Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2018 November 29

= November 29 =

Tremors and fasciculation
What is the difference between a tremor and a fasciculation? Is it just that a fasciculation happens randomly, while a tremor happens rhythmically and repeatedly? 208.95.51.53 (talk) 18:36, 29 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Not exactly. It has nothing to do with the rhythmic nature of it; the defining feature of a tremor is the "twitching movements of one or more body parts" (as quoting the article on tremor.  That is, in a tremor, an entire body part (like arm, leg, etc.) will shake subtly back and forth.  A fasciculation is a "small, local, involuntary muscle contraction and relaxation which may be visible under the skin"  (quoting the article fasciculation) that is, the defining feature is it's small, localized nature: some tiny part of a muscle (like a little patch of your quadriceps or something) will twitch a little bit.  It doesn't shake your whole leg back and forth like a tremor does; it's just a tiny little pulse on a small patch of muscle.  I hope that helps.  -- Jayron 32 15:59, 30 November 2018 (UTC)

Lake Vostok
What is the island in Lake Vostok? The article says "In 2005 an island was found in the central part of the lake.[25]" and the reference only says "He added that current efforts to investigate the lake had revealed an island located in the central part of the lake." Is there actually air stuck in there too and land is sticking out of water into it, or is the lake donut shaped with an ice pillar in the middle, or were the scientists talking about something third? 78.0.203.173 (talk) 23:11, 29 November 2018 (UTC)
 * This article also mentions islands. They are not sticking up into air, instead they are are just sticking up through water into ice. Figure 1 there shows something nearly an island sticking up from the bedrock. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 10:52, 30 November 2018 (UTC)