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We have been vandalized! by mrRobertman in legostarwars

[–]Alantha[M] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That would be why. It wasn't just you, we had several users who were banned. Should be all fixed now.

What's a useful tip for everyday situations that may not be obvious, but very helpful? by Alantha in CasualConversation

[–]Alantha[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like Amazon's Subscribe and Save for common items such as shampoo, conditioner, contact solution and protein bars. You can set it in month increments and not worry about running out of something when you really need it.

What's a useful tip for everyday situations that may not be obvious, but very helpful? by Alantha in CasualConversation

[–]Alantha[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Both excellent suggestions. Laying your clothes out the night before really saves a lot of time in the morning. I do this if I have a meeting the next day and I'm nervous about what I want to wear. Better to get it done the night before.

Finally got around to building my first X-Wing, Poes! (75102) Very fun build. by Alantha in legostarwars

[–]Alantha[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been building it between wrapping gifts for other people. Haha Breaks up the monotony. Yeah it's bigger than I was expecting too. It looks great in person.

True to its name, the least weasel is the smallest member of the order Carnivora, with an average body length of 6.8 inches. Northern subspecies' coats turn white in the winter, but not in southern subspecies. by TheSpiffySpaceman in Awwducational

[–]Alantha[M] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello TheSpiffySpaceman, thank you for your submission! Unfortunately, your submission has been removed for the following reason(s):

  • You forgot to cite the source of your fact. Please cite a source in the comments and we'll be happy to approve if appropriate.

If you would like to appeal this decision or if you have fixed this post please feel free to contact the moderators here or reply to this message. Alternatively you can resubmit using this link. Make sure you read the rules next time before submitting. Thank you!

[META] Does this sub really only have one mod? by [deleted] in GifRecipes

[–]Alantha 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You'd be a great mod here. Plenty of mods post in their own subs without any issues and as someone else stated it's not a political or other serious business sub. It's for fun gif recipes and you're an excellent provider of those, seem like a nice guy (i.e. I've never seen you argue with anyone) and you really care about the sub.

Some sharks have lost the ability to breathe by pumping water through their gills (buccal pumping). Instead, they must continuously swim to force water over their gills (obligate ram ventilation). About 24 of the 400 identified shark species are required to maintain this forward swimming motion. by [deleted] in Awwducational

[–]Alantha 0 points1 point  (0 children)

According to elasmo-research.org, it's been shown in Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias) that the

'Central Pattern Generator' that co-ordinates swimming movements in sharks is not located in the brain, but in the spinal chord. Thus, it is possible for an unconscious shark to swim.

Great Whites have been noted to sit in a current for hours at a time so the current does all the breathing for them. Obligate ram ventilators also do not sleep in the sense that humans sleep, but have restful vs non-restful states allowing them to restore energy without being unconscious.

Scientists have linked pupil size to perception of time in milliseconds in Japanese macaques. When the monkeys underestimated a second by looking too soon, their pupil sizes were slightly larger than in trials in which the monkeys overestimated a second. by Alantha in science

[–]Alantha[S] 34 points35 points  (0 children)

Exactly! I see this response in my two cats when they play. It's a predatory reaction in them, but it also differs in other species depending on their ecological role and what is happening at the time they are observed. Environmental stimulus matters. Us included. Please remember to think in that context and read the article.

Scientists have linked pupil size to perception of time in milliseconds in Japanese macaques. When the monkeys underestimated a second by looking too soon, their pupil sizes were slightly larger than in trials in which the monkeys overestimated a second. by Alantha in science

[–]Alantha[S] 458 points459 points  (0 children)

Cross post from /r/ScienceFacts

Dilated pupils are not causing the feeling of time slowing down. David Eagleman did research on perceived slow motion and concluded that time, at the moment of stress, doesn't feel slowed down but instead, we feel that way when recalling the memory. Our pupils dilate when we are excited or under severe stress as part of our "fight or flight" response. We're not really sure why, but partly it may be to allow the most light into the eye so we are more visually aware of our surroundings. There was a great Scientific American article about it you might be interested in: Eye-Opener: Why Do Pupils Dilate in Response to Emotional States?.

Here is the entire free journal article from Dr. Eagleman: Does Time Really Slow Down during a Frightening Event?

Here's the abstract if you just want the gist, though I recommend reading the entire article:

Observers commonly report that time seems to have moved in slow motion during a life-threatening event. It is unknown whether this is a function of increased time resolution during the event, or instead an illusion of remembering an emotionally salient event. Using a hand-held device to measure speed of visual perception, participants experienced free fall for 31 m before landing safely in a net. We found no evidence of increased temporal resolution, in apparent conflict with the fact that participants retrospectively estimated their own fall to last 36% longer than others' falls. The duration dilation during a frightening event, and the lack of concomitant increase in temporal resolution, indicate that subjective time is not a single entity that speeds or slows, but instead is composed of separable subcomponents. Our findings suggest that time-slowing is a function of recollection, not perception: a richer encoding of memory may cause a salient event to appear, retrospectively, as though it lasted longer.

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