1

General Science / How many atoms are there in the Universe?

« on: 01/02/2016 23:53:55 »

How many atoms are there in the Universe? And how is such a calculation considered?

2

General Science / How does a helicopter fly forwards, left or right?

« on: 04/01/2007 04:28:50 »

How does a "chopper" fly along? Why doesn't it just spin around on its axis, and how does it turn left and right?

3

Physiology & Medicine / Why do my ears pop on an aeroplane or when a train enters a tunnel?

« on: 04/01/2007 04:27:39 »

When a train on which I was travelling recently (yes, it was moving, and on time, and I could afford a ticket (that's what's called a miracle!)) entered a tunnel my ears "popped" like they do on aeroplanes. Why does this happen?

4

General Science / Should you keep your legs together in a thunderstorm?

« on: 04/01/2007 04:25:49 »

Someone once told me that you should always keep your feet together when outdoors in a thunderstorm. Were they pulling my leg, so to speak, or is there a scientific grain of truth to this?

5

Physiology & Medicine / What is deja-vu?

« on: 04/01/2007 04:22:33 »

I might have asked this already (boom boom), but what's deja-vu, and what causes it?

6

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / How far above the Earth do man-made satellites orbit ?

« on: 01/01/2007 12:35:09 »

I know that there are various "types" of satellite such as geostationary (geosynchronous), spy satellites, communications satellites, weather satellites etc. But how far out in space are they? Are some orbiting closer than others, and do their orbits eventually decay such that they will all fall back to Earth, or will they eventually wander off into space?

P

7

The Environment / Does rain start off as snow or hail and then melt on the way down?

« on: 30/12/2006 17:02:19 »

What is the temperature inside the average cloud? Are the water droplets that form clouds actually frozen or ice crystals? When it "rains", does the rain start off as snow or hail, and then turn into rain on the way down, if the air temperature is high enough?

8

Physiology & Medicine / Do our ears and noses continue to grow throughout life?

« on: 24/12/2006 10:35:34 »

I've seen a lot of older people, especially men, with very large ears and noses. It seems unlikely that they were born with such impressive appendages, suggesting that noses and ears continue to grow throughout life.

Is this the case, and given the high prevalence amongst men, is it something to do with testosterone or some other male hormone?

PT

9

Physiology & Medicine / Is it my imagination, or do I need to pee more when it's cold?

« on: 22/12/2006 10:46:45 »

Is it just me, or do I need to urinate more often when it's cold? If so, why should this be?

P

10

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / How does an atomic clock work?

« on: 11/11/2006 21:59:29 »

Can someone plese explain to me the workings of an atomic clock?

Thanks.

11

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Difference between UVA and UVB

« on: 26/07/2003 17:22:24 »

Can someone please explain the difference between UVA and UVB, not just in the context of sunburn, but in terms of the physical properties of these 2 types of radiation ?

PT

12

Physiology & Medicine / What is thalidomide?

« on: 22/01/2004 16:00:31 »

Can someone please tell me about thalidomide. I overheard someone talking about it the other day, and vaguely remember it causing serious problems in the past, but just wondered if anyone could enlighten me please?

PT

13

That CAN'T be true! / Hair's something interesting !

« on: 25/09/2002 00:39:35 »

Apparently the average bloke grows over 90 miles of beard in a lifetime !

Ciao[}:)]

14

That CAN'T be true! / Tadpoles to blame for Human Hiccups !

« on: 06/02/2003 10:45:37 »

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993355

So why should putting your head in a bucket of water help to cure them then ?

PT

15

Famous Scientists, Doctors and Inventors / Watson and Crick

« on: 26/09/2002 17:53:43 »

Are Watson and Crick still alive, I only ask as it is the 50th anniversary of their discovery of DNA next year.

Be interested if anyone knows ?

16

That CAN'T be true! / How many calories in semen ?

« on: 11/01/2003 16:44:38 »

A weight-conscious friend (no really a real friend who exists !) was asking me the other day how many calories there are in semen ?

Does anyone know ?

PT

17

That CAN'T be true! / It's not just people that are getting fatter !

« on: 05/11/2002 23:05:25 »

Someone said the other day that the Earth is getting fatter around the middle or something and this is affecting the length of our days - is this true ? Sounds a bit dodgy to me !

PT

18

Guest Book / Left handed interview

« on: 25/09/2002 16:04:38 »

When will the interview about left handedness be online ?
(Chris McManus, 21st July 02)