The AnswerBank Articles

When picking blackberries I ve noticed that fruits on the same bunch are all at different stages of ripening, why

A. As you've pointed out, since they're on the same bunch it's not down to differences in the local ripening affects of their environment. The berries are pre-programmed to ripen at the different00:00 Tue 07th Aug 2001

How similar are humans and chimpanzees

A. Genetically, nothing comes closer; we share 98.5% of our genes with these African apes. Physically, again, humans resemble chimpanzees more than any other animal. Our skeletons reveal our00:00 Tue 07th Aug 2001

Why do cats like fish when they aren t natural swimmers

A. As homer and allen ives pointed out in their answers, not all cats hate water. Q. Did cats ever hunt fish themselves A. Quite possibly. The common house cat's, (Felis domesticus), wild00:00 Tue 07th Aug 2001

Which is the most endangered species of whale

A. Of 13 species of great whale seven have either endangered or vulnerable status. The Northern Atlantic right whale, with no more than 350 of these animals remaining, has the least remaining00:00 Sun 29th Jul 2001

Why can t I get clear ice cubes

A. Because the tap water you use contains dissolved air, which is forced out of solution, forming gas bubbles when frozen, creating cloudy ice cubes. Q. Why are the edges often clear and the00:00 Sun 29th Jul 2001

Do seagulls drink seawater

A. Yes they do. Q. Why doesn't seawater harm the gulls A. They can drink seawater because they have a mechanism for expelling the salt as residue through their nostrils, creating the crusty00:00 Sun 29th Jul 2001

Which moves faster, the alligator or the crocodile

saltwater crocodileA. It depends on whether you talking about swimming or running. The group Crocodilians, which alligators and crocodiles are members of, has a unique method of locomotion for00:00 Sun 29th Jul 2001

How do cactus survive without water

A. That's the way they're built. Most cacti come from areas of hot weather with low rainfall, so they've had to develop. Q. Specifically A. For a start, the spines. They have several uses: they00:00 Mon 23rd Jul 2001

Do killer bees really exist

A. Yes - up to a point. The real name for the so-called killer bee is the Africanised bee. The folklore of the killer bee started with such films as The Swarm, where great clouds of angry bees00:00 Mon 23rd Jul 2001

Why do skunks stink

A. Skunks use chemicals called thiols to create a potent smell that repels attack from potential predators. To say it smells bad is an understatement. However, skunks get a bad press: They're not00:00 Mon 23rd Jul 2001

Why is bullfighting so popular

A. Why indeed It's a great Hispanic tradition that's both exciting and colourful. It's also sadistic. More than 10,000 bulls are tortured and killed each year in Europe's bullrings. The season is00:00 Thu 19th Jul 2001

Why do sharks attack humans

The killer from the deep A. Simple. They're killing machines. They hunt for food. It's the same reason that your domestic moggy catches sparrows. That's what they were made to do. The most00:00 Thu 19th Jul 2001

Why are flamingos pink Is it for camouflage

A. Thanks to Henryn for the question. Flamingos are filter feeders, living off algae and tiny animals that live in the mud. These include shrimps, molluscs and insect larvae and contain pigments00:00 Thu 19th Jul 2001

How many feathers do birds have

A. The answer depends upon what type of feather you're talking about: birds have lots more feathers than the ones you can see. Generally speaking the bigger the bird the greater the number of00:00 Mon 09th Jul 2001

Do Giant pandas have thumbs

A. Not strictly speaking, not in the same way that primates do. Their extra 'thumb' is actually an elongated wrist bone on their front paws, which is used for gripping the slender shoots of bamboo,00:00 Mon 09th Jul 2001

How does salt get into the sea

A. Through erosion. Rainwater dissolves minerals in the soil and rock that it passes through, carrying them until it reaches a stream or river. Eventually this water will flow into the sea taking00:00 Mon 09th Jul 2001

Why do the continent's geology differ if they once all belonged to the same land mass

A. Geological evidence is one of the factors that suggests that all the currently separate continents formed one large land mass called Pangaea. However, the geological processes that shape the00:00 Mon 02nd Jul 2001

Why does the setting sun sometimes look flatted

A. Because denser air near the earth's surface causes light to diffract, sometimes presenting a distorted flattened image of the sun. Q. Why are there differences in the earth's atmosphere A. 00:00 Mon 02nd Jul 2001

How can bats spend so much time upside-down and still circulate blood

A. Generally your circulatory system adapts to whatever position you are in and the heart, arteries, and veins all work to move the blood through the circulatory system in one direction. Bats do00:00 Mon 02nd Jul 2001

Does any any animal have blue blood

A. Yes, the horseshoe crab does. Q. What gives blood its colour A. The colour of blood is determined by its respiratory pigments, which carry oxygen and their metallic content. The pigments,00:00 Mon 25th Jun 2001