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Janice will answer you here!

Can you explain to me how a animal adapts to the

enviroment? Anthony

Anthony,

Following are characteristics of animals that help them to better survive in one environment better than in another:

1. Camels have very large feet that helps them to walk on sand without sinking in.

2. Polar bears have small ears that makes their head more streamline for swimming through water.

I am not an evolutionist, so I do not think that animals change their bodies to make themselves better adaptive to an environment.

How strong is a Austrailian stag beetles bite? Luan

Luan, a chameleons skin has different layers that contain 'color cells." The blending of the colors of the different color cells is what makes the chameleon have different colors.  See Chameleon Color Changes for information about how chameleons change their skin color.

See

Chameleon Colors   to find out how to model a chameleon's color changes.

If you got hit with a heavy piece of metal and you got knocked out, why

would you be unconscious? Kayla

Kayla, When your head is hit very hard, it can injure your brain, which controls your body activities. If you are moving fast and hit your head, your head may stop moving but your brain continues to move forward. It strikes the front part of your skull and bounces back. If struck with something, your skull moves back and forth hitting against your stationary brain inside. Either way your brain gets beat up on both sides.

Kayla, I've been researching the process of memory. Scientists are still investigating this topic but they do know that the presence of some chemicals are involved. What I find interesting is "muscle memory." For example, if you play the piano, after much practice finding the keys is so easy. The same is true with athletes--gymnasts repeat certain moves and they become easier.

Kayla, I have an experiment that you will like. BRAIN:NERVE RESPONSES

Steve, some trees loose their leaves during part of the year. For most trees this occurs in autumn (fall). These trees are deciduous, which means their leaves fall off. For information about why green leaves turn red and yellow, see Autumn Leaf Color

Biology-Botany

Natural hair colors are black, brown, blond, and red. Two types of pigment give hair its color:

1. eumelanin A dark pigment responsible for dark colors, such as black and brown. A low concentration of eumelanin results in blond hair.

2. phaeomelanin A pigment that colors hair red. All humans have some phaeomelanin.
Hair changes color when the body produces different amount of the color pigments that color the hair. Gray hair is due to a lack of color pigments.

Age or other factors such as illness and medications can cause hair pigments not to be produced, and thus the hair is gray.
Biology-Human Anatomy-Hair Pigment

Luan, I am guessing that you mean the skink's activity after losing part of its tail.  If so, it depends on the type of skink. The tail of some skinks is used to store fat (food supply). So the loss of the tail is a loss of food. While the tail loss allows the skink to get away from its predator, the skink's body now requires energy to regenerate the tail it lost. The skink is less active--some lose social status--lady skinks don't want a boyfriend  with a deformed tail nor to male skinks want a girlfriend with a deformed tail.

The amount of the tail lost is another factor. With some kinks, it takes more than 50% tail loss to affect their physical activities. I have not found in my research the length of time for regeneration. This would depend on species and amount of tail lost. Eight weeks was mentioned for one research but this applied for a specific experiment. 

David,

All sharks have a type of "tongue," but about the only similarity they have to your tongue is that it lays on the floor of a shark's mouth. A shark's "tongue" is called a basihyal. The basihyal in most sharks is small, relatively immovable, and at this time scientists don't find any use for it. However, a few sharks, such as the carpet sharks, cookie-cutter, and bullhead shark, have a large, flattened and movable basihyal that is used to help suck in prey or as with the cookie-cutter pieces of prey.

The part of perfume that gives it a specific smell is called its  “juice.” Juice is a mixture of different oils, each with a specific scent. You smell these scents because they evaporate, which means to change from a liquid to a gas. These scented gas molecules move through the air and you smell them when they enter your nose. The more scent molecules that enters your nose, the stronger is the smell.

Here is what happens when perfume molecules enter your nose:

1. Special cells on the inside surface of your nose capture the molecules.

2. These special “smelling cells” have hairlike bristles covered with a slippery substance called mucus.

3. The perfume molecules dissolve in the mucus.

4. The bristles send a coded message to your brain.

5. Your brain decodes the message and identifies the smell.

How to eat Vegan if you are allergic to soy, which includes tofu and soy milk.

Beans, lentils and whole grains can be you main source of protein so says info from vegan websites. 

Seitanis a type of gluten that is basically tasteless but supplies the protein that is usually supplied by meat. Sietan should be where tofu is found in the grocery.

