
Why are bears called bears when they can be called anything else, not just a bear? - Natallia, 8, Yakima, Wash.
jaime.chambersDear Natallia,
You’ve noticed something very important: there’s no natural reason for the words humans use. Any sound could be used to describe a big mammal that eats berries and salmon.
But people who speak English choose “bear.” People who speak Spanish use “oso.” People who speak Maricopa say “maxwet.” They’re all different, but they’re all correct.
That’s what I learned from my friend Lynn Gordon, a linguist at Washington State University.
“Why do we call bears ‘bears’?” she said. “Because we’ve agreed to.”
Read More ...Dr. Universe: Do babies have ways of communicating? –Jalen, 12, North Carolina
rcwebberDr. Universe: How do you make a snow globe? – Alexa, 10, Salem, MO
rcwebberDr. Universe: Why do people have different accents? Why do we have them and need them? -Florrie P., 9, UK
rcwebberDear Dr. Universe: How do we talk? – Emmy, 7, Wash. State
rcwebberDr. Universe: Why do we get morning breath? -Stephanie, 10
rcwebberDr. Universe: Why do we have a belly button? – Jane, 9, Kennewick, WA
rcwebberWho created the very first chocolate bar? – Emma, 11, USA
rcwebberDear Emma,
For most of human history, people have enjoyed chocolate in a spicy, bitter drink. But when people discovered how to turn chocolate into a solid, it opened up a whole new world of possibilities.
That’s what I found out from my friend Omar Cornejo, a scientist at Washington State University who is very curious about the history and life of the cacao tree. Chocolate comes from the seeds of leathery fruits that grow on the tree.
If we cut open the fruit, we would find about 20 to 60 seeds on the inside. In ancient times, people would grind up the seeds … » More …
Read More ...Dr. Universe: Why does music give us chills? -Nicole, 11, Spokane, Wash.
rcwebberDear Friends,
If you are anything like me, maybe you’ve suddenly felt a chill while listening to music. Perhaps, you got goosebumps and saw your arm hairs stand on end. Maybe you even teared up.
Read More ...Dear Dr. Universe: What did our ancestors eat? -Bushra, 10, Kuwait
rcwebberDear Bushra,
Our ancestors weren’t very picky eaters. In fact, they ate pretty much whatever they could find, wherever and whenever they could find it.
Read More ...Why can't we just print a bunch of money to make everyone rich? - Daniel, 8
rcwebberDear Daniel,
It sure sounds like a nice idea. Print a bunch of money and everyone gets rich. We could buy anything we wanted. Ah, if only it were that easy. It turns out printing more money would have a much different outcome than we might like to imagine.
Read More ...Why do we have different feelings? - Charan and Aishwarya V., 10 & 8, Rutherford, New Jersey
rcwebberDear Charan and Aishwarya,
Imagine you are playing a game of soccer and your best friend is on the opposing team. The sun is out, you are having a great time, and you score the winning goal. You’d probably feel pretty happy and so would your team.
Read More ...Does science get harder every year or is that just me? -Keegun, 8th grade, E. Wash.
rcwebberDear Keegun,
We’ve got about three pounds of brain in our heads that help us look for answers and solve all kinds of problems. But it isn’t always easy. Sometimes an experiment doesn’t go the way I expect or I get stuck on a particularly tricky science question.
Read More ...Dear Dr. Universe: How does digestion work? -Abi, 12, U.S., Megha R., 11, Dubai
rcwebberDear Abi and Megha,
All around the world, animals are eating all kinds of different foods. Our foods might be different, but one thing is true for all of us: We have to digest.
Read More ...Dear Dr. Universe: Why do we find some things scary? -Jack H., 8, UK
rcwebberDear Jack,
While our fears might be different, we all get scared sometimes. Vacuums, dogs, and even cucumbers make my hair stand on end. Perhaps for you it’s spiders, the dark, or the thought of monsters under your bed.
