A thread for those questions you wouldn't dare ask in real life/normally!

[LittleMissGerardButlerfan]

Please feel free to ask questions and if I know the answer I will tell you, also feel free to answer others questions!

My stupid question is

Would I be able to see nits in my sons very short hair if he had them? (He has short brown hair)?

About babies remembering things, I have several vivid memories fron when I was a baby so yes I can assure anyone wondering that babies can and do form memories.

load we know the universe is expanding because we have measured the velocities of galaxies and with very few exceptions they are all moving away from us, the further the galaxies are from us the faster they are moving away from us. The galaxies appear to be moving away from us because the universe is expanding and the space between galaxies is getting larger. This observation fits extremely well with Einstein's theory (general relativity), although Einstein didn't initially believe it himself until convinced by Hubble (the scientist not the telescope) who first measured/observed this.

Therefore if we accept that the universe is expanding (which we do) it must have originally started from a something now coined the big bang.

I'm afraid I don't have time to explain all of quantum theory to you load... I am a physicist but it's just so bloody hard (to understand and explain).

wannabe right black holes. Black holes are formed when massive stars (think 20-30x larger than the sun) die. They collapse in on themselves in a massive explosion (supernova). The star gets smaller and more dense and the gravitational field becomes so strong that nothing (no radiation, therefore also light and no matter) can escape it.

I've not done astrophysics in donkeys years and may not have explained that very well.

I feel like trying to explain quantum theory now, but I can't, I just can't. When I was at uni we first learned classical physics, we moved on to modern physics and quantum theory/mechanics reared it's ugly head... It's just a branch of physics that helps describe and explain really small physics (sub-atomic) very, very small.

It's a massive subject area... I couldn't even begin on Mumsnet (and on my iPhone).

And as per usual... The physicist kills the conversation!

So a black hole is like an inside out star?

A collapsed dead star... Yes.

The way I understand it (may be just one theory) is that space is not infinite but has no edge. It is very hard to picture it because we can't conceive of more than 3 dimensions but the analogy in 2 dimensions would be the surface of a sphere. You can travel along the surface of a sphere without ever reaching an edge but it still has a finite size. It is true that the universe is always expanding though.

Hope that makes sense.

Moths, generally are nocturnal for self preservation reasons. I.e. less predators. They are attracted to lights because they navigate by the light of the Moon. Being so far away the light rays from the moon appear parallel on Earth. However they get confused by near sources like streetlights or fire because the light rays are divergent, which drives the moths to circle in closer and closer until

(I love that autocorrect just tried to change phutttt to obituary)

Why has "someone been hanged" why have they not been "hung"?

Thank you

Methe I just tried it and yes I can! But I had never realised before.

skibunnnnny In trying to understand explanations about the universe and ever-expanding, and walking on the surface of a sphere etc, I always get as far as the point when someone says "infinity" or "forever" and get stuck.

I just cannot comprehend it.

My physics teacher at school (very unhelpfully) told us that we shouldn't bother trying to understand it at GCSE level, a true understanding of 'infinity' only becomes possible with emotional maturity. Hmmmm.....

I think that most people's brains are not capable of truly understanding such concepts. I gave up trying to fully get my head around them and just find useful analogies to use instead.
Some people claim to be able to picture 4 dimensional space or even higher but quite frankly I don't believe them.

Oooh I was on a thread like this years ago and dildo space hoppers came up

I think I asked these then too:
If you can get malaria and other diseases from bites (mozzies etc) can you also get AIDS/HIV? I assume they suck up blood rather than just injecting as that is how they feed, no?
Why do they design those metal gates for parks/schools that when you pull the bolt across you easily catch your finger and get a blood blister? (Looks at forefinger with giant blister after this morning's gate incident)

I will now see if I can answer any before I try to sleep...

Pizza boxes - square ones can lie flat and fold easily for teenage workers whereas origami may be required on CV for round creations

Signing/mouth - I think this is the similar to Stephen Hawkins; the muscle memory is there to try to make the correct sound; a bit like autopilot. Some deaf people can speak fairly fluently (whereas others can't) as well as sign and I think the people signing and mouthing are probably in this category - they use speech more in everyday life.

I also have crunchy ear thing, but my jaw also does a very loud click, almost as if I can dislocate it on one side and pop it back in. Only vaguely understandable explanation I have had for that was that it is to do with having braces - orthodontists just look at teeth, not jaw alignment and it's effects. I had train tracks in ma yoof and it did start around then so I am going with that explanation for now!

Anyone else get cramp in their feet when they point their toes? My gymnastics teacher hated me for this but a chiropodist acquaintance once told me it was to do with having short tendons in the front part of your ankle anyone know?

Why did MNHQ fuck with my inbox?

If god is the creator and there is a heaven. Who or what goes in when they die? Humans? dogs? Cats? Nits? Trees? Worms? Germs and bacteria? Is it the equivalent of a spiritual earth?

Only anything that can accept God as their saviour.

(P.S There is no heaven.)

lion re: signing/mouth I was asking with regards to the translators who are not (well not often) deaf themselves.

Fellatio I want the answer to that one as well!!

Pattie, good question.
There will be no bad things I dont think, so nits and worms? and germs probably not.
Humans yes and animals.

Isaiah 65
"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent - its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain".

Space stuff makes my head explode.

How do stars die? Can planets die? Is that how the world will end?

Stars are big balls of burning gas. When they run out of gas to burn they die. Supernova is only one case of a dying star, usually it is a lot less dramatic. I think it depends on the size of the star as to "how" it dies.