I learned this today. Different things have different tastes because the taste buds in our mouths can react to different chemicals in different ways. There are basically five tastes. Those are sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. Umami is another word for “savory” and the fact that we can taste for it was discovered […]
#206 Why do things taste different? Read More »
I learned this today. The first postage stamp was issued by the post office in Britain on May 1st, 1840. Like most inventions, the postage stamp was invented to solve a problem. That problem was that post in Britain was paid for by the recipient and not the sender. Before the invention of the stamp,
#205 When was the first stamp? Read More »
I learned this today. A nuclear electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic radiation produced by a nuclear explosion. The electric and magnetic fields it produces can damage electronics. A nuclear explosion produces an EMP in three different phases. These are known as E1, 2 and 3. They are each produced in a slightly different
#204 What causes a nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP)? Read More »
I learned this today. A pacemaker works by using electrical stimulation to make the heart muscles contract and the heart pump blood. A pacemaker is used to alter the rhythm of a heart. It is usually implanted to help with a slow or an irregular heartbeat. There are many reasons why a heartbeat could become
#203 How does a pacemaker work? Read More »
I learned this today. Sumerian cuneiform was the world’s first proper writing system. It started in about 3300 BC. The name “cuneiform” comes from the Latin cuneus, which means wedge-shaped. Cuneiform writing has a very distinctive wedge shape. There are three things that are necessary for something to be considered a writing system. Firstly, the
#202 What was Sumerian Cuneiform script? Read More »
I learned this today. Fish that live in saltwater have evolved to draw in large amounts of water through osmosis to replace the water that they lose because of the salt. We cannot do this. Salt draws water out of cells by the process of osmosis. Osmosis is the process by which a liquid moves
#201 Why can fish drink saltwater but we can’t? Read More »
I learned this today. Plants are green because they absorb light in the wavelengths that are red and blue, while reflecting light in the wavelength that is green. Plants create energy through the process of photosynthesis. They convert light energy into chemical energy. Living organisms that convert light into energy are called autotrophs (photoautotrophs to
#200 Why are plants green? Read More »
I learned this today. The 1815 Mt. Tambora eruption lowered global temperatures and caused the Year Without a Summer. Mt. Tambora is a volcano on the island of Sumbawa, which is in Indonesia these days. At the time of the eruption, the islands were controlled by the Dutch. The eruption reshaped the island and decimated
#199 What effect did the 1815 Mt. Tambora eruption have? Read More »
I learned this today. The sun flips its magnetic field and its north south poles once every 11 years because its inner dynamo reorganizes itself. How does the sun get its magnetic field? The sun is made of hydrogen and helium gas. Inside the sun, the immense pressure turns that gas into a plasma. Plasma
#198 Why do the sun’s poles flip every 11 years? Read More »
I learned this today. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is a high-pressure region in the atmosphere that causes the largest anticyclonic storm in the Solar System. An anticyclonic storm is a weather system with very high pressure in the center. The air around the high-pressure center circulates clockwise in the northern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the
#197 What is Jupiter’s Great Red Spot? Read More »
