Science
Exploring "Why" questions about Science
484 articles
Why is it that when you lay down and lay as still as possible, you can hear a pillow compressing no matter how still you lay?
I'm no scientist, but I would assume it's because there are hundreds of thousands of little fibers in a pillow and even though a human thinks they are laying perfectly still, they are still constantly
Why can i be injected with radioactive liquid for a bone scan and not get sick?
It's a very small amount of radioactive material. You are constantly receiving radiation all the time so while this is a larger amount than normal it's not at all enough to make you sick. Your cells c
Why is your throat so much more sore in the morning than any other time when you have a cold?
Because you've been lying down and not swallowing, the extra thick mucus your nose is producing during your cold has been dripping down your throat all night and irritating the crap out of it. During
Why airlines don’t sell empty seats on flights at cheap rates
Because people who purchase tickets last minute usually *have* to travel and will pay the full price. It's rare that a plane will be relatively empty. When that happens, it's probably just a fluke.
Why can paper only be folded 7 times, no matter the size of paper?
Contrary to popular belief, this isn't true. The thing is, though, that the number of sheets on top of each other and therefore the total thickness that has to be folded increases exponentially (see u
Why do they still paint airforce planes in camouflage?
The paint on the B2, F22, F177 is radar absorbing paint which helps reduce it's radar signature. And the paint on the other planes is CARC paint which is chemical and radiation resistant.
Why is tear gas internationally banned for use in warfare, but not for use by police?
All chemical weapons are banned for use in warfare, not just tear gas. If the police are firing gas canisters at a rioting crowd, I (unlike a soldier in the field) can be pretty sure it doesn't contai
Why is it I can perceive light better in my peripheral vision?
This is due to the distribution of the photoreceptors in the retina (back of the eye). There are two types of receptors, cones and rods. Cones have color vision, but low sensitivity to light levels, w
Why do streetlights in the distance twinkle like stars, when the ones nearby seem to glow consistently?
The air in between you and the street light is a moving mass of uneven temperature. As the light moves through it, it gets bent which causes the twinkling effect. The same thing is going on with stars
Why didn’t many people evacuate Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the warning leaflets were dropped?
Everyone is talking about the leaflets, but the other half of the story is that Japanese cities were being bombed every week. And these cities had more deaths and destruction than Hiroshima and Nagasa