What makes us itch? Itching is caused by the release of the chemical histamine. There are different types of itch. Almost all animals have an itch and scratch response. Bears scratch themselves on trees and dolphins scratch themselves on rocks, or at the bottom of their tank if they are in captivity. It is an […]
#292 What makes us itch? Read More »
Why do women live longer than men? There are many reasons, but having two copies of the same sex chromosome and testosterone might be the most significant. Obviously, both men and women age. Their bodies undergo similar changes that ultimately result in death. However, across the world, women tend to live on average 8%
#288 Why do women live longer than men? Read More »
How much of your liver can you live without? Surprisingly, you can survive with only 25% of your liver. Where is your liver and what does it do? The liver sits just above your stomach. It weighs about 1.5 kg and is the largest organ in the body if you don’t count the skin.
#285 How much of your liver can you live without? Read More »
I learned this today. Why do horses need horseshoes? They only need horseshoes if they are going to be walking on hard or rough surfaces for a long time. The hoof of a horse consists of several different parts. The part that we can see is called the wall. This is up to two centimeters
#281 Why do horses need horseshoes? Read More »
I learned this today. How does fly spray work? By blocking the insect from using its nerves to move its muscles. There are two kinds of fly spray. There are repellents, which are sprays you apply to your body to stop insects landing on you and biting. Then there are insecticide fly sprays that kill
#280 How does fly spray work? Read More »
I learned this today. How does a virus infect the body? By replicating itself inside the body’s living cells. A virus is not a cell. It is called a virion. A cell has a cell membrane, a nucleus, and cytoplasm. A virion doesn’t have any of that. It is made up of a set of
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I learned this today. Mosquitoes come out at dusk and are active throughout the night because the temperature is lower than during the day, it is easier to find food, and there are fewer predators around. It is not true to say that all mosquitoes come out at night. There are more than 3,000 species
#276 Why do mosquitoes come out at night? Read More »
I learned this today. High energy radiation or long exposure to radiation can damage the DNA in cells and cause radiation sickness. What is radiation? Radiation is energy that radiates from a source and travels through space at the speed of light. It travels as a wave or as particles and has an electric field
#275 How does radiation sickness happen? Read More »
I learned this today. Pandas eat bamboo because it is such an abundant food source that they don’t need to fight over food or search for it. There is some argument over when pandas started eating bamboo. The general consensus is that they began to eat bamboo about 6 million years ago. Evidence for this
#271 Why do pandas eat bamboo? Read More »
I learned this today. Vitamins are organic compounds that our bodies cannot produce on their own but that we need to live. Vitamins are organic molecules that we need in small amounts. They all serve different purposes in our bodies. There are 13 different vitamins. They are A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9,
#268 What are vitamins? Read More »
