What is truth serum? It is a drug that prevents people from censoring themselves so they reveal the truth. These drugs are usually barbiturates and there is no real proof that they work. People have searched for a drug that can help them get at the truth for thousands of years. The very first type […]
#770 What is truth serum? Read More »
How do flies perceive time? Flies see the world in slow motion, possibly seeing things four times slower than we do. We have probably all tried to swat a fly sitting on a table. You swing your hand towards it, you impact the table and you’re sure you got it, only to see the fly
#756 How do flies perceive time? Read More »
Why does it rain in a rainforest? Tropical rainforests cause rain when water is released by the trees, but temperate rainforests form where there is a lot of natural rain. There are tropical rainforests and temperature rainforests. Tropical rainforests form in very hot places, just to the north and the south of the equator. Temperate
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Why do giant redwood trees grow so big? It is a combination of things. It could be the amount of soil they have access to, it could be the climate in California, it could be their resilience, and it could be because they live so long. Giant Redwood trees are famous for their size. They
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Does being cold or wet increase your chance of catching a cold? Being wet doesn’t make much of a difference, but being exposed to cold air can increase your chances of catching a cold. And, if you are cold for a long period of time, it can lower your immunity. The common cold is caused
#745 Does being cold or wet increase your chance of catching a cold? Read More »
Why do some plants bloom at night? To avoid predators and because they are pollinated by insects that are nocturnal. All plants that have flowers use them to attract pollinators so that they can spread their DNA as far as possible. There are some plants that self-pollinate, but the risk there is that they have
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How long do viruses and bacteria live for? It depends on the virus and the bacteria. Also, bacteria are alive, but viruses are not alive. In order for something to be considered alive, it has to meet certain characteristics. It has to have specialized parts that are coordinated. It has to metabolize something to make
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What is a sprain? It is when the ligaments around a joint are injured. There are 350 joints in the human body, depending on what you define as a joint. We have joints that actually don’t move. These are called synarthrosis joints and their job is to give structural support. The joints between the pieces
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Why does Australia have so many dangerous animals? It actually doesn’t have as many dangerous animals as people think and there are other countries that have more. However, for a single country it does have a large number of dangerous animals, partly because of its location, its size, and because of evolution. Let’s try and
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How does an octopus’s suction cup work? It reduces the pressure inside the sucker to create an extremely strong seal. Incidentally, I’m going with octopuses as the plural of octopus. Octopi is equally valid, but octopuses is apparently the more common term amongst the scientific community. Octopus comes from a Latin word and when Latin
#719 How does an octopus’s suction cup work? Read More »
