This Blog Belches Carbon

Hardly a day goes by when we aren't informed that yet another part of life considered by the woke to be racist, or damaging to the climate, or some other imagined offense. Not too surprisingly, even wildfires are deemed both climate damaging AND racist. 

So I wasn't shocked, amused actually, to find out a German "environmentalist" group is warning about the dangers to our health created by blogging.

According to a study by Alexander Wissner-Gross, PhD, physicist at Harvard University and environmental activist, an average website causes about 0.02g (0,0008oz.) of carbon dioxide for each visit. Assuming an average blog gets 15,000 visits a month, it has yearly carbon dioxide emissions of 3,6kg (8lb.). 

Adding to my concern, even this meager blog generated 45,000 visits last month, tripling the alert threshold of the European group.

Thanks to Borepatch for alerting us to the danger.

Cheers!

Why Peanuts Dance in Beer

A Brazilian researcher at Germany's Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich became fascinated by peanuts "dancing" beer and decided to put his skills to work solving the mystery. 

Luiz Pereira led a team of researchers in Germany, Britain, and France who examined how roasted, shelled peanuts fared in a lager-style beer,

Because the peanuts are denser than the beer, they first sink down to the bottom of the glass.

Then each peanut becomes what is called a "nucleation site". Hundreds of tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide form on their surface, acting as buoys to drag them upwards.

"The bubbles prefer to form on the peanuts rather than on the glass walls," explained Pereira, a researcher at Germany's Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.

When the bubbles reach the surface, they burst.

The peanuts then dive down before being propelled up again by freshly formed bubbles, in a dance that continues until the carbon dioxide runs out—or someone interrupts by drinking the beer.

Pereira says the research will continue as the scientists "play with the characteristics of different peanuts and different beers."  Great work if you can get it!

See "Scientists explain why peanuts 'dance' when dropped in beer" for more on the science behind dancing peanuts.

Cheers!

Killer Technology

Well, not quite, but to read the hype one would think killer robots were walking the streets shooting their human creators. Some guy hooked up an airsoft gun and a solenoid to a Google Home and shot an apple off a pedestal. I'm hardly impressed.

This crude robotic William Tell provides, in the words of the CNET reporter, "A glimpse into a future, maybe, where autonomous weapons could theoretically mow people down."

Liberal heads exploding in three, two, one...

Progressive Science Fraud

It's political agenda, not science.

"The earth knows how to save itself." Wow, it's almost like it was intelligently designed. Their denial of that might just explain why the left works so hard to sell their bunk.

Beer For Pain Relief

More good news you can use. A recent study is claiming that two pints of beer are more effective than Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) for pain relief. Frankly, I'm not sure how much of a revelation it is to find that alcohol reduces pain — I've been known to "relax" my sore muscles with a beer or two.

This sentence in the article did jump out at me...

Now the experts are planning to find out if alcohol either lowers anxiety of pain, which then reduces the perception of discomfort, or if it numbs the sensation of pain by affecting the brain receptors. 

Science. It's all about the details.

"Science"

We hear a lot about "scientific fact" from progressives lately. This tweet from Dan Bongino aptly sums up what is really being promoted

Remember, to liberals, the word "science" means "political opinions we agree with." Nothing more. #MarchForScience

— Dan Bongino (@dbongino) April 22, 2017

Humor often provides an insight to truth...

Ice Cream For Breakfast

We already know about the health benefits of beer. Now it seems we can add ice cream to our list of healthy food choices. A new study concludes that eating ice cream after waking up can make you smarter.

Most parents would consider it a crime to give a child ice cream for breakfast. But they might rethink allowing their kids to have a scoop of the cold, sweet treat first thing in the morning, if they knew it could make them smarter. Although an early morning sugar rush may be parents and teachers worst fears, a new study recently found eating ice cream first thing in the morning can actually be beneficial for the brain. The study, published by Kyorin University professor Yoshihiko Koga, said eating ice cream right after waking up can result in improved instances of alertness and mental performance.

I love science!

Chronograph Troubles

Several years ago I picked up Chrony Alpha Master chronograph. Even though I don’t reload my own ammo, I thought it would be good to get an idea of power factor of the commercial ammo I buy. (Like brewing my own beer, reloading ammo is something I consider another hobby, neither of which I have much interest doing at this time.) Good intentions aside, the chronograph sat in my garage, unused.

