Monthly Archives: October 2007
- October 31, 2007
- What is a sloth?
Sloths are mammals found in Central and South America.
The sloth is one of the world’s slowest moving creatures. Sloths are known for their unusual appearance. They have blunt snouts, very small ears and tails, and peg-like teeth.
Sloths are also known to sleep a lot. They can spend up to 18 hours a day sleeping. They [...]
- October 31, 2007
- What is a scarlet macaw?
Scarlet macaws are bird found in Central and South America.
The scarlet macaw is a large type of parrot. It grows to about 90 centimeters (35 inches) long. It is named for its bright red feathers.
Scarlet macaws eat seeds, nuts, and fruits. They nest in holes high up in trees. They often travel in pairs or [...]
- October 31, 2007
- What is a resplendent quetzal?
Resplendent quetzals are birds found in Mexico and Central America.
The resplendent quetzal is named for the brilliant colors of the male. Most of his body is vivid green, while his breast is a rich crimson. The male has a long train of tail feathers. These feathers can grow as long as 61 centimeters (24 inches). [...]
- October 31, 2007
- What is a postman butterfly?
Postman butterflies are insects found in South America.
The postman butterfly begins as a caterpillar, which hatches from an egg. The caterpillar looks like bird droppings, which can fool its predators. If an animal does approach, the caterpillar has a second line of defense. It lets off a highly unpleasant smell.
The caterpillar eats passionflower leaves, which [...]
- October 31, 2007
- What is a Madagascan hissing cockroach?
Madagascan hissing cockroaches are insects found in most tropical regions.
The Madagascan hissing cockroach has no wings, but it is a fast climber. It can grow up to 5-7.5 centimeters (2-3 inches) long. To warn its enemies, the cockroach makes a hissing sound by forcing air through holes in its abdomen.
This cockroach has an important role [...]
- October 31, 2007
- What is a jaguar?
Jaguars are mammals found in Central and South America.
The jaguar is one of the most powerful cats in the world. It is large and strong and can weigh up to 136 kilograms (300 pounds).
The jaguar is a very fast runner and an excellent hunter. It hunts mainly at night and eats almost any kind of [...]
- October 31, 2007
- What is a hummingbird?
Hummingbirds are birds found in North and South America.
The hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world. It gets its name from the noise its wings make as they beat up to 70 times a second.
There are many species of hummingbirds. The smallest is only about 5 centimeters (2 inches) long. The biggest is about [...]
- October 31, 2007
- What is a howler monkey?
Howler monkeys are mammals found in Central and South America.
Howler monkeys live high in the treetops of the rain forest. They mostly eat leaves. But sometimes they also eat fruit and maggots. The howler monkey’s long, strong tail enables it to hang on to branches while using its hands and feet to get food.
The howler [...]
- October 31, 2007
- What is a green iguana?
Green iguanas are reptiles found in Central and South America.
This iguana lives in trees, but it is also a good swimmer. It uses its razor-sharp teeth and long claws to defend itself when attacked. It can also use its tail as a whip.
The female green iguana lays eggs in a hole in the ground. Here, [...]
- October 30, 2007
- What is a gorilla?
Gorillas are mammals found in Africa.
The gorilla is the largest living ape in the world. A gorilla, like all apes, has arms that are longer and stronger than its legs. Gorillas use their powerful arms and legs to move quickly along the forest floor.
Gorillas spend most of their time browsing the forest floor, feeding on [...]
- October 30, 2007
- What is a golden lion tamarin?
Golden lion tamarins are mammals found in Brazil.
This brightly colored animal is named for the mane that covers its head and shoulders like the mane of a lion. Using its wiry arms and long, nimble tail, the tamarin swings easily from tree to tree in search of insects, lizards, and birds. Its long, thin fingers [...]
- October 30, 2007
- What is an echidna?
Echidnas are monotremes (mammals that lay eggs) found in Australia and New Guinea.
