A Moment of Science

Archive for September 2003

September 27, 2003

 

Males Rule in Costa Rican Wasp Species

In most species of social insects, such as wasps, bees, and ants, the females rule. The females are the workers.

September 27, 2003

 

Chain Letter

A Moment of Science gets a chain letter and we discuss the myth behind the whole concept.

September 27, 2003

 

Pap Smears

Sometimes an abnormality can mean that the area is cancerous or will become cancerous.

September 27, 2003

 

Getting Fatter All the Time

For the most part fat is stored in the fat cells that compose fatty tissue. Think of a fat cell as a tiny plastic bag filled with a drop of fat. Interestingly, fat cells do not multiply.

September 27, 2003

 

Air Bags: Much Ado About Nothing

In most air bags, the sensor triggers chemical reactions that produce nitrogen gas from chemical tablets stored in the unit. The gas whooshes into the bag and inflates it in only a few milliseconds.

September 27, 2003

 

Are Humans and Fungi Distant Cousins?

The third kingdom contains all organisms whose cells have a nucleus, including plants, animals, algae, and even fungi. So evolutionarily speaking, humans and fungi are cousins.

September 27, 2003

 

AMOS Smackdown

According to Newton’s third law of motion, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. So when a wrestler hits the table, it exerts as much force on him as he did on the table.

September 27, 2003

 

Hole in the Earth

Also, earth’s core is a metal sphere 800 miles wide, but just pretend we’ve bored through it. What would be the result? For one thing, you could then travel to the other side of the world in under one hour.

September 27, 2003

 

Little People

Although dwarfism can result in some medical problems such as spinal stenosis, where the spinal column is too narrow to accommodate the spinal cord, many little people lead healthy, productive lives. A more common problem involves inaccessibility in public spaces.

September 27, 2003

 

Smoking Role Models

A study done by two researchers at Wake Forest University that looked at over 500 different random music videos found that at least ten percent of the videos on any channel showed people smoking.

September 27, 2003

 

Don’t Forget Your Vitamins

You’re probably wondering how that can be when vitamin pills are synthetic, and boiled spinach is all natural. Well, when it comes to vitamins, synthetic doesn’t mean inferior. Even pills touted as all-natural contain some synthetics–otherwise they’d be the size of golf balls.

September 27, 2003

 

Nervous Breakdowns

Can you really have a nervous breakdown? Find out on this Moment of Science.

September 27, 2003

 

Birds v. Squirrels

What do birds, squirrels, and chili peppers have to do with one another? Find out on this Moment of Science.

September 27, 2003

 

Bang Your Head!

If you slip in the bath and bang your head, you might end up in the hospital; but bighorn sheep regularly bang heads without giving it a second thought. How do they do it?

September 27, 2003

 

Light Pollution

To really behold the stars these days, you have to travel far from cities and towns to escape urban glow. The magnificent sight of the Milky Way, for example, can now only be seen in rural areas. But why do we shine light up into the sky in the first place? We need light shining down on streets and walkways–not up into the sky!

September 27, 2003

 

Infants Get Cues From Adult Eyes

Read on to learn about the possibility that infants are interested in the same things as their parents.

September 27, 2003

 

The Golden Snooze?

The researchers caution, though, that this doesn’t mean you should force yourself to get seven hours exactly. It’s more likely that each person needs a certain amount of sleep–whatever your number may be–and will do best by getting neither more nor less.

September 27, 2003

 

The Male Biological Clock

There’s a common belief that men can sire children until they die, but that women need to be relatively young to conceive healthy children. But the father’s age affects the child’s health too.

September 27, 2003

 

Can the Dead Move?

The chemicals that cause this reaction are stored in our nerve endings, and when we die, they’re gradually released.

September 27, 2003

 

Processing Moral Dilemmas

After all, as children we internalize the emotional reactions of those around us and store them in emotional brain circuits. Then, later, when we encounter a moral problem, these automatic gut feelings guide our decision- making.

September 27, 2003

 

The Straight-up Tower of Pisa?

After doing some modeling, scientists tried using a special drill to extract soil from underneath the north side of the tower.

September 27, 2003

 

What’s a Fever For?

Turn up the heat in the body, and many body processes speed up, including the production of white blood cells and how fast they find infectious bacteria and viruses.

September 27, 2003

 

Ancient Performance Enhancers

Even the ancient Greeks used performance enhancers in the form of leaden and stone hand weights called halteres, which weighed between four and twenty pounds. The proof is plain to see on many ancient Greek urns depicting Olympic athletes clutching these objects as they compete in the long jump.

September 27, 2003

 

A Treadmill for the Mind

These days, lots of people get their exercise at gyms and health clubs, oftentimes by walking or running on treadmills–that is to say, running without going anywhere. If you’ve ever been on a treadmill for some time and then suddenly stepped off it, you’ve probably experienced the weird sensation that you are suddenly moving much faster than you think you should be.

September 27, 2003

 

The Other Side of the Universe

Have you ever wondered what’s on the other side of the universe? Well, there are two ways to think about that question. Either the universe ends, which means it’s finite, or else it’s infinite. According to Einstein, the universe is finite.

September 27, 2003

 

Drink Tea to Ward Off Cancer?

In this Moment of Science, we discuss the possible anticancer benefits of drinking green tea. It’s time once again for the mail bag, where we read your cards and letters and just happen to know the answers. Dear Moment of Science, Can you settle a debate between my friend and me? She says that green [...]

September 27, 2003

 

A girl with a sore throat eats a popsickle

Why Sore Throats Hurt

Ever wonder why sore throats hurt so badly? And why do they occur in the first place?

September 27, 2003

 

Killing Mussel Pests with Radio Waves

We hear a lot about insect pests, but have you ever heard about the zebra mussel and what it can do to power plants? Find out on today's Moment of Science.

September 27, 2003

 

Nuts, Nuts, Good for Your Heart

For many health-conscious folks, nuts are on the list of foods to avoid because they’re high in fat. And eighty to ninety percent of the calories in nuts do come from fat. But not all fats are created equal. The fat in nuts is unsaturated fat, which acts differently in the body than the saturated fat found in meat and dairy products

September 27, 2003

 

A woman blowing out her birthday candles and making a wish before enjoying the cake

A Candle Trick

Impress your friends with a cool candle trick: learn how to blow on a candle flame and make it come toward you rather than lean away or even go out.

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