Why does a balloon stick to the ceiling after you rub it on your head? The answer is static electricity. What is static electricity? Static electricity is that little zap you feel when you touch metal after walking across the carpet in your socks. How does it work? Electrons are miniscule particles, so tiny they […]
Cells are the basic unit of all living things, from single cells that compose the simplest organisms to trillions of cells in the human body’s intricate structures. Every living entity on Earth is composed of cells. We call this the cell theory. According to the cell theory, cells are the fundamental building blocks of living […]
Most of us have played ‘The Floor is Lava’ game. Magma from the Earth’s core provides an interesting imaginary challenge for young children to avoid, but in the real world, this molten rock can be explosively powerful. Volcanoes are one of the most destructive forces on Earth. In the past, they have been responsible for […]
Living things are divided into six kingdoms of life based on how they are alike and how they are different. The largest of these kingdoms is the animal kingdom. Animals come in many different shapes and sizes. Some have exoskeletons, while others have no skeletons at all, and still others have highly evolved internal skeletons. […]
One of the most powerful, albeit slow moving forces of nature are glaciers. A single glacier can carve out vast canyons in the side of a mountain and move millions of tons of rock and debris. Glacier ice is anywhere from the size of a bus to hundreds of kilometers long and several kilometers wide. […]
Pandas are large animals with famously black-and-white fur. Such vivid coloring in the wild might seem like an invitation for predators such as leopards, or tigers to see and attack them. Surprisingly, researchers have found that the coloration which does not seem to be very effective at camouflaging them still offers them protection. “In its […]
One of the most breathtaking things to see with your own eyes, through a telescope, are the rings of Saturn. These beautiful rings looked like lobs or ears to ancient astronomers. Today we know that they are massive rings of orbiting dust, ice, debris, and moons. How did these rings form? There are three competing […]
All matter exists in one of three phases or states. These phases are solid, liquid, or gas. A fourth state also exists, which is plasma, but in this article we will focus only on the first three, since they are far more common. Most of the matter in the Universe exists in a gas state. […]
Shinning a light through the darkness can certainly make things feel more safe. But what is light. What is it about light that causes it to shine? To understand this simple phenomenon, you need to know how the light works. Light is made up of waves that travel through space at 1 million meters per […]
The African elephant is the largest land animal on Earth, and one of the most interesting and beautiful animals to have ever lived. These magnificent animals have been symbols of power and strength throughout human history. Range: The African elephant can be found in 37 countries including Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African […]
