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Old 08-25-2017, 01:48 AM   #1701
vicky_molokh
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Default Re: Real-Life Weirdness

In case you need to justify your aliens having metal exoskeletons (e.g. Turians), here's a precedent from our own planet.
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Old 08-25-2017, 11:20 AM   #1702
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Default Re: Real-Life Weirdness

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In case you need to justify your aliens having metal exoskeletons (e.g. Turians), here's a precedent from our own planet.
It hosts bacteria that enable it to eat metallic poisons, and it constructs layered armor of those same metallic poisons. To quote the article, "That is metal as hell."
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Old 08-25-2017, 01:26 PM   #1703
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Default Re: Real-Life Weirdness

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Originally Posted by vicky_molokh View Post
In case you need to justify your aliens having metal exoskeletons (e.g. Turians), here's a precedent from our own planet.
Iron sulfide not iron oxide and near vents spewing out a chemically "easier" form to incorporate. I also don't think it's a form stable at surface pressures and of course where oxygen is so prevalent.
But I remember when I first heard of this snail. Life uses whatever is available even if it's only available in that one tiny area. Always amazes me.

(Honestly, if you want super strong exoskeletons, why not make layered organic diamond? Far less energy to extract than splitting iron from rock.)
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Old 08-25-2017, 01:28 PM   #1704
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It hosts bacteria that enable it to eat metallic poisons, and it constructs layered armor of those same metallic poisons. To quote the article, "That is metal as hell."
Symbiotic partnership is where it's at. The three big kingdoms are all endosymbiotic Franken-life when you think about it.

It happened more than once with plants meaning that alien life could have who knows how many examples?
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Old 08-25-2017, 04:16 PM   #1705
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Default Re: Real-Life Weirdness

Ancient Babylonian tablet demonstrates the invention of trigonometry 1000 years earlier than ever before thought. Base 60 Babylonian mathematics reveals incredible secrets to modern mathematicians!

Of course, base 60 and the use of ratios aren't exactly secrets.
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Old 08-26-2017, 06:07 AM   #1706
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Ancient Babylonian tablet demonstrates the invention of trigonometry 1000 years earlier than ever before thought. Base 60 Babylonian mathematics reveals incredible secrets to modern mathematicians!

Of course, base 60 and the use of ratios aren't exactly secrets.
Indeed. All of this-
"The tablet not only contains the world's oldest trigonometric table; it is also the only completely accurate trigonometric table, because of the very different Babylonian approach to arithmetic and geometry.”

In a video promoting the discovery, Mansfield said the 60-base system used by Babylonians could potentially influence the way we use mathematics today, as it can facilitate more precise division.

... is a bit confounding. There must be something lost in translation between mathematicianese and journalese.
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Old 08-26-2017, 06:59 AM   #1707
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Indeed. All of this-
"The tablet not only contains the world's oldest trigonometric table; it is also the only completely accurate trigonometric table, because of the very different Babylonian approach to arithmetic and geometry.”

In a video promoting the discovery, Mansfield said the 60-base system used by Babylonians could potentially influence the way we use mathematics today, as it can facilitate more precise division.

... is a bit confounding. There must be something lost in translation between mathematicianese and journalese.
Base-60 has fewer ugly fractions than base-10.
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Old 08-26-2017, 07:16 AM   #1708
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Base-60 has fewer ugly fractions than base-10.
How is that a revelation? And why not go to base-120 or base-600?
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Old 08-26-2017, 09:49 AM   #1709
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Default Re: Real-Life Weirdness

It strikes me as a serious case of breakthroughism, where every science story has to be promoted by the popular press as the latest potential revolution in everything. If I were to speculate on little data, I would guess that the reporter seized on a casual comment about the advantages of base 60 over base 10.
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Old 08-26-2017, 10:17 AM   #1710
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It strikes me as a serious case of breakthroughism, where every science story has to be promoted by the popular press as the latest potential revolution in everything. If I were to speculate on little data, I would guess that the reporter seized on a casual comment about the advantages of base 60 over base 10.
It would seem more that the author did say actually that-

If this interpretation is correct, then P322 replaces Hipparchus' ‘table of chords’ as the world's oldest trigonometric table — but it is additionally unique because of its exact nature, which would make it the world's only completely accurate trigonometric table. These insights expose an entirely new level of sophistication for OB mathematics.
From- the original paper
(emphasis as per orginal)

Perhaps he's channeling History B.

I haven't finished looking through it, but it'd be an idea to see any criticism of the paper.
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