What are barnacles? Barnacles are small shellfish. They swim freely when they are hatched but latch on to a surface once they are adults. Millions of barnacles may be thus attached to a surface like the hull of a ship, forming a crust. This can...
What is plastic surgery? Plastic surgery is actually cosmetic surgery which is done to improve a person’s appearance or correct a birth deformity. It is also used to treat people with burn injuries and tumours whose skin needs repair. In this surgery, skin is moulded...
What makes Venus’ atmosphere so cloudy? Venus has thick clouds in its atmosphere. The clouds are made of small droplets of sulphuric acid. It is a very strong acid and is formed from the sulphur which has entered the atmosphere as a result of the...
Did children play with toys in ancient times? Toys like clappers, rattles, and miniature animals made of clay, bronze and lead have been dug up by archaeologists amid the ruins of ancient cities. Balls, dolls and tops were discovered among Egyptian ruins. Children of the...
Why do ducks go bottoms up when water? When ducks dive under water it means that they are feeling hungry. It is a common sight to see mallard ducks in this position. They use their bills to locate seeds and other types of food on...
What is an antidote? Antidote is a substance which prevents a poison from acting on the body. Antidotes act in several ways. One is to combine chemically with the poison. Another is to coat the mucus membrane with a protective layer. A third method is...
What did small dinosaurs feed on? There were carnivores as well as herbivores among the small dinosaurs. The former ate small insects, reptiles and worms while the latter ate plants. The tiny Lesothosaurus lived in herds. Other small dinosaurs included Compsognathus, Hypsilophodon, and Oviraptor.
Why do human beings have two nervous systems? Human beings have two nervous systems. The cerebrospinal nervous system is responsible for all our voluntary actions and our responses to external stimuli. It controls thought, sensation and action. The automatic nervous system is responsible for our...
Why do people get sea-sick? Organs in the human body which help maintain equilibrium have certain stiff hairs which are surrounded by fluid called lymph. When we are on a ship, the deck on which we stand keeps moving. This makes the lymph rock to...
Why did Egyptian priests wear a jackal’s head? After a person died, a priest would say the final prayers over the body. On this occasion he wore a mask resembling the jackal god, Anubis, who was the god of the dead. At the tomb, the...
