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Question Archive:
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Ask a Scientist! -- Question Archive
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Where do polar bears live?
Polar bears mainly live in the Arctic Circle. The Arctic Circle is a area a certain distance from the Equator, which includes parts of Alaska, Canada, Russia, and other countries.Since the Arctic is composed of mostly ice, polar bears can live on ice that is hundreds of miles from the nearest shore. In spite of this, most polar bears are actually born on land! Also, when the sea ice starts to melt, such as during the summer, the bears begin to retreat closer to land. Fun facts about polar bears!Polar bears can swim up to 100 miles at a time, and at an average of 6 miles per hour.Polar bears tend to overheat more than be cold ...
Posted Dec 22, 2011 8:06 PM by Webmaster Science Bus
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Is the world going to end one day?
Interesting question! The answer is yes. There is one definite ending for Earth: stellar evolution of the Sun. Let's start by explaining what makes the sun The Sun. Let me remind you that the Sun's "fuel" is hydrogen. The sun's own gravity is pulling all of the hydrogen gas together, but at the same time, fusion of hydrogen "fuel" is pushing everything outwards. These forces are carefully balanced between collapse from its own gravitational weight and explosion from the energy produced in fusion. The result is a net force of 0. That is: the Sun isn't growing and it's not squeezing itself together, it remains in equilibrium. Figure 1: [http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov ...
Posted May 11, 2010 6:59 AM by Neal Pisenti
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Are witches real?
The simple answer: No, witches are not real. They are fun to imagine, which is why witches appear in a lot of fiction stories and hollywood movies, but in reality there is no such thing as magic. The history behind people's belief in witches, however, is both sad and interesting. Back in the medieval times, people were very afraid of witches and witchcraft because of it's association with the devil. If someone was suspected of being a witch, they were often burned at the stake without receiving a fair trial. Perhaps the most famous example is the Salem witch trials. These started in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts (which was then a British colony) when the daughters of the ...
Posted Jan 21, 2010 11:14 AM by Neal Pisenti
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Is the world going to end in 2012?
No. This is a great question to ask, especially since it has been popularized by the new movie 2012. Why do people believe in 2012? The idea originated from the Mayans. According to the Mayans, their calendar ends in 2012, causing a destruction of the old world and a creation of the new world. The Mayans believed it but didn't have any evidence. That is why scientists are skeptical of this hypothesis. Let's see what the movie has to say about this. Don't read this until you've seen the movie though!Do you remember what happened in the movie? First, a scientist in India discovers that particles called neutrinos from a massive solar flare (explosion on ...
Posted Dec 24, 2009 5:37 PM by Science Bus 5C
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Where do words come from? Where does language come from?
You've hit right on the spot with this question. The thing is, no one knows for sure where words come from. There are three explanations that scientists are divided over.Remember evolution lesson? Some scientists think that cavemen who could talk better, had a better chance of surviving. Now imagine you're a caveman some 200,000 years ago and you see a huuuge tiger who wants to eat your family. If you tell your family (by yelling or screaming), you can save your family. If you're not good at yelling or screaming, your whole family will probably be eaten. Do you see where evolution comes in? Those who can communicate better pass on their genes to their ...
Posted Nov 8, 2009 11:53 PM by Science Bus 5C
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