Why do we blush? We blush in response to emotions such as embarrassment, stress, and shame. Why we blush is a much more difficult question than how we blush, so let’s look at that first. How we blush is fairly straightforward. The red color of a blush is brought about by the dilation of blood […]
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Is a quintuple jump in figure skating possible? Technically, a quintuple jump in figure skating would be possible. It all comes down to the speed of the jump and the conservation of angular momentum. The quadruple jump is where figure skaters take off from the ice, do four complete rotations, and then land back on
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Why do fingers go wrinkly in the bath? Our fingers and toes go wrinkly when we are in the bath because of a nervous system response, not because the skin absorbs water from the bath. If you are in a bath, your fingers and your toes will very quickly become extremely wrinkly. The length of
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Why do birds sing at dawn? Birds seem to sing at dawn to mark their territory and to attract mates. Birds also sing at dusk, but the majority of singing is at dawn. This is called the “Dawn Chorus” and it is more common in the spring, breeding season, than at other times of the
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Why does gelatin set? Gelatin sets because the protein strands in it go soft when they are heated and then form into a tangled mass when they cool. Gelatin is an ingredient we use for cooking and it is taken from the collagen found in animal parts. You can get vegan gelatin, but unless it
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How does an airport metal detector work? An airport metal detector works by creating an electromagnetic field that gets disrupted by any metal objects that pass through it. A metal detector in an airport can do its job because metal can be induced to produce an electromagnetic field, and bone, flesh, and the water in
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What are gravitational waves? Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime that head through space like ripples on a pond, except in three dimensions. They travel at the speed of light, and they compress space as they pass. They are caused by violent events, such as when two black holes collide. Everything that has mass has
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How does Velcro work? Velcro consists of two pieces of tape. One side has hooks and the other side has loops. When you put them together, the hooks get caught in the loops and hold the two pieces of tape together. Velcro is a brand name, but it has become synonymous with the product, just
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How does a lava lamp work? There are two principles at work in a lava lamp. The first is how a substance can stay together when surrounded by water. The second is how heat affects the density of a material. The lava lamp that we know today was invented by a British accountant called Edward
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How can you 3D print metal? You can 3D print metal in the same way you can 3D print plastic. It has to be melted in some way, shaped, and then allowed to harden. Plastic 3D printing has been around for a while, and there are several different kinds. The cheapest and the most basic
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