Last weekend I went online to find the user manual and took the chronograph to the range to try it out. I set up the unit in front of a target at the berm and sat myself in a chair at about the 10 foot recommended distance.

I tested with two different guns, the SIG P239 and P226. Two different commercial ammo brands were put fired through both guns, Federal American Eagle 9mm 124 grain and Freedom Munitions 9mm 135 grain. I have previously recorded data for the American Eagle ammo through the P226 from several USPSA matches to use for comparison.

Starting out with the compact gun I was somewhat shocked by the readings, which were lower than the manufacturers’ claims. The readings were also quite varied, by as much as 50 fps between the high and low readings. Then I switched to the P226. Again, the numbers were inconsistent. But the most surprising finding was that the Chrony was giving readings that were 50 - 80 fps lower for the American Eagle ammo than the previous results from the match chronographs.

It could be that I am not conducting the testing correctly, or perhaps the equipment is not working as expected. I do have another sanctioned match coming up where I can get some more comparison data. I’ll try again with the Chrony unit in the future as well.

Despite not getting what I can consider reliable data, the testing did give an opportunity to get out to the range, even if for a short while. And that’s always a good thing.

Ice Stacking

I've never heard of this phenomenon before. I recommend watching with sound too.

It's awesome to watch, but it doesn't make me like winter any better.

Thanks to Colleen for sharing. 

Good News For Coffee & Beer Drinkers

If the claims from a recent study are true, I won't be moderating my coffee addiction anytime soon. As reported by the New York Post (a renowned scientific journal)...

Drinking more coffee might help reduce the kind of liver damage that’s associated with overindulging in food and alcohol, a review of existing studies suggests.

Researchers analyzed data from nine previously published studies with a total of more than 430,000 participants and found that drinking two additional cups of coffee a day was linked to a 44 percent lower risk of developing liver cirrhosis.

While just two cups a day brought about a "significant" reduction in risk, the researchers concluded that the risk from liver cirrhosis declined 57 percent for three cups and a whopping 65 percent with four cups of coffee a day.

I wonder if drinking Coffee Stouts would be as effective. That's a study I'd like to take part in.

See "Drinking more coffee may reverse liver damage from booze" for more.

Evolution vs Firearms

I've often thought that I've heard just about every anti-gun argument there is. In truth, there's not much new coming from the oppressors of freedom. Or so I thought. Then I came across a web site (mis)titled "Gun Control: A Rational Approach." The site is the work of David Roper, Professor of Physics at Virginia Tech. In his writing, Dr. Roper pontificates about human evolution.

In ~200,000 of human evolution, guns have been available for humans to kill each other for only ~700 years and the extremely high killability of guns has only existed for ~115 years. That is not enough time for physical (including emotional) evolution to cause humans to use guns in such a way as to insure their survival.

The professor's pablum provides a unique view of history and science in an attempt to support the professor's anti-gun argument. Taking his conclusion further, we should consider that automobiles have been around for only about 344 years. Death by automobile coincidently also has only existed for about 115 years. So by the good professor's logic, humans are not anywhere near evolved enough to drive cars responsibly.

I wonder how the author feels about the common suggestion to treat guns like cars.

Come to think of it, Dr. Roper is probably not a fan of the flush toilet either. Humans have had less time to evolve to its use than we have with guns.

Gun Shot at 73,000 fps

Just because it's cool...

... and pretty amazing. This does remind me of the time I was shooting facing the sun and was distracted by all the smoke and unburnt powder sparkling in the sun.

You have to love Adam's reaction too.

Dress Made From Beer

I've heard rumors of beer being used to get someone out of a dress, but now someone is making dresses out of beer.

The Beer Dress is made from fabric produced by a bacterial-fermentation process. Scientist Gary Cass and visual artist Donna Franklin previously collaborated on a fermented-wine dress in 2012. That dress had a distinctive look to it, like it was made from Fruit Roll-Ups. The wine dress looked strange, slightly alien. The Beer Dress looks more like what we recognize as typical fabric, despite its unusual origin. You wouldn't know where it came from if someone didn't tell you.

Well, it sort of resembles a frothy head of beer too.

Drink More Coffee

The report of the government's 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is good news for caffeine addicts. Coffee, and lots of it, might be good for you.

Not only can people stop worrying about whether drinking coffee is bad for them, according to the panel, they might even want to consider drinking a bit more. 

The panel cited minimal health risks associated with drinking between three and five cups per day. It also said that consuming as many as five cups of coffee each day (400 mg) is tied to several health benefits, including a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. 

