Why?

2023-07-02 14:00:11 WHY does an unripe fruit get ripe?

Since it produces its own ripening hormone without the involvement of the mother plant

Ripening of fruits and vegetables is driven by ethylene. This natural plant hormone was discovered in 1912 by Russian botanist Dmitri Nelyubov. Since the gas is produced by the fruit itself, the fruit does not need to hang on the branch.

The plucked fruit can ripen even faster than the unplucked, since the release of ethylene increases with a lack of moisture. And if you put at least one ripe fruit or vegetable among unripe ones, it will ripen even faster - it produces more ethylene than the unripe fruit. Открыть/Комментировать

2023-07-01 21:00:10 WHY do hedgehogs stomp around at night?
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Hedgehogs are nocturnal predators and sleep most of the day, coming out of hiding only at dusk. In the wild, animals spend their nights searching for food: slugs, snails, worms, bugs, millipedes, and insect larvae.

Even though their owners leave them food, the hedgehogs still try to find their prey in the closet, behind the couch, under the sink, and in other secluded places.

Their long claws result in a stomping sound. Открыть/Комментировать

2023-07-01 14:00:10 WHY are clams used as live sensors?

The water supply systems in Warsaw and some other Polish cities use clams as live sensors.

They are connected to water that needs to enter the city's water supply, and if it contains any contaminants such as heavy metals or pesticides, the clam shells close.

The computer system monitors this thanks to the coils and magnets installed on the flaps and automatically shuts off the water supply until specialists can conduct the necessary tests. Открыть/Комментировать

2023-06-30 21:00:10 WHY can some fish be treated as hermaphrodites?

For instance, gubans and parrotfish can change from females to males. From the eggs of these fish, mostly females hatch. They mature, lay eggs one or more times, and then turn into males. Ladies generally do not like to grow old, so in the case of these fish species, nature meets them halfway.

Young fish are mostly females; experienced fish are males. In clownfish families, there is a strict hierarchy. The female becomes the largest individual, followed by the male and juveniles. One coral polyp can live only one dominant pair.

The female bites the male by the fins, reminding him who the master of the house, and the parents together mushtet young. If the female dies, the male gets a "higher social status" and becomes the female. The role of the male begins to be played by the largest of the remaining "in the house" juveniles.

Thus, in one lifetime, many reef fish manage to try themselves in two hypostasis at once. Открыть/Комментировать

2023-06-30 14:00:12 WHY should we sleep in the dark?

Here is a tiny organ, about one gram in weight, located in the center of the brain. Despite its small size, it plays a huge role in the body, regulating many of its vital functions.

For example, when dark, it produces serotonin, a substance called the pleasure hormone, or the happiness hormone. Melatonin is also produced only at night. This hormone normalizes blood pressure and glucose levels, one of the body's main sources of energy.

Only in total darkness does the brain produce hormones, the supply of which helps us function normally during the day. Открыть/Комментировать

2023-06-29 21:00:08 WHY is the watch worn on the left hand?

In 1904 Cartier's friend, the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, asked Cartier to make a watch for flying. Cartier invented the Santos, the first wristwatch for men (mechanical). The Santos was an extremely wearable wristwatch. During the First World War the wristwatch replaced the pocket watch and became popular among officers.

The Santos wristwatch appeared as a tool to be worn on the left hand, as most people were more handy with their right arm than with their left. When working, the main actions are performed with the right hand. To avoid damage, the watch was worn on the left hand.

Besides, a wristwatch had to be wound and the crown was on the right hand. Открыть/Комментировать

2023-06-29 14:00:10 WHY shouldn't alcohol be used to keep warm?

Alcohol affects the vascular center of the brain, causing blood vessels throughout the body and head to dilate. This creates a deceptive sensation of warmth, while in fact the temperature of the human body decreases, mainly due to heat transfer to the environment.

First of all, alcohol promotes expansion of peripheral capillaries and vessels, creating a feeling of a rush of heat, thereby reducing the vigilance of citizens, as cold and frost they are no longer afraid of.

This insidious property of alcohol can significantly harm you on a frosty day. Drinking alcohol and stepping out into the cold, you can get very hypothermia and get sick, since the body is forced to consume more heat than in a sober state. Moreover, the stronger the alcoholic beverage, the stronger and faster comes this feeling of pseudo warmth and relaxation, which is soon replaced by chills. Открыть/Комментировать

2023-06-28 21:00:10 WHY do dogs twist in one place before lying down?

Lots of dog owners notice that their pets twist in one place before they go to sleep. Experts say that such a strange and somewhat funny ritual is most likely related to the habits of their canine ancestors, who lived in the wild. A full turn in one place is the animal's subconscious way of mowing down grass and leaves to get a sort of nest to sleep in.

The wild ancestors of domestic dogs slept outdoors, so they weren't always warm and safe. If you tuck grass, leaves, or snow in, you get a much cozier and more comfortable place to sleep. Perhaps the dog makes a circle before going to sleep to feel safer.

Sometimes you may also notice the dog starting to make "digging motions." In extreme heat, it is simply necessary to dig a small hole that is cooler to escape from overheating. In cold weather, a hole can also protect. Открыть/Комментировать

2023-06-28 14:00:12 WHY is the power of machines measured in horsepower?

Since the first steam engine was invented, it was necessary to determine its cost-effectiveness as a replacement for horses, and therefore how much money to pay for the machine. Some work was performed with a steam engine, then with horses, finding how many horses could do the same work - so we got power in horsepower.

The short term power of a horse is much more than 1 hp, the long term power of 1 hp can provide not every horse (it was beneficial to the buyer of the steam engine, so the horses were selected hardy enough).

Later on hp was abandoned as not related to other physical quantities directly, without coefficients, but for figurativeness and by inertia of thinking, technical devices, the power of which a person must directly feel (car, airplane, ship) left for use the expression of capacity in horsepower. Открыть/Комментировать

2023-06-27 21:00:11 WHY is butter yellow when milk is white?

Butter consists of more fat. Dairy fat is given its color by carotenoids, the red-yellow pigments, particularly vitamin A. Fat is present in both milk and butter. Still in milk it is in the form of an emulsion, a suspension of droplets the size of 3-4 microns.

Each droplet is surrounded by the thinnest protein-lecithin shell. Liquids of this structure look whitish because of light scattering on the surface of the droplets, regardless of the color of their contents.

In butter, the proportion of fat is higher, causing many of the emulsion droplets to merge with each other. The light scattered on them is worse, and the natural color of the fat appears stronger. Ghee, which is almost pure milk fat, looks even more yellow. Открыть/Комментировать