The Question: How does the ocean manage all the garbage it gets every year? Submitted by: anonymous The Short Answer: I guess the really short answer is that it doesn’t. But a more complete answer would be that it depends on the type of garbage. Things like food waste and sewage probably get broken down [...]
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Why do fall webworms prefer trees with compound leaves?
The Question: Why do fall webworms prefer to build their webs in trees with compound leaves? It seems that every time I see a web it is on a walnut, or ash or locust tree. Submitted by: Jim, USA The Short Answer: I can’t find any published information that the fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) prefers [...]
What is this spider on the ceiling?
The Question: I saw this spider(?) walking on the ceiling of my kitchen. It was too small to see distinctly, but I grabbed my camera and got a good shot with my telephoto lens. It’s a fearsome looking little thing! Anyway, I live in Georgia and there are lots of spiders around the house and [...]
What is horseshoe crab blood used for?
The Question: I’ve heard that horseshoe crabs’ blood is used to make medicine. Is this true? Submitted by: Rick, New York, USA The Short Answer: Hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) are bled each year to produce a substance called Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL). LAL is used to test intravenous drugs and medical [...]
What’s the Difference Between Fur and Hair?
The Question: What’s the difference between fur and hair? Submitted by: Lisa, New York, USA The Short Answer: It depends on whether you want an answer based on scientific definitions, or an answer based on common usage. If you want the former, then the short answer is “nothing.” If you want the latter, then [...]