4 April 2016
This timelapse depicts the metamorphosis of the African Clawed Frog ( Xenopus levus ) from its tadpole larval stage to its final adult form. Metamorphosis is the biological process by which an animal develops physically after birth or hatching. The change occurs abruptly and causes significant alterations to the organism’s physiology, behavior, and nutrition. In the case of frogs and toads, gills are replaced by lungs allowing the adult organism to venture beyond the confines of an aquatic environment.
Source: https://youtu.be/8OKQM9D1xQQ
#ScienceGIF #Science #GIF #Frog #Metamorphosis #Tadpole #Biology #Amphibian #Development #Stage
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1 April 2016
Laser hair removal uses pulses of high energy laser light to destroy hair follicles via a technique called selective photothermolysis. The laser is used to cause localized damage in the hair by heating the pigment molecule melanin while leaving the surrounding tissue unharmed. This is possible because melanin absorbs infrared light better than other common molecules in the skin (mainly water and hemoglobin). As the melanin absorbs the laser energy, the hair heats up to over 100°C, causing it to burn and any surrounding water to vaporize. This heat destroys the follicle at the base of the hair, which prevents any future hair growth.
Source: https://youtu.be/S20-1_XqVPM (Veritasium)
#ScienceGIF #Science #GIF #Optics #Laser #Hair #Removal #Heat #Temperature #Power #Pulse #Light #Damage #Boil #Melanin #Skin #Tissue #Dermatology #SlowMo #Veritasium
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30 March 2016
The Landsat program is the longest-running enterprise dedicated to the acquisition of satellite imagery of Earth. Google’s Earth Engine combines this multi-petabyte collection of satellite imagery and geospatial datasets with planetary-scale analysis capabilities to facilitate study of our home planet.
This timelapse of satellite images depicts the evolution of the Ucayali River in Peru between 1985 and 2013. The tight bend on the bottom of the imagery undergoes a neck cutoff as the river cuts straight across the landscape. The development of sand bars can also be seen downstream around the large bend.
Source: http://goo.gl/F0LWZV
#ScienceGIF #Science #GIF #Satellite #Earth #GoogleEarth #Landsat #GoogleEarthEngine #River #UcayaliRiver #River #Ucayali #Peru #Bend
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28 March 2016
The flash of an exploding star’s shockwave, called a shock breakout, has been captured for the first time by NASA’s planet-hunting Kepler space telescope. An analysis of three years worth of data covering 500 galaxies and 50 trillion stars revealed the supernova of KSN 2011d. The red supergiant star was an estimated 500x the size of our Sun and located around 1.2 billion light years away.
The shock breakout, seen as an intense bright flash that preceded the rapid explosion of the star fits the theorized behavior of a Type II star’s death. This animation depicts the supernova and the incredibly fast speed at which it expands.
The study of supernova is vital to understanding the Universe since Iron (Fe) is the heaviest element that can be formed via nucleosynthesis in the cores of stars. All heavier elements were created during the cataclysmic supernova death throes of stars.
Source: http://goo.gl/CE7xsf (NASA)
#ScienceGIF #Science #GIF #NASA #Kepler #Satellite #Telescope #Supernova #Star #Explosion #Breakout #Shock #Light #Space #Discovery
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26 March 2016
An enormous hexagon-shaped hurricane roars above the north pole of the planet Saturn. The swirling winds of ammonia and hydrogen extend over 60 miles deep and could engulf four Earths at the surface. The unique shape is caused by the rotation of a narrow jet stream around the north pole that causes eddies (mini storms) that shape the six-sided pattern.
The storm was first seen by the Voyager spacecraft when they passed by in the early 1980’s. The rotation of the planet has since cast the north pole into darkness, severely limiting our ability to image the storm from Earth. In early 2009, the Cassini spacecraft passed between Saturn and its rings and captured this incredible imagery.
Source: https://youtu.be/LcmNMWG9vqA
#ScienceGIF #Science #GIF #Saturn #NASA #Storm #Hexagon #NorthPole #Space #Spacecraft #Casini #Planet #Weather #Summer #Winter #JetStream #Planetary #Exploration
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24 March 2016
Acetone is a colorless organic solvent commonly found in nail polish remover and paint thinner. Over 6.7 million tonnes of acetone were produced in 2010, mainly for use in chemical production and manufacturing.
