WHY do dogs drink toilet water?

Dogs are scavengers by nature. It's in their genes and has been for thousands of years.

A dog sees the world differently than a human. A dog's value system and its understanding of right and wrong is radically various from that of humans. For them, drinking from the toilet is not at all disgusting, but rather natural. The logic is simple: if you see a source of cool water, drink it.

The water in the toilet is always cool and clean, unless, of course, the toilet bowl itself is dirty. Cold, fresh water is preferable to room temperature water. In addition, the water we pour for our pets can sit in the bowl for several hours, and bits of food can accumulate there.

Also, the water in a metal or plastic bowl may have a tang of the material, making it less appealing to the pet.

WHY are dreams so hard to remember?

The conditions of the brain during sleep do not allow the dream to be transferred to long-term memory upon awakening.

In addition, a lack of the hormone noradrenaline, which is responsible for long-term memory, also plays a role.

Another reason could be that neurons from the hippocampus do not work properly during the REM sleep phase, which prevents them from transferring information to other neurons, delivering sleep never stored in memory.

WHY does a boomerang return?

The boomerang's shape and the way it is thrown is such that in flight it is subjected to an aerodynamic force which is directed perpendicular to its trajectory.

Due to this, the boomerang does not fly straight ahead, but, like a curved ball, takes to the side and returns approximately along a circular trajectory.

Unless, of course, it hits its target on the way. But there are also such boomerangs, which fly straight ahead and use aerodynamics to increase the flight range.

WHY are we getting air blown around when enter stores?

The main purpose of this action is to keep the air in the building at a constant temperature, preventing outdoor exposure at the entrance.

This practice is especially useful if the doors of the establishment must remain open. In this way, the flow of warm air in winter and cold air in summer protects the internal temperature of the establishment from drastic fluctuations. In addition, insects and debris from the street cannot get through the "air door".

WHY does rubbing alcohol burn skin?

The reason is not that alcohol destroys bacteria, but due to the reaction it causes in the body.

When in contact with the skin, it irritates the receptors responsible for sensing temperature. Normally they are activated by elevated readings, but alcohol lowers their threshold of sensitivity to body temperature. The receptors feel that the body is being exposed to excessive temperatures and transmit a feeling of pain to the brain.

WHY do fireflies glow?

Bioluminescence for fireflies is a means of intersex communication.

Not only do the insects signal their location, but they also distinguish their partner by a specific flicker frequency.

Tropical and North American firefly species sometimes perform entire choral serenades for their mates, simultaneously flaring up and fading out as a flock. A pack of females responds to them with the same light music.

WHY does an LED bulb glow in the dark?

It is due to the fact that the lighting element, which is installed in the switching device, closes the circuit, accordingly passing a small current. It charges and allows the light bulb to glow when it is off.

Is this glow dangerous? No danger of this problem for wiring, but the life of the LED light bulbs will be markedly reduced if they are constantly flashing or glow dimly.

WHY does hair grow faster and get darker after the first shave?

The idea that hair grows faster and gets darker after the first shave is wrong.

It's just that hair initially has thin, blond tips. Once it's shaved, it grows back with blunt, dark tips, which gives the illusion.

WHY are lightning rods used?

Lightning is a highly strong electrical spark that travels several kilometers in the sky in a matter of seconds. This spark makes the air hot and causes an explosion.

A single stroke of lightning can incinerate a tree and start a fire. But long ago people thought of a way to protect themselves and their homes from this danger. They invented the lightning rod — a metal rod, one end of which rises above the roofs of houses and the other end of which is connected to the ground with a wire.

Lightning finds the shortest route: it strikes the rod and, without hurting anyone, escapes through the wire into the ground.

WHY does a toucan have a big beak?

Despite its impressive size, the beak is not much of a burden for the bird, as it is very light due to the air cavities inside it: its structure resembles that of frozen foam.

Ornithologists agree that the toucan needs its long beak to get berries from the ends of thin twigs, which can't bear the bird's half-kilogram weight.

WHY do bees make honey?

Honey is vital to bee nutrition, especially in the winter.

To make honey, bees collect nectar from flowers. Since nectar contains a lot of water, bees have to work hard to dry it out. Also, bees add enzymes from their own bodies to the honey to turn the nectar into food and keep it from spoiling.

Honey is stored in the honeycomb for maturation. During ripening, the young bees transfer nectar from one cell to another several times, each time adding their own saliva. This honey is used as food by the bees as needed.

WHY are horses shod?

Horseshoes protect hooves from wear and tear and from the traumatic effects of solid ground.

Horses cope with hard physical work, such as carrying people, dragging loads, and running for time. They also have to constantly run on hard ground and asphalt. All this leads to hoof wear and tear: they wear out faster than they grow back.

WHY are artificial satellites launched?

Artificial satellites are man-made spacecraft launched into earth orbit, and they do a wide variety of work.

There are a great number of such satellites flying around the Earth: communications, navigation, meteo-satellites, reconnaissance, research, biosatellites, astronomical satellites 🛰

For example, it is impossible to imagine the modern world without communications satellites. They help to watch TV programs, make phone calls, and link computers with each other.

