Is earwax actually wax? No, ear wax isn’t actually wax. It is similar in consistency and texture to wax, which is why it is called wax, but it isn’t actually wax. Let’s look at what earwax is and what wax is. Earwax is technically called cerumen, which is the Latin word for wax. It is […]
#1238 Is earwax actually wax? Read More »
How do cats land on their feet? Cats land on their feet because they have an inbuilt mechanism called the “righting reflex”, which very quickly tells them which direction they are pointing in and to reorient themselves. Cats are famous for always landing on their feet. We all know that a cat dropped from almost
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Why do we yawn? There is no single clear reason why we yawn because we yawn at many different times for many different reasons. Yawning is an involuntary response, in that it happens without us thinking about it and we cannot stop once we have started, just like sneezing. In a yawn, we gradually open
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Why do we see faces in everything? We see faces in everything because it is far better to think there is a face in the forest and be wrong than to not think there is a face there and be eaten by a tiger. Seeing faces everywhere is called pareidolia. This is Greek. “Para” means
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Why do your ears hurt on a plane? Your ears hurt on a plane because the pressure in the cabin is different to the pressure in the fluid in your inner ear, which causes pain. If you have ever ridden on an airplane, you have probably felt your ears go funny. You have probably also
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Why does copper kill bacteria? Copper can kill bacteria by pulling electrons away from the bacteria’s cell wall, breaking it. There are several materials and chemicals that are good at killing bacteria. Of all the metals, only copper, silver, and zinc can kill bacteria. Some plastics have been engineered to kill bacteria and there are
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Why do moths fly into candles? Moths fly into candles because they are trying to keep their back to the light so that they don’t fly upside down and they fly into the candle by accident. There are several theories and the most prevalent theory is that they mistake the light for the light of
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Why are all animals becoming crabs? Well, all animals are not becoming crabs, but crabs have evolved separately five times, so there must be something about the crab form that is very advantageous. We don’t see that many of them, but there are more than 7,000 species of crab. They vary hugely in habitat and
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Why can some people tolerate spicy food better than other people? The people who are more able to tolerate spicy food either have fewer taste receptors because of genetics or have desensitized the taste receptors that they do have. We find food that has capsaicin in it spicy. These are foods such as chili peppers
#1212 Why can some people tolerate spicy food better than other people? Read More »
Do fish sleep? All fish sleep, but they have different ways of doing it. Almost all complex organisms, with a few exceptions, need to sleep, although they all have different sleep requirements and methods. Ants microsleep for a few minutes at a time, many times a day, while dolphins put one side of their brain
#1210 Do fish sleep? Read More »