Styrofoam is a trademarked brand name for extruded polystyrene foam used primarily for thermal insulation. The name is also frequently used incorrectly to refer to the expanded polystyrene foam found in disposable cups, coolers, or cushioning materials for packaging. Polystyrene is one of the most widely used plastics and is extremely soluble in organic solvents.
When exposed to acetone, the cross-linkers between the polystyrene molecules are broken, causing the material to dissolve. Because the molecules in the expanded polystyrene foam were very far apart (hence the low weight of the cup), the dissolved material takes up much less space.
Source: https://youtu.be/jIhvJozNplE
#ScienceGIF #Science #GIF #Acetone #Styrofoam #Polystyrene #Solvent #Dissolve #Polymer #Monomer #Expanded #Extruded #Foam
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21 March 2016
The Mould Effect describes the motion of a long chain of beads released over the edge of a container. This counter-intuitive demonstration results in a seemingly self-siphoning arch of beads that defies gravity by rising upwards from the edge of the container. The phenomenon was popularized on YouTube in February 2013 by TV presenter and science blogger Steve Mould.
It is believed that Conservation of Momentum is the primary reason for this effect. Because all the beads are connected, the portion of the strand falling downwards must be moving at the same speed as the strand being pulled upwards out of the container. Because it ‘s impossible for the beads to instantaneously change direction from upwards to downwards, the strand arcs into a loop.
However, whenever an object experiences a change in momentum, it also experiences an equivalent force. In this case, the momentum of turning the bend causes a small upwards force that makes the arcing strand lift upwards from the container.
Source: https://youtu.be/6ukMId5fIi0
Learn Way More: http://goo.gl/NRWXE9
#ScienceGIF #Science #GIF #Beads #Physics #SelfSiphoning #Mould #MouldEffect #Momentum #SlowMo #SlowMotion
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18 March 2016
Unlike conventional light-based microscopes, electron microscopes use a beam of electrons to image a specimen. Because electrons are much smaller (~2.8 femtometers) than the wavelength of visible-light photons (400-800 nanometers), they are capable of producing much higher-resolution images.
Here a piece of steel is being cut by a titanium-coated carbide blade with a tip radius of approximately 200µm. As the piece of steel is pressed against the blade the rough upper layer is sheared away to produce a smooth surface.
Source: https://youtu.be/mRuSYQ5Npek
#ScienceGIF #Science #GIF #ElectronMicroscope #Steel #Cutting #Shearing #Microscopy #Electron #Carbide #Spindle #Hardness #Softness
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15 March 2016
Contrary to popular belief, the application of hydrogen peroxide to open wounds actually risks harming the surrounding tissue and slowing the healing process. This is because of the activity of an enzyme called catalase , which is found in almost every cell in the human body.
Catalase facilitates the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into water (H2O) and oxygen (O2) and is important in protecting cells from oxidative damage. Hydrogen peroxide is actually so dangerous to cellular life that almost all organisms that are exposed to oxygen have evolved a pathway to break it down.
The formation of oxygen gas causes the blood to foam, which is why a direct injection of hydrogen peroxide would likely prove fatal. It is far safer and more effective to use soap and water when disinfecting open wounds.
Source: https://youtu.be/aCQIxpbss94
#ScienceGIF #Science #GIF #Reaction #ChemicalReaction #Enzyme #Blood #Peroxidase #Catalase #Water #Oxygen #Hemoglobin #Medicine
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14 March 2016
The reaction between hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and potassium permanganate (KMnO4) offers a colorful demonstration of a redox reaction. The purple potassium permanganate is reduced to a clear liquid by the hydrogen peroxide. This occurs because potassium permanganate contains a manganese atom with an oxidation state of +7. Hydrogen peroxide reduces the atom to an oxidation state of only +2, causing the loss of color. The other byproducts of the reaction are oxygen gas (O2) and water (H2O).
Source: https://youtu.be/OLUyeCC-2Ko
#ScienceGIF #Science #GIF #HydrogenPeroxide #PotassiumPermanganate #Reaction #Chemical #ChemicalReaction #Redox #Reduction #Oxidation #Titration
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