The echidna is one of only two monotremes in the world. It is also known as the spiny anteater. This is because it is covered with strong spines. If threatened by an enemy, the echidna can curl into a spiny ball. The echidna [...]
- October 30, 2007
- What is an anaconda?
Anacondas are reptiles found in South America.
The world’s largest snake, the anaconda, can grow to about 9 meters (30 feet) long. When it is hungry, this powerful snake wraps its body around its prey and crushes the animal to death. Then it eats the animal whole.
Anacondas like to eat fish, birds, and turtles. But sometimes [...]
- October 30, 2007
- What is a water-holding frog?
Water-holding frogs are reptiles found in Australia.
The water-holding frog has adapted to life in a dry desert. The frog stores water in its bladder and under its skin. It spends most of its life under the ground. It makes a cocoon from skin it has shed to keep the water in.
A slight squeeze of the [...]
- October 30, 2007
- What is a thorny devil?
Thorny devils are reptiles found in Australia.
The thorny devil is a small lizard. It lives in the Australian desert, where it eats ants. Because it feeds in the daylight, the thorny devil could be easy prey for predators. But this lizard has its own protection. Its skin is covered with sharp spines to help keep [...]
- October 30, 2007
- What is a tarantula hawk wasp?
Tarantula hawk wasps are invertebrates found in North and South America.
The tarantula hawk wasp is a large spider-hunting wasp that lives in deserts. It can grow to 8 centimeters (3 inches) long.
When the female wasp is ready to lay eggs, she hunts for a tarantula, which she paralyzes with her sting.
The female wasp then drags [...]
- October 30, 2007
- What is a sandgrouse?
Sandgrouses are birds found in Africa and Asia.
The sandgrouse is a desert bird that is about 27-30 centimeters (10.5-12 inches) long. It spends most of its time on the ground. With its brown or gray spotted feathers, it is well camouflaged.
This bird has adapted to life in very hot, dry deserts. It can cope with [...]
- October 29, 2007
- Are fat women more fertile?
The best way to answer this question is to refer back to one of our favorite childhood fairy tales, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”. Remember when sweet little Goldilocks was looking for a bed to sleep in and she found one that was “too soft”, one that was “too hard”, and, yes, ultimately one that [...]
- October 27, 2007
- Why do we have pubic hair?
This is a great conversation starter, if you’re sitting on a plane or in line at the DMV…. And it’s not only the why, it’s the where. Why there? Why have human beings been left with tufts of hair surrounding our genitals and in our armpits?
This isn’t the place for a debate about evolution versus [...]
- October 25, 2007
- Why are yawns contagious?
Here are several things we can be thankful are not contagious:
drooling
nosebleeds
itching
seizures
fartingThat said, there are several theories for what causes yawns and why they are contagious. It was originally thought that people yawned to get more oxygen, but this appears not to be true.
The most common theory is behavioral. In an article examining contagious yawns, Sr. [...]
- October 24, 2007
- Do cucumbers relieve puffy eyes?
A well-placed cucumber may feel wonderful, but there is no special ingredient in it that reduces swelling under the eyes. Cucumbers are 90 percent water, and it is the cooling effect of the water that constricts the blood vessels around the eyes, therefore decreasing the swelling. The colder the cuke the better.
Some other swollen-eye solutions [...]
- October 23, 2007
- Does the kind of underpants men wear affect their fertility?
Every one has a preference.
President Clinton revealed on MTV that he preferred boxers.
Kramer on Seinfeld said, “I need the secured packaging of jockeys. My boys need a house!”
The question is whether or not there is any science behind making this decision.
It was originally thought that wearing tight underwear could lead to infertility in men as [...]
- October 23, 2007
- Can hot tubs make you infertile?
Heat is damaging to the sperm, and theoretically can affect male fertility to a certain extent. But, there is no clear scientific evidence that implicates hot tubs. There may be a temporary reduction in sperm function after a soak, and prolonged repetitive use could cause problems, but none severe enough to avoid the occasional dip.
