NewScientist The Last Word - Tag 'animals' details

Tag 'animals' details

Be informed on updates to this list by RSS

166 matches found

<< First < Prev ... [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] Next > Last >>

Rose-tinted vision If I look out of my left eye, everything is tinted slightly green. From my right eye, everything is tinted slightly red. When I look out of both eyes at the same time, the image produced is uniform and untinted. Why is this?Philip Oddie, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, UK
(no votes) There are 21 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-03-05 17:53:43

Member status
none

Categories: Human Body, Animals.

Tags: human body, animals.

Report abuse

Ice circles

In February, the tarmac roof of my office building in Hilversum was covered in hoar-frost. When I went for a walk up there, I noticed some circle-shaped patches. An outer annulus had a darker colour than the surrounding hoar-frost, an inner disk was ice-free, and in the middle of the larger patches sat a millimetre-sized ice grain, resembling a small hail stone.There were some hundred of these patches, some merged, or with multiple ice-free inner disks. The day had started out freezing, but when I noticed the pattern, it was around 10 Â° Celsius. All day, the sky had been sunny, but the tarmac was in the shadow of a building.What caused these patches?Bruno van Wayenburg, Leiden, Netherlands

(no votes)

There are 1 answer(s) for this question. View answers | Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-02-26 11:53:11

Member status
none

Categories: Planet Earth, Weather .

Tags: animals, unanswered, weather, planet earth, environment.

Report abuse

Jumbochoo Do elephants sneeze?Robin Rhind, London, UK
(no votes) There are 10 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-02-20 17:51:40

Member status
none

Categories: Animals.

Tags: human body, animals, unanswered.

Report abuse

Family tree What, if any, are the visible inherited traits of trees? People often say a child has its motherâ€™s or fatherâ€™s eyes. Does a similar thing apply to trees? For example, is the pattern of branches related to the position and orientation of its parentsâ€™ branches? If not, what governs where branches grow?Graham Cook, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, UK
(no votes) There are 7 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-02-13 17:54:52

Member status
none

Categories: Animals, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: animals, unanswered, plants.

Report abuse

Flights of Fancy Why did I find the peak of Mount Etna covered in ladybirds but devoid of other visible flora or fauna (see Photo)?Jennifer NorthThere are three plausible answers to this one. Take your pick - Ed
(no votes) There are 9 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Asked by Emily
on 2008-02-01 18:47:35

Member status
none

Categories: Human Body, Animals, Unanswered.

Tags: human body, animals, unanswered.

Report abuse

Why don't penguins' feet freeze?

Why do Antarctic penguins' feet not freeze in winter when they are in constant contact with the ice and snow? Years ago I heard on the radio that scientists had discovered that penguins had colateral circulation in their feet that prevented them from freezing but I have seen no further information or explanation of this. Despite asking scientists studying penguins about this, none could give an answer.Susan Pate, Enoggera, Queensland

(no votes)

There are 2 answer(s) for this question. View answers | Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-02-01 13:23:19

Member status
none

Categories: Animals.

Tags: animals.

Report abuse

Sand islands When walking along a beach in Mallorca in late April, I noticed some unusual patterns being cast on the seabed by small floating patches of sand (see photo, left). What causes the patterns to form and why do their shadows on the seabed have bright fringes around the edges and around the gaps in the middle?Tim Pickles, Brough, East Yorkshire, UK
(no votes) There are 4 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-01-30 17:52:13

Member status
none

Categories: Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: animals, unanswered, plants.

Report abuse

Strange fruit Can anyone identify this seedpod (see Photo)? It comes from a small tree that grows at low altitude on the Caribbean slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental in north-eastern Puebla, Mexico. The seeds are black and solid, and seem not to have much sticky or fibrous material surrounding them.David Beck, Alberta, Canada
(no votes) There are 0 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-01-25 16:19:50

Member status
none

Categories: Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: animals, unanswered, plants, environment.

Report abuse

No swimming

Everyone I know was told as a small child not to swim within an hour of eating. Why is this?Louis Counter, Croydon, Surrey, UKSeveral people suggested that this is a groundless old wives' tale, although our understanding of physiology suggests otherwise. A few pointed to carbohydrate loading, performed by marathon runners before a race, as evidence that the body copes well with eating and exertion after only a short interval. The question is, how short should that interval be? See Jon Richfield's answer below - Ed

(no votes)

There are 22 answer(s) for this question. View answers | Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-01-09 17:52:01

Member status
none

Categories: Human Body.

Tags: human body, animals.

Report abuse

Lounging lizard While on the volcanic island of Fogo in Cape Verde recently, I noticed a small lizard that often placed all four feet on its back (see Photo). Why would it do this? It was midday, about 20 Â°C and in strong sunlight.Gerben de Jager, Rijswijk, Netherlands
(no votes) There are 22 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer