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Scientists Discover That Uranus Smells Like Rotten Eggs (space.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the you-can't-make-this-shit-up dept.

An anonymous reader writes: According to a study published in Nature Astronomy, scientists have determined that the atmosphere of Uranus smells like rotten eggs. The smell of Uranus was determined by the use of an Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrometer (NIFS), an instrument that allows scientists to determine what an atmosphere is composed of based upon the reflections of sunlight that bounce off of it. Specifically, the clouds in Uranus' upper atmosphere consist of hydrogen sulfide, the molecule that makes rotten eggs so stinky. "If an unfortunate human were ever to descend through Uranus' clouds, they would be met with very unpleasant and odiferous conditions," study lead author Patrick Irwin, of Oxford University in England, said in a statement. But that wayward pioneer would have bigger problems, he added: "Suffocation and exposure in the negative 200 degrees Celsius [minus 328 degrees Fahrenheit] atmosphere, made of mostly hydrogen, helium, and methane, would take its toll long before the smell."

76 comments

  1. It's done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    So Professor Farnsworth finally built his smelloscope.

    1. Re:It's done by TeknoHog · · Score: 1

      aka Spectrometer, Near-Infrared Integral Field.

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  2. Oh my by war4peace · · Score: 4, Funny

    The amount of jokes stemming from this article is endless.
    Still, cool science, quite literally.

    --
    ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
    1. Re:Oh my by tinkerton · · Score: 1

      Science which spawns jokes is good science.

      http://dilbert.com/strip/1994-...

  3. Re:Who submitted this? by LaughingRadish · · Score: 1

    "Uranus Smells Like Rotten Eggs" is much less puerile than how a bunch of other news outlets are running this story. They're going with "Uranus Smells Like Farts".

  4. Not touching this with my 10-inch pole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    wha?

    1. Re:Not touching this with my 10-inch pole by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      wha?

      You seem to have confused inches with centimeters.

      Do you bychance work for NASA?

  5. Obligatory Futurama clip by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Astronomers renamed Uranus in 2620 to end that stupid joke once and for all.

  6. Let the puns commence! by giggleloop · · Score: 0

    This article contains quite the impressive opening!

    1. Re:Let the puns commence! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      This article contains quite the impressive opening!

      There's still gaps in our knowledge, but hopefully the scientists can get to the bottom of it. I hope they're not tooting their own horn prematurely, that would be shitty because they'd just make asses of themselves and be the butt of jokes.

    2. Re: Let the puns commence! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The crack team of scientists, no less...

  7. Black holes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Patrick Moore used to avoid this problem by pronouncing it your-uh-nuss, with the stress on the first syllable.

    And here's this one we probed earlier.

    1. Re:Black holes by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 2

      Calling it "urinous" has its own problems, though.

    2. Re:Black holes by thomst · · Score: 5, Informative

      Patrick Moore used to avoid this problem by pronouncing it your-uh-nuss, with the stress on the first syllable.

      The original pronunciation of the name of the planet's eponymous Greek god almost undoubtedly was "oo-ran-os" (with the stress on the initial syllable), rather than "your-uh-nuss." The latter pronunciation is an artifact of British public school conventions, not authentic, classical Greek ones. (The Brits tend to Romanize both the English spelling and pronunciation of Greek words in general, and names in particular ... )

      --
      Check out my novel.
    3. Re:Black holes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Is that problem #1 or problem #2?

    4. Re:Black holes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To end the jokes, I hereby propose the name be changed to "Urectum".

    5. Re:Black holes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Patrick Moore used to avoid this problem by pronouncing it your-uh-nuss, with the stress on the first syllable.

      The original pronunciation of the name of the planet's eponymous Greek god almost undoubtedly was "oo-ran-os" (with the stress on the initial syllable), rather than "your-uh-nuss." The latter pronunciation is an artifact of British public school conventions, not authentic, classical Greek ones. (The Brits tend to Romanize both the English spelling and pronunciation of Greek words in general, and names in particular ... )

      Fortunately, non-barbaric languages get it right, and we Latins don't loose ourselves in fruitless stupid jokes. It would be Oo-ran-O, in Portuguese. a serious word for s serious subject.

    6. Re:Black holes by Ecuador · · Score: 1

      Almost correct. The Greek pronunciation would be "oo-rah-NOS" with the stress on the last syllable.
      Perhaps also "oy-rah-NOS" in early Classical or pre-Classical (AFAIK we are not very sure when diphthongs started being pronounced they way they are in Koine Greek for example).

      --
      Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
    7. Re:Black holes by desdinova+216 · · Score: 1

      rectum, no it damn near killed him.

    8. Re:Black holes by thomst · · Score: 1

      In response to my statement:

      The original pronunciation of the name of the planet's eponymous Greek god almost undoubtedly was "oo-ran-os" (with the stress on the initial syllable), rather than "your-uh-nuss."

