/u/spikebrennan's posts in /r/askscience

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Challenger Deep: How certain are we that it's the deepest spot in the ocean? How was this proven?

178 upvotes

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When paleontologists find an incomplete skeleton (such as a single bone), how do they determine whether what they have is a new species as opposed to being something within the normal range of variation of a known species?

20 upvotes

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What useful science can only be conducted at the South Pole, and not at a (marginally) more accessible location, like a coastal Antarctic research station?

19 upvotes

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Do astronomers believe that the arrangement of planets in our solar system is unusual, or is there merely selection bias in favor of "hot Jupiter" and high-orbital-eccentricity planetary systems in the extrasolar systems that we can observe?

18 upvotes

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For any (contiguous) territory, is it always possible draw a straight line that divides the territory into parts that are both equal in area and equal in population?

11 upvotes

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If heavy metals come from supernovas, are there regions of space where more supernovas have occurred so that rocky planets there have more abundant heavy metals?

8 upvotes

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Is there an upper limit on how massive a rocky astronomical body can be without being spherical?

8 upvotes

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Is megalomania an actual clinical disorder? If so, has anyone notable been diagnosed with it? Is it treatable?

6 upvotes

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Why does the Black Sea have so few islands, compared with the nearby Aegean?

5 upvotes

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How hard does the wind blow on Mars?

5 upvotes

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Title	Upvotes	Mark as read	Favorited	Rating	Add to a list
Challenger Deep: How certain are we that it's the deepest spot in the ocean? How was this proven?	178
When paleontologists find an incomplete skeleton (such as a single bone), how do they determine whether what they have is a new species as opposed to being something within the normal range of variation of a known species?	20
What useful science can only be conducted at the South Pole, and not at a (marginally) more accessible location, like a coastal Antarctic research station?	19
Do astronomers believe that the arrangement of planets in our solar system is unusual, or is there merely selection bias in favor of "hot Jupiter" and high-orbital-eccentricity planetary systems in the extrasolar systems that we can observe?	18
For any (contiguous) territory, is it always possible draw a straight line that divides the territory into parts that are both equal in area and equal in population?	11
If heavy metals come from supernovas, are there regions of space where more supernovas have occurred so that rocky planets there have more abundant heavy metals?	8
Is there an upper limit on how massive a rocky astronomical body can be without being spherical?	8
Is megalomania an actual clinical disorder? If so, has anyone notable been diagnosed with it? Is it treatable?	6
Why does the Black Sea have so few islands, compared with the nearby Aegean?	5
How hard does the wind blow on Mars?	5