"We saw that coffee has a lot of health benefits," said Miriam Nelson, a professor at Tufts University and one of the committee’s members. "Specifically when you're drinking more than a couple cups per day."

The emphasis is mine. The committee's report concludes that three to five cups of coffee a day is considered "moderate" consumption. Reports indicate most American probably drink much less than that. My own intake might be a bit above average some days.

Combined with the reported health benefits of beer, I'll happily continue to take my medicine. You might want to drink your coffee while sitting though.

Beer and Flies

A recent study has shown a mutually beneficial relationship between fruit flies and beer. 

The familiar smell of beer is due in part to aroma compounds produced by common brewer's yeast. Now, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports, have discovered why the yeast, formally known as S. cerevisiae, make that smell: the scent attracts fruit flies, which repay the yeast by dispersing their cells in the environment. 

Yeast lacking a single aroma gene fail to produce their characteristic odor, and they don't attract fruit flies either. 

"Two seemingly unrelated species, yeasts and flies, have developed an intricate symbiosis based on smell," said Kevin Verstrepen of KU Leuven and VIB in Belgium. "The flies can feed on the yeasts, and the yeasts benefit from the movement of the flies."

As a graduate student, the researcher had been studying how yeast contributes to the flavor of beer and wine. (Sure, it was all for science.) After discovering that yeast cells produce several pleasing aroma compounds similar to those produced by ripening fruits, he came across a yeast culture that had attracted a swarm of fruit flies which had escaped from another lab. That early experience led to this study years later.

And that's why beer steins have lids.

Picture from Texas Celtic.

Does Beer Improve Memory?

I was going to post this earlier, but I forgot.

A study at the  Linus Pauling Institute and College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University found that Xanthohumol, a type of flavonoid found in hops and beer, has been shown to improve cognitive function in young mice.

But don't get your hopes up, as the researchers also state,

It’s also important to note, Magnusson said, that the levels of xanthohumol used in this study were only possible with supplements. As a fairly rare micronutrient, the only normal dietary source of it would be through the hops used in making beer, and “a human would have to drink 2,000 liters of beer a day to reach the xanthohumol levels we used in this research.”

Well, that explains a lot.

See "Can beer help you remember things? Not exactly" for more.

Drink and Live Longer

Not only does an alcoholic drink or or two add enjoyment to your life, a new study suggests it will also add years to your life.

But a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that — for reasons that aren't entirely clear — abstaining from alcohol does tend to increase one's risk of dying, even when you exclude former problem drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers' mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers. 

Moderate drinking, which is defined as one to three drinks per day, is associated with the lowest mortality rates in alcohol studies. Moderate alcohol use (especially when the beverage of choice is red wine) is thought to improve heart health, circulation and sociability, which can be important because people who are isolated don't have as many family members and friends who can notice and help treat health problems.

The report acknowledges that there may other factors involved, such as previous health issues of non-drinkers, socioeconomic class, and physical activity. However, over a twenty year period, even accounting for those variables, the report states, "mortality rates were highest for those who were not current drinkers, regardless of whether they used to be alcoholics, second highest for heavy drinkers and lowest for moderate drinkers."

Or maybe happy people simply live longer.

See "Why Do Heavy Drinkers Outlive Nondrinkers?" for the complete story.

In Lieu of Content

Mesmerizing. Watch to the end.

Beer On a Hot Frying Pan

A post with no point whatsoever.

But I bet you're now dying to try it for yourself.

H/T 90 Miles From Tyranny

The Physics of a Beer Prank

A pair of beer drinking physicists have set their minds to explain some of the science behind beer bubbles.

The act is colloquially referred to as “beer tapping”: Someone hits a beer bottle on the head, often with the bottom of their own bottle, and within seconds the victim of the prank is left with a small amount of flat beer and a bottle dripping with foamy bubbles of carbon dioxide.

Javier Rodríguez-Rodríguez, assistant professor at the Fluid Mechanics Group of Carlos III University of Madrid and lead author of an abstract about the research, and his colleagues were at a bar discussing the process behind this phenomenon when they realized they did not fully understand it. And according to their unsuccessful search for a solution online and through scientific databases, neither did anyone else.

Honestly, I've never had this happen to me. But I guess if you're going to do research, you might as well do beer research. Hopefully, they wasted factory beer, not beer that would have been better put to use by consuming it.