When did we start using lifeboats? Ships usually had small boats on board that they could use, but they were not lifeboats. It was only after the sinking of the Titanic that it became the law to carry enough lifeboats for the number of passengers on board. If we are lucky enough to go on […]
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Why does an oxyacetylene torch get so hot? An oxyacetylene torch gets so hot because the particles in acetylene hold an enormous amount of energy that they release when they are exposed to oxygen. Most of us will never have used an oxyacetylene torch. They are used by metal workers to weld or to cut
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Why does the bystander effect happen? The bystander effect happens because in a group of people, everybody assumes that somebody else will be the one to act. There are many examples of the bystander effect. It has been given that name because when something happens, people just stand by and nobody acts. This can happen
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Why do Oxford and Cambridge Universities have so many colleges? Mostly for historical reasons, but it also makes it easier for the students to learn, live, and socialize. Oxford University and Cambridge University have 75 colleges between them. 44 at Oxford and 31 at Cambridge. When someone applies to either university, they have to apply
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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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Where did the Great Fire of London start? The Great Fire of London started in a baker’s shop in a road called Pudding Lane. It burned for five days. The Great Fire of London started on Sunday, 2nd September 1666 and it was finally extinguished on Thursday, 6th September. It destroyed over 13,000 homes, 87
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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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