What is the honeybee waggle dance? Honeybees do a waggle dance to communicate the distance and the direction away from the hive of a patch of flowers. It demonstrates that bees can remember information, communicate that information, and that other bees can understand it. It is a fairly complex type of communication. When you think […]
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What causes a hangover? A hangover is caused by a combination of things, including acetaldehyde poisoning, dehydration, inflammation, irritation of the stomach, low blood sugar, and lack of sleep. As an interesting aside, the word “hangover” only became associated with the morning after drinking too much in 1904. It was used in the Foolish Dictionary,
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What are blisters and calluses? A blister is a pocket of body fluid that has formed between the outer layers of skin in response to damage. A callus is an area of thickened skin that has been formed to protect the skin from damage. The word “blister” came into English from the old French “blestre”,
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Why are your fingers stiff when you are cold? Fingers are stiff when you are cold because the body moves the blood to more important organs, because muscles stiffen in the cold, because the joints become viscous, and because the cold can reduce nerve impulses. When our hands are exposed to the cold for a
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Why do onions have so many layers? Onions have so many layers because each layer is a modified leaf that has grown from the center out. When they are first planted, onions grow from a seed. These seeds are produced by flowers at the top of the onion’s stalk. If you think about an onion
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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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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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How does photosynthesis work? Photosynthesis works by taking water and carbon dioxide, then using energy from the sun to convert them into glucose through the chlorophyll in its chloroplasts. Without photosynthesis, it is safe to say that there wouldn’t be any life on Earth. Photosynthesis is the primary source of energy among living things on
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What is anaphylactic shock? Anaphylactic shock is when the body has an allergic reaction and there is a sudden drop in blood pressure, and the airway constricts. Unless treated, it can be fatal. Anaphylactic shock is at the very far end of an allergic reaction. The body goes out of control, and the results can
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Why do locusts swarm? Locusts swarm because they come into contact with other locusts. This seems like a chicken and an egg problem. Locusts swarm because they come into contact with other locusts, and they come into contact with other locusts because they swarm. A locust swarm can be a terrible sight to behold. There
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