As I understand it... normally, There's a direct connection to ground. (no resistors)

The storm induces current along the length of the overhead wires. Click on the diagram

This complete loop of wires and ground, would be "mitigated", with resistors as shown.

Geo-magnetic storms can shut down the power grid.

"But to just shut the grid off and restart it is a $10 billion proposition"

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/04/2012storms/

How will the rapid development of technology, especially medical, transport and computerisation of everything we do have an effect on Human Evolution?The past century in particular has made our ancestors dreams into reality so how will this eventually affect human development both physically and mentally. Will we lose the use of our limbs or  will our brains shrink resulting in our eventual demise through our own unrestricted dependency on technology?

I was photographing landscapes in a field under high tension power lines (see photo) when I discovered my metal tripod was delicately vibrating. I could only feel the vibrations if I rested my fingers lightly on the metal and they were clearly related to the high tension wires (not the gentle breeze). When I moved the tripod away from the lines the vibrations stopped, but returned when I took it back beneath the wires again. What was going on? More importantly, if the lines did this to a metal tripod, what might they have been doing to my body?

Alistair Scott, Gland, Switzerland

I always watch National Geographic movies and question myself: if you put a camera on the back of a seal, a penguin or some other underwater animals, does the animal even notice it, and does it hurt the animal?

My theory on how this would work is that say you have the physics set up to produce tacyon particles. Then you have a network that you know they will follow at superluminal speeds. Would they interact (that is tacyons interact with tacyons)through that network? Then when the network is finished its calculation.

it would have to interact with a stream of newly created tacyons particles because those that are already calculating would be impossible to tell when they where finished. Those finished calculations would then interact at a somewhat random time when finished calculation, true given calculation of superluminal velocities you would be able to calculate aprox how long things should take.

If a nuclear explosion occuring  at an altitude of 300km  creates an EMP That would short out Most modern unshielded electronics in a 1470 km  radius area why could not one detonate one during a theoretical strike, before such missiles had made landfall, destroying their guidance electronics and  causing them to: spiral out of control and crash  into the ocean or, being aerodynamically unstable, break up  on re entry into the earth's atmosphere   

After watching Harry Potter the other day, I wondered whether it would be possible to make a working invisibility cloak. If so, any suggestions on how it woild work would be useful.

Is there a light coloured ash which could be used to cover fields after they have been sown in order to reflect sunlight for a period of time, fertilise the crop while also effecting large scale carbonation and a form of sequestrationat the same time?. If not could one be developed?.

My laptop has a lithium ion battery, which has served me well for a year or so. Lasting rougly 3 hours at 100%. But a few days ago, when my battery was removed from the laptop for half an hour or so, the capactiy dropped to 15 minutes. 

I know how these batteries "wear down" over time, due to corrotion of the lithium cathode and whatnot. But I would've expected a steady decline, rather than a sudden and extreme fall in capacity. 

Actual question: Why did the capacity of my lithium-ion battery suddenly drop from 3 hours to 15 minutes? And was it related to the fact that the battery was removed from the laptop.