Does any other Animal ‘Speak’ or Communicate like Humans?
Chimpanzees share about 99% of our DNA, making them our closest living relatives, so the questions might be better re-phrased as “Can chimps speak?”
Scratchy Problems – What is Itching all about ?
Insects, scabs, rashes, and even dust can all create the insatiable desire to scratch! Even conditions such as depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder can create this same sensation. Scratching your own body is rather an odd thing to do, so why exactly do we itch?
Out of Africa : Did an Exploding Star Alter Human Evolution
A team of German scientists examining material from the seabed beneath the Pacific Ocean believe that they may have uncovered explosive evidence of an event that altered the evolution of humankind.
What Other Animals, Beside Man, Use Tools?
We’ve known for some time now that primates, such as Chimps, are able to use primitive tools. However there are other animals that use tools, one of which may completely surprise you…
Synesthesia – Can you Really “Hear” a Flash of Light
It was Aristotle who defined the five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. But in the last several decades, the definitions of these senses have begun to tangle. Some studies even suggest that 1 in 5 people can ‘hear’ a flash of light.
Why Do We Get Pins & Needles?
Whether you are sitting still for hours, perhaps with your legs crossed, or wake up sleeping on your arm the “wrong way,” you have no doubt experienced pins and needles – sometimes referred to as your leg “falling asleep”. Though this pain soon alleviates itself – what is happening in your body to cause such an irritating sensation?
Bio Sonar Bacteria and Tackling Antibiotic-Resistant Bugs
Bats are well known for employing sonar to find their way as they fly in the depths of darkened caves. What you may not know is that this highly evolved location finding mechanism, also called Echolocation or sometimes ‘bio sonar’, is actually used by several kinds of animals
How Do Ants Tell Friend from Foe?
Ants can form colonies that range in size from a few dozen predatory individuals living in small natural cavities to highly organised colonies that may occupy large territories and consist of millions of individuals. They clearly work together in a highly organised way – but how do they communicate – how would they tell freind from foe?
Extra Senses – Beyond the ‘traditional five’
There’s one popular misteaching that seems to pervade : it’s our understanding of ‘the senses’ – and that is that there are only 5 of them. However if you really think about this subject a bit, its pretty obvious and quickly apparent that we have many more ways to sense the world
Do Fish Get Thirsty?
You’d think that being surrounded by the stuff that slakes your thirst that you would never get thirsty – but is that the case – Do Fish get thirsty?<
Is the 5 Second Rule for Dropping Food on the Floor Legitimate ?
The five-second rule holds that it’s okay to eat an item you dropped on the ground, as long as it was there for fewer than five seconds. But is it actually okay?
Ancient Bacteria Brought Back to Life
No this isn’t one of those crazy headlines beloved of certain ‘newspapers’, (think Sunday Sport : “WWII Bomber found on the moon”, then months later, “WII Bomber vanishes from Moon”), this is in fact a curious, if not slightly frightening, reality.
Why Do We Forget?
Forgetfulness is irritating and can be damaging and distressing, but it may also be necessary for basic survival – so why do we forget ?
Does Being Cold Make You Sick ?
“Winter is coming,” and we all remember our parents telling us to “put a jacket on to go outside or you’ll catch a cold!” But is this true? Does being cold make you sick ?
Why Does Time Seem to Go Faster as We Get Older ?
As you get older does it sometimes feel that time is passing much more quickly than when you were younger? Why does our perception of time change so drastically with age? And is there anything we can do about it?
