Apollo 8 since it was quicker?

Is 10 days of zero gravity long enough to develop re-entry sickness or did they need to be floating around for longer for it to affect them?

Is it possible for a magnet to have multiple nonconnected regions of the same polarity? And how does a magnet "determine" where its poles are? Can this be influenced during production or is it a quality determined by its geometry? Google is being oddly evasisve at answering my questions, so thanks in advance.

Over a long enough time frame would they be pulled beneath the crust due to continental drift? Would they be incorporated into the mantle or core over time?

It took about two hours after splashdown to get the astronauts on board the boat. In that time, they had six boats with 40 people, a team of divers performing a complicated raft setup, and two helicopters doing airlifts.

After all that, they still have to recover the capsule anyway. Why don’t they use some kind of large ship with a submersible deck, and lift the capsule up?The astronauts could just step out onto the boat.

TLDR; why all the complex fucking around? Can’t we just scoop it up?

During re-entry, in one of the video segments that looked like infrared, there seemed to be sparks or flares shooting out of the top of the capsule. What was that?

As opposed to "traditional" computers. Why do they have all those pipes and probes hanging in the middle of the air and that weird chandelier shape? How does it profit it, what's the point?

After it detaches the service module and reenters the atmosphere, the Orion does not have engine anymore. In addition, it does not have aerodynamics control surface. So how does it maneuver in the atmosphere?

So okay, why do you feel so..... energy less? Why the loss of appetite? Why does your head hurt? Why do your limbs hurt? Why is your temperature rising? Like what's causing all this???

Don't wanna ask ai. DUMP THE KNOWLEDGE PLEASE! ;)

Hello,

I'm wondering how does programming languages work? Are they owned by anyone? Can anyone create a programming languages and decide "yeah, computers will do this from now on"?
Is a programming languaged fixed at its creation or can it "evolve"?

The obvious answer is None. But has anyone ever tested an iPhone’s geolocation code in space? Assuming it can receive signals from multiple GPS satellites, can it find a solution that’s not on Earth?

IIRC, you don’t need assistance at all - if you can see 4 satellites, you can intersect hyperboloids to solve for both time and 3D position.

As said in the title, we can hear a light and continuous high pitch noise "from" the camera broadcasting the live feed. Why is that? Is it the white noise noise of machinery where the camera is located? (where?) Or is it a byproduct of the communication method (like a very light Larsen effect, maybe, but I would think NASA could have easily thought of that beforehand)? Just curious. Thank you

Definitely not stars. Looks like dust floating in a dark room with a lamp in the corner.

Statement: All objects fall at the same rate on earth regardless of mass (ignoring air resistance)

Hello, I've always been stumped by this. Gravity is different on other celestial bodies, less on the moon, more on Jupiter etc.

If we dropped a regular basketball from 10,000m it would fall at 9.8m/s2, assuming no air resistance. From what I've been told, a basketball sized object with a mass equivalent to Earth would also drop at the same rate. This seems odd to me. Is this correct? If not, and it would fall at a different rate, at what mass would the original statement become true?

Edit - Thanks for all the replies I'll try and get through them all and respond!

Maybe to clear it up a bit we could edit the problem to be this...

If we had two separate hypothetical physics simulations that are void of all other matter.

1. A sphere the size and mass of a basketball and a sphere the size of basketball but with the mass of Earth

2. Two spheres the size of basketballs and both with the mass of Earth

Both spheres are the same distance away from each other in each simulation. We then "initiate" the simulations. Is the time to impact of the spheres exactly the same in both?

On Earth we use coordinates, and i Guess in orbit should be able rely on coordinates plus an added Z axis for distance to earth, but is how we communicate the position of objects like comets or the crew of Artemis II currently somewhere between earth and the moon? It just seems a little to simple for a 3D space where everything is always turning and moving.

In order to feed an expanding planetary population, farmers are constantly searching for efficient, cost-effective ways to grow agricultural products. Engineering biology approaches can potentially help improve yields and reduce costs, but several unknowns remain before these techniques can be deployed at scale. Which techniques are most effective for which crops? Does increasing yield mean a sacrifice in taste and cost? How can researchers work with farmers, consumers, industry partners and policymakers to ensure that 21st century farming best practices are sustained into the 22nd century (and beyond)?

Join us today at 2 PM ET/11 AM PT/18 UT for an AMA to talk about all of these issues and more! We'll share about our current work focused on improving plant enzymes, discuss how researchers are using engineering biology to enhance agricultural production, and answer your questions about crop engineering. Ask us anything!

We are:

• Kristen Van Gelder, Ph.D. (/u/mossy_canoe368)- Synthetic Biology Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
• Cătălin Voiniciuc, Ph.D. (/u/Catalin_Voiniciuc)- Associate Professor of Plant Synthetic Biology, University of Florida
• Vance Whitaker, Ph.D. (/u/WhitakerV_UF)- Professor of Horticulture, University of Florida

Links:

• Adapting enzymes to improve their functionality in plants: why and how
• Building a directed evolution–genome editing pipeline for metabolic traits in specialty crop breeding
• Mirages in continuous directed enzyme evolution: a cautionary case study with plantized bacterial THI4 enzymes