Welcome to our weekly feature, Ask Anything Wednesday - this week we are focusing on Physics, Astronomy, Earth and Planetary Science Do you have a question within these topics you weren't sure was worth submitting? Is something a bit too speculative for a typical /r/AskScience post? No question is too big or small for AAW. In this thread you can ask any science-related question! Things like: "What would happen if...", "How will the future...", "If all the rules for 'X' were different...", "Why does my...". Asking Questions: Please post your question as a top-level response to this, and our te ..read more

Hearing over and over again that the bird flu "risk to the public is low" is vaguely comforting, though I can't help but feel irritated at hearing the same placid response every time it impacts a new mammal, infects another person, or is found to be more widespread than had previously been thought (as today's headlines mentioned, via the dairy herds). Is there a way to actually measure the range of the likelihood of a mutation that would allow to easy person-to-person spread of the bird flu? And along the same lines - are epidemiologists concerned about this? Irritated at useless and uninform ..read more

submitted by /u/morfacuriosos [visit reddit] [comments ..read more

Is it theoretically possible that a potato chips driven motor with 86kg of potato chips would have the same range as an electric powered motor with a battery of 55kWh? submitted by /u/thisworldisunfair [visit reddit] [comments ..read more

I was watching a documentary about Phlegraean Fields in Italy and they said that when it erupted 39 thousands years ago, the eruption column reached about 30km high (18 miles). So I was wondering, how do they know how tall it was? What do they do to determine its height? submitted by /u/thoxo [visit reddit] [comments ..read more

Seems like a no brainer to manufacture a vaccine for the current H5N1 strain in case it acquires additional mutations for human to human spread. There’ll likely be some kind of immunity even if it’s not perfectly matching a strain that has mutated. Are flu vaccine committees looking into this? It could be rolled into this fall’s seasonal vaccine schedule. As far as I know the technology has already been developed and approved. submitted by /u/bilyl [visit reddit] [comments ..read more

Happy belated Earth Day to all who celebrate - every day is Earth Day here at EPA! I'm new to Reddit, but I'm ready to dive in. We all know those icebreakers when you first meet people can be a little awkward, but in this case, I think it's important to give you rundown: I'm the first Black man and second person of color to ever lead the EPA. It's fun when things come full circle, because I started my career at the agency as an intern (don't ask me how long it's been). I'm originally from Goldsboro, North Carolina and a proud graduate of NC A&T. Aggie pride! Like many people, my passion ..read more

My impression might be affected by (understandable) media hype, but it seems prion diseases are very infectious. However the digestive system is quite harsh and is supposed to not let through foreign bodies larger than relatively small molecules. How come prion diseases are able to be transmitted effectively through food? submitted by /u/Wiz_Kalita [visit reddit] [comments ..read more

submitted by /u/duploq [visit reddit] [comments ..read more

Some vending machines offer vacuum/airtight packaged meals that stay good for a week or longer. Other vending machines offer freshly made meals in non-airtight containers claiming it's good for a week or so. But is that possible? If so, what's the difference between me making a meal and storing it versus the way they make and store it that makes it safe to store it for more than 2 days? submitted by /u/MakiseKurisu23 [visit reddit] [comments ..read more