One Giant Leap for Mankind : The Evolution of our ability to Speak
If there’s one thing that has helped propel out species forward it must surely be the ability to speak. This relative revolution in evolutionary terms has allowed us to collaborate, co-ordinate, innovate, share ideas and express abstract concepts. But how did this come about ?
Why Do Humans Have Finger & Toenails?
A fingernail is produced by living skin cells in the finger. Fingernails and toenails are almost exclusively a feature of humans and primates. But why do we have them at all ?
How Did Different Human Skin Colours Come About ?
Skin colour is the result from the presence of a pigment called melanin, located in the epidermis, or outer skin layer, and produced by cells called melanocytes. But why would there be such a variety in Human Skin Colour ?
Why Are Men So Hairy ?
Hairy heads, hairy legs, and hairy armpits-the human body is covered in the stuff! Although many of us attempt to get rid of it, it is still obvious that men have more body hair than women. So what is the point of body hair, and why are men so hairy?
How do Ants Communicate ?
When ants discover a food source its not long after that their fellow colony members descend on that location to make the most of any tasty morsel that’s been discovered. Clearly there’s some form of communication going on between colony members – but how ?
How Do we See Colour?
The human eye and brain work together to perceive colour. Light is sensed on the retina at the back of the eye. The centre of the retina contains about 6-7 million cells called cones. Different ones are sensitive to red, green, and blue light.
When Left Can be Right and Right Can be Wrong – Left & Right Handed Molecules
Our Universe is a remarkable place and not a little odd in some of the ways it works. For instance have you ever heard of left and right handed molecules ? Or been told that, chemically speaking, an orange is a ‘left-handed’ lemon!
Why Do We Cry?
Why Do We Cry? In a Nutshell : Crying is beneficial to health and mental well-being. A good cry is great for body and mind.
We also look in this article at the very complex plumbing system and tear film layers that work hard to protect your eyes.
What are People Made of?
There are several ways we could measure what we are made of. We could classify ourselves as amounts of fat, bones, and muscle. Or maybe we could express ourselves by percentage of water (about 50-60% if you really want to know).
Why do we get goose bumps when we are cold?
Goose bumps are small bumps on a person’s skin at the base of body hairs. Tiny muscles at the base of each hair contract and pull the hair erect. The most common type of goose bumps is a response to cold.
Why does our hair go grey or white when we get old?
Some people get grey (or white) hairs in their twenties, and others still have dark hair well into their seventies and eighties. The process of greying can occur gradually over many years as individual hair follicles stop producing colour, or it can happen within a matter of months or a few years. How long depends a lot on genetics.
What Makes us Right-Handed or Left-Handed?
In a Nutshell – Researchers say it is in the genes.
It’s the same reason some people are brown-eyed and some are blue-eyed. The Human Genome Project tends to support the theory that a single gene is responsible for handedness
Can People’s Past Injuries Predict When a Storm is Coming?
There are many people who often claim to have an arthritic joint with the power to tell the future, at least meteorologically. The idea that certain painful health conditions are affected by the weather is an ancient claim, dating back to at least Hippocrates in the 4th century B.C and no even doubt earlier. But can this phenomenon be explained?
When an animal looks in a mirror, does it realise that it is looking at itself?
When an animal looks in a mirror, does it realise that it is looking at itself? – this is really a question of self-awareness. So if any animals, apart from ourselves, do actually know this we then have to ask – Which, if any, animals successfully make this connection?
