The AnswerBank Articles

I'm very ticklish, so why can't I tickle myself

asks sander:A. The panicky feeling we get when we are tickled is a natural reaction which has evolved as a defence against creepy crawlies and bugs. Tickling makes us goose-pimply and sends us into a00:00 Mon 01st Apr 2002

Why do I get cookies on my computer

asks ursula A. Cookies are designed to make it easier for you to get around on the web. Q. They're not put there to glean information about me and my computer then A. No. Put that down to paranoia.00:00 Mon 01st Apr 2002

What are the implications of such a large piece of ice break off from Antarctica

asks jaysway: A. The block of ice which broke off from the Antarctic is 3,250 square kilometres - about the size of Wales - and is estimated to weigh about 500 million billion tonnes. It has broken up00:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002

Why didn't anyone see the asteroid that came close to the Earth last week

asks Woolley:A. Good question. After all, it's not every day one of the largest asteroids seen by astronomers comes within 450,000km of Earth - that's just one and a half times the distance to the00:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002

Why do we call our numerals 'Arabic' when they don't look anything like Arabian numbers

asks Jayne b-t:A. It's true that the numerals used in Europe, America and much of the world are called Arabic numerals, but that's not where they come from originally. According to tradition, the00:00 Mon 18th Mar 2002

When is spring - how can you tell And is it getting earlier

asks dekhay: A. Yes, spring is getting earlier. According to the records, this year had one of the warmest first couple of months since record began 300 years ago. Q. Hasn't it been rather parky A.00:00 Mon 18th Mar 2002

Why do the yolks of hard-boiled eggs go green around the edges and not the yolks of soft boiled eggs

asks Modge:A. The blue-green colour you see on the yolks of hard-boiled is iron sulphide. It is caused by a reaction between iron in the egg yolk and the hydrogen sulphide in the white, which is why00:00 Mon 11th Mar 2002

How are colds formed

asks Claudio:A. A cold is a viral disease that is very contagious. You catch one when it infects the soft lining (mucous membrane) of the nose, making it run. There are around 200 cold viruses in00:00 Mon 11th Mar 2002

Will it ever be possible to travel to the stars

asks Woolley: A. For the first time, Nasa experts have come up with a plan that could take mankind to the stars. Spill the beans...At the recent American Association for the Advancement of Science00:00 Mon 04th Mar 2002

How do I make successful compost in my compost bin

asks MissDon:A. There are four vital ingredients for making good compost: organic waste (fruit and vegetable peelings, newspapers, prunings, leaves and grass); soil; water and air. Basically,00:00 Mon 04th Mar 2002

What determines the size of a rainbow

asks rtell:A. First you need to understand how rainbows are formed. Rainbows need strong sunlight and water droplets suspended in the air, which is why you see them on 'April showers' types of days,00:00 Mon 18th Feb 2002

How do solar garden lights work

asks PDTV:A. Solar garden lights generate and store their individual power during the day and release that power at night. They can be placed in any site that get direct sunlight. Q. What are they00:00 Mon 18th Feb 2002

How can I grow crystals

asks Sporty:A. Crystals are easy to grow. Once you've mastered the technique, you can grow all sorts of shapes and colours. The method's the same whatever you grow crystals from. Here's how to make00:00 Mon 11th Feb 2002

When were cigars first made

asks ursula:A. The word cigar comes from sikar, the Mayan word for smoking. The tobacco plant was first grown on Mexican's Yucatan peninsula, where it was smoked by the Mayans. After the Mayan00:00 Mon 11th Feb 2002

I've heard that Britain is sinking in the south and rising in the north - how can that happen

asks MScott:A. You're right. It's happening because of something called 'isostatic rebound'. Q. Sounds scary - is it A. Could be. It's happening because the north of Britain is recovering from00:00 Sun 04th Feb 2001

How was the Giants Causeway formed

asks Mayastar:A. The Giants causeway was made at the same time as the Isle of Mull, Staffa and Skye - about 65 million years ago. Q. Were they once joined A. No, the eruption that caused them placed00:00 Mon 04th Feb 2002

What will happen to Earth when the Sun runs out of energy

asks Mayastar:A. It's believed that the sun will, one day in the far distant future (or about 7.5 billion years' time), use up all its nuclear fuel, expand to a vast size and engulf the inner planets00:00 Mon 28th Jan 2002

Why are TV aerials that shape

asks MScott:A. Your TV aerial - also known as a Yagi-Uda array (it was named after two Japanese electrical engineers: Hidetsugu Yagi, who invented it in 1928, and Shintaro Uda, who perfected it for00:00 Mon 28th Jan 2002

What is dark matter made of

asks woolley: A. It is matter in the universe that we can't see - cosmologists believe we can only see about 10% of the matter in the universe. Q. Can telescopes see dark matter A. No. As well as00:00 Mon 21st Jan 2002

How does Botox work - is it dangerous

asks archiemac:A. Celebrities and TV presenters everywhere are sporting youthful, line-free faces. A few of them have come clean - it's all thanks to Botox. A substance which has been used by the00:00 Mon 21st Jan 2002