      Ecuador replied:

      Almost correct. The Greek pronunciation would be "oo-rah-NOS" with the stress on the last syllable. Perhaps also "oy-rah-NOS" in early Classical or pre-Classical (AFAIK we are not very sure when diphthongs started being pronounced they way they are in Koine Greek for example).

      You may be correct. The fact is that we do not know how the Greeks of the Hellenic period pronounced the word - much less the earlier, Helladic pronunciation. And how the aboriginal inhabitants of the Attic peninsula (whose god Uranos most likely was) pronounced it, before the Doric invasion syncretized their chthonic deities with the invaders' aero-montane pantheon to create the mythic menagerie presented most famously in Hesiod's Theogeny is pretty much anybody's guess.

      If only the Hellenes had had freakin' Soundcloud, we wouldn't have to guess ...

      --
      Check out my novel.
    9. Re: Black holes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You swallowed a thesaurus?

      * Thesaurus (noun). Large sauropod, now extinct, worshipped by Greeks in prehistory for its extensive vocabulary.

    10. Re:Black holes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We actually know where the stress was, because they added the oxeia during the hellenistic era. So, while we might not be sure about some sounds, the stressed syllable is pretty much known.

  8. Of COURSE it Does by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No sh!t, Sherlock.

  9. NIFS? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Why didn't they make the acronym SNIF?

    1. Re:NIFS? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why didn't they make the acronym SNIF?

      How about they utilized the Spectrometer of Near-Infrared Integral Fields (SNIIF)?

  10. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  11. Maybe Yours Does by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I happen to bathe daily, thank you very much.

  12. No it smells of nothing by thegarbz · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If the H2S concentration is high enough to mask some of the composition on the underlying layers it would most certainly paralise your sense of smell instantly, something that happens as low as 100ppm concentrations.

    Uranus smells of nothing. Which frankly is far more plesant than most jokes would suggest.

    1. Re:No it smells of nothing by NichardRixon · · Score: 3, Informative

      It's odd that the Oxford scholars didn't mention the toxicity of hydrogen sulfide, but mention suffocation from inhalation of methane and the effects of low temperatures. Although the odor can be detected at very minute concentrations, (around 0.000047 ppm) it's about as poisonous as cyanide at about 360 ppm. Suppression of the sense of smell doesn't happen instantaneously, and many deaths have occurred because victims who noticed the odor thought the gas had dissipated when they could no longer smell it.

    2. Re:No it smells of nothing by Known+Nutter · · Score: 3, Informative

      Came to say this. H2S at around 100 ppm can/will deaden the sense of smell. Usually, the lack of instantaneous loss of olfactory functions can be attributed to the gradual increase in concentration of H2S in a given area during an incident.

      But I guess saying Uranus smells like a bag of farts is more entertaining than actual science.

      --
      Beware of the Leopard.
    3. Re:No it smells of nothing by NichardRixon · · Score: 2

      "But I guess saying Uranus smells like a bag of farts is more entertaining than actual science."

      Agreed. I smell fake news.

  13. Hmm by SCVonSteroids · · Score: 3, Funny

    Depends what I ate.

    --
    I tend to rant.
    1. Re:Hmm by chaotic_clanger · · Score: 1

      you need a food rich with sulphur. kim chi fart would provide the real uranus feeling i guess.

    2. Re:Hmm by asylumx · · Score: 1

      And what exactly is uranus feeling?

    3. Re:Hmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Muh Dyick!

  14. It sure does! by sabbede · · Score: 1

    Hooray for this story! Now, it's time for my morning dump so I'll be proving them right.

    1. Re:It sure does! by antdude · · Score: 1

      Are you mean? I dump a lot during the mornings after I wake up too to prove. :D

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  15. Re:First Comment! Yay! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do you make a hobby out of being wrong?

  16. Re:Oh, the humanity!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The joke was referenced about an hour before your post in #56498893.

  17. Re:Who's? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mine gets pretty bad after beer and eggs. The people near me in our open office layout don't appreciate those mornings.

  18. Re:Who submitted this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Who submitted this?

    Honestly, I saw this story yesterday in at least a half a dozen major news outlets, and it was all variations on a theme.

    The reality is, the Uranus jokes write themselves, and I'm pretty sure the scientists gave them a nudge in that direction.

    What better way to get your real scientific research widely covered than allowing for the most puerile humour to drive it around the web?

    Un-clench. Don't be so anal about it.

  19. Re: Who's? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You must have a great job being able to drink in the morning...

  20. Re:Who submitted this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Considering that every AC is creimer and creimer owns Slashdot...

