Cell size and scale

So that was probably the most boring headline possible but this is actually quite cool. Cell size doesn’t sound interesting and it probably isn’t – unless presented in a way that helps people understand.  This gives scale to  really really small things.

Ok, cool might still be pushing it.

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The science of time-travel

Brilliant post explaining what would and wouldn’t work for time-travel in Discover magazine – via Kottke. A special favourite from his list of rules, particularly given that it features in the new Star Trek movie and involves the word ‘spaghettification,’ which sounds both painful and delicious.

5. Black holes are not time machines.

Sadly, if you fell into a black hole, it would not spit you out at some other time. It wouldn’t spit you out at all — it would gobble you up and grow slightly more corpulent in the process. If the black hole were big enough, you might not even notice when you crossed the point of no return defined by the event horizon. But once you got close to the center of the hole, tidal forces would tug at you — gently at first, but eventually tearing you apart. The technical term is spaghettification. Not a recommended strategy for would-be time adventurers.

Loads of other good tips / facts on Discover.

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