Do we really know what consciousness is?
Have scientists actually identified what consciousness is and how it springs into existence in our brains?...
If humans manage to start colonizing other planets, would we evolve apart?
Let's say that however long from now humans colonize multiple moons/planets/spaceships and we somehow are ale to survive. Would we end up evolving over time so much and on a colony-level that we'd not even be the same species anymore?...
How did penguins end up in Antarctica?
Did they fly to Antarctica, then evolve into flightless birds? They couldn't have swum that far and as far as I know, Pangaea broke up before birds even existed....
Why do people develop allergies to different things throughout their life?
I was recently talking to my mom who said that when she was a kid she was allergic to mangos and could only recently start eating them. Why do bodies do this? What causes the shift and is there a way to prevent becoming allergic to something in the future? ...
If Great Danes and Chihuahuas are the same species, then what's the difference between huskies and wolves?
All breeds of domestic dogs are the same species, despite their vast differences. Undomesticated species such as wolves and coyotes seem much more closely related to common breeds (like huskies, malamutes, or German Shepherds) than designer dogs do (like pugs, teacup poodles, or English bulldogs). W...
Where can I learn more about animal tracks?
After a heavy snowfall, I've noticed a good variety of animal tracks in my yard. Some are fairly obvious - deer, people, birds, etc - but I can't begin to guess where the pawprints came from. There are several different sizes, too, so it seems there's more than one species walking around. Is there a...
My kids got a butterfly kit for Christmas. What am I going to do with a dozen live butterflies in the middle of winter?
All of the caterpillars in the kit have already gone into their cocoons, so they'll probably hatch before the end of January. The kit came with some food to keep the butterflies alive for observation, but the instructions say to release them outside after two or three weeks. There's a foot of snow o...
Why do raptors and raptors have the same name?
Raptors (birds of prey) are distant relatives of raptors (velociraptors) because they are birds, but what makes them so similar that they share a name? Is it a behavioral or structural thing? Is there a linguistic reason?...
