Listverse again

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Seawise Giant

The Seawise Giant was a product of the late 1970s when supertankers were being constructed in shipyards all over the world to meet the demand for crude oil. After she admirably bankrupted her original Greek owners while still under construction, the Giant was acquired by a Hong Kong shipping magnate who looked at her monstrous dimensions, remarked that it wasn’t quite big enough, and further increased her size to its dizzying final form.

The Seawise Giant was so gargantuan that her length was measured in skyscrapers and her deck area measured in soccer fields. At 450 meters (1,500 ft) with a width of 69 meters (225 ft), she was so large that she couldn’t pass through the English Channel and was so heavy that she took 9 kilometers (5.5 mi) to come to a complete stop.

Her immense size most likely saved her in 1988 when she was attacked by Iraqi fighter jets during the Iran-Iraq war while traveling through the Straits of Hormuz. She remained easily accessible for salvage in the shallow waters in which she partially sank. After being resurrected in 1989, she continued service under a litany of different names until 2004, when she was moored as a permanent offshore loading and storage platform in the Persian Gulf. The Knock Nevis, as she was renamed, would never see the open ocean again. In 2009, like many other commercial naval vessels, she was sold to be scrapped in Alang, India.

The only thing that remains of the world’s largest ship is her 36-ton anchor, which now resides in front of the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.

Patrick studies Industrial Design at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is fascinated with big things and often spends far too much time researching tall buildings and large ships rather than focusing on more fruitful ventures such as Facebook and Twitter.

basically all of my information comes from listverse, mental floss, and popular science. 

Tooth in eye as a medical procudure

For people with chronic blindness whose eyes won't accept artificial lens there is a new option for you! You can have a surgeon remove one of your teeth and use it to hold the artificial lens. This really works sometimes.

-Miles

MIND BLOWN

The Many Worlds theory

by Tate
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Confession time: Listverse (http://listverse.com) is awesome. My favorite all-time list is "10 Mind-Bending Implications of the Many Worlds Theory." Here's a brief explanation of the Many Worlds Theory from the intro to the list:
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• In quantum physics—the scientific study of the nature of physical reality—there is plenty of room for interpretation within the realm of what is known. The most popular mainstream interpretation, the Copenhagen interpretation, has as one of its central tenets the concept of wave function collapse. That is to say, every event exists as a “wave function” which contains every possible outcome of that event, which “collapses”—distilling into the actual outcome, once it is observed. For example, if a room is unobserved, anything and everything that could possibly be in that room exists in “quantum superposition”—an indeterminate state, full of every possibility, at least until someone enters the room and observes it, thereby collapsing the wave function and solidifying the reality.

• The role of the observer has long been a source of contention for those who disagree with the theory. The strongest competition to this interpretation, and probably the second most popular mainstream interpretation (meaning, a lot of incredibly smart people think it’s a sound theory) is called the Everett interpretation after Hugh Everett, who first proposed it in 1957. It’s known colloquially as the Many Worlds Interpretation (MWI), because it postulates simply that the wave function never collapses; it simply branches into its own unique world-line, resulting in every possible outcome of every situation existing in physical reality.

I highly recommend that you click THIS LINK
http://listverse.com/2013/02/22/10-mind-bending-implications-of-the-many-worlds-theory/
to read the full list. Here are a few of the juiciest bits: 

• MWI concludes that all values are rolled in some timeline somewhere, even the most unlikely ones—and inevitably, the timeline where the low-probability value gets rolled will be ours. As evidenced by the play described above, which totally happened and decided the outcome of a divisional playoff game.
And there is no ceiling of improbability, other than physics—whatever could possibly occur.

• If reality is a continuous cycle—along the lines of “Big Bang, expansion, contraction, collapse, Big Bang again”—then, given what we believe about the Multiverse and its infinite world-lines, you have existed before. In fact, all the infinite versions of you have existed before, and will exist again—and the same goes for all of us, along with every possible idea, creation and situation throughout all of our past and future, across all realities.... In one fell swoop, this concept explains instances of both deja vu and strong feelings of predestination.

• ...while we will all experience dying, we will never experience death—the termination of our consciousness.

• After all, if everything—Atlantis, Luke Skywalker, your neighbor Bill—is as real as everything else, then what is reality but what we perceive? And what is our perception, if not our creation?

Scared yet?

Yeah.

Images from Cracked: http://www.cracked.com/article_17579_7-terrifying-giant-versions-disgusting-critters_p2.html

Everyone go win a game of rock paper scissors now.

