Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2013 June 29

= June 29 =

Silly Middle-earth-related question
Is the whole Maedhros-hanging-upon-Thangorodrim episode physically possible to occur as written without invoking magical effects? Double sharp (talk) 16:22, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
 * If you're asking whether it would be possible in our universe to hang an ordinary human by the right wrist for years without causing death or the loss of the hand, the answer is no. Looie496 (talk) 16:52, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
 * However, it is possible to keep the arm up voluntarily for years (which, of course, causes severe damage to the arm). You can google Sadhu Amar Bharati for example. --Dr Dima (talk) 19:06, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
 * The point being, of course, that Maedhros is not an ordinary human, or even an ordinary Elf. While the Valar aren't as interventionist as other gods, it's not unreasonable to regard Maedhros' torment as part of the Curse of Mandos - see Prometheus for an example from Classical mythology.  In traditional High Fantasy, the line between "reality" and "magical effects" is necessarily blurred - is the immortality of the elves a magical effect?  Is the physical presence and influence of the gods a magical effect?  Such questions aren't easy to answer. Tevildo (talk) 20:44, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
 * (...it's certainly quite fun to rationalize everything in this sort of universe with as few magical effects we don't see IRL as possible...though might turn out somewhat convoluted in some cases...) Double sharp (talk) 13:19, 30 June 2013 (UTC)
 * And, as this is the Science desk - dehydration would kill a human in this situation before anything else. Assuming he was provided with food and water, cheiralgia paresthetica would then set in, leading to gangrene and death from septicaemia or, indeed, from falling off the cliff face when his hand detached from his arm. Tevildo (talk) 21:23, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Looking at both articles (and really wishing I'd remembered not to look at wiki medical articles just after lunch...), I can't see how cheiralgia paresthetica would lead to gangrene. From the description, it seems to be mostly just a loss of sensation.  MChesterMC (talk) 12:27, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
 * I assume people are thinking about pressure sores. Their management is an extremely important medical art for treatment of the elderly and invalid, and perhaps malevolent gods or whatever would have the right practice guidelines in their torture facilities.  (I wonder if something as simple as making it vibrate periodically could reduce the odds, but that is rank speculation). Wnt (talk) 17:16, 1 July 2013 (UTC)


 * The answer to "can a humanoid be hung by the hand" is, in most cases, yes. How long that can be for is a different question.  The Maedhros myth has always been one of my favorites. μηδείς (talk) 00:00, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

Mainstream concepts of human race
What is the mainstream view of race in academia today? Is there any difference in such view in nations not in the west? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.95.168.157 (talk) 17:03, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
 * "Human race" is usually understood to mean the human species. Our article human is very extensive, and outlines most of the mainstream academic historical and biological perspectives. SemanticMantis (talk) 17:11, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
 * And if the question is actually about the concept of human races, our article on race (human classification) gives a very thorough answer. Looie496 (talk) 17:53, 29 June 2013 (UTC)

Fatty acids β-oxidation
Hi, I'm looking for a table that lists different fatty acyl-CoA's and their yield energy (FADH2, NADH and acetyl CoA). [if it includes unsaturated chains as well, it will really help me...] thanks! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.86.118.158 (talk) 20:13, 29 June 2013 (UTC)

Notable ancient person whose remains were found
Is there any notable ancient Greek or Roman person except Christian saints whose bone remains, particularly skull, have been found?--93.174.25.12 (talk) 22:24, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Because of mummys, there are many ancient Egyptian notable people whose remains have been positively identified. -- Jayron  32  23:14, 29 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Some of whom were Ptolemaic Greeks, I presume. See also, Philip_II_of_Macedon. μηδείς (talk) 23:58, 29 June 2013 (UTC)


 * Many notable ancient people were never lost! Many famous and wealthy people were interred in tombs.  We have a list of tombs and mausoleums- they are quite numerous.  Nimur (talk) 00:13, 30 June 2013 (UTC)