NewScientist The Last Word - Tag 'unanswered' details

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On the trail I wonder whether anyone knows what this pattern is that I found on my north-facing window sills earlier this year? It looks like some kind of footprint and seems to come in two sizes. A few months on, it's still there...Andrew Rolph, Horley, Surrey, UK
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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-06-25 18:36:20

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Categories: Domestic Science, Animals.

Tags: animals, unanswered, domestic science, weather.

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Eggstraordinary

I found this formation at the bottom of a bowl after beating a couple of eggs in it the day before (see Photo, left). The only additives to the eggs had been a pinch of salt and ground black pepper. The bowl base is 90 millimetres in diameter, and each of the yellow "spokes" is up to 1.5 millimetres wide, arching upward by about 1 millimetre in their mid-portions, leaving those darker clear-glass gaps between the spokes.Besides drying and contraction, what specific eggy or other factors may have determined the formation and proportions of this pattern (which remained unchanged for a week until I needed the bowl again)?John Smaje, Manchester, UK

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-06-18 19:41:25

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Categories: Domestic Science.

Tags: human body, unanswered, domestic science.

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Dune bug I found this insect, and others like it, in my friend's home near Stamford, Lincolnshire, in eastern England. It looks as if it is covered in sand but this is clearly a form of camouflage. Interestingly, there were no obvious sand deposits nearby. What is it? And why does it look like this?Ian Richardson, London, UK
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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-06-18 19:40:41

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Categories: Animals.

Tags: human body, animals, unanswered.

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Kitchen calamity

While reducing red wine and olive oil in a flat frying pan on the stove, the mixture exploded with an audible pop, spraying the wine - but not the oil - up to 2 metres away from the pan. Significantly, the wine was not hot enough to scald me. I hadn't stirred the pan for at least a minute, and the wine and oil had separated. What happened?Alan Gammons, Bradford, West Yorkshire, UKSeveral ideas about what went on here. If anyone feels the urge to find out for themselves which scenario is correct, please exercise extreme caution - Ed

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-06-11 19:24:02

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Categories: Domestic Science.

Tags: human body, unanswered, domestic science.

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Stumped!

I recently noticed a white growth had appeared on an old tree stump in my back garden. On closer inspection I found it was made up of what looked like very small eggs (see Photo, top). The next day I saw that the "eggs" had turned into a purple slime (see Photo, bottom). The day after that the slime had dried up and disappeared. No pesticides are used in my garden.Can anyone shed light on what this substance is?Adil Hussain, Birmingham, UK

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-05-28 18:09:02

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Categories: Animals, Plants, Technology, Unanswered.

Tags: animals, unanswered, technology, plants.

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Omelette mushroom Whilst walking through woods in the Wye Valley we came across this fungus growing on some rotten tree bark. What is it, and why did it only grow on this one tree and not on any others which had also fallen down and were in a similar state?Kay Bagon, Hertfordshire, UK
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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-05-28 14:32:01

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Categories: Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: unanswered, domestic science, plants.

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Inflation theory If a balloon were inflated with helium and released into space, what would happen to it?Kathryn Bergin, Rosewater, South Australia
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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-05-21 17:57:39

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Categories: Planet Earth, Technology.

Tags: unanswered, domestic science, technology, planet earth.

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Plant depression

When I was growing up in Luanda, Angola, I remember a peculiar bush. When you touched it, the area where contact was made wilted immediately, with all the leaves on that branch drooping. This lasted for only 2 or 3 minutes, after which the leaves slowly became erect and returned to normal. Does anyone know the name of this bush and why it behaves in this way?Luis M. Luis, Virginia, US

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-05-14 19:00:00

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Categories: Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: unanswered, domestic science, plants.

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Slime time

I travelled to Scotland recently where I took this picture of an organism (see Photo). It was smooth, glossy and transparent like melting ice, and quite hard to the touch. It was not alone; there were four others close by, the biggest of which was about 20 centimetres across. Can any reader tell me what it is?Alexander Markov, London, UKThere are lots of ideas about what this object is, none of which are conclusive. It does seem as though there is an army of different jelly-like objects invading our coasts. Check out "Lump life" from The Last Word of 24 July 2004 - Ed

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Asked by Michael Marshall
on 2008-05-07 19:01:00

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Categories: Animals, Plants, Unanswered.

Tags: animals, unanswered, domestic science, plants.

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Finger clickin' good What makes the noise when you click your fingers?Andy Head, Belper, Derbyshire, UK
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