The AnswerBank Articles

What makes us yawn

A. Surprisingly little is known about what yawning is for. The commonly held theory is that we do it because we're tired or bored but the evidence doesn't really back these suggestions up. Although00:00 Mon 31st Dec 2001

Where do Komodo Dragons come from

A. Indonesia. Komodo dragons, Varanus komodoensis, live in the hot grasslands, savannahs, and monsoon forests of four islands in the south-east of the archipelgo - Komodo, Rinca, Gila Motang and00:00 Mon 24th Dec 2001

I m thinking of getting my pet dog tagged with a microchip, what s involved

A. Micro chipping involves an ID chip being inserted into your dog, or other pet that can be read if they ever become lost. Q. How much does it cost A. It's quite a simple procedure, which your00:00 Mon 24th Dec 2001

How can I stop cats fouling my garden

A. apfoster has been having problems with cats using his garden as a local convenience and has been looking for suggestions on how to deter them. Thanks to andy hughes for his own insight into the00:00 Mon 24th Dec 2001

What is an invertebrate

A. An invertebrate is any animal that doesn't have a backbone. Invertebrates make up the majority of the animal kingdom, both in terms of number of species overall and individual numbers. Although00:00 Mon 17th Dec 2001

What is the equivalent of hibernation in summer

A. Although, as we're gripped by winter, it may be hard for us to understand, some animals do have to employ special mechanisms to cope with summer conditions. Beth wanted to know the official name00:00 Mon 17th Dec 2001

How will the world end

A. The Big Bang, which happened around 15 billion years ago, is generally accepted as the point at which our universe began, but will it ever end and if so, how Here The AnswerBank looks at some of00:00 Mon 17th Dec 2001

How important is water s buoyancy as a limiting factor on sea creature s size

A. Water is a relatively dense environment, able to support the weight of the world's largest living animals, blue whales. And so, theoretically, there should be no gravitational limit on the size00:00 Mon 10th Dec 2001

Why do some animals have round pupils while others, like cats, have elliptical pupils

A. It's possible that, as humans, we'll never completely understand the complexity of other animals' vision. However, it seems that - as elliptically shaped pupils belong mainly to nocturnal hunters00:00 Mon 10th Dec 2001

I m thinking of buying a goldfish as a pet, do they live a long time

A. Goldfish (Carassius auratus) are the most popular aquarium fish. They have an average lifespan of between 5 and 10 years, but the oldest known goldfish made it to 41 years old so be prepared for00:00 Mon 10th Dec 2001

It must be a year since the Galapagos Islands were threatened by an oil spill, have there been any long-term affects

A. It was on January 16th of this year that the oil tanker Jessica ran aground off the eastern island of San Cristobal, leaking 1,000 000 litres of oil into the waters off the islands. Q. What00:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001

Do you have any tips to help me stop my cat killing so many birds and wild animals

A. This problem certainly isn't a minor one. The average pet cat can kill around 40 wild animals a year and given that there are around 9 million of them in the UK, this means that we're loosing 30000:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001

Where did earth s water come from

A. Well there have been a few theories about the origin of earth's water. The most recent theory is that colliding comets that would have broken up on impact with the earth's surface dumped it. To00:00 Mon 03rd Dec 2001

Do fish get electrocuted when lightning hits a lake

A. Whenever an electric storm is brewing fishermen and anyone else on the water is advised to get out quickly. And for very good reasons: water is a good conductor of electricity and if a bolt of00:00 Mon 26th Nov 2001

How long is a comet s tail

A. It’s the tail that makes a comet such an impressive sight. The tail, a trail of dust particles driven from the comet by escaping gases, can extend as far as 10,000,000 kilometres long. Q. 00:00 Mon 26th Nov 2001

Why does my cat go crazy with catnip toys

A. Because of what's inside them. Catnip is the common name of a plant called Nepeta cataria. Catnip is a member of the mint family and is related to the marijuana plant. Q. What's so special00:00 Mon 26th Nov 2001

When people fall asleep on the tube they start lolling around, how do birds manage to stay on their perches while sleeping

A. Birds leg muscles are arranged so that when sleeping their claws grip onto the perch. The flexor tendon, in the bird's thigh muscles, extends down through the leg, around the ankle, right through00:00 Mon 19th Nov 2001

What is the world s biggest insect

A. It's the appropriately named Goliath beetle, Goliath goliath. Although there are some insects that are longer than the goliath beetle, its weight wins it the title. Q. How much does it weigh 00:00 Mon 19th Nov 2001

Do camel s humps hold the water that helps them survive in the desert

A. No the camels hump is actually full of fat. In most animals the body's fat is mixed in with their muscle or forms a layer just beneath the skin. But the camel's body fat is stored separately in00:00 Mon 19th Nov 2001

Why are planets round

A. Because their mass is constantly being pulled to the centre by their gravitational field. A planets gravitational field behaves as if it were at the planets core. Over time the planets, which00:00 Mon 12th Nov 2001