Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Why do cats' eyes glow in the dark?

Cats have a tapetum lucidum, a light-reflecting surface behind the retina of the eye.  It is made up of 15 layers of pure guanine cells.  The tapetum lucidum reflects any light that is not absorbed by the retina.  It allows the retina to absorb more light, accounting for their great night vision.  When a cat's eyes "glow," the certain angle of their head against the rays of light make it seem like the eyes are shiny and blue, green, or yellow colors.  Certain cats, like Siamese, reflect a deep red color when they "glow."

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Who invented email?

Ray Tomlinson, a computer engineer for BBN, invented email.  He was part of the company hired by the U.S. government to set up the first Internet. In 1971, the company used a certain program on one computer to leave messages for each other.  Ray Tomlinson used a file transfer to adapt the program so that messages could be sent to any computer on the network.  He used the "@" symbol to indicate which computer needed to receive the message.  After inventing it, he commented that "it seemed like a good idea.  No one was asking for email."

Friday, May 20, 2011

Do dogs have taste buds?

They sure do!  Dogs have more taste buds than cats, but less that humans.  They are able to detect bitter, sweet, salty, and sour tastes.  However, their sense of taste is very weak and they cannot differentiate between flavors in the same way that humans can.  Dogs rely heavily on their keen sense of smell to determine what they want to put into their mouths. 

Is there such a thing as caffeinated water?

As a matter of fact, there is!  One company called "Water Joe" describes their water as "pristine artesian water, tapped from a protected aquifer deep beneath the land in northeastern Wisconsin. With a shot of natural caffeine extracted from coffee beans, which is tasteless and odorless. Think of it as a sugar-free, carb-free, calorie-free alternative to energy drinks. Water Joe comes in three sizes so you can pick the amount of caffeine you need to get your work done."

Monday, May 16, 2011

Would eating a Daddy-Long-Legged Spider hurt you?

Contrary to popular belief, Daddy-Long-Legs are not the most poisonous spider on the face of the earth.  They are venomous, but do not have enough to kill a human.  Eating a Daddy-Long-Legged spider will not hurt you.  But if you milk the venom out of a spider and inject enough into the blood stream, it can be particularily hazardous.

How many kinds of hot dogs are there?

This is a very difficult question, since people are coming up with their own special hot dog recipes every other day across the world.  However, after much research, I have finally found that there are at least 50 kinds of hot dogs, since every state's capitol usually has a specialty hot dog of their own.  Add in all the different brands and genres of hot dogs, and you probably come pretty close to 200 types of hot dogs- in America alone!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Why do people say bless you after you sneeze?



There are two possible reasons for people's response to a sneeze. The first is that people used to believe that one's soul escapes from the body through the nose when they sneeze. Saying "bless you," was supposed to prevent the soul from leaving and being taken hold of by the devil. The other reason people say "bless you," is that people used to believe that the heart stopped when they sneezed. Saying "bless you," was a way of welcoming them back to life!