Rice milk can be used to replace soy milk and it is said to be as nutritious and tasty. I have tasted soy milk and it is good. I like the vanilla flavored soy milk. Seems that rice milk comes as sweetened or unsweetened as well as with vanilla. I am curious if you find it available in Japan. Let me know.

I found a recipe for making almond milk. You soak chopped almonds in water overnight—I suggest you refrigerate the mixture while it is soaking. After about 24 hours of soaking, put the mixture in a blender. You can strain off the almonds to use in your food and voila' you have almond milk. Let me know how it tastes.

SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR PARENTS AND THEY CAN DECIDE ON THE BEST DIET FOR YOU. FOR SPECIFIC ANSWERS ABOUT YOUR DIET AND/OR FOOD SUPPLEMENTS, YOUR PARENTS CAN ASK YOUR DOCTOR.   

Luan, I love your questions. Now about this fun lizard. I saw a program on TV recently about it. Seems they can run about 5 feet per second. I added more information about the lizard including why it can run on water

 HERE. 

A river describes flowing water from a higher to a lower elevation. Moving glaciers carve out valleys, some are U-shaped and other more V-shaped. In the moving and carving the land, rocks can be pushed forward creating a dam across the valley. An example is  Moraine Lake, in Canada. 

Sound is the result of disturbing air. For example, when a drum it hit the material covering the drum is pushed down. The air around the material moves down (spreads out). When the drum material moves upward it squeezes the air molecules together and pushes t hem away from the drum. The drum continues to vibrate (move up and down) for a few seconds. Thus the air molecules vibrate (move back and forth). The vibrating air moves into your ears and causes your ear drum to vibrate--

If you gently tap the drum, the up and down distance the drum moves is small. Thus the back and forth distance the air molecules move is small, and the sound you hear is not very loud. 

If you hit the drum very hard, a much louder sound is heard because of the greater distance the drum's surface moves resulting in a greater distance the air molecules move. The scientific term is that the AMPLITUDE OF THE WAVE INCREASES. A comparison would be the difference in a short ocean wave hitting the shore and a very tall ocean wave hitting the shore. The taller wave has more energy than does the shorter  wave.

The paper poppers open, catch air and quickly move it forward. This leaves empty space (a vacuum) where the air had been. Air surrounding this vacuum QUICKLY moves in to fill the empty space. The result is that a sound wave with an extremely large amplitude. It is like comparing a regular ocean wave with a Tsuanami Wave.

Michael, the science term for how starfish reform is regeneration. This word means to "reform" a missing part.

Starfish have in their bodies SPECIAL CELLS that can develop into any type of cell. This means that if the star fish loses an arm, these special cells start changing into "arm" cells. People have similar cells called BLOOD STEM CELLS  that can develop into any type of blood cell as needed.

The special cells in starfish can change into many different kinds of cells, our stem cells are not as versatile--but who knows--scientists may figure out how to get human stem cells to grow a new arm just like starfish do.

Why do mosquito bites itch?  Taken directly from a website--listed below.

When the mosquito stabs her needle-like mouthparts through the skin of her victim, she injects her saliva -- teeming with digestive enzymes and anticoagulants. The first time a person is bitten, there is no reaction. With subsequent bites, the person becomes sensitized to the foreign proteins, and small, itchy, red bumps appear about 24 hours later. This is the most common reaction in young children. After many more bites, a pale, swollen hive, or wheal, begins to appear within minutes after a bite -- followed by the red bump 24 hours later. This is the most common reaction in older children and adolescents.

With repeated mosquito bites, some people begin to become insensitive again, much as if they had allergy shots. Some older children and adults get no reaction to mosquito bites (unless they go for a long time without being bitten -- then the process can start again). Other people become increasingly allergic with repeated stings. They can develop blistering, bruised, large inflammatory reactions. For these people, avoiding being bitten is a particularly good idea.

No.

Copied directly from this website

http://www.thesite.org/travelandfreetime/travel/beingthere/mosquitoesandmalaria1

• In some regions of the world mosquitoes may carry disease such as West Nile fever, encephalitis, yellow fever and dengue fever.  They can also carry malaria, often with deadly consequences.
• There is no current risk of contracting malaria in the UK. Even so, if you're travelling abroad this summer, you should consider the risks, and take any necessary precautions.

What is malaria?

• A parasite transmitted to humans via a mosquito bite. It replicates in the liver before travelling through the blood and destroying red blood cells.

