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.
Read More ...Dear Lily and Heidi,
Well, we don’t know for certain. Looking up to the stars at night, I’ve often wondered if alien cats are out chasing alien mice or taking naps on other planets.
My imagination aside, your questions are like those scientists are asking, too. And it’s no wonder we are so curious.
With billions of planets in our galaxy, including small Earth-like worlds, the possibility of life out there is an exciting thought to many people. So, humans have set out to look for planets that might support life.
In fact, this month scientists announced the Kepler spacecraft’s discovery of … » More …
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Dear Ash,
We’ve learned a lot about how water supports life on the blue planet, but the first drop is a bit mysterious. Scientists have a few theories about how it happened.
Read More ...Dear Michael,
A hundred years ago, human beings only lived to be about 50 years old. Now people are living longer, so there’s more time for cancer to develop in their bodies. That’s what I learned from my friend David Liu who researches cancer at Washington State University.
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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 ...Dear 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 ...Dear Zoe,
Scientists could see and feel electricity in nature long before they discovered how to make it. Maybe you’ve seen it during a powerful electrical storm or felt a little shock from static electricity.
It happens because of tiny parts of atoms. They’re called electrons and they are everywhere.
Read More ...Dear Alexa,
My friend Kate Evans said the answer really depends on whether you want the perspective of a person, a plant, or even a cat. Evans is a plant scientist at Washington State University in Wenatchee, where she investigates fruit in the Apple Capital of the World.
She explained how long ago, wild apples actually grew in forests. Without farmers around to plant them in orchards, trees had to scatter their own seeds to survive.
For some trees, the key to survival is growing sweet, ripe fruit.
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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.
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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.
Read More ...Dear Dr. Universe: What is venom? -Callum, 9
Dear Callum,
A lot of different animals, like wasps, spiders, snakes, jellyfish, and scorpions, make venom. Animals like the cone snail, the blue-ringed octopus, and centipedes do, too.
Venom is a mixture of different proteins that can be very toxic to animals. While humans don’t make venom, they do carry around proteins. Proteins called keratin are the building blocks of your hair and nails. The red protein hemoglobin in your blood helps deliver oxygen around your body.
Venom tries to disrupt the systems in our body that help keep us alive, said my friend Mark … » More …
Read More ...Got a science question? Any question?
Dr. Universe answers science questions from children with the help of Washington State University scientists. She teamed up with her friends at Northwest Public Broadcasting to bring some of those curious questions to life. Parents can help submit their children’s questions using the question form.
Hey cool cats, I’m Dr. Universe, here to answer your baffling science questions like this one. How do bones form? Most humans have 206 bones. But did you know, you are actually born with about 300? Before you were born, your skeleton was soft and bendy. Then when you were a … » More …
Read More ...Ever wondered how to build a suit to guard against lightning strikes? Or have you been curious about what you’d see if a black hole appeared between the Earth and moon?
Join her on her search for knowledge. Enter your email below and we’ll let you know when her adventures begin. You can help her by asking her questions. Like, that would REALLY help her. … » More …
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