How much space junk is there? There are over 128 million pieces of space junk in orbit around Earth at the moment. There are 5,465 satellites orbiting in space at the moment. 84% of those are in a low Earth orbit. There is also the International Space Station circling the Earth. Over the last decade, […]
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How do fireflies glow? They combine a chemical called luciferin, an enzyme called luciferases, oxygen, and fuel. Fireflies are not actually flies; they are beetles. They are also not one single type of beetle. They come from a family of beetle called Lampyridae, which contains about 2,000 different types of beetles and nearly all of
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How is the Internet connected between countries? Countries are connected by over 500 underwater communications cables. Many people (myself included), think that international Internet connections are made by satellite, but 95% of them go by undersea cable. Satellites are too expensive and too slow. It takes a long time to transmit a signal to a
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How does a cochlear implant work? It uses a microphone to turn sound into electrical signals that are transmitted directly to the cochlear nerve, bypassing the non-working part of the ear. Ears work by turning sound waves into electrical signals. The outer ear is shaped like a dish so that it directs sound waves into
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When did April Fools’ Day start? No one knows. Although, most theories have it connected to the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian. The expression “April Fools’ Day” was first used in English in 1686. A British historian called John Aubrey first used it in his book “Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme”. This
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Was Ferdinand Magellan really the first person to circumnavigate the world? No, because he died about two-thirds into the journey. Ferdinand Magellan’s name was actually Magellan. He was born Fernão de Magalhães in Portugal, I n1480. He was born into nobility and he was a page of Queen Eleanor, the consort of King John II,
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What is lichen? Lichen is not an organism. It is a symbiotic relationship between fungus and algae. There is some argument that the relationship is mutually beneficial, but there is another argument that the fungi are farming the algae. There are about 20,000 different species of lichen and they cover approximately 8% of the land
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Why does the USA use the dollar? Because, in the early days of the American colonies, the Spanish dollar was more prevalent than the British pound. There are twenty countries around the world that have a dollar as their currency. The symbol for the majority of them is the $ sign with possibly letters before
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What is the difference between a petrol engine and a diesel engine? They use different fuel, they ignite the fuel in a different way, and a diesel engine is more efficient than a petrol engine. Diesel and petrol are both made from crude oil. Crude oil is the petroleum that is taken out of the
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What makes our hands different to other animals? We have an opposable thumb. We have four fingers and a thumb on each hand. We are not the only animals to have this many fingers, and we are not the only animals to have an opposable thumb, but the reach of our thumb sets us apart.
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