What do the different colors of the Aurora Borealis mean? Trevor 

Solar winds provide the energy that energizes the electrons around the gas atoms in Earth's atmosphere. When these energized electrons lose this excess energy it is in the form of light energy.

The process is similar to the colors seen when specially treated fire logs burn and give off colors.

Is rocks and magma a solution? David 

David,

My answer is no. The whys follow:

Solution: A homogeneous mixture- a mixture of two or more materials in which the things being dissolved by a solvent are evenly spread throughout the solvent. 

In the solution diagram, the red solute evenly spreads throughout the white solvent. This produced a pink homogeneous mixture --a solution

Rock: A solid heterogeneoud mixture of different materials, such as a mixture of different kinds of minerals.

David,

Look at the picture of Granite to the left. Notice that it is made of different colors. These are the different kinds of minerals that are mixed together.

Rocks are not solutions because they are not homogeneous--the same throughout.

Magma: Molten rock beneath the Earth's surface. 

The hot molten rock continues to melt solid rocks that it touches. The molten rocks mixes together but not uniformly.

There are three basic types of magma:  SiO₂ is sand.

1. Basaltic magma --  SiO₂ 45-55 wt%, high in Fe, Mg, Ca, low in K, Na

When basaltic magma cools beneath the earth's surface, granite rock is formed. Like the picture of granite shown, the crystals of the different minerals and sand making up this rock are

When basaltic magma reaches the Earth's surface --it is then called lava. When this lava cools it forms a rock called Basalt--Basalt has very fine crystals. Some basalt looks like it is  a continuous color--but it isn't. Instead, the different mineral crystals and sand making up the rock are very small.  

2Andesitic magma --  SiO₂ 55-65 wt%, intermediate. in Fe, Mg, Ca, Na, K

3. Rhyolitic magma --  SiO₂ 65-75%, low in Fe, Mg, Ca, high in K, Na

Gases in Magmas--Water vapor and carbon dioxide are common gases.

The magma forming granite is a thick heterogeneous mixture. 

How does a tumor grow?  Trevor

A tumor is an encapsulated growth. This means it is confined to one place and grows. Much like air in a balloon is encapsulated. The more air added to the balloon the larger is the surface of the balloon.

Tumor cells continue to grow and divide out of control and don't die when they're supposed to. Not all tumors are made of cancer cells. If the tumor cells are cancer cells these cancer cells  can destroy the normal cells around the tumor and damage the body's healthy tissues. This can make someone very sick.

does air pressure move on its own?  Alex 

Hi Alex,

Air pressure is a measurement of how hard air pushes on things. Actually, it is the gas molecules that make up air that are hitting things, including you. Gas molecules are in constant motion. The higher the temperature, the faster the gas molecules move. Wind is air that is moving horizontally  in one direction. For example, if you fan your face with a sheet of paper, you are pushing air in front of the paper toward your face. The paper is pushing the air. But the wind you feel outdoors is not being pushed by anything. The air is moving on its own.

Air doesn't think- it doesn't decide where it wants to move. Instead, air moves from one area towards another area because of differences in air pressure. High pressure areas of air move toward low pressure areas of air.

Let me know if you don't understand this.

Hi Connor,

Morning Glories are said to be Sun-trackers. Flowers that follow the Sun are heliotropes. The stems of heliotropes (Sun-trackers) continue to bend toward the Sun during the day. The stems are not twisting. Instead the side of the stem opposite the Sun grows faster. The longer side bends toward the shorter side, which is facing the Sun.

For more information and diagrams to explain this, see

Morning Glories--Sun Trackers

Deante, I think of a scientists as anyone who likes to investigate and find answers. With this definition, I have been a scientists since I was a young child. I was always collecting animals--bugs, turtles, lizards, etc...and watching them. I studies about science in college so that I could be a science teacher. I am still studying about science and writing activities for books as well as my science website. At one time I worked in a hospital lab and tested blood for doctors.

Do you like science? Do you want to be a science teacher--a science writer--or maybe work in a science laboratory?

Can animals see uv rays?Vena

Vena,

People cannot see UV, but

some fish, reptiles, birds, and insects are able to see ultraviolet.

How is mercury poisonous? Tasia

Thank You!!

Carter, Originally the word bacon is thought to come from bakkon, a German word used to refer to the back of a pig.

After a time, and different languages, it referred to the side of a pig (fresh or cured). Now it seems the term bacon refers to any cured part of the pig.

