Feeling down? Youre not alone. If depression seems pretty common, it is. One in every ten adults suffers from depression. And thats what has scientists puzzled. If depression is a detrimental condition, why is it so rampant in the population? Some sc...
Leaves Inspire Better Solar Panels What do leaves and solar panels have in common? Both absorb sunlight and turn it into energy. But while solar panels typically have smooth surfaces, leaves have tiny wrinkles and folds that allow for maximum light a...
its time again for the A Moment of Science mailbag. A listener writes: Dear A Moment of Science, Ive always been fascinated by volcanoes. So I was wondering: How well can scientists predict when and where a volcano will erupt? Intersting question. Th...
In the 1960s, during the earliest space flights, no one knew exactly how weightlessness would affect eating and drinking. Would food fly off a plate? Would astronauts have digestive problems, with no gravity to help things along the digestive system?...
It may sound silly, but its really a good question, because weightlessness does make a visit to the latrine a tricky proposition. Weightlessness poses two main problems in the bathroom. The first is that an astronaut could drift away from the bowl at...
According to data posted on McDonalds famous Golden Arches , the fast food giant has served billions of customers around the world . It s safe to assume that other fast food purveyor s such as Burger King , Kentucky Fried Chicken , and others have di...
In The Past, Insects Were Huge! Once upon a time, hundreds of millions of years ago, many insects were much larger than they are today. Scientists have found fossilized remains of dragonflies with wingspans several feet in diameter. Other insects wer...
Fear Smells Like Sugar Scientists have suspected for many years that fish might give off a chemical signal to warn other fish about the presence of predators. When a fish in a school is injured, for example, the rest of the school will panic and swim...
Why Did Cleopatra Wear Makeup? Over five thousand years ago, the ancient Egyptians used eye shadow, not only for cosmetic but practical purposes as well. Dark pigment painted around the eye helped protect the eye from the bright midday sun glaring of...
What Happens When You Lose Neurons? When you were born, almost all of the one trillion neurons, or nerve cells, in your brain had already formed. But those neurons still had a lot of growing to do. As kids grow, neurons in the brain branch out and ma...