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Page 5 - Science Facts

The Space Shuttle didn't fly around New Years because its computers couldn't handle year changes!

The now-defunct space shuttle program was over 30 years old by the time it was decommissioned. It's no surprise that the computer software that ran it had some kinks that people had to work around. One of them was dates.

The computer program does not recognize when the calendar year switches. It would recognize January 1st as day 366 of the previous year. To fix the problem, they would have to basically reboot the shuttle, which would mean a period of time with no navigation updates or control of the vehicle.

This had some real world effects: In 2006, NASA moved a Space Shuttle launch by almost 2 weeks just to give the Space Shuttle more time before New Years. Learn more about the space shuttle program at the source.

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Romantic love only lasts about a year. After that, 'attachment love' sets in!

It has often been said that falling in love is one of the best feelings in the world. It can take over a person's life—they become enamored with the other person and everything just seems better because of the love they share. Is there a difference between this initial love and the love that a couple that have been married for 50 years shares?

Italian scientists believe there is. Researchers at the University of Pavia say that a chemical is responsible for the first rush of love. They found that raised levels of protein were to thank for the feelings of euphoria that those in love experience.

The scientists found that these levels went down over time though when they studied couples that were in long-term relationships. Specifically, these levels went down after one year in the relationship. These findings do not mean that the couple is no longer in love but rather that the love is not so acute.

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Almost 100% of people older than 60 are diagnosed with eye herpes at their autopsy!

Herpetic simplex keratitis is a form of keratitis caused by recurrent herpes simplex virus in cornea. Herpes simplex virus or HSV infection is very common in humans. Nearly 100 percent of those older than 60 years of age harbor HSV in their trigeminal ganglia at autopsy. It has been estimated that one third of the world population suffers from recurrent infection.

Keratitis caused by HSV is the most common cause of cornea-derived blindness in developed nations Therefore, HSV infections are a large and worldwide public health problem. The global incidence (rate of new disease) of Herpes keratitis is roughly 1.5 million, including 40,000 new cases of severe monocular visual impairment or blindness each year. Primary infection most commonly manifests as blepharoconjunctivitis I.e. Infection of lids and conjunctiva that heals without scarring.

Lid vesicles and conjunctivitis are seen in primary infection. Corneal involvement is rarely seen in primary infection. Recurrent herpes of the eye is caused by reactivation of the virus in a latently infected sensory ganglion, transport of the virus down the nerve axon to sensory nerve endings, and subsequent infection of the ocular surface.

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There's a laser procedure that turns brown eyes blue!

A doctor in Laguna Beach has developed a new laser technique that allows people with brown eyes to turn them permanently blue. How is this possible? Brown eyes are actually blue underneath, but there are cells on top of the blue pigmentation that turn them darker.

The doctor says that after the 20-second procedure, the brown pigments start to fade and your eyes should be blue from then on out. He's been working on the technology for about 10 years and he estimates that it will be available for the public within a few years and cost about $5000.

Learn more at the source

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There is an area in Canada with less gravity than the rest of the Earth!

In the 1960s, scientists began to chart Earth’s gravitational fields. You would expect that gravity be the same across the world. It’s not like you feel incredibly heavy in the United States while you practically float around in South America. You always feel the same gravitational pull.

However, they found that gravity actually did vary. In Canada, there are certain areas with less gravity than normal. The Hudson Bay, for example, is “missing” gravity.

There are two theories as to why this may be true. One theory cites convection as the cause. Convection pulls the Earth’s plates downward, which decreases the mass in that area and decreases the gravity. The other theory cites the Laurentide Ice Sheet as the cause. The Ice Sheet melted 10,000 years ago and left a huge indent in the Earth, which could mess with the gravity.

(Source)

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