It seems that the part of the pig doesn't make it bacon, instead, it is how the meat is carved and cured.

Joey,

There are two different theories--one is The Big Bang Theory --and Evolution. This theory specifically states that it was all random chance. Supporters of this theory believe that similarities between organisms is proof of evolution.

The Second Theory, and the one that I personally support, is that God designed and engineered the creation of all things, living and non-living.Supporters of this theory view the complexity of living organisms to be proof that they could not have been form accidentally.

how does ice crackle when you pour water on it????

 The ice is colder than the water. The warm water causes the surface of the ice to warm up and expand. Since the entire ice cube is not expanding, the ice cube breaks- cracks. This movement causes sound waves and this is what you are hearing. The glaciers in Alaska crack and the sound is like thunder.

The white spots in ice cubes is trapped air. Ice  deep below the surface of a glacier is really squeezed by the weight of ice above it. The air molecules in glacier ice is also squeezed closer together. While on a ship in Alaska, hunks of glacier ice floating past the ship made hissing sounds, like you hear when dropping an Alkaseltzer tablet into water. The hissing sound for both is due to expanding gas. The floating hunks of glacier ice is colder than the ocean water so the ice is warming and expanding. The surface of this ice is also melting released the compressed air. The expansion of this air sends out sound waves. 

I enjoyed your question.

Janice

This is the type of question that I would like for you to discover for yourself. You don't have to have a tube, instead use two different containers, but the same amount of water. The containers should have different surface areas. Remember that water molecules can only evaporate from the surface layer.

Knowing this, which of the surfaces shown here has the largest surface,  container A or B?

Which container, A or B, would you predict water to evaporate faster from? Why?

Kaino, In our solar system there are 138 moons. Moons are defined as natural bodies orbiting a planet. 

In a 2.5 gallon of water container filled with water, when you poke a hole in the container the water comes out really fast but how does it not do that when there is now hole, and why does the water come out so fast when there is an hole?? Tasia

thank you, you did answer my question

Tasia,

If the container is open, the air pressure pushing down on the surface of the water is equal to the air pressure pushing up on the water through the hole in the container. Thus, air pressure doesn't affect the water flowing out of the container. Only the pressure of the water, due to its height above the hole pushes the water out of the hole. The smaller the hole, the faster the water flows but less water flows through at one time. 

If the container is closed, the air pressure pushing up on the water through the hole stops the flow of water unless the water pressure is greater than the air pressure.

Let me know if I didn't answer your questions.

Nick, Some scientist believe in the Big Bang Theory which describes the moon as part of the hot partially molten Earth that was thrown off during the original formation of Earth. 

I do not support the Big Bang theory. Instead, I believe that God created the universe and everything in it. The Moon is part of this creation.

Nick, Nothing in science is ABSOLUTE. Laws are the very best answers with the instruments used. Some laws of science have been accepted for hundreds of years, but you may be the one that disproves one or more of them. Following is information about a 12-yr old boy.

how high can radiation get? Tasia 

thanks a lot!!

Tasia,

Radiation in the form of steam coming from the damaged Fukushima reactors rises about 2,000 feet into the air. This is not high enough to be carried very long distances and could not reach the west coast of the US.

Nuclear explosions could propel radioactive debris as high as 20,000 feet for a small explosion (1 kiloton yield) or as high as 100,000 feet for large explosions (15 megaton yield).

Nick, Both Carbon and Graphite are made of one substance--carbon. These substances, even though made of carbon (basic element of organisms) have mineral characteristics.  Coal contains a large amount of carbon, but also has other elements. Lignite is a sedimentary rock, made of layers of materials. Lignite is the softest coal. Bituminous coal is also a sedimentary rock with much less water than lignite and much harder than lignite.  Anthracite is a metamorphic rock formed from bituminous coal being under pressure and heat. Think about modeling clay. Spread out one color of clay and then place tiny clay balls of different colors on the the spread clay. Roll up the clay and form it into a ball. Put the clay ball in the freezer to make the clay hard. Then hold the cold, hard clay ball  in your hands. Press on the clay. At first the clay doesn't change, but as the clay warms, it is more pliable--it doesn't melt in your hands, but it does get soft enough to press it into a more rectangular shape. Cut slices out of the clay rectangular to see how the colored balls have changed shape. Note that they are more spread out. This models how metamorphic rock is formed.

Lisa, color as well as being clear (transparent) depends on what happens to visible light that strikes an strikes an object.

Read about reflection and transparency.