Who was Typhoid Mary? She was a chef in the late 19th and early 20th centuries who was a carrier of typhoid and responsible for the deaths of several people. Someone who spreads diseases is often referred to as a “Typhoid Mary”, but many people probably don’t realize that Typhoid Mary was actually a real […]
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What causes a peanut allergy? A peanut allergy happens because the immune system attacks the proteins that are present in the peanuts. Peanut allergies are surprisingly common. It is estimated that roughly 2% of people have a peanut allergy. The reaction can range from mild to life-threatening, depending on the person. Many people in the
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Why do Monarch butterflies migrate so far? Monarch butterflies migrate for thousands of kilometers because they can’t survive the cold winters. We know that many species of birds navigate when the weather gets too cold. We are familiar with seeing different bird species in the summer and the winter where we live and we know
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How can we 3D print organs? Organs can be 3D printed using an ink made of the patient’s own cells that are laid on a scaffold. One of the problems we have as humans is that our organs sometimes fail. There are many reasons for this, from disease to accidents. Some organs we can live
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Why does a memory palace work? A memory palace works because our brains are better at remembering images and locations than we are at remembering random information. Nobody really invented the memory palace. It is a technique that has been used for as long as there have been people. Before writing, people had no choice
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What happened to the dodo? The dodo went extinct in 1662 because of hunting and the introduction of invasive species. We all know the saying, “as dead as a dodo,” but where does it come from? Well, interestingly, “dead as a dodo” doesn’t appear until 1904 and is probably an adaption of “dead as a
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What is snuff? Snuff is a form of powdered tobacco that you can inhale, giving you a quick nicotine hit. Snuff has been around for a long time. Native people living in the area that is now Brazil used powdered tobacco leaves as snuff. They ground the leaves using a rosewood pestle and mortar, which
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How does the color of a bird’s wings help it fly? Many birds that soar and glide have wings that are darker on the top than on the bottom because radiated heat helps them to fly. Birds usually have wings that are a different color on the top to that on the bottom. The general
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Why do peacocks have such long tails? A peacock’s tail is so long because it confers a large advantage when trying to find a mate. A peacock’s tail (which is also called a train) is a good example of the balance that means evolution sends a species one way or another. Large tails in peacocks
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Why are many mushrooms dangerous? This is a little bit tricky because not all mushrooms are dangerous, but a lot of them contain toxins that can be harmful or fatal. A lot of plants are also toxic, but they can have edible parts. If you get lost in the wild, the general advice is to
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