OC: Ask Cyber Pulse the Scientist!

[~Chaotic Eddie~ 479]

Why hello. My name is Cyber Pulse, and I am Ponyville's resident biologist. So feel free to ask me any questions you may have regarding the science of modern ponies, or if you want to see a transcript of my first ever Biology lecture, just ask.

 

Edited April 3, 2013 by Otakulord Rainbow Izumi

[Harmonic Revelations 8,833]

Where do babies come from?

[~Chaotic Eddie~ 479]

Sorry I took so long to reply, I was bogged down in marking. 3rd years were taking their EL3Cs, and I have to give predicted grades for ALL of them. Anyway, your question. Babies are formed by the joining of two gametes, which them form an embryo, which matures into a pony. (That's as far as I'm going.)

[Doctor Shuu 797]

Where do boogers come from?

[~Chaotic Eddie~ 479]

@Muffin Thief

 

Boogers (or bogeys as we Coltish ponies call them) are a combination of nasal mucous and dust particles from the air. When you breathe in, the mucous filters out the dust from the air. This then hardens into a clump of mucous and dust, or a booger as it's more commonly known.

 

Now, who wants to ask some questions that aren't related to the more dirty parts of the Equine body?

Edited February 3, 2013 by RainbowIzumi

[SilverStarApple 849]

What about Griffon babies? What are they called, and how are they formed?

 

Also, when creating a pair of mechanical pony wings for a non-pegasus to use, what would need to be taken into account?

[~Chaotic Eddie~ 479]

Griffon babies are formed in very much the same way as ponies, and to my knowledge Griffons don't really have a demonym for their young.

 

And on the wing question, you'd be better off asking one of the Physics lecturers down at the college. Physics isn't really my area, I'm more of a biologist.

Edited February 3, 2013 by RainbowIzumi

[Doctor Shuu 797]

What were to happen if a unicorn broke their horn?

Would magic be impossible for them? Would it have disastrous results?

[~Chaotic Eddie~ 479]

Unicorn horns are quite tough, so it's highly unlikely that it'd break, but if it did, since a unicorn's horn is part of its body, it'd eventually grow back, but it'd take a long time. They'd still be able to use magic, but from what I've heard it's be painful.

[Doctor Shuu 797]

I'll take that transcript please.

[~Chaotic Eddie~ 479]

OK, here it is: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EfAQhk9uuYh5b4QpCpAx-RCpMWk0rcopQK0_Hv-84Xg/mobilebasic

Sorry if the formatting's a bit odd, I sent this from a mobile device.

[Doctor Shuu 797]

Okay. If pegasi have no bone marrow, how do they survive without breaking their bones left and right? And... Is there a biological reason for earth ponies to be generally stronger than most ponies?

[~Chaotic Eddie~ 479]

The reason as to why Pegasus bones don't break left and right is an EL2C level module, and this was an EFLC lecture. I know it says in that lecture that Pegasus bones are hollow, but in EL2C you learn that they're not COMPLETELY hollow: It is mostly helium inside Pegasus bones, but there'a actually crosslinks scattered throughout the bones as well, allowing for the bones to remain strong but still have space for the helium. Also, the helium sort of acts as the bone marrow, because it's actually very concentrated helium, which strengthens the bones further, but that last part is EL3C territory.

 

As for Earth ponies, they tend to be stronger as a result of natural selection. That's actually not on the syllabus, it's typically used as an example for a natural selection application-of-knowledge question. That's happened around twice now.

[SilverStarApple 849]

There is an Earth Pony in Ponyville named Pinkie Pie. She often breaks the laws of physics and reality, just for fun. How does she manage this?

[Doctor Shuu 797]

What about that bone cell division crap?

[~Chaotic Eddie~ 479]

There is an Earth Pony in Ponyville named Pinkie Pie. She often breaks the laws of physics and reality, just for fun. How does she manage this?

 

The key word there is PHYSICS. That's not my area. And I'm pretty sure that there's no biological reason for breaking the laws of physics. And besides, I know Pinkie Pie. She's... just Pinkie Pie.

What about that bone cell division crap?

I don't recall mentioning that, could you be more specific? Unless you mean what I just said.

[SilverStarApple 849]

Wingboner. Explain.

[~Chaotic Eddie~ 479]

Wingboner. Explain.

It's actually very little to do with sexual attraction, as some ponies would have you believe. It's a reflex which sometimes occurs if a pony is shocked or feels a strong emotion, particularly anger or embarrassment, and this can include sexual arousal, which is where the myth originally came from.

[SilverStarApple 849]

"Wing power". Explain.

[~Chaotic Eddie~ 479]

"Wing power". Explain.

Physics.

[SilverStarApple 849]

What is the biology of the Pony mind?

 

By which, I mean, the pony brain.

[~Chaotic Eddie~ 479]

It's a long story, and since there really is no way to put it simply, I'll just quote from one of the revision guides I have in my classroom...

 

 

The brain’s many, many nerve cells control how we feel, move, and think. Learning a bit about the brain’s structure and function can help you understand what effects a brain injury can have.

The brain is divided up into two halves, the left brain and the right brain. Each half of the brain is charged with taking care of different tasks and thinking processes. The left brain is involved in verbal expression like language, thoughts, and other things that contain words. The right side of the brain gives us emotions, and lets us experience nonverbal things like music and art.

The cerebrum is the part of the brain that gives humans their higher functioning abilities. It can again be divided up into four lobes: the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the occipital lobe, and the temporal lobe. These separate parts each control a still more specific function or type of thinking. Brain damage associated with the specific physical location of one of these lobes can result in a corresponding loss of function.

 

• Temporal: memory, speech, recognizing sounds
• Occipital: visual processing
• Parietal: spatial recognition, movement
• Frontal: emotions, planning, critical thinking

Besides the cerebrum, the brain also contains three parts which are thought to be much older, evolutionarily. The cerebellum, located in the back of the head above the spinal cord, takes care of proper balance and movement. The limbic system takes care of various functions, from hunger, thirst, and circadian rhythms, to memory. Finally there is the brain stem, the most basic part of the brain, which regulates breathing and blood pressure.

 

-as quoted by the ECT Equine Biology workbook, 2012 edition.

[SilverStarApple 849]

I understood all of that.

 

What is the biological reason for a pony's mane to always stay in the same style unless wet, and then go back into its original style once it dries off and falls back into place?

 

Also, how does Poison Joke work?

[~Chaotic Eddie~ 479]

What is the biological reason for a pony's mane to always stay in the same style unless wet, and then go back into its original style once it dries off and falls back into place?

There are some things that a college-level Equine Biology teacher DOESN'T know. That's one of those things.

 

 

Also, how does Poison Joke work?

 

Upon contact with the skin it releases a fast-acting chemical which when inhaled, or absorbed through the skin, can cause physical mutations within 12 hours. The results are, as they say, like a joke.

[Doctor Shuu 797]

What is da meaning of life?!?