The post Why are human babies so helpless compared to other mammals? appeared first on Ask Dr. Universe.

The post Why does smoke make bees calm? appeared first on Ask Dr. Universe.

Right now, Washington state uses water through dams to make most of our electricity. But we’re also working hard on another kind of renewable energy: solar.

I asked my friend Allie Higginbotham about solar panels. She’s a scientist who works with the Energy Program at Washington State University.

She told me that a solar panel is a device that uses the sun to make electricity.

“A solar panel is made of smaller units called photovoltaic cells, or solar cells,” Higginbotham said. “They’re arranged in a grid on a solar panel—like you see on rooftops. A bunch of panels strung together is a ... » More ...

The post What is a solar panel and how does it work? appeared first on Ask Dr. Universe.

I once took an anthropology class to learn about humans. We went to the zoo to observe primate behavior.

I asked my friend Nanda Grow about the behavior you describe—throwing poop. She’s a biological anthropologist at Washington State University. She studies primates like tarsiers.

She told me there are lots of reasons a captive gorilla might throw poop. It may feel threatened or overstimulated. Or it could be reacting to its environment in a playful way.

» More ...

The post Why do gorillas sometimes throw their own poop? appeared first on Ask Dr. Universe.

Your question made me think about how words change. The dictionary adds new words and definitions all the time.

The latest update to the Oxford English Dictionary added jelly, meaning jealous. It also included drop bear. That’s an imaginary scary-koala that appears in stories.

I asked my friend Nikolaus Overtoom how we got the abbreviation for ounces. He’s a professor of ancient history at Washington State University.

It turns out ounces—and later oz—evolved as words traveled from Ancient Rome through Medieval Europe and into England.

“The mixture of linguistic elements in English makes it one of the most flexible, diverse and complex ... » More ...

The post Why is there an oz for ounces? appeared first on Ask Dr. Universe.

Nothing says “spring” like frolicking baby animals.

I asked my friend Michela Ciccarelli why so many babies arrive then. She’s a veterinarian at Washington State University. She specializes in animal reproduction.

It turns out lots of mammals are seasonal breeders. That’s a strategy to make sure their babies come at the best time.

“It’s an evolutionary adjustment,” Ciccarelli said. “Spring is the time of year where it’s getting warmer. There’s enough forage to make sure lambs, kids, foals and calves survive.”

If those baby animals were born in the winter, their moms might find less food—and they need that food to ... » More ...

The post Why do so many animals give birth in spring? appeared first on Ask Dr. Universe.

Every weekend, I make pizza dough. I love watching the dough bubble and rise.

I asked my friend Mel Darbyshire why that happens. She’s head of baking at Washington State University’s Breadlab. There, scientists and bakers work together to develop grains that make super bread.

It turns out bread rises because it contains yeast.

Yeast is a microscopic, single-celled fungus. Like all living things, yeast needs energy to grow and reproduce. It gets that energy by eating sugar.

When I make pizza dough, I mix together warm water and sugar. Then I sprinkle a packet of yeast over the top and ... » More ...

The post Why does bread expand in the oven? appeared first on Ask Dr. Universe.

I like school so much that I live at a university. But I know that’s not true for everybody. School can feel great for some kids and really hard for others.

I asked my friends Brian French and Paul Strand about it. They’re psychologists and researchers at Washington State University. Their team developed WARNS. That’s a tool to help identify kids at risk of dropping out—so adults can help them.

They told me there are lots of reasons kids miss school or decide to drop out.

Some reasons have to do with the school or community. Sometimes students don’t feel welcome or ... » More ...

The post Why do people drop out of school? appeared first on Ask Dr. Universe.

Like most cats, I love watching robins. They hop across the grass then pause and tilt their heads to one side. Soon —jab!—they pull a wiggly worm from the soil.

I asked my friend Heather Watts what those robins are doing. She’s a bird scientist at Washington State University.

She told me that robins use two senses to find worms.

“The existing evidence is that they use both visual and sound cues to find worms,” Watts said. “Depending on the environment, they might use one more than the other.”

Sometimes robins see what they’re hunting. They may notice tiny movements in ... » More ...

The post How do robins find worms? appeared first on Ask Dr. Universe.

It can be hard to relate to animals that look very different from me—like squirmy worms.

I asked my friend Cynthia Gleason about your question. She studies a specific kind of worm at Washington State University.

Those worms are called nematodes or roundworms. They have unsegmented, smooth bodies. Most nematodes are so small you need a microscope to see them—and their teeny tiny mouths.

There are gobs of nematodes.

“They’re the most abundant of all the multicellular organisms on Earth,” Gleason said. “If you pick up a handful of soil, there could be thousands of roundworms there.”

» More ...

The post Do worms eat and have mouths? appeared first on Ask Dr. Universe.