My friend Michael Delahoyde is really curious about what freaks us out. As an English professor at Washington State University, he’s even taught a course about monsters.
Read More ...Why do we get brain freezes -Hannah, 9, Monroe Elementary
rcwebberDear Hannah,
You’re enjoying some ice cream, when suddenly you feel a pain in your head that hurts a whole lot. It’s like it came out of nowhere, and in a matter of seconds, it’s gone.
Read More ...Why is Pi 3.1415...? What if it was just 3? -anonymous
rcwebberDear Curious Readers,
It’s almost March 14. You know what that means: Pi Day, as in 3/14, or 3.14159265359 and so on.
I met up with my friend Nathan Hamlin, a mathematician and instructor here at Washington State University, to explore your question about this never-ending number.
We calculated Pi with some of my favorite items: yarn and a tuna can. You can try it at home, too.
Read More ...Dear Dr. Universe, Do kids' brains work better in the morning or in the afternoon? -Grace, Spring, TX
rcwebberDear Grace,
Hang on tight because the human brain keeps you on a 24-hour roller coaster.
Read More ...Are we getting lazier? -Aaryan, 9, Timber Ridge
rcwebberDear Aaryan,
We cats have a reputation for being lazy. We sleep a lot. But the truth is when I got your question, I didn’t know much about laziness. So, I decided to talk about it with a couple of psychologists here at Washington State University.
My first stop was the Psychology of Physical Activity Lab. That’s where I met up with my friend, Professor Anne E. Cox.
Read More ...Why is yawning contagious? -Grant, 10, Pullman, WA
rcwebberDear Grant,
When I got your question, I met up with my friend Hans Van Dongen, a scientist at Washington State University in Spokane. He works in a research lab where they study sleep. As a cat who appreciates naps, it’s one of my favorite places to visit.
Read More ...Dr. Universe, How do you have a bake sale? -Aoife, 7, Omagh, Ireland
rcwebberDear Aoife,
It took more than a hundred bakers to pull off the biggest bake sale in history. They made 14,534 cakes, sold out their supply in eight hours, and made it into the Guinness World Records.
Read More ...Dr. Universe: Is the puffin a descendent of the dodo -Samykutha, Chennai, India
rcwebberDear Samykutha,
The dodo bird isn’t with us anymore, but if you visit a city park you’ll likely see one of its very close relatives walking around. It might even be nibbling on a French fry. Dodos were a pigeon, said my friend Michael Webster.
Read More ...Why do we get jealousy? I can feel it sometimes, too, but I don't know why. -Hailey, 10, London, Ontario
rcwebber/b>
Dear Hailey,
Cats love attention, but we don’t get jealous like humans do. It’s one of those emotions that set human beings apart from other creatures in the animal kingdom. But I can’t imagine it’s the most pleasant. The poet William Shakespeare once called jealousy a green-eyed monster. Still, it’s an emotion that can help you navigate the world.
Read More ...Dr. Universe: Why did people invent movies? -Danielle, Latrobe, Tasmania
rcwebberDear Danielle,
Movies not only took the ideas and inventions of people, but also the work of a horse. Her name was Sallie Gardner and the debate of her day was whether or not horses ever had all four hooves off the ground during a gallop.
Read More ...How do I make a diary? -Nimra, Kitchener, Ontario
rcwebberDear Diary,
Oh, I mean...Dear Nimra,
Making a diary is like creating your own top-secret book. So, I headed straight for a Washington State University library where there are more than a million books.
My friend Linnea Nelson was working with some of the books from the special collections when I went to visit her in the lab. She is a conservator, so part of her job is to repair and re-build old books. It preserves their history.
Some of the books had an old smell that wafted up into my little nose. The smell comes from different chemical compounds that escape into the air, including one similar to vanilla. The compounds are in the ink, paper, and other materials used to keep the pages together. And one way to keep the pages together is to bind them with thread.
Read More ...