Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Five things we still don’t know about water

nautil.us

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 108 posts

Re: Five things we still don’t know about water

#81

Post by Nemrod67 »

akomtu wrote: post #45

What I've never understood is how the atomic nuclei has such influence on macroscopic chemical properties. The only useful property of the nuclei is its charge - an integer number, so all macroscopic effects should be completely defined by that integer alone, and all properties of water are sufficiently described by just three numbers - 1, 8, 1 (in any order).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_configuration

short version: the electrons assemble in asymmetric layers, conferring properties to the atoms. Thus the atoms on the same columns having comparable properties by having the same layers occupied by electrons.

and that's the "I flunked the exam" version, I'm sure this level of explanation is ridiculously simplified compared to the real deal ;)

Re: Five things we still don’t know about water

#82

Post by heurisko »

betenoire wrote: post #61
mensetmanusman wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like how framing a hypothesis against the norm was framed as a conspiracy. Ha. Now we know that there were GoF research proposals by the same scientists squashing these ‘conspiracies’. Wups conflict of interest.

If it is man-made, and they are keeping that from us, then it is a conspiracy. Therefore, conspiracy theory. It's not because it us "against the norm", it is because the theory itself clearly involves a conspiracy.

> If it is man-made, and they are keeping that from us, then it is a conspiracy. Therefore, conspiracy theory.

No, it's the theory that it is a conspiracy, or more likely, a cover-up. (As I doubt there was a conspiracy to release the virus).

"Conspiracy theory" has a specific negative connotation, and has "specific characteristics ... such as an opposition [to those] who are qualified to evaluate its accuracy." [1]

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theory

Re: Five things we still don’t know about water

#84

Post by tcpekin »

akomtu wrote: post #45

What I've never understood is how the atomic nuclei has such influence on macroscopic chemical properties. The only useful property of the nuclei is its charge - an integer number, so all macroscopic effects should be completely defined by that integer alone, and all properties of water are sufficiently described by just three numbers - 1, 8, 1 (in any order).

The number of available valence shell electrons, not the atomic nuclei is typically the controlling factor for macroscale chemical properties of elements. This typically is in balance with the nucleus' positive charge, but does not have to be.

Water molecules are molecules, and therefore have a more complex electronic structure than atoms, and therefore is harder to describe, especially at the extremes.

Re: Five things we still don’t know about water

#87

Post by shrikant »

selcuka wrote: post #53
Eszik wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think GP was referring to Montagnier's support of the water memory theory (a fraudulent theory made up to support homeopathy), rather than his comments on covid 19.

Exactly [1]: > In January 2009, Luc Montagnier, the Nobel Laureate virologist who led the team that discovered the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), claimed (in a paper published in a journal that he set up, which seems to have avoided conventional peer review as it was accepted three days after submission) that the DNA of pathogenic bacteria and viruses massively diluted in water emit radio waves that he can detec…

...and he's a "vaccines cause autism" crank as well. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2012/05/27/nobel...

Looks like he'd gone that route well before any of the COVID-19 stuff.

Re: Five things we still don’t know about water

#88

Post by shrikant »

dr_dshiv wrote: post #79
Eszik wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think GP was referring to Montagnier's support of the water memory theory (a fraudulent theory made up to support homeopathy), rather than his comments on covid 19.

Ho, M. W. (2014). Large supramolecular water clusters caught on camera-A review. Water, 6, 1-12. Here they show pictures supposedly in support of water structure. Quite a bit of work in the area.

The paper by this author? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae-Wan_Ho#Institute_of_Scienc...

Not the most ringing endorsement.

Re: Five things we still don’t know about water

#89

Post by dr_dshiv »

shrikant wrote: post #88
dr_dshiv wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ho, M. W. (2014). Large supramolecular water clusters caught on camera-A review. Water, 6, 1-12. Here they show pictures supposedly in support of water structure. Quite a bit of work in the area.

The paper by this author? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae-Wan_Ho#Institute_of_Scienc... Not the most ringing endorsement.

Yes. That’s why the pictures and article are worth checking out. Anything having to do with “water structure” rankles scientists. But see for yourself.

Re: Five things we still don’t know about water

#90

Post by dr_dshiv »

ars wrote: post #55
amelius wrote: post #35

Also interesting: https://sciencenordic.com/chemistry-climate-denmark/the-eart... > The Earth has lost a quarter of its water > In its early history, the Earth's oceans contained significantly more water than they do today. A new study indicates that hydrogen from split water molecules has escaped into space.

Interestingly we are creating lots more water on earth - all the oil we burn has water as an exhaust, which adds to the amount of water on earth. I would suspect it's an insignificant amount, except the CO2 isn't, so maybe it's more than I expect.

Water vapor is a greenhouse gas; contributes to bout 60% of the greenhouse effect.

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/climatescience/climatesci...

Post reply on HN