What is a cavity? It is a hole in the enamel of the tooth that bacteria can get in through. We have 32 teeth, assuming you haven’t had your wisdom teeth out, and they are divided into three different types of teeth. We have incisors, canines, and molars. Incisors are the cutting teeth. The name […]
#1039 What is a cavity? Read More »
Why did we lose all our fur? There are several hypotheses, but probably so that we could cool down more easily. However, nobody knows the actual reason why we lost our fur and there is no way of knowing when we lost it, as well. We are the only hairless ape, but we are obviously
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Why do flies buzz and cicadas and crickets chirp? Flies buzz because of how fast their wings have to move, cicadas chirp by flexing their tymbal, and crickets rub their wings together. Flies aren’t the only insects that buzz. The majority of insects produce some kind of buzzing sound when they fly. Some insects produce
#1037 Why do flies buzz and cicadas and crickets chirp? Read More »
How can hippos sleep underwater? They have a reflex that makes them bob up and down in the water while they are asleep so that they can breathe. Hippos are the third largest land animals. They are only beaten by white rhinos and elephants. Hippos grow up to 5 m long, including their tails, and
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Why do shoes smell? Shoes smell because bacteria break down the sweat and dead skin cells from our feet, producing waste products that smell bad. Bacteria live all over our skin, not just on our feet. These bacteria are called the skin microbiota. You may have heard of the gut microbiota, which is the name
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How can sunflowers clean up radiation? They take the radioactive isotopes out of the soil and combine them into their stems and flowers. There is radiation all around us, all of the time. Radiation is simply energy that moves from one place to another. The light energy that bounces of a rose and hits our
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Why is a duck-billed platypus so odd? It has a beak, no teeth, lays eggs, sweats milk, has 10 sex chromosomes, has webbed feet, has fur that glows, they have no stomachs, and has venomous spurs. The duck-billed platypus is native to Australia. Its name comes from Greek and means “flat foot”. It is so
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How is a mongoose immune to snake venom? They are not immune to all snake venom, just the snakes they live around. Even then, they have resistance rather than immunity. There are different types of venom for different types of snakes. The mongoose is particularly resistant to the venom of the cobra, which is a
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Why do we get déjà vu? There is a dysfunction in the part of your brain that processes familiarity and a correction by the part that processes memory. Déjà vu comes from French, and it means “already seen”. It is the feeling that you have already seen or experienced something you are seeing or experiencing
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How do our hearts and lungs work automatically? We have an autonomic nervous system that makes organs like the heart and the lungs function automatically. If you want to pick up a cup of tea, your brain has to go through several steps to accomplish the act. It has to make the decision to pick
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