分类目录归档：science
Why does your mouth feel like it's on fire
when you eat a spicy pepper?
And how do you soothe the burn?
Why does wasabi make your eyes water?
And how spicy is the spiciest spice?
Let's back up a bit.
We like to think of romantic feelings
as spontaneous and indescribable things that come from the heart.
But it's actually your brain
running a complex series of calculations within a matter of seconds
When you hear the word symmetry,
maybe you picture a simple geometric shape
like a square or a triangle,
or the complex pattern on a butterfly's wings.
If you are artistically inclined,
you might thin
The year was 1816.
Europe and North America had just been through
a devastating series of wars,
and a slow recovery seemed to be underway,
but nature had other plans.
After two years of poor harvests,
"Hey, another atom. I'm hydrogen, nice to meet you.
How are you feeling about the jump?"
"Hi there, I'm antihydrogen, your antiatom,
and to be honest, I'm feeling kind of neutral.
My positron and anti
It can strike without warning, at any moment.
You may be walking across a soft carpet and reaching for the door knob
when suddenly...zap!
To understand static electricity,
we first need to know a bit
In medieval times,
alchemists tried to achieve the seemingly impossible.
They wanted to transform lowly lead into gleaming gold.
History portrays these people as aged eccentrics,
but if only they'd k
Homer's "Odyssey",
one of the oldest works of Western literature,
recounts the adventures of the Greek hero Odysseus
during his ten-year journey home from the Trojan War.
Though some parts may be b
If you ever find yourself gazing at falling snow,
why not catch a few snowflakes on your glove and examine their shapes?
You might notice that they look symmetrical,
and if you look closely,
you'll
Would you like to know what's in our future?
What's going to happen tomorrow, next year, or even a millennium from now?
Well, you're not alone.
Everyone from governments to militaries to industry lea