Saunas [...]
- October 18, 2007
- What are the causes of breast cancer?
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women. Its incidence has increased in recent years, and now the disease strikes about one in every nine women. Next to lung cancer it is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. The increased incidence of breast cancer is partly due to increased life [...]
- October 17, 2007
- How to help a choking victim?
Choking kills an estimated 8000 to 10,000 people per year in the United States. Many victims have long suffered from some degree of paralysis or other malfunction of the muscles involved in swallowing, often without consciously realizing it. Swallowing is a very complex process in which the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, and vocal cords must be [...]
- October 17, 2007
- Why do animals migrate?
Birds, butterflies, fishes, and sea turtles are among the many animals that travel long distances and then return home to reproduce. Recent DNA tests confirm that loggerhead sea turtle hatch on Florida beaches along the Atlantic, then swim hundreds of miles across the ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Several years later, those that survive to [...]
- October 17, 2007
- How to get rid of hiccups?
If you don’t want to go the antipsychotic route to get rid of hiccups, you could try one of these simpler but unproven cures:
Breathing into a paper bag.
Drinking out of a cup from the side opposite your mouth.
Holding your breath.
Eating a teaspoon of sugar.
Sucking on a wedge of lime or lemon.
Drinking a glass of water [...]
- October 17, 2007
- What are hiccups?
Doctors are known for using complicated words that make them sound either extremely intelligent or really out of touch with what most people can understand. The medical word for hiccups, singultus, is a perfect example of when physicians sound ridiculous.
Hiccups are caused when the diaphragm becomes irritated and pushes air rapidly up in such a [...]
- October 16, 2007
- What is the second law of thermodynamics?
The second law of thermodynamic is the physical law that states that the total amount of entropy in the universe continually increases.
- October 15, 2007
- What are the causes of cardiovascular disease?
Cardiovascular disease is the number-one cause of death in the United States and in most other industrial societies. Most often death results from some complication of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries as a result of lipid and calcium deposition). Although it can affect almost any artery, the disease most often develops in the aorta and [...]
- October 15, 2007
- What are the effects of smoking?
Tobacco smoke is responsible for the premature deaths of nearly half a million individuals every year in the U.S. alone. Cigarette smoke is a “portable” air pollutant. Smokers move about, exhaling tobacco smoke into the air we all must breathe. This environmental tobacco smoke has been linked to death from lung cancer of about 3000 [...]
- October 14, 2007
- Do nails or hair grow after people die?
Human nails and hair do not grow after death. The fact of the matter is that after you die, your body starts to dry out, creating the illusion that your hair and nails are still growing as the rest of you shrivels up.
- October 14, 2007
- Why does hair turn gray?
All the hairs on our head contain pigment cells that contain melanin. Pigment cells in our hair follicles gradually die as we age. The decrease in melanin caused the hair to become a more transparent color like gray, silver, or white.
Premature gray hair is hereditary, but is has also been associated with smoking and vitamin [...]
- October 14, 2007
- Is it smart to put butter on a burn?
No. Save the butter for breakfast.
Butter is the wrong thing to put on a burn. It will trap the heat in the skin and prolong the pain. Use cool water instead.
I do have to say that there are some kitchen supplies that may be useful for the pain of burn, straight from the medical literature [...]
- October 14, 2007
- Does melatonin work for jet lag?
Here is one for all the world travelers. Melatonin may be an effective solution for your problems with jet lag.
A review of ten studies on the use of melatonin concludes that two to five milligrams of melatonin taken at bedtime after arrival at your destination is effective and may be worth repeating for the next [...]
- October 14, 2007
- Should you put a steak on a black eye?
Ice is hardly as dramatic as a carefully placed porterhouse, but is does the same job. There is no magic in the beef, just cold and a little pressure. Keeping your head elevated and avoiding aspirin or ibuprofen, which can affect the ability of your blood to clot, also helps. The best idea is to [...]
