February | 2015 | Ask Dr. Universe | Washington State University

^{Ask Dr. Universe} _{February 2015}

University Communications Network > Ask Dr. Universe > 2015 > February

Why do scientists use Latin when they name organisms? – Arielle, New York

February 11, 2015 rcwebber

Dear Arielle,

Language changes all the time. Words get new meanings. New words get made up.

I talked about it with my friend Rich Zack. He’s an insect scientist at Washington State University. He does taxonomy. That’s the science of naming and classifying living things.

The way language changes is amazing—and skibidi. It’s neat that language morphs as we use it. But that can limit how well we understand each other. Some readers might see “skibidi” and think I passed out and hit random keys.

That’s the main reason scientists use Latin or ancient Greek to name things. They’re dead languages. Nobody uses … » More …

What's a baby crocodile called? -Alexandra, Wisbec, England

February 4, 2015 rcwebber

I hate sleeping. Do I really need to sleep? - Diedrich

February 4, 2015 rcwebber

Dear Diedrich,

Like most cats, I enjoy curling up for a quick snooze by my sunny office window. But I know that some people don’t love sleeping. They want to go go go without a break.

I talked about that with my friend Greg Belenky. He runs the Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington State University’s Spokane campus.

He told me that we need to sleep. Without it, we can’t do basic or complex things.

“All you have to do is look at behavior,” he said. “Somebody who’s sleep deprived for 84 hours can hardly do anything. They’re docile and easily led. They … » More …

Will I ever like Brussels sprouts? - Susan

February 4, 2015 rcwebber

Dear Susan,

Cats aren’t usually big veggie-eaters. But working with humans means that I get to taste all kinds of new delicacies—like Brussels sprouts.

I talked about food preferences with my friend Carolyn Ross. She’s a chemist and food scientist at Washington State University.

She told me that some people are extra sensitive to how foods taste. They’re called supertasters.

“Supertasters actually have more taste buds,” Ross said. “We’ve found that people who are supertasters are particularly sensitive to bitterness.”

Bitterness really strikes at a supertaster’s fungiform papillae. Those are the mushroom-shaped lumps on your tongue that house your taste buds. Because of … » More …

Dear Dr. Universe, If there were a black hole between the Earth and moon, what would we see? -Steven Raabe

February 4, 2015 rcwebber

Dear Steven,

Donuts in the sky. That's the easy answer. The more difficult, and probably much more painful, answer depends on your view.

Do bats have habits? -Elliot

February 4, 2015 rcwebber

Dear Elliot,

You are onto something. Quick, to the bat-lab! That’s where I met up with my friend Christine Portfors, a scientist at Washington State University who studies fruit bats.

Portfors explained that while bats don’t quite have habits like humans, they do have behaviors.

Bats are nocturnal. They sleep during the day and wake up in the early evening. The first thing they’ll do when they wake up is fly around and around their caves for a while.

Why do bees have stuff that looks like hair? The hair on their legs looks like a real hassle, what with all the crud that sticks to it.*-Elliot

February 4, 2015 rcwebber

That crud is their food, Elliott. That’s what I learned from Steve Sheppard. He studies bees here at WSU.

Dear Dr. Universe, I wanted to know if there is something lightning won't come near. I just wanted to know so I could protect myself against lightning. -Thanks, Philip

February 4, 2015 rcwebber

Dear Philip,

If you’re thinking of making a suit of rubber, forget it. It won’t work. There is nothing lightning won’t come near. It is unpredictable and very powerful, so just get that rubber suit out of your head.

What was the largest dinosaur? -Carlos, Visalia, California

February 4, 2015 rcwebber

About 85-feet long (half a football field) and 65 tons (about 7 T-Rexes), the largest dinosaur scientists know about is Dreadnoughts. She was a plant-eater and with her 37-foot-long neck probably had no problem reaching the leaves at the top of trees.

Dear Dr. Universe, Do bugs have hearts and brains? -Nick

February 2, 2015 rcwebber

Take a look inside a bug and you’ll find one brain in its head and other little brains called “ganglia” along its whole body. These tiny control centers help insects see, taste, and smell. They also help them quickly escape threats, like other bugs.

“If you had little brains everywhere else, you would also be much quicker,” says bug expert Laura Lavine. Read More ...