askscience

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In light of the new high-res photo of Andromeda, is there any chance that we will be revising our estimate of the total number of stars in the galaxy? (currently 1 trillion)	3018
Of the non-radioactive elements, which is the most useless (i.e., has the FEWEST applications in industry / functions in nature)?	2057
Why is the ITER Tokomak project taking so long to produce results? (Wiki: "Initial plasma experiments are scheduled to begin in 2025, with full deuterium–tritium fusion experiments starting in 2035.")	147
Gravity assist: I'm imagining a planet shaped like a torus, and an object passing through the hole. Does the object acquire orbital velocity if it enters in the direction of the planet's orbit ("catches up with" it), and lose velocity if it goes the other way (the planet "catches up with" it)?	77
In simple language, what's the distribution of mass of a galaxy (i.e. % of total mass as a function of radius)? I actually googled an article on the topic (see text) but it's too technical for me and I'd appreciate a simple explanation.	44
My local highway passes through farmland, and a lot of flying bugs die hitting our windshields. By killing all these bugs, could our cars be exerting evolutionary pressure? Note: there is a grass median between the north & south lanes -- a sort of island ecosystem.	37
Starting today, and continuing every day for an infinite number of days, I will add one kilogram of iron to a large heap of iron. Will my heap eventually collapse into a black hole? Or is the shock of the supernova also needed?	33
In theoretical physics, where do all of the equations ... COME FROM ????	24
What are some of Newton's less famous discoveries?	18
How big a deal is it that we have such wildly varying answers for the distance to Polaris?	18

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