The AnswerBank Articles

How important is water s buoyancy as a limiting factor on sea creature s size

A. Water is a relatively dense environment, able to support the weight of the world's largest living animals, blue whales. And so, theoretically, there should be no gravitational limit on the size00:00 Mon 10th Dec 2001

Why do some animals have round pupils while others, like cats, have elliptical pupils

A. It's possible that, as humans, we'll never completely understand the complexity of other animals' vision. However, it seems that - as elliptically shaped pupils belong mainly to nocturnal hunters00:00 Mon 10th Dec 2001

I m thinking of buying a goldfish as a pet, do they live a long time

A. Goldfish (Carassius auratus) are the most popular aquarium fish. They have an average lifespan of between 5 and 10 years, but the oldest known goldfish made it to 41 years old so be prepared for00:00 Mon 10th Dec 2001

It must be a year since the Galapagos Islands were threatened by an oil spill, have there been any long-term affects

A. It was on January 16th of this year that the oil tanker Jessica ran aground off the eastern island of San Cristobal, leaking 1,000 000 litres of oil into the waters off the islands. Q. What00:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001

Do you have any tips to help me stop my cat killing so many birds and wild animals

A. This problem certainly isn't a minor one. The average pet cat can kill around 40 wild animals a year and given that there are around 9 million of them in the UK, this means that we're loosing 30000:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001

Where did earth s water come from

A. Well there have been a few theories about the origin of earth's water. The most recent theory is that colliding comets that would have broken up on impact with the earth's surface dumped it. To00:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001

Do fish get electrocuted when lightning hits a lake

A. Whenever an electric storm is brewing fishermen and anyone else on the water is advised to get out quickly. And for very good reasons: water is a good conductor of electricity and if a bolt of00:00 Mon 26th Nov 2001

How long is a comet s tail

A. It’s the tail that makes a comet such an impressive sight. The tail, a trail of dust particles driven from the comet by escaping gases, can extend as far as 10,000,000 kilometres long. Q. 00:00 Mon 26th Nov 2001

Why does my cat go crazy with catnip toys

A. Because of what's inside them. Catnip is the common name of a plant called Nepeta cataria. Catnip is a member of the mint family and is related to the marijuana plant. Q. What's so special00:00 Mon 26th Nov 2001

When people fall asleep on the tube they start lolling around, how do birds manage to stay on their perches while sleeping

A. Birds leg muscles are arranged so that when sleeping their claws grip onto the perch. The flexor tendon, in the bird's thigh muscles, extends down through the leg, around the ankle, right through00:00 Mon 19th Nov 2001

What is the world s biggest insect

A. It's the appropriately named Goliath beetle, Goliath goliath. Although there are some insects that are longer than the goliath beetle, its weight wins it the title. Q. How much does it weigh 00:00 Mon 19th Nov 2001

Do camel s humps hold the water that helps them survive in the desert

A. No the camels hump is actually full of fat. In most animals the body's fat is mixed in with their muscle or forms a layer just beneath the skin. But the camel's body fat is stored separately in00:00 Mon 19th Nov 2001

Why are planets round

A. Because their mass is constantly being pulled to the centre by their gravitational field. A planets gravitational field behaves as if it were at the planets core. Over time the planets, which00:00 Mon 12th Nov 2001

Now that winter is on our doorstep is there anything worth looking out for in the countryside

A. Winter may be considered a 'dead' season for nature lovers, but with red-breasted robins and even red-tailed spotted woodpeckers more likely to visit our gardens, there are lots of fascinating00:00 Mon 12th Nov 2001

Do all planets spin in the same direction

A. Yes, apart from one: Venus spins on its axis in a clockwise direction, the opposite direction to all of our solar system's planets Q. So the Sun rises in the west rather than the east on00:00 Mon 12th Nov 2001

What makes nettles sting

A. Stinging nettles, Urtica dioica, contain an acid, which causes the sting we feel when touching them. Specifically the sting is delivered by the stiff, sharp hairs that cover the stem and under00:00 Mon 05th Nov 2001

What makes puffer fish so deadly

A. There are around a hundred species of puffer fish but not all of them are deadly. The lethal species secrete the poison tetradotoxin in their skin and internal organs. Tetrodotoxin is one of the00:00 Mon 05th Nov 2001

How fast does rain fall

A. In still air, where they receive no assistance from the wind, raindrops fall at speeds between 7 and 18 miles per hour. Q. What determines a raindrops speed A. Their size: the bigger they00:00 Mon 05th Nov 2001

Is it true that high-flying swallows indicate warm weather

A. This observation is possibly better explained by a simple meteorological fact. Swallows eat while flying and their food, insects, is carried higher when the weather is warmer by thermals. So00:00 Mon 29th Oct 2001

Why do some people want to introduce wolves to Scotland

A. Some scientists have called for the reintroduction of wolves to Scotland as a means of curbing the spiralling population of red deer. The deer, which since the disappearance of the wolf have no00:00 Mon 29th Oct 2001