NewScientist The Last Word - Tag 'animals' details

Tag 'animals' details

Be informed on updates to this list by RSS

166 matches found

<< First < Prev ... [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] ... Next > Last >>

Eaves droppings While repairing a gutter on my roof I spotted a small patch of what looked like tiny eggs under the brick eaves (see photo, left). The patch was no larger than 2 centimetres by 1 centimetre. Each egg was the size of a pinhead. What are they, what creature is responsible and are they common in the UK?Steve Roderick, Bishops Itchington, Warwickshire, UK
Editorial status: In magazine. (no votes) There are 11 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2009-01-07 11:21:33

Member status
none

Categories: Animals, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: human body, animals, unanswered, plants, transport.

Report abuse

Twin chicks Upon cracking open my breakfast boiled egg, I found a whole new egg inside. This is not a double-yolked egg, it is a double-egged egg - a completely new egg with a shell and yolk inside another. Can anyone explain it?Liam Spencer, York, UK
(no votes) There are 11 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Asked by damian
on 2008-12-17 15:32:20

Member status
none

Categories: Animals.

Tags: animals.

Report abuse

Worm baiting

While sitting on a bench beside a local green, I noticed a gull performing an excellent version of Riverdance. Then it stopped and scrutinised the grass around its feet. This sequence was repeated for about 15 minutes. I assume the gull was trying to attract worms to the surface with its rhythmic dance. Was it? If so, how does the strategy work?Danny Hunter, Dublin, Ireland(Image: stock.xchng, bjearwicke)

(no votes)

There are 23 answer(s) for this question. View answers | Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-12-10 18:01:00

Member status
none

Categories: Domestic Science, Animals.

Tags: animals, domestic science.

Report abuse

Why would a boiled egg have a white square embossed on the outside?

At breakfast one day, my 4-year-old son was peeling his boiled egg when he noticed something unusual. On the side of the egg was an almost perfect white square with sides about 1 centimetre long. This was enclosed in an oval patch of yellow matter (see photo, left).

Although the yellow patch looked like egg yolk, the egg appeared normal when I cut it in half, and I could not see any connection between the egg yolk in the centre and the yellow patch on the outside.

Does anyone know how this formation was created?

Johan Forsberg, Linköping, Sweden

Editorial status: In magazine.

(no votes)

There are 18 answer(s) for this question. View answers | Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-12-10 18:00:00

Member status
none

Last edited on: 2009-10-07 15:59:53

Categories: Domestic Science, Animals.

Tags: animals, domesticscience, planetearth, egg.

Report abuse

See saw I left my saw hanging up in my damp shed. Much later, I found it was covered in these seemingly random lines of rust (see Photo, left). Why did they form like that?Bill Adsett, Bristol, UK
(no votes) There are 14 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-12-03 18:01:00

Member status
none

Categories: Domestic Science, Weather .

Tags: animals, domestic science, transport, weather.

Report abuse

In the clink My father-in-law used to tape family mealtime conversations. When played back, the background noise - like silverware hitting plates and doors closing - is surprisingly prominent. Why is it that we filter these sounds out as they happen, but seem unable to filter them out when we listen to the recording?Gary Yane, Oldenburg, Indiana, US
(1 vote) average rating:4 There are 30 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-11-26 18:03:00

Member status
none

Categories: Human Body.

Tags: human body, animals, transport.

Report abuse

Fat chance During a recent health check, the scales I was weighed on also gave a read-out of the percentage of my weight that was body fat. The scales had a pair of metal plates which I had to stand on with bare feet while gripping an electrode in each hand. How do they work?Arthur Ambler, London, UK(Image: peter_w, stock.xchng)
(no votes) There are 6 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-11-26 18:01:01

Member status
none

Categories: Human Body, Technology.

Tags: human body, animals, technology.

Report abuse

Cavorting cavities

I have often noticed that my fillings feel a bit strange when I'm bouncing on a trampoline. Several other people I know also report this. Oddly, it doesn't happen on the landing, when I am experiencing greatest deceleration, but on the apex of a bounce, at the point when I am momentarily weightless or just beginning to fall.What causes this? Does anybody know if jumping astronauts notice any filling-based irritation while horsing around in zero gravity?Jasper Fforde, Hay-on-Wye, Powys, UK(Image: firehawk77, stock.xchng)

(no votes)

There are 14 answer(s) for this question. View answers | Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-11-19 18:02:01

Member status
none

Categories: Human Body.

Tags: human body, animals.

Report abuse

Quackers

I was watching a duck and her eight chicks walking in a line across the grass. All of a sudden a couple of other chicks entered the group. The mother duck immediately weeded out the stranger chicks and sent them on their way. To us they looked identical, so just how did the mother duck achieve her feat? Is it just that animals are exquisitely sensitive to visual differences between members of their own species? Or was the mother duck relying on non-visual information as well, and if so, what?Byung O Ho, San Jose, California, US

(no votes)

There are 10 answer(s) for this question. View answers | Submit an answer

Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-11-19 18:01:01

Member status
none

Categories: Animals.

Tags: human body, animals.

Report abuse

Something eats wasps I spotted this amazing sight (see Photo) in Croatia in July 2007. In light of New Scientist's book Does Anything Eat Wasps, I'd like to know what's going on here. Which insect is eating which, and is it common?Richard Garner, UKThere is wide consensus on the family to which the predator belongs, but still some dispute over its exact identity and that of its prey - Ed
(no votes) There are 26 answer(s) for this question. View answers \| Submit an answer