By Scientific American Editors

Truth or Fiction: technological know-how Tackles fifty eight well known Myths via the Editors of medical American

Did NASA relatively spend hundreds of thousands making a pen that will write in area? Is chocolate toxic to canines? Does rigidity reason grey hair? those questions are only a pattern of the city lore investigated during this booklet, truth or Fiction: technology Tackles fifty eight renowned Myths. Drawing from clinical American’s “Fact or Fiction” and “Strange yet real” columns, we’ve chosen fifty eight of the main magnificent, interesting, necessary and simply simple wacky subject matters faced by way of our writers through the years. every one short article uncovers the reality in the back of daily mythology, beginning with part One, “In the Animal Kingdom,” the place we research a few of the extra outlandish claims approximately our fellow earthly population, corresponding to even if elephants quite consider every little thing and no matter if a cockroach can dwell with out its head. different sections disguise copy, the surroundings, know-how and private and psychological healthiness. whereas the solutions to a few questions, comparable to even if bathrooms particularly do flush within the wrong way south of the Equator, may possibly in basic terms serve to elevate your Trivial Pursuit wisdom, others, comparable to no matter if to pee on a jellyfish sting or wake a sleepwalker, may perhaps turn out to be useful. even supposing this booklet represents a fragment of circulating folks knowledge and concrete mythology, we are hoping that it’s an stress-free fraction and that it encourages you to perform a little debunking your self.

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Fact of Fiction: Science Tackles 58 Popular Myths

Truth or Fiction: technological know-how Tackles fifty eight renowned Myths by way of the Editors of medical American

Did NASA quite spend thousands making a pen that will write in area? Is chocolate toxic to canines? Does rigidity reason grey hair? those questions are only a pattern of the city lore investigated during this booklet, truth or Fiction: technological know-how Tackles fifty eight well known Myths. Drawing from medical American’s “Fact or Fiction” and “Strange yet real” columns, we’ve chosen fifty eight of the main marvelous, attention-grabbing, priceless and simply undeniable wacky subject matters faced by way of our writers through the years. every one short article uncovers the reality at the back of daily mythology, beginning with part One, “In the Animal Kingdom,” the place we learn a number of the extra outlandish claims approximately our fellow earthly population, resembling no matter if elephants rather take into accout every little thing and no matter if a cockroach can dwell with no its head. different sections hide replica, the surroundings, know-how and private and psychological health and wellbeing. whereas the solutions to a few questions, reminiscent of even if bogs quite do flush within the wrong way south of the Equator, may well in simple terms serve to elevate your Trivial Pursuit wisdom, others, equivalent to even if to pee on a jellyfish sting or wake a sleepwalker, may perhaps come in useful. even if this booklet represents a fragment of circulating people knowledge and concrete mythology, we are hoping that it’s an relaxing fraction and that it encourages you to do a little debunking your self.

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As odor chemist George Preti of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia explains, ambergris molecules are lipophilic (fat-loving), as are perfume molecules, but the ambergris molecules are larger and heavier. "The odor molecules have a high affinity for the other lipophilic molecules, so they stay associated with the ambergris molecules and don't go into the vapor phase all at once," Preti says. American perfume companies no longer mix ambergris into their fragrances, most likely because of confusing legalities surrounding its sale here.

Lucas likens this behavior to that of bonobos, primates that can imitate some tonal patterns, including vowel sounds, pitch changes, and rhythms, studies show. "The vocal skills of some of the dogs and cats on YouTube suggest that they might also have some selective tonal imitation skills," he says. What's happening between dog and owner-turned-voice-coach is fairly straightforward, Coren says: Owner hears the dog making a sound that resembles a phrase, says the phrase back to the dog, who then repeats the sound and is rewarded with a treat.

The parents will welcome it back with open wings. --Originally published: Scientific American Online July 26, 2007. Pets Protect Children against Allergies by Melinda Wenner Pets do an awful lot for kids: they teach them about unconditional love, responsibility, death and, of course, pooper scoopers. But does a dog or cat also keep a child from developing allergies? " The idea that pets might provide an immune benefit stems from a controversial theory born in 1989 called the hygiene hypothesis.

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