A group of researchers from Chinese universities have written a paper about the role of psychology in winning (or losing) at rock-paper-scissors. After studying how players change or keep their strategies during multiple-round sessions, they figured out a basic rule that people tend to play by that could potentially be exploited.

The researchers took 360 students, broke them into groups of six, and had them play 300 rounds of rock-paper-scissors in random pairings. The students received small amounts of money each time they won a round. As they played, the researchers observed how the players rotated through the three play options as they won or lost.

What they found was that "if a player wins over her opponent in one play, her probability of repeating the same action in the next play is considerably higher than her probabilities of shifting actions." If a player has lost two or more times, she is likely to shift her play, and more likely to shift to the play that will beat the one that has just beaten her than the same one her opponent just used to beat her. For instance, if Megan loses by playing scissors to Casey's rock, Megan is most likely to switch to paper, which would beat Casey's rock. Per the research, this is a sound strategy, since Casey is likely to keep playing the hand that has been winning. The authors refer to this as the "win-stay, lose-shift" strategy.

Therefore, this is the best way to win at rock-paper-scissors: if you lose the first round, switch to the thing that beats the thing your opponent just played. If you win, don't keep playing the same thing, but instead switch to the thing that would beat the thing that you just played. In other words, play the hand your losing opponent just played. To wit: you win a round with rock against someone else's scissors. They are about to switch to paper. You should switch to scissors. Got it? Good.

This should work unless your opponent has read this article, in which case, you both are in trouble, because you're now living on a plane of RPS strategy the likes of which we can only imagine.

Thanks arstechinca. 

10 simple things that are deceptively complex

One of the coolest Listverse lists I've yet read. 

http://listverse.com/2014/05/14/10-simple-things-that-are-deceptively-complex/

Did you know that the proof for "1+1 = 2" is 372 pages long? That rock-paper-scissors is the world's most serious game? That no one really knows how bicycles work? Click the link! 

Poisonous plants

This article was originally written by Miles and has been reposted by Ethan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_poisonous_plants for the full list.

Some notable poisonous plants:

