RBMK emergency shutdown control rods graphite power spike

Chernobyl’s shutdown could briefly raise power

In the RBMK reactor, descending control rods initially displaced neutron-absorbing water with graphite that moderated neutrons. Instead of immediately reducing the reaction rate, the emergency shutdown could therefore produce a power spike.

Bronze Age migration transformed Iberia's male ancestry

Ancient DNA reveals a major population change in the Iberian Peninsula during the Bronze Age. People carrying steppe-related ancestry contributed substantially to later populations, while previously common Y-chromosome lineages were largely replaced in the sampled populations. The difference between overall ancestry and paternal lineages suggests a strongly sex-biased demographic process.

Different kinds of light can look exactly the same to us

Our eyes reduce the full spectrum of incoming light to signals from three kinds of cone cells. Very different mixtures of wavelengths can produce the same three signals. When that happens, physically different light looks like the same color.

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RBMK emergency shutdown control rods graphite power spike

Chernobyl’s shutdown could briefly raise power

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