A lot of people love that fresh-dirt smell. The surprising thing, though, is that it isnt coming from the dirt itself. Microbiologists have traced the pleasant odor to an organic chemical called geosmin. A microbial geneticist named Keith Chater at t...
The area around the fovea is better at detecting motion, shadows, and stark, black and white contrasts. When we look at a persons face, according to Livingstone, we usually focus centrally on the eyes. Gazing at Mona Lisas eyes, our less accurate per...
Once stimulated, these muscles go to work and cause us to forcefully expel air from the mouth and nose. Or, in other words, we sneeze. Because the nose lining tends to swell when we lie down, making it even more sensitive to sneeze-causing particles,...
The signs are unmistakable: the eyes water, the chest heaves, the nose twitches, the body tenses, suspense builds until finally a sneeze blasts forth, concluding the drama. Its a momentarily paralyzing experience that can seize one at almost any time...
John: By listening to On the Town you'll find plenty of ways to enjoy the towns and cities of Britain, but what happens when you are tired out by city life, when you are exhausted from all the sightseeing and days out? Chen Li: I don't know. John: We...
When we remember something, the neurons in our brains communicate with each other in a particular way. The chemical and sometimes even structural changes that occur create a pathway called a memory trace. Signals traveling along these traces are what...
Diarmuid: It's an interesting phrase, pow wow. I wonder where it comes from. It doesn't sound English. Jean: No. It's not originally an English word. Diarmuid: So where does the phrase pow wow come from? Jean: It's a Native American word. Diarmuid: S...
It's really essential to the way we live because the world is quite fast moving now, everyone wants to have information at their fingertips and they can do that with the internet. Yang Li: Thats Nikhil. He said that the internet is essential to the w...
Memorialised in two Hollywood films as well as novels and poems, the mutiny on the Bounty unfolded in 1789 when William Bligh, the captain of a British Royal Navy ship was cast adrift in the South Pacific by his rebellious crew. Accompanied by 18 men...
Research suggests that old folks, if theyre healthy, can still appreciate humor as much as a younger person can. They still smile and laugh when they get the joke. However, there is evidence to suggest that with age we may lose our ability to compreh...
By calculating how old the rocks are where we find these ancient compasses, we can figure out how long ago the magnetized parts were locked in. That tells us which direction was magnetic north tens of thousands of years ago. Surprisingly, its not alw...
A: I just found out I've passed all my exams! B: Result! A: I know. I'm so happy! A: Guess what. That cute guy I like just asked me out for a date. B: Really? Result! When are you going out? A: Friday. We're going to the cinema. Jean: I wonder where...
Diarmuid: Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of Authentic Real English with me, Diarmuid. (Pause) Diarmuid: Actually, I'm very sorry listeners. This is a little bit embarrassing. My copresenter Jean hasn't arrived to record the programme...
No, trust me, the balloon wont pop! It better not. see? Wow!you are right. How come it not poping? As long as the flame is beneath the water in the balloon, the water absorbs most of the heat and the rubber doesnt get very hot. But won't the water ev...
Wanna see a trick? Sure. Here, blow up this balloon. Ok, now what? Now, I light this candle. Now what do you think will happen if I put the flame under the balloon? Itll pop, of course. The flame will heat the rubber to the point where it becomes wea...
