How Come? » human body http://www.how-come.net Science Discoveries for the Whole Family Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:00:59 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 Why does putting on a coat in cold weather make us warmer? http://www.how-come.net/2012/01/26/why-does-putting-on-a-coat-in-cold-weather-make-us-warmer/ http://www.how-come.net/2012/01/26/why-does-putting-on-a-coat-in-cold-weather-make-us-warmer/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:53:41 +0000 Kathy Wollard http://www.how-come.net/?p=151 Why does putting on a coat in cold weather make us warmer? asks a reader.

Go out lightly dressed on a frigid day, and thermal energy will quickly drain away from you into the cold December air. But unlike a run-down mechanical bunny, you don’t need new batteries. A warm coat pulled from the back [...]]]> http://www.how-come.net/2012/01/26/why-does-putting-on-a-coat-in-cold-weather-make-us-warmer/feed/ 0 How do the body’s own electric currents work? http://www.how-come.net/2012/01/26/how-do-the-bodys-own-electric-currents-work/ http://www.how-come.net/2012/01/26/how-do-the-bodys-own-electric-currents-work/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:46:33 +0000 Kathy Wollard http://www.how-come.net/?p=146 How do the body’s own electric currents work? asks a reader.

In “I Sing the Body Electric,” a story by Ray Bradbury, an “electric grandmother” arrives to take care of a family of motherless children. This “grandmother” was a robot, but human grandmothers–and children–are electric, too. In fact, every body is electric. Just as the [...]]]> http://www.how-come.net/2012/01/26/how-do-the-bodys-own-electric-currents-work/feed/ 0 Does cold weather really make you catch a cold? http://www.how-come.net/2009/08/17/does-cold-weather-really-make-you-catch-a-cold/ http://www.how-come.net/2009/08/17/does-cold-weather-really-make-you-catch-a-cold/#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:20:13 +0000 Kathy Wollard http://how-come.net/?p=81 People say that if you go outside in cold weather without a jacket, you will “catch a cold.” Assuming that is true, how come? I always thought you “catch a cold” by coming into contact with a virus, writes Michael Green, of Seaford, NY.

Mothers and grandmothers have traditionally raised the cold-weather alarm: Bundle up, [...]]]> http://www.how-come.net/2009/08/17/does-cold-weather-really-make-you-catch-a-cold/feed/ 0 How come humans can’t use sonar in the dark, like bats? http://www.how-come.net/2009/08/17/how-come-humans-cant-use-sonar-in-the-dark-like-bats/ http://www.how-come.net/2009/08/17/how-come-humans-cant-use-sonar-in-the-dark-like-bats/#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:17:04 +0000 Kathy Wollard http://how-come.net/?p=79 How come humans can’t use sonar in the dark, like bats? asks Kevin Guan, via email.

Listening for the echoes of their own rapid-fire, high-pitched calls, bats navigate the night, while snatching tiny insects from the air. Dolphins (along with many whales and shrews) are also skilled “echolocaters.” And it turns out that we humans, [...]]]> http://www.how-come.net/2009/08/17/how-come-humans-cant-use-sonar-in-the-dark-like-bats/feed/ 0 How come when you eat sour candy you make weird faces? http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-when-you-eat-sour-candy-you-make-weird-faces/ http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-when-you-eat-sour-candy-you-make-weird-faces/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:41:20 +0000 Kathy Wollard http://how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-when-you-eat-sour-candy-you-make-weird-faces/ How come when you eat sour candy you make weird faces? asks Danielle Vollono, a student in Brookville, NY.

It’s how we decode dinner: Scientists say there are at least four basic tastes — sweet, salty, sour and bitter. (Some add a fifth, umami, the savory taste provided by an amino acid in food called [...]]]> http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-when-you-eat-sour-candy-you-make-weird-faces/feed/ 0 How come your funny bone is called your funny bone? http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-your-funny-bone-is-called-your-funny-bone/ http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-your-funny-bone-is-called-your-funny-bone/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:38:49 +0000 Kathy Wollard http://how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-your-funny-bone-is-called-your-funny-bone/ How come your funny bone is called your funny bone? asks Noah Kennedy White.

If you’ve ever hit your funny bone, you know that the only amusement comes from the faces, gestures, and sounds you make as you grab your elbow and dance around the room. The vibrating pain, extending to your fingers, seems to [...]]]> http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-your-funny-bone-is-called-your-funny-bone/feed/ 0 How come human beings have appendixes if they don’t need really them? http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-human-beings-have-appendixes-if-they-dont-need-really-them/ http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-human-beings-have-appendixes-if-they-dont-need-really-them/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:36:57 +0000 Kathy Wollard http://how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-human-beings-have-appendixes-if-they-dont-need-really-them/ How come human beings have appendixes if they don’t need really them? asks Kayla Winchester, a student in Manhasset, NY.

The appendix. Can’t live with it, can’t live without it.

Oh, wait.

Actually, the appendix is one of the body’s most unobtrusive organs. No painful protests, like the ungrateful stomach after Thanksgiving dinner. No [...]]]> http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-human-beings-have-appendixes-if-they-dont-need-really-them/feed/ 0 How come your hands get all wrinkled after they’ve been in water? http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-your-hands-get-all-wrinkled-after-theyve-been-in-water/ http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-your-hands-get-all-wrinkled-after-theyve-been-in-water/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:32:33 +0000 Kathy Wollard http://how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-your-hands-get-all-wrinkled-after-theyve-been-in-water/ How come your hands get all wrinkled after they’ve been in water? asks Kelsey Steck, a student in Holtsville, NY.

While nearly everyone gets pruny fingers after a long bath, their exact cause is still a mini scientific controversy.

Part of the explanation involves how skin responds to water. While skin is a good protective [...]]]> http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-your-hands-get-all-wrinkled-after-theyve-been-in-water/feed/ 0 How does the sense of smell help us remember things from the past? http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-does-the-sense-of-smell-help-us-remember-things-from-the-past/ http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-does-the-sense-of-smell-help-us-remember-things-from-the-past/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:27:08 +0000 Kathy Wollard http://how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-does-the-sense-of-smell-help-us-remember-things-from-the-past/ How does the sense of smell help us remember things from the past? asks Jose Pestantez, a student in Woodside, NY.

Open a new box of crayons, and your mind is flooded with scenes from the first day of kindergarten. The smell of a snuffed-out candle can evoke memories of birthdays past. And a whiff [...]]]> http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-does-the-sense-of-smell-help-us-remember-things-from-the-past/feed/ 0 How come when you rub a balloon on your head your hair stands on end? http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-when-you-rub-a-balloon-on-your-head-your-hair-stands-on-end/ http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-when-you-rub-a-balloon-on-your-head-your-hair-stands-on-end/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:03:38 +0000 Kathy Wollard http://how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-when-you-rub-a-balloon-on-your-head-your-hair-stands-on-end/ How come when you rub a balloon on your head your hair stands on end? asks Daniela Prisco.

Have you avoided wearing a hat on a sub-zero day, afraid of the bad-hair aftermath? After scuffing across the carpet in your slippers, have you approached doorknobs warily? Do you pull masses of stuck-together socks out [...]]]> http://www.how-come.net/2008/08/27/how-come-when-you-rub-a-balloon-on-your-head-your-hair-stands-on-end/feed/ 0