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Posts by
Editors of EarthSky
Mexican jumping beans jump, why?
So what makes Mexican jumping beans jump? As the tiny larvae inside curl up and uncurl, they hit the capsule's wall with their heads - and the bean jumps.
October 29, 2009
What are circadian rhythms?
All animals have cycles of daily activity, called circadian rhythms. It's run by an internal biological clock that senses when the day begins and ends.
October 29, 2009
Is Earth getting farther from the sun?
The universe might be expanding, our galaxy is getting farther from other galaxies. But our sun, our Earth and its family of nine planets is not expanding.
October 29, 2009
Are camels’ humps full of water?
Camels are just very efficient at using water. If camels' humps are not full of water, why do camels have humps? And where do camels store water?
October 29, 2009
How do we know the shape of our galaxy?
The answer is ... we don't. But astronomers make educated guesses about the shape of our galaxy, in part by looking into space at other galaxies.
October 29, 2009
What is wind chill?
If you any warm object and expose it to cold air, that object will lose heat to the air. Wind chill refers to greater heat loss due to the motion of the air.
October 29, 2009
Christopher Flavin says wind power surging
Christopher Flavin said over 40 percent of the new generating capacity added in the U.S. last year is from wind power. It's surpassed a little by natural gas.
October 26, 2009
Is it a coincidence that moon keeps one face to Earth?
The moon spins once for each of its orbits around Earth - and that's why the moon always keeps a single face turned our way.
October 19, 2009
Does every animal have eyelids?
Fish and snakes don't have eyelids. Some lizards have 2! Why we need eyelids ...
October 19, 2009
Could penguins and polar bears swap habitats?
Earth's Arctic and the Antarctic are very different kinds of places - but if these polar animals switched habitats, penguins might struggle, and polar bears might thrive.
October 19, 2009
