Why do planes use halon fire extinguishers? Halon fire extinguishers are used on planes because they don’t conduct electricity, they don’t leave a residue, they put out the fire effectively, and they are not very toxic to people. There are many different types of fire extinguisher, but they all work on generally the same principle. […]
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What caused the Irish potato famine? The direct cause of the Irish potato famine was a potato fungus called Phytophtora infestans, which wiped out several years of potato crops. Other factors were the style of farming, the dependence on potatoes, continuing exports from Ireland, and the UK government’s unwillingness to help. The Irish potato famine
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What is Angkor Wat? Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia. It is where the old capital of Cambodia used to be and it was a tomb. Angkor Wat is constructed of beautifully carved sandstone. There are thousands of images all over the walls, depicting figures from the Hindu and Buddhist religions. The Angkor
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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 does soap produce foam? All foaming soaps contain chemicals that are called foaming agents. As their name implies, their job is to make a foam when you add water and air to the soap. The main chemicals that you find in soap are ammonium lauryl sulfate and sodium dodecyl sulfate. Both of these are
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Are pasta and noodles the same thing? No, they aren’t, although it is a very ambiguous topic. Pasta doesn’t contain enough egg to be classified as a noodle. You might often hear pasta being called “noodles”, although you almost never hear of noodles being called pasta. What is the difference? It is very unclear for
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Why is the Forbidden City forbidden? It isn’t today, but for most of its history, access was forbidden to most Chinese people. The Forbidden City is found pretty much at the heart of the city of Beijing. At least it was. These days, Beijing has sprawled so far that it is difficult to know where
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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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Why is a sandwich called a sandwich? It is named after John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, but he isn’t the person who invented it. There is no way to work out when sandwiches were invented because people presumably ate them once there was bread. A sandwich merely consists of a filling between two
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Why do some fish create their own light? Some fish create their own light to attract prey or, surprisingly, to hide from predators, and many other reasons as well. Being able to create light is called bioluminescence and it is not limited to just fish. The most common organism that creates light on land is
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