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Are yawns contagious? 

There are many theories to explain why people yawn. However, they are all still theories. At this point, we do not fully understand the reason behind yawning. Yawning is an involuntary reflex that...

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Why are we mostly made up of water? 

If a compound naturally exists in abundance in the human body, it means that it serves a major function. Water is no exception. Water accounts for about 60-70 percent of our body weight. Men tend to...

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Does the universe go on forever? Does it make a loop? 

Is the universe infinite in size? We don’t know and we may never know. But don’t despair: we have quite recently learned many fascinating things about the universe that play an important role in...

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How did our one continent get separated into seven? 

To answer this question, I have to explain one of the most fascinating acts of Mother Nature -- continental drift. This is the movement of Earth’s continents relative to each other. Have you seen the...

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How do optical illusions make you see things differently? 

The visual scenery that comes into your eyes is like a picture that you take with your smartphone. Somebody has to examine the picture and interpret the information in the picture, such as what is in...

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How can we predict tomorrow's weather?

Weather forecasting is a nice example of how science can help predict the future. The general procedure for how scientists make a prediction goes like this: First, they observe how various quantities...

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How do electric eels make electricity? 

Electric eels (Electrophorus electricus) are perhaps the most famous of eels, despite not actually being eels (they’re more closely related to catfish.) And their fame is no surprise! Although they...

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Why is it colder in space for astronauts than it is on Earth if you are...

The sun transfers energy to objects far away (like us and the earth) by radiation. Radiation is the energy carried by electromagnetic waves. Light, radio waves and x-rays are all examples of...

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How do plants in the rainforest get enough carbon dioxide to live without...

Plants use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and people exhale it as a byproduct of respiration, so it is no wonder you question how plants get the carbon dioxide they need in a depopulated area. But...

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What would happen if the sun rotated around the earth?

You asked this because you learned the earth revolves around the sun, right? Indeed, that is how we understand the solar system today; this is called the heliocentric model ("helio" means the sun)....

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