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Posts by
Editors of EarthSky
What’s so special about water?
Water is unusual in that it can occur naturally in three distinct forms - gas, liquid and solid - at the same time.
October 18, 2009
Do animals laugh, is it in animal behavior?
Do animals laugh? If you tickle a chimp, it'll make a panting noise that sounds like a handsaw cutting wood. When dogs play, they wag their tails.
October 9, 2009
Why is Jupiter called a failed star?
Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system, but it isn't massive enough to be a star. Stars require a certain amount of mass to spark thermonuclear fusion - in other words, to shine.
October 9, 2009
Gravity, does it have a specific speed?
Today's scientists theorize that gravity might travel in space at light speed, as a massless particle called a "graviton."
October 9, 2009
What makes the night sky dark?
On any clear evening, you can see the curved line of Earth's shadow ascending in the eastern sky. Earth's own shadow makes the night sky dark.
October 9, 2009
How do Monarch butterflies migrate?
Monarch butterflies of eastern and central North America migrate each fall, over great distances, to the same winter homes of their great-great grandparents.
October 1, 2009
Are viruses transmitted more easily when it’s cold?
There's a lot that's unknown about flu viruses, but flu season does happen in the winter so does a virus spread more easily when it's cold?
October 1, 2009
If Earth is rotating, why don’t airplanes move backwards?
As you sit on the runway, your plane is already moving at the same speed Earth spins because the Earth is rotating.
September 30, 2009
Do identical twins have the same fingerprints?
The prints of identical twins are more alike than the prints of two completely unrelated people - but they're not identical.
September 30, 2009
Do some animals grow throughout their lives?
Many animals can get as big as their environment and diet allow.
September 23, 2009
