A Moment of Science
You probably already know that humans are warm-blooded, while creatures like snakes are cold-blooded. Scientists prefer the terms endothermic and ectothermic. Snakes are ectothermic–they’re dependent on their environment for heat.
The chemicals that cause this reaction are stored in our nerve endings, and when we die, they’re gradually released.
Recent research has shown that caffeine can actually boost a runner’s endurance and thereby improve his time by 10 to 15%. These days research is showing that in moderation caffeine really isn’t so bad for the body.
Water weight doesn’t mean that you’ve been drinking too much–it means that you haven’t been drinking enough and that your body has detected a water shortage and is retaining water.
“Stone” is actually a misleading word, since we might tend to think of a round, smooth pebble. Although some kidney stones are round and smooth, others are jagged, shaped like tiny starfish.
Today’s Moment of Science unravels the parts of metabolism. But first, what is metabolism really? Statements like “he can eat a lot because he has a fast metabolism” are somewhat misleading. Metabolism isn’t about the digestion of food in your stomach; it’s the name given to all of the chemical changes that occur in an [...]
Can you bend your thumb backwards until it touches your wrist? If you join your hands behind your back, can you lift them over your head without letting go? If you can, you might be what some people call “double-jointed.” But, A Moment of Science wonders, how could anyone have double joints?
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