How many people are cremated each year and how much energy is consumed in the process? Will these numbers increase on current projections? And are there no better and environmentally friendly methods of disposal?Labels: Environment, human-body, Technology
I spent time in the Scottish hills last winter and on a couple of occasions I had cause to clean my glasses in a stream that originated from melting snow, effectively at 0 °C. The water cooled the glass and its metal frame to such an extent that both lenses fell out. But how could this happen when, if I remember my A-level physics correctly, metal should contract more than optical glass because of a higher coefficient of expansion? Obviously this has never happened when I've been walking around under normal conditions.
Andy Douse, Drumnadrochit, Invernesshire, UK
Labels: domestic-science, Technology, unanswered
A few days ago I noticed that bubbles floating on my dirty washing-up water had somehow arranged themselves into a perfect formation. Each bubble was exactly the same size, and as they stuck together they formed a perfectly regular matrix. I've posted some photographs here: http://zump.net/bubbles/.
My first theory was that a sieve or grater might have filtered the bubbles, but I have been unable to repeat the appearance. Any theories out there?
Alan Bradshaw, Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK
Labels: domestic-science, unanswered
Labels: Animals, unanswered
Why do wet things smell more than dry ones?Labels: domestic-science, human-body
Labels: Technology, unanswered
Labels: Technology, unanswered
In Olympic swimming events, the winner is the first person to touch a pressure-sensitive wall at the end of the pool. How does this pad know that a person has touched it, rather than just registering the pressure of splashing water? If a swimmer just brushed it, would it fail to register their finish?Labels: Technology
I was walking from Cowes on the Isle of Wight to Yarmouth along the coastal path in June. When nearing Yarmouth we saw this strange spike standing upright on a leaf (see photo). The top of the spike has broken off to the right.Labels: plants, unanswered
I am fortunate enough to be able to wiggle my ears. However, I can only wiggle both at once, not one at a time. Why?Labels: human-body, unanswered
Athletics tracks are always run anticlockwise. Does this favour particular runners? Races could surely be run either way, so why never clockwise?Labels: human-body
A little while ago we froze a packet of those pancake-like products that in these parts we call crumpets. At the time, the sealed plastic packet seemed to contain a lot of air, but after four months in our freezer it had contracted tightly against the crumpets, which had also shrunk. After two more months at room temperature, the whole package appeared to have shrunk still further, though with no sign of mould or decay (see photo, left).Labels: domestic-science, Technology
At the risk of flogging a dead, er, penguin. Why don't polar bears' feet freeze?Labels: Animals, unanswered
Why, after I've spent hours attempting to remember somebody's name or something similar, does the answer eventually arrive in the middle of the night when I'm not even trying?Labels: human-body
Why is it when we are tired the blood vessels in our eyes are more visible?Labels: human-body
Why are girls, and particularly young girls, drawn to the colour pink? Is it something society has instilled in them? Or is there something attractive about the colour itself? Shops seem to be full of pink clothes for young girls - are they reacting to demand or just forcing their designs upon children who would not otherwise choose this colour?Labels: human-body
