Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2012 June 1

= June 1 =

Trayvon and DXM (dextromethorphan)
Would the toxicology tests performed by Florida on Trayvon Martin have discovered DXM in his body (assuming he had DXM in his body)? --  Kenatipo   speak! 12:28, 1 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Is there any reason for asking? Dextromethorphan is very commonly used in cough syrup.  It is also a hallucinogen in very high doses, but not very widely used since most people find its effects to be quite unpleasant. Looie496 (talk) 17:30, 1 June 2012 (UTC)
 * We have a recreational use of dextromethorphan article. Its popularity is rising (as a drug of abuse, not sure about the article's readership). DMacks (talk) 19:01, 1 June 2012 (UTC)
 * It appears that it isn't - Running On Brains (talk) 19:33, 1 June 2012 (UTC)
 * (EC) Even tho technically BLP doesn't really apply I'm reluctant to mention this but I get the feeling it will come up one way or the other. It seems there's a rumour flying around he was using DXM based on some Facebook posts he made a year ago. The infamous skittles and Arizona Watermelon, which was inaccurately reported as Arizona Ice Tea [] seem to tie in to this since it's suggested he was going to mix them with cough syrup to make Purple drank or Watermelon drank. Our article doesn't mention it but various sources like  suggest that 7 Up and Arizona Watermelon are the most common beverages used to make this concoction, along with skittles or jolly ranchers. (Skittles is also slang for Coricidin pills.) Nil Einne (talk) 19:34, 1 June 2012 (UTC)
 * The idea that DXM would make someone violent to the extent that someone would shoot them is ridiculousness not far short of reefer madness. Incidentally it's not true that "most people" find its effects quite unpleasant. I actually rather recommend it. I also managed to persuade my father (who has a professional interest in neuroscience) to take it. Egg   Centri  c  19:40, 1 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Nil, the drink Trayvon had with him was not AriZona Iced Tea—it was AriZona Watermelon Fruit Juice Cocktail. We  know this from the police photos that were released a few weeks ago.  --  Kenatipo    speak! 23:45, 1 June 2012 (UTC)
 * That seems even less likely to be that sweet Nil Einne (talk) 05:19, 2 June 2012 (UTC)

Why doesn't Canadian oil production match?
Hi there, maybe someone can help me with a mismatch I can't figure out. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers says that Canada produces about 2.55 million barrels of oil per day, but the CIA says it produces 3.483 million. Why don't they agree? Thanks, TastyCakes (talk) 14:31, 1 June 2012 (UTC)
 * First off, the 2.55 million figure is only for Western Canada. The whole of Canada produces 2.83 million bpd according to the 2010 CAPP report you linked. As far as the CIA factbook figure, it could be that they took a 2012 number and forgot to update the text which states that it is a 2010 number. It also could be a projection based upon 2010 figures. - Running On Brains (talk) 15:59, 1 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Ah yes, sorry 2.8 is correct. That still leaves a big gap though and I'm not sure I buy the idea that the CIA just mislabelled a 2012 estimate to a 2010 actual number. TastyCakes (talk) 17:48, 1 June 2012 (UTC)
 * The 2010 CIA figure is also an estimate. Or maybe it's disinformation for you ... comrade. Clarityfiend (talk) 21:04, 1 June 2012 (UTC)

Oiling the hair
Does Oiling the head-hair, for heaving "wet-look", has any Cellular advantages or disadvantages? thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.179.151.250 (talk) 19:06, 1 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Probably an example by the oiler of hoped for Sexual selection. It's fashion, so don't look for logic. HiLo48 (talk) 22:01, 1 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Note ! : because i don't ask it from the motive of Sexual-selection particularly, i have replaced the word "Biological" with "Cellular". all invited to answer. 79.179.151.250 (talk) 22:27, 1 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Hair cells are dead and no oil can resurrect them. It is unlikely that any oil can repair trichoptilosis, which is longitudinal splitting of hairs, but it may hold the split ends together to conceal the effect. There is more advice in the Wikipedia article about Hair care. DriveByWire (talk) 23:17, 1 June 2012 (UTC)


 * sorry, i didn't understand the first sentence u wrote. could you elaborate? thanks. 79.179.151.250 (talk) 23:33, 1 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Your hair is dead. Once the hair leaves the scalp, it is no longer alive.  So no oil will be able to make it live again.  Is that better or more clear?  Dismas |(talk) 23:36, 1 June 2012 (UTC)


 * To elaborate, hair is unlike most of the rest of your body, in that it has no blood flow or nerve endings except for the hair follicle. It is composed of proteins (mostly keratin) and not living cells. Your question seems to assume that there are "hair cells" that must be kept healthy; this really isn't true, which is what I suspect Dismas and DriveByWire were trying to tell you. - Running On Brains (talk) 23:51, 1 June 2012 (UTC)