• Apple (Malus domestica). Seeds are mildly poisonous, containing a small amount of amygdalin, a cyanogenic glycoside. The quantity contained is usually not enough to be dangerous to humans, but it is possible to ingest enough seeds to provide a fatal dose.
• Cherry (Prunus cerasus), as well as other Prunus species such as peach (Prunus persica), plum (Prunus domestica), almond (Prunus dulcis), andapricot (Prunus armeniaca). Leaves and seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides.
• Kidney bean or common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). The toxic compound phytohaemagglutinin, a lectin, is present in many varieties of common bean but is especially concentrated in red kidney beans. The lectin has a number of effects on cell metabolism; it induces mitosis, and affects the cell membrane in regard to transport and permeability to proteins. It agglutinates most mammalian red blood cell types. The primary symptoms of phytohaemagglutinin poisoning are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Onset is from 1 to 3 hours after consumption of improperly prepared beans, and symptoms typically resolve within a few hours.[10] Consumption of as few as four or five raw kidney beans may be sufficient to trigger symptoms. Phytohaemagglutinin can be deactivated by cooking beans at 100 °C (212 °F) for ten minutes. However, for dry beans the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also recommends an initial soak of at least 5 hours in water; the soaking water should be discarded.[10] The ten minutes at 100 °C (212 °F) is required to degrade the toxin, and is much shorter than the hours required to fully cook the beans themselves. However, lower cooking temperatures may have the paradoxical effect of potentiating the toxic effect of haemagglutinin. Beans cooked at 80 °C (176 °F) are reported to be up five times as toxic as raw beans.[10] Outbreaks of poisoning have been associated with the use of slow cookers, the low cooking temperatures of which may be unable to degrade the toxin.
• Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans). Contains myristicin. Myristicin is a naturally occurring insecticide and acaricide with possible neurotoxic effects onneuroblastoma cells.[11] It has psychoactive properties at doses much higher than used in cooking. Raw nutmeg produces anticholinergic-like symptoms, attributed to myristicin and elemicin.[12] The intoxicating effects of myristicin can lead to a physical state somewhere between waking and dreaming; euphoria is reported and nausea is often experienced. Users also report bloodshot eyes and memory disturbances.[13] Myristicin is also known to induce hallucinogenic effects, such as visual distortions. Nutmeg intoxication has an extremely long time before peak is reached, sometimes taking up to seven hours, and effects can be felt for 24 hours, with lingering effects lasting up to 72 hours.[14][15]
• Lima bean or butter bean (Phaseolus lunatus). Raw beans contain dangerous amounts of linamarin, a cyanogenic glucoside.
• Potato (Solanum tuberosum). Potatoes contain toxic compounds known as glycoalkaloids, of which the most prevalent are solanine and chaconine. Solanine is also found in other members of the Solanaceae plant family, which includes Atropa belladonna ("deadly nightshade") and Hyoscyamus niger("henbane") (see entries below). The concentration of glycoalkaloid in wild potatoes suffices to produce toxic effects in humans. The toxin affects the nervous system, causing headaches, diarrhea and intense digestive disturbances, cramps, weakness and confusion, and in severe cases coma and death. Poisoning from cultivated potatoes occurs very rarely however, as the toxic compounds in the potato plant are, in general, concentrated in the green portions of the plant and in the fruits,[16] and cultivated potato varieties contain lower toxin levels.[17] Cooking at high temperatures (over 170 °C or 340 °F) also partly destroys the toxin. However, exposure to light, physical damage, and age increase glycoalkaloid content within the tuber,[18] the highest concentrations occurring just underneath the skin. Tubers that are exposed to light turn green from chlorophyll synthesis, thus giving a visual clue as to areas of the tuber that may have become more toxic; however, this does not provide a definitive guide, as greening and glycoalkaloid accumulation can occur independently of each other. Some varieties of potato contain greater glycoalkaloid concentrations than others; breeders developing new varieties test for this, and sometimes have to discard an otherwise promising cultivar. Breeders try to keep solanine levels below 200 mg/kg (200 ppmw). However, when these commercial varieties turn green, even they can approach concentrations of solanine of 1000 mg/kg (1000 ppmw). The U.S. National Toxicology Program suggests that the average American consume at most 12.5 mg/day of solanine from potatoes (the toxic dose is actually several times this, depending on body weight).
• Rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum). The leaf stalks (petioles) are edible, but the leaves themselves contain notable quantities of oxalic acid, which is anephrotoxic and corrosive acid that is present in many plants. Symptoms of poisoning include kidney disorders, convulsions and coma. Rarely fatal. TheLD50 (median lethal dose) for pure oxalic acid in rats is about 375 mg/kg body weight,[19] or about 25 grams for a 65 kg (~140 lb) human. Although the oxalic acid content of rhubarb leaves can vary, a typical value is about 0.5%,[20] so a rather unlikely 5 kg of the extremely sour leaves would have to be consumed to reach an LD50 of oxalic acid. Cooking the leaves with soda can make them more poisonous by producing soluble oxalates.[21] However, the leaves are believed to also contain an additional, unidentified toxin,[22] which might be an anthraquinone glycoside (also known as senna glycosides).[23] In the edible leaf stalks (petioles), the amount of oxalic acid is much lower, only about 2–2.5% of the total acidity that is dominated bymalic acid.[24] This means that even the raw stalks may not be hazardous (though they are generally thought to be in the US). However the tart taste of raw stalks is so strong as to be unpalatable to many.
• Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Like many other nightshades, tomato leaves and stems contain solanine that is toxic if ingested, causing digestive upset and nervous excitement. Use of tomato leaves as an herbal tea (infusion) has been responsible for at least one death.[25] Leaves, stems, and green unripe fruit of the tomato plant also contain small amounts of the poisonous alkaloid tomatine,[26] although levels are generally too small to be dangerous.[26][27] Ripe tomatoes do not contain any detectable tomatine.[26] Tomato plants can be toxic to dogs if they eat large amounts of the fruit, or chew plant material.[28]

Cerbera odollam (commonly known as the suicide tree). The seeds contain cerberin, a potent toxin related to digoxin. The poison blocks the calciumion channels in heart muscle, causing disruption of the heart beat. This is typically fatal and can result from ingesting a single seed. Cerberin is difficult to detect in autopsies and its taste can be masked with strong spices, such as a curry. It is often used in homicide and suicide in India; Kerala's suicide rate is about three times the Indian average. In 2004, a team led by Yvan Gaillard of the Laboratory of Analytical Toxicology in La Voulte-sur-Rhône, France, documented more than 500 cases of fatal Cerbera poisoning between 1989 and 1999 in Kerala. They said "To the best of our knowledge, no plant in the world is responsible for as many deaths by suicide as the odollam tree.'[41] A related species is Cerbera tanghin the seeds of which are known as tanghin poison nut and have been used as an 'ordeal poison'.