When you've been to the zoo have you noticed how some of the animals pace around a lot? In this Moment of Science Don and Ya?l discuss one explanation for this behavior. D: Ya?l, I went to the zoo yesterday, and boy, the polar bear just kept pacing i...
Ya?l and Don wonder if old folks still appreciate humor. Y: Every time I see the old crone living next door to me I joke around a little, you know, to be friendly, and she just scowls at me. Maybe when people get old their sense of humor is the first...
Don: Say you're looking at an object on a table in front of you. How long do you think your eyeballs stay in one position? Ya?l: You mean, how long before they move? I'm going to guess... a minute. D: More like less than a second. Y: Yow! D: Though w...
Ya?l: Mmm, Look at these delicious berries, I can't wait to eat them. Don: Ya?l, are you sure they're berries and not parasite-infested ants? Y: Eww, Don! Why would you ask that? D: Scientists working in Panama discovered a parasitic worm that infect...
Don: Yael, every day I grow closer to my goal of mind control. Yael: What do you mean, Don? D: Check out this study from Ohio State University that says nodding your head to signal approval and shaking your head to signal disapproval not only lets ot...
Brittney Exline is too young to vote, drive a car or go to an R-rated movie, but at the age of just 15 she began her Ivy League career when classes started at the University of Pennsylvania earlier this month. Exline said she does not really notice t...
Last time we imagined a tunnel through the center of the earth. If such a thing existed, you could step into one end, fall all the way to the other side, and step out. Gravity would cause you to pick up almost exactly as much speed on the way down as...
Preecha Jiabyu used to take tourists on a rowboat to see the banks of the Mae Klong River aglow with thousands of fireflies. These days, all he sees are the fluorescent lights of hotels, restaurants and highway overpasses. The firefly populations hav...
Did you ever dream of digging a hole so deep it came out the other side of the earth? Let's play that game again, using a little physics. First we have to imagine that our tunnel is lined with super-heat-resistant material so we can pass through laye...
On a previous Moment of Science we discussed one of the problems with turning yourself invisible. Sure, it sounds like fun. But a little physics showed us that the invisible man couldn't see anything either, because in order to see, light has to inte...
Sit on a swing, let someone push you, and away you go. But what happens if the person who pushed you walks away, and you want to swing faster and higher. If you've ever been in the second grade, you know the solution to that. Just start pumping your...
The Group of Eight (G-8) summit last month in Japan was the largest ever, but the G-8 has been unable to function as it should because of its structural problem. For one thing, mainland China, the world's third largest economy after the United States...
Mike: I like the look of that pair over there. What do you think? Amanda: The leather pair? Good choice. Leather shoes allow your feet to breathe, so they won't get all sweaty and smelly. Mike: They even have special insoles to support the arches of...
Ya?l: I've got a good trivia question for you, Don. Don: OK, Ya?l. Y: What animal's beak is one of the hardest known organic substances? D: Umm . . . I don't know. The bald eagle? Y: Nope. It's the giant squid. A squid beak can reportedly snap throug...
Amanda: Check out this new folding bicycle that my boyfriend bought for me! We've decided to keep fit together by riding around town whenever we get the chance. Mike: Oh, that's nice, but it kinda looks dorky with those small wheels. And what's even...
