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Why do bees make hexagons in their hives? Why not any other shape? -Aditya, 10, New Delhi, India

November 2, 2015 rcwebber

Dear Aditya,

When bees make hexagons in their hives, the six-sided shapes fit together perfectly. In fact, we’ve actually never seen bees make any other shape. That’s what I found out when I visited my friend Sue Cobey, a bee researcher at Washington State University.

Cobey showed me some honeycombs where the female bees live and work. Hexagons are useful shapes. They can hold the queen bee’s eggs and store the pollen and honey the worker bees bring to the hive.

When you think about it, making circles wouldn’t work too well. It would leave gaps in the honeycomb. The worker bees could use triangles or squares for storage. Those wouldn’t leave gaps. But the hexagon is the strongest, most useful shape.

Do spiders have good eyesight? -Kathryn, Comfort, Texas

October 26, 2015 rcwebber

Dear Kathryn,

Most spiders have quite a few eyes, but they usually can’t see very well. Then again, seeing isn’t everything.

Can frog babies hear their mothers croaking underwater? -Ella, 9, Seattle, WA

August 31, 2015 rcwebber

Dear Ella,

Baby frogs go through some pretty big changes to become grown-up frogs. They start out as tiny tadpoles with just a head and a tail to help them swim. They have an inner ear and can hear some sounds.

Dr. Universe: Is the puffin a descendent of the dodo -Samykutha, Chennai, India

July 6, 2015 rcwebber

Dear 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.

Dr. Universe: Why do musicians use both sides of their brains? -Rohan

June 15, 2015 rcwebber

Dear Rohan,

The left and right side of the brain each have unique abilities, so when they come together, it’s a kind of brain duet.

I saw a caterpillar and a butterfly in the neighbor's yard. So my question is, what exactly happens inside the little sack they're in while they transform into a butterfly and HOW exactly do they do it? -Eston

April 6, 2015 rcwebber

Dear Eston,

Springtime sets the stage for one of the greatest transformations in the natural world.

“It’s the construction of a butterfly or moth from caterpillar soup,” said my friend David James, an entomologist at Washington State University. James studies the science behind metamorphosis, or how a creature transforms.

Can you grow stuff like thread, cloth, silk, and most importantly, clothing? -Jay, Colorado

March 23, 2015 rcwebber

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Dear Jay,

We can use all kinds of animal, bug, and plant materials to make cloth. Even some of the tiniest living things on the planet can make cloth, too.

I heard about this from my friend Hang Liu, a Washington State University professor who studies the science of materials we use and wear every day.

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.