  21. Re:First Comment! Yay! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hobby? Creimer made a career out of it!

  22. Re: Who submitted this? by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 2

    Look at all the /.'ers acting like fifth-graders and giving the site their ad impressions. The audience has made the site into what it's become.

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  23. Indeed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are from Midget-World where 10cm (width of a hand) is a "length of a pole" ???

  24. Re:Who submitted this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Then, GP is correct.

    It is right up creimer's alley.

  25. Re:Who submitted this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    creimer, I reported you to youtube and keep reporting every spam post you make so all these spam posts will do is bring your view count in negative territory for a given day since youtube barred your stupid click-bot and your spam posts

    MODDOWN! ; creimer youtube spam post again!

    creimer wants you to click on his youtube channel, then click on his stupid amazon affiliate link spam on Youtube. There is nothing of value on creimer youtube channel. Only creimer click-bot goes there.

  26. Maybe by angelbar · · Score: 1

    Cloudn't they use a Spectrometer for Near-Infrared Integral Field? (SNIF)

    --
    -no sig today-
  27. Re:Who submitted this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Creimer is +107 for yesterday and +40 this morning on SocialBlade. Looks like YouTube is done auditing his numbers. Still +4,183 for the month. Remember when creimer had 5k views five months ago? He now has 12k+ views.

  28. Smells like ... by PPH · · Score: 1

    ... the exhaust of a car with a catalytic converter.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  29. creimer has been up my alley... APK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: I love the musty smell of that guy's nutz now when I smell it I get all hot and bothered

    He has an insatiable thirst for my ass and in the last 2 nights has dumped like 15 loads of cum in it

    Last night I discovered stomping and was put in my proper place

    APK

    P.S. - I got my second erection in 20 years last night as felt cdreimer's cum dribble out my ass and down my scak. After that he put on some surplus military boots and stomped on my dick until it was limp and one giant bruise... apk

    1. Re: creimer has been up my alley... APK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You need help

    2. Re: creimer has been up my alley... APK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes. I need help IN MY ANUS.

      Please massage my prostate with your cock and blow your hot, sticky load deep into my lower intestinal tract. I will even lick the faeces from your cock and squeeze your cum from my ass directly on to your chest after you are finished.

      APK

      PS: You know you want some of this hairy, musty man ass... No HOSTS files are going to keep you out, BIG BOY!

  30. It's just a Rumour by Zaiff+Urgulbunger · · Score: 1

    I don't know who started this rumour, but if I ever find out, I'll see them in court!!!

  31. BeauHD and msmash by forkfail · · Score: 0

    Two editors, one shark.

    Who can jump it better?

    --
    Check your premises.
  32. Re:Who's? by Mjlner · · Score: 1

    When they say Uranus smells like that, who's exactly?

    Well, I am exactly. Aren't you?

    --
    Lemon curry???
  33. My anus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not sure about your anus, but my anus smells like roses. Decaying roses maybe, but roses nonetheless

  34. Pronounciation ... by kbahey · · Score: 1

    Right.

    It is also Ubuntu = Ooh-boon-tu, not You-buntu.

    And many of the C things are actually K, Kephalos = Cephalus, Cetus = Kaitos, ...etc.

    --
    2bits.com, Inc: Drupal, WordPress, and LAMP performance tuning.
    1. Re:Pronounciation ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Right.

      It is also Ubuntu = Ooh-boon-tu, not You-buntu.

      Which Greek God is Ubuntu derived from? That's the fail point you are making to the GP.

  35. That's a GAS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fart jokes are always good news.

  36. Sense of smell by OrangeTide · · Score: 1

    I'm pretty sure my sense of smell doesn't function at -200 C.

    --
    “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
  37. Re:Who submitted this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Funny, it's only in the english language that one can make that joke

  38. Juvenile by slacktide · · Score: 1

    In 2620, to end that stupid joke once and for all, scientists will finally rename the planet to Urectum.

    1. Re:Juvenile by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      In 2620, to end that stupid joke once and for all, scientists will finally rename the planet to Urectum.

      Joke of 2621: "Damn you scientists! I had great jokes about the planet, but Urectum."

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
  39. Re: Who submitted this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yawnnnn.
    Wake me up when you reach the 1000 subscriber limit to even begin to make money. Until then you are wasting your time with 6 subscribers LUL.

  40. Joke Comes True, News at 11 by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    Uranus smells like your anus. Who wouldda thought.

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  41. Re: Who submitted this? by SCVonSteroids · · Score: 1

    I'm sorry but if you can't even laugh at Uranus jokes, the problem isn't the site populous, it's you.
    Shouldn't have to be said but here goes:

    "Nobody is forcing you to read them."

    --
    I tend to rant.
  42. Reminds me of a joke by Grand+Facade · · Score: 1

    Something about a game warden and ducks....

    --
    Rick B.