Nature
Exploring "Why" questions about Nature
487 articles
Why do worms always end up all over the sidewalk after it rains?
Actually, they can only move across sidewalks when it's damp, otherwise they dry up and die. The ones you see are the unlucky ones that get caught when the sun comes out. They don't drown when it rain
Why is the US West Coast a desert
The west coast is nice and green, but then there are several mountain ranges. Air that is pushed over the mountains is cooled and forced to drop most of its water vapor, so it is much less moist. This
Why is a rainbow curved?
Rainbows are sunlight reflected inside raindrops. They reflect at a fixed angle due to the way water bends light, but they can be in any orientation. All the sunlight is coming from the same direction
Why do cacti grow in American deserts but not in Africa’s?
There is one species of cactus that grows in Africa, but it is believed it was brought there by migratory birds. Cactus evolved in the "new world" sometime after the continents split, which is why the
Why are doors much easier to close when my window is open?
Because by slamming your door you push a lot of air into the car. This causes additional air pressure to build up in the car, which pushes the door open. Usually it takes at most a few seconds for the
Why we can’t make rain scented soaps/candles
It's not the oil from a single plant, but the mixture of substances from all the plants around you. Just like artificial flavours: probably you have tasted watermelon-flavored (or any other artificial
Why does it not thunder and lightning when it is a snow storm
Sometimes it does. I lived in Green Bay for 8 years and saw thunder snow at least 5 times. It's really creepy.
Why is snow sometimes easy to make objects with, like snowmen. While other times it’s like fluff that just falls apart?
It's mostly just how wet the snow is. Light and fluffy snow has very little water in it (which is why it's so light) but because there isn't too much water in it, it won't stick to much. More water wi
Why is the snow not melting when being lit on fire?
Soot from the lighter is black which gets on the snow so when it does melt. It has the contaminants from the lighter in it.
Why does it get really windy as soon as I walk through a subway station entrance?
Wind is cause by pressure differentials, and temperature is directly related to pressure (higher temperatures mean higher pressures, lower temperatures means lower pressures). The temperature between