The AnswerBank Articles

What wildlife can I expect to see in summer

A. As we have now passed Midsummer's Day the AnswerBank takes a look at what wildlife you can expect to see during this season. Q. What flowers can I expect to see in summer A. The pink and01:00 Mon 25th Jun 2001

Are white sapphires rare and valuable

A. The most sort after sapphires are the blue variety, especially those from Burma and Kashmir, which are closest to the pure spectral blue. However natural white sapphires are becoming rare01:00 Mon 25th Jun 2001

Why has Saturn got rings while the other planets in our solar system don t

A. Saturn was considered unique because of its famous rings up until 1977, when it was discovered that Uranus, Jupiter and Neptune all have faint rings also. Q. Where did Saturn's rings come01:00 Mon 18th Jun 2001

Which came first, the chicken or the egg

Asks djtaz11398. This question can have two meanings, so let's deal with each separately. Q. When a chicken is developing, which comes first, the egg or the chick A. The egg, or constituents01:00 Mon 18th Jun 2001

Why do mosquitoes gather round my pond

A. Morene is having problems keeping mosquitoes away from the garden pond, why Because mosquitoes need water to breed: the female mosquito lays her eggs in the water. Mosquitos especially like01:00 Mon 18th Jun 2001

The world s smelliest flower produces an aroma like a dead corpse, why

A. The flower, Titan arum, is a carrion flower. Carrion flowers mimic the smell a rotting corpse in order to attract flesh and faecal loving insects. These insects, which are the most common01:00 Mon 11th Jun 2001

Why is diamond hard and graphite soft

A. Sabrianh asked recently why, as they’re both composed mainly from carbon, is diamond the hardest known surface while graphite is so soft The answer lies in the bonding structure of their01:00 Mon 11th Jun 2001

Do fish sleep

Asked sloth recently. A. Sleep, a period of rest when the eyes are closed and there is little movement or thought, is a human definition and one that doesn't accurately describe how fish rest. 01:00 Mon 11th Jun 2001

The general established view seems to be that birds evolved from dinosaurs, but what did dinosaurs evolve from

A. From thecodonts, four legged reptiles, that existed during the Permian period and became extinct by the end of the Triassic. The thecodonts were also modern crocodiles ancestors. Q. What did01:00 Mon 04th Jun 2001

Can animals detect an impending earthquake

A. This theory, that animals display unusual behaviour, indicating an approaching earthquake, up to half an hour before it hits, has long been a subject of controversy and has both supporters and01:00 Mon 04th Jun 2001

Are sharks fish

A. Yes, but unlike the majority of fish, which are bony, sharks, along with skates and rays, have a skeleton made of cartilage, which sets them apart. A shark's cartilaginous skeleton makes them01:00 Mon 04th Jun 2001

Can my dog eat the same food as me

A. Thanks to djtaz11398 for this question recently to see Sensei's answer click here. Basically, it depends how good YOUR diet is! Stick to fresh food where possible when feeding your dog, also01:00 Sun 27th May 2001

Why do some animals hibernate and others don t

Thanks to Henryn for this question. A. Animals hibernate as a means of coping with food scarcity during winter months, usually in those parts of the world affected by seasonality. Whether an01:00 Mon 28th May 2001

What special adaptations does a giraffe s neck have

Asked sabrinah recently. A. Surprisingly, they have the same number of neck bones, vertebra, as most other mammals: seven. However each vertebra is much longer than those of other mammals. A01:00 Mon 28th May 2001

What s the difference between parrots, parakeets, cockatoos, macaws, lories & lorikeets

Thanks to Ginbottle for this question. A. 'Parrot' is the commonly used generic name for a group of over 300 species of bird that belong to the order Psittaciformes. Confusingly it is also the01:00 Mon 21st May 2001

Can you feed dogs and cats a vegetarian diet

A. Dogs fare quite satisfactorily on a vegetarian diet, but not cats. Cats are more specialised and there are several important factors to be considered before changing your cat to a vegetarian01:00 Mon 21st May 2001

How does an electric eel produce electricity

A. An electric eel's body has thousands of special cells, called electrolytes, which produce electric currents. The individual cells, which are modified muscle cells, are stacked together along01:00 Mon 21st May 2001

Is the biggest organism on Earth animal, vegetable or mineral

A. It's vegetable: a grove of quaking aspen trees, or Populus tremuloides to give the tree its proper Latin name. The grove, in Utah, USA, weighs in at 6,600 tons and is the world's largest living01:00 Tue 15th May 2001

Do all volcanic eruptions occur at plate boundaries

Asked Henryn recently. You can see Sensei's answer here or read The AnswerBanks extended answer here. A. No, although the vast majority of volcanic eruptions occur near plate boundaries, there are01:00 Tue 15th May 2001

Do dolphins and whales sleep

A. Yes, but in a different way to land mammals. Land mammals don't have to think about breathing, it's an involuntary reflex action, controlled by subconscious mechanisms. Consequently land mammals01:00 Mon 14th May 2001