How would a cure for cancer work? It would teach the immune system to attack the cancer cells. All of the cells in our bodies reproduce to make more copies of themselves and they are all programmed to last for a certain length of time. Cells have a preprogrammed signal that causes them to die […]
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Why are organ transplants so difficult? Because the organs are usually harvested from people who have died, there is a very short time window to perform the transplant, and the immune system tries to destroy the new organ. There are very few organs that can be taken from a living donor. You can obviously take
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Why are flowers different colors? Because they have evolved to attract different types of animals and insects. Flowers need insects and animals for two reasons: to pollinate them and to spread their seeds. Most plants need to be pollinated so that they can reproduce. Plants have a male part, called the stamen, that produces pollen.
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How do fireflies glow? They combine a chemical called luciferin, an enzyme called luciferases, oxygen, and fuel. Fireflies are not actually flies; they are beetles. They are also not one single type of beetle. They come from a family of beetle called Lampyridae, which contains about 2,000 different types of beetles and nearly all of
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How does a cochlear implant work? It uses a microphone to turn sound into electrical signals that are transmitted directly to the cochlear nerve, bypassing the non-working part of the ear. Ears work by turning sound waves into electrical signals. The outer ear is shaped like a dish so that it directs sound waves into
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What is lichen? Lichen is not an organism. It is a symbiotic relationship between fungus and algae. There is some argument that the relationship is mutually beneficial, but there is another argument that the fungi are farming the algae. There are about 20,000 different species of lichen and they cover approximately 8% of the land
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What makes our hands different to other animals? We have an opposable thumb. We have four fingers and a thumb on each hand. We are not the only animals to have this many fingers, and we are not the only animals to have an opposable thumb, but the reach of our thumb sets us apart.
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How do millipedes control their legs? Millipedes use a direct-wave gait. That means the legs move from the back to the front in a wave pattern, moving the millipede forwards. Millipedes are invertebrates, which is a cold-blooded animal with no backbone. They have an exoskeleton and they are made of multiple segments. They come from
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Why do fingernails keep growing? So that we always have them. If they didn’t keep growing, they would get worn down and be of no use. How do nails grow? Nails are made of keratin, which is the same substance our hair is made of. Keratin is a fibrous protein that is very tough and
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Why is a broken neck fatal? It isn’t always fatal. It depends on the break. Breaking a neck is a very broad term. There are 33 bones in the spine of the average person. 7 of those bones are in the neck. They are called cervical vertebrae and they have three main jobs. The first
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