A Moment of Science
Throw your laundry into the dryer without a dryer sheet, and it comes out a rumpled, static-y mess. Toss one in and the results are much better. How can adding this flimsy sheet change the way all your clothes come out of the dryer? Learn more on this Moment of Science.
On the way home from the grocery, you get delayed so much that the frozen meat you have bought thaws out. Should you refreeze it? Learn more on this Moment of Science.
When a person doesn’t swallow correctly, it’s called a tongue thrust because the tongue, one of the most powerful muscles in the body, thrusts against the teeth when swallowing, over time forcing them out of alignment. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Californians have a number of natural disasters to worry about, like earthquakes, fires, and mudslides, but one they don’t have to be concerned about is hurricanes. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
The deep sea earthquake and resulting Tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands of people in 2004 was a natural disaster of epic proportions. There’s no way it could have been avoided, the tectonic plates that caused the quake had simply reached their breaking point. However, people living in India and Sri Lanka could have been alerted before the tsunami hit their communities. Sadly, there were no adequate warning systems in place. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
In the Academy Award-winning movie “Ray,” the young, recently blinded Ray Charles is shown to have very finely tuned hearing. Standing very still in the middle of a room, he is able to track down the hushed movements of a small bug. It was even reported that Jamie Foxx, the actor who played Ray Charles, when he was artificially blinded began to tune in to sounds he otherwise would not have noticed. Is it true that blind people have better, almost supernatural hearing abilities? Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Do you know what a lamprey is? Learn more on this Moment of Science.
How should I know how long it takes for the sense of smell to develop? Surely, we’re not just born smelling. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
You know how animals are supposed to be able sense disasters before they happen? Well some believe it’s a myth, though there are lots of reports of animals behaving strangely days before the tsunamis hit in Indonesia. Hundreds of thousands of ants were seen scurrying away from the beach. Elephants, dogs, and zoo animals were all reported to have been acting strangely. What can explain it? Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Do you know what a food allergy is? A study has shown that 25% of adults believe they have food allergies. According to doctors, the number of adults who actually have food allergies is more like 1 or 2%. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Pregnancy can be a wonderful experience. There’s the rosy glow, the growing baby’s thrilling first kick. Of course, being pregnant has its down side. There’s morning sickness, after all, and then ultimately the painful process of actually giving birth. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Ever notice how many animals have lighter fur on their bellies than on their backs? Think about it. Cats and dogs often have lighter-colored bellies. Deer, foxes, wolves, coyotes, chipmunks, you get the idea. Why? Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Do you believe Big Foot exists? If Big Foot exists, then why doesn’t anyone have genuine proof? How could a creature so big manage to hide so well that humans can’t get a good glimpse of it, much less study it and classify it? Well, just that does happen frequently in nature.
As you are driving along, some part of your mind is probably constantly estimating how much space you would need to brake if the car in front of you suddenly stopped. All too often, however, drivers don’t realize the difference between stopping time and stopping distance. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
No matter when you go to the beach, the waves are rolling in. The ocean doesn’t seem to take a break. What’s causing that? Learn more on this Moment of Science.
In our high-tech, wireless world, space flight is no longer as big a deal as it once was. Still, a rocket launch is a big deal. Even small-scale rockets are relatively large, complex machines requiring a huge amount of force to propel them beyond the earth’s atmosphere and into space. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
As if being born weren't hard enough, infants are hit with a particularly difficult problem - the need to learn language.
Why do most people like Mom’s cooking? Although family attachments can account for part of our appreciation, the fact that Mom’s (or Dad’s) cooking tastes good to us also has some basis in genetics. Learn more on this Moment of Science.
Have you ever wondered why cannibalism isn’t more popular? Just think about it, each animal is made of a complex variety of chemical ingredients. As an animal, we can either try to assemble these ingredients haphazardly, eating other animals and plants and hoping these assorted meals will add up to exactly what we need. Or we can get all our essential nutrients in one complete package by dining on our next-door neighbor! Learn more on this Moment of Science.
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