 * The top layer of skin is also dead. However, it still must be kept oily or it becomes brittle and itchy and flakes off.  Most people's skin provides enough oil, but, if you shampoo frequently with harsh products or live in a dry climate or are elderly, your scalp may be dry, and the extra oil may help to keep it moist. StuRat (talk) 04:20, 2 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Hair has a structure, as this site explains. Hair grows from the root, which is inside the skin. When the hair leaves the follicle, the sebum produced from the follicle only spreads up the first part of the hair, and as it grows, the hair will dry out and the cuticle (outer layer) will lift. Oil or other substances applied to the hair will "stick" the cuticle back down. This will make it look as if the "split ends" have been mended, which they have in a way: the hair has been stuck back together. Our culture says that healthy hair looks shiny, and applying oil or brilliantine to the hair will certainly make it look shiny! --TammyMoet (talk) 08:50, 2 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Hair oilers need to be warned, however, that I don't want them lying around on my lounge furniture at home, or leaning back on the head restraints in my car. It's antisocial. HiLo48 (talk) 08:53, 2 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Antisocial? Antimacassar! --TammyMoet (talk) 11:12, 2 June 2012 (UTC)
 * I once worked in a small print shop where the (sole, long-time-employed) linotype operator sat with his back to a cinder-block wall. Over the years, a prominent hair-oil stain had developed on the wall, and it was suggested that that section of the wall should be removed and used to mark his grave when the time came. Deor (talk) 14:00, 2 June 2012 (UTC)
 * You worked in a small print shop, Deor? That must be why you're posting in small print! {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.109 (talk) 15:59, 2 June 2012 (UTC)

downcoast?
how is the time called when a mashine shut down and the components rotating till they stop? on sirens it is called coast down but how on machines? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Saludacymbals (talk • contribs) 19:48, 1 June 2012 (UTC)
 * This website claims that Collins, a respected English dictionary, gives "rundown" as the appropriate term. Brammers (talk/c) 20:18, 1 June 2012 (UTC)
 * That "rundown" definition seems like it's talking about a power source gradually reducing as the power is used up rather than a free-running (unpowered) device slowing due to friction/viscosity overcoming inertia as the OP is asking. In the world of power plants, where generators act as fly-wheels that can continue running for a long time after the [whatever steam, water, or other flow through the turbine] is removed, I've usually seen it called "spin-down" (with "spin-up" being the phase from rest to equilibrium working speed when flow is started). DMacks (talk) 16:02, 2 June 2012 (UTC)

Identify Wall Lizard from the Azores
What kind of wall lizards are these? The photos are taken on São Miguel, Azores, between Bretannia and Remedios. My guess is that they are Madeiran Wall Lizards. ZorroIII (talk) 20:17, 1 June 2012 (UTC)
 * The coloration seems slightly more consistent (than the image in our article) with some of these images, which as you can see have been designated by their poster Morten Jorgensen as the European wall lizard. That is not to say that Jorgensen is necessarily correct, but if he is, the latter species is evidently quite variable in coloration (not in itself unlikely where lizards are concerned) and I don't see an immediate way (not being a lizard expert) of distinguishing the Madeiran from the European species. We probably need this book. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.109 (talk) 10:50, 3 June 2012 (UTC)
 * I found this book, which only lists Madeiran Wall Lizards on the Azores. ZorroIII (talk) 15:19, 3 June 2012 (UTC)
 * In apparent contradiction, the set of photos posted by Morten Jorgensen to which I linked above are all explicitly labelled as being of European wall lizards on the island of Pico in the Azores. It could be that Jorgensen (perhaps incorrectly) considers the Madeiren wall lizard (usually given as Lacerta dugesii but sometimes designated Podarcis dugesii) to be a sub-species or race of the European wall lizard (Podarcis muralis). However, on this site (which might be of general interest), some of the pictures of the (highly variable) Podarcis muralis resemble your pictures more than does the sole picture of the Madeiran wall lizard (listed as Teira dugesii). My suspicion – based on these various photos – is that despite the inference of the reference you found in Lever (published in 2003 but likely including data of older provenance), muralis has, now, colonised the Azores. We probably need the testimony of a currently practicing Portugese herpetologist (or at least a herpetologist who has recently surveyed the Azores) to know for sure. Alternatively, you might send your photos to someone in a University Herpetology Department, Natural History museum or Herpetology Society (various possibilities findable by googling) to see if they can make a positive identification. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.109 (talk) 22:26, 3 June 2012 (UTC)