Nature
Exploring "Why" questions about Nature
485 articles
Why marathon training doesn’t recommend runs greater than 20 miles.
Source - My dad used to run marathons Your body doesn't know the difference between running a marathon and getting hit by a bus. Its horrifically bad for the body. Remember the story of the original m
Why do sunsets/sunrises turn pink and orange, but those colors aren’t present with the sun is actually up?
White light is every color of light combined. When you see a rainbow, what you're seeing is the different waves of light separated. At sunset/sunrises, sun light isn't aimed directly at you.
Why do some cars make springing, popping noises when parked after a long drive?
The noises come from the exhaust components and heat shield. As they cool off, they contract and create the noises. It happens to all cars, but some cars may create more of these noises than others.
Why are cryptocurrencies (e.g. BitShares) able to increase by ~250% in 48 hours while the rest of technology stocks fall drastically?
Because the increase in value of a cryptocurrency is based on speculation to try and turn a short term profit. As soon as some plurality of investors get cold feet, everyone sells and the value plumme
Why windows has so many updates but looks like nothing has changed?
A lot of the updates are running in the background and don't affect the user interface. They can be things like tweaks to make certain processes run faster or be more fault tolerant, or the most impor
Why does the sound of rainfall, the ocean, and other specific sounds seem to universally relax people?
Wooshing or liquid-type sounds are very comforting to humans because they're similar to the sounds we experienced in the womb, which is very comforting. Same reason why saying "shhh" to a baby relaxes
Why do we focus more on speeding drivers than we do distracted drivers?
An officer can easily prove a person was speeding, they've got it all logged into a computer that tracks nearby vehicles. They can't prove you looked down at your cellphone for two seconds.
Why wasn’t Russia invited into the western world or NATO, after the fall of the Soviet Union?
Russia was part of a number of Nato initiatives and institutions (partnership for peace, Nato-Russia council, etc) but Nato's Article 10 requires a unanimous invitation to join. Russia is a proud coun
Why does being wet make us sensitive to wind?
Evaporation sucks up heat. Wind/moving air increases the rate of heat transfer between two objects, and so it makes the water evaporate more quickly. This is why you sweat - it cools you off.
Why does it snow even though it is 34-35 degrees?
Because while it's 34 degrees on the ground, it's colder a few thousand feet up, and that's where the snow forms.