How are dinosaur fossils dug up? Fossil experts or paleontologists first clear the overlying rocks where the fossil was found. The bones are then photographed, measured and their position recorded. Then they are dug up, covered in paper and plaster and left to dry. The...
Can comets collide with planets? If a comet comes too close to the planet it will be pulled by the planet’s gravity and will collide with it. This was what happened in 1994. The comet called Shoemaker Levy 9 collided with the planet, Jupiter. Whenever...
Where do canaries originate? Canaries originated in the Canary Islands, the Madeiras, and the Azores. But now they are bred and raised in many parts of the world. Canaries can imitate the songs and cries of other birds. The best known canary singers are from...
Does the moon have seas? It was initially thought that the dark areas on the moon’s surface were seas. But they are actually vast dusty plains. Most of them are found on the side of the moon that always faces Earth. Even though we know...
What is yeast? Yeast is a tiny, one-celled plant belonging to the fungi family. It is small, round and colourless. When yeast reproduces it produces certain enzymes which can ferment starch to sugar and sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide. Yeast is used to make...
What do wasps feed on? Wasps, ants and bees belong to the same group of insects. It is the mother wasp which hunts for food. Young wasps are picky eaters. Spiders, flies, beetles etc. are favourites. Most of them need living food. The mother wasp...
Why is our blood red in colour? Red blood corpuscles give blood its red colour. There are about 35 billion of them in our body. Red blood cells live for about four months after which they are broken up usually in the spleen. New red...
Is the porpoise a mammal? Porpoises belong to the dolphin family. Like dolphins and whales, they are also mammals. They belong to the order cetacean. Porpoises give birth to live babies and the babies are fed with the mother’s milk. They also breathe air through...
What is a toucan? A toucan is an odd-looking tropical American bird. Its bill is larger than its head giving it an ungainly appearance. In some, the bill is one third the length of the entire bird. The bill looks like a lobster claw and...
What makes blood clot? If our blood failed to clot after an injury we would die of excessive bleeding. Clotting is a natural mechanism to protect us from this danger. Clotting is made possible by a substance called fibrin. Threads of fibrin hold the blood...
