Month: November 2016

Why Do Identical Twins Have Different Fingerprints?

Identical twins don’t have identical fingerprints because of how fingerprints form. The whorls and ridges form during compressions of the skin on a foetus’s fingers, in a similar way to land masses buckling to form ridges under compression. Not everything is alike about identical foetuses in the womb; their positions, the lengths of their umbilical …

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Why Aren’t Plants Affected By The Sunburn?

Plants produce their own chemical sunscreens, known as flavonoids, which shield them from the harmful effects of UV-B radiation. Exposure to UV-B light stimulates a doughnut-shaped photoreceptor protein called UVR8, which in turn activates genes that produce flavonoids. This ‘sun block’ is then deposited on the outer tissues of leaves, where it absorbs UV-B rays, …

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Who Is The Owner Of The International Space Station?

Just like the science and engineering that make it work, ownership of the International Space Station (ISS) is complicated. Ownership is shared between the different partner organisations, namely the US, Russia, Canada, Japan and the European Space Agency. However, rather than owning a percentage of the whole ISS, different partners each own different parts of …

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Why Do Some Batteries Give More Energy Than Others?

Battery life is affected by various factors. Batteries in warm places lose charge faster than ones kept cool, and the varying quality of materials means cheaper ones often fail before more expensive types. Although AA batteries look alike, the chemicals inside them can be different, with great effects on lifespan. Batteries produce electricity by chemical …

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