WHY does the orchestra conductor shake hands with the first violinist in concerts?

He does so primarily for the reason that the first violinist is the orchestra's tuning fork, the realization of the conductor's intent.

Interesting fact: Beethoven, recognizing the talent of Ludwig Spohr, invited him to be first violin in the famous musical ensemble in which he himself conducted. It was a tribute that endures to this day.

WHY are Detroit Red Wings hockey fans throwing octopuses on the ice?

It all began in April 1952, when Detroit once again entered the Stanley Cup. In those years, all it took to win the trophy was two four-game winning streaks, meaning eight games.

Brothers Peter and Gerald Cusimano, who owned fish stores, decided to support the Wings in some original way. The idea was put into action on April 15, 1952, at the old Olympia Stadium.

Since then matches in Detroit have been repeatedly interrupted by a rain of gutted clams 🐙

WHY doesn't a lizard cherish its tail?

The process of tail dropping is completely regulated by the brain, not a reflex. When threatened, the muscles and ligaments in the immediate area contract, tear, and the tail separates.

However, this is stressful for the lizard. Without the tail, it is no longer as fast, may lose the ability to reproduce, runs and climbs poorly due to the lack of a "rudder".

Indeed, most importantly, many lizards tail serves to store fat and nutrients, which means that all their energy is concentrated in the tail. Therefore, after its detachment, the animal may die of exhaustion.

WHY do people turn gray?

Melanocytes, located in the hair follicle, are responsible for hair color. They synthesize hair pigments, and their combination determines hair color. Indeed, melanocytes themselves are formed from stem cells.

As we age, the hair follicles wear down. This is manifested by a decrease in the number of melanocytes in the hair follicles, as well as a decrease in the activity of the remaining melanocytes.

WHY cannot we feel the air pressure?

An enormous ocean of air lies above our planet. Air presses on humans with a force of more than 15 tons🤯

Imagine having three trucks on top of you. Yet these "trucks" never crush a human being. The reason is that the "air column" presses on us not only from above, but from all sides evenly.

Besides, we also have air inside us. And that air comes under the same pressure. The pressure of the air from inside balances the pressure on the body from outside. That's why we don't notice the pressure on our body.

WHY do bears hibernate?

Hibernating in a den helps bears survive the hungry winter season.

When a bear hibernates, it barely moves. At the same time, its body temperature drops to 30° C and the functioning of the heart and lungs slows down. Such a state of the body contributes to the economical use of the fat accumulated before hibernation.

The bear does not suck its paw because it wants to eat. It does this to moisten its dry feet and to chew off keratinized and coarsened skin.

WHY should a tree frog not be picked up?

Under no circumstances should these frogs be handled❗

Their skin secretions are strong nerve poisons, providing them with protection from predators and explaining their bright cautionary coloration.

Yet exotic lovers raise tree frogs in terrariums. So what about their venomous nature? The fact is that in most cases it is caused by their nutrition: in the nature they eat small ants and termites and accumulate their venom. In terrariums, deprived of their "poisonous nourishment", tree frogs become practically harmless after a while

WHY is yawning contagious?

Scientists have discovered that humans react unconsciously not only to yawning, but even to the word "yawn" written on paper!

According to one theory, the contagiousness of yawning is related to the fact that humans used to live in packs, like chimpanzees, and it was crucial for them to go to sleep at the same time.

So yawning served as a signal that it was bedtime. Perceiving their neighbor's yawn as a signal to yawn and then fall asleep themselves, herd animals got used to sleeping together, keeping each other warm and safe during sleep.

WHY does a log not sink in water?

The secret of this phenomenon is that the density of a tree is less than that of water.

Density is the ratio of the mass of a physical body to its volume. The density of water is one (1 g/cm3) and the density of most types of trees is less than 1.

WHY do stars twinkle? 🌌

The cause of flickering is the Earth's atmosphere, through which star rays must pass before reaching the eye. Starlight in this case has to penetrate not a homogeneous medium, but gas layers of different temperature, different density, and therefore different refractivity.

Light rays undergo numerous deviations from the straight path, now concentrating, now scattering. Hence the frequent changes in the brightness of the star. And since refraction is accompanied by color scattering, along with fluctuations in brightness, changes in coloration are observed.

WHY does the wind blow up a fire, but not a match?

Burning wood begins with gasification (evaporation of combustibles by high temperature). In the case of a match, the flame provides the heat. However, the wind takes away the heat, and the match goes out.

A fire is kept burning by coals. The gasification of wood in them occurs in the inner layers when there is a lack of oxygen. The wind replenishes it: the smoldering of coals accelerates, the heat release grows, and the fire is ignited.

WHY is the highest-paying job in Hollywood a screenplay adaptation?

At the mention of Hollywood, most of us conjure up images of bright spotlights, gorgeous outfits, and rich celebrities.

Yet few people remember that not only actors make money on the movies, but also a tremendous number of people just doing a good job.

For example, a couple of weeks working on the adaptation of the script can make $500 thousand.