Humans are an incredible species! We’ve found ways to talk to each other from opposite sides of the world, discovered cures for terrible diseases and have even ventured on an expedition to explore space. But there’s still so much left to find out. While growing up, we’ve all had various questions related to science and tried to understand how things work the way they do. Getting to the bottom of all those questions that were never properly answered, Sony BBC Earth’s show, Secret of Everything reveals the interesting facts to clear your doubts.
LET’S EXPLORE FIRE AND FLAMES
To get a good fire going, we need fuel to burn along with heat and oxygen supply. The more oxygen there is, the quicker the reaction happens. Liquid oxygen is 1000 times as concentrated as gaseous oxygen which is exactly what makes fire burn so well. So, fire is nothing but a combination of fuel, heat and oxygen. Now, wood is a solid fuel for fire. As a process, oxygen and wood undergo a simple chemical reaction which releases heat and light energy at the same time, and that brings out the fire.
WHAT MAKES YOU SURVIVE EXTREME COLD?
Cold water takes away the body heat roughly 30 times faster than air, which means our bodies are in for a shock. As soon as we hit the water, our breathing rate and oxygen consumption go high, and that gets us shivering which is the body’s way of keeping warm. This uses up our body energy, which leads to lowering of heart rate. As we come out of the chilling water, our bodily functions start to slow down and our organs require less oxygen becasue of which we need to breathe less and eventually get to a point where our body needs so little oxygen, that we could survive without breathing for a little while. This simple fact has led to an amazing medical breakthrough. By chilling bodies to 16 degrees, doctors can put patients into a state of suspended animation and perform complex operations without the blood circulating. Usually, this would mean certain death but at these temperatures the body is using almost no energy and can often survive for up to 40 minutes before being warmed up and resuscitated.
WHY DO BOOMERANGS COME BACK?
If you look closely down at a boomerang, you’ll see that one of the blades is thick and the other side is thin. Its wings create a force called ‘lift’ and it’s what makes a boomerang fly. Now what makes it come back? Well, the blades of a boomerang when thrown, spin to create an unbalanced smooth force. These forces cause the boomerang’s path to curve in an oval shape, so that it will return to the thrower when thrown correctly. That is the essence of the boomerang: it comes back to you.
DOES JUNK FOOD SLOW DOWN YOUR METABOLISM?
Your metabolism refers to all the chemical reactions that occur within your body. Having a fast metabolism means that your body burns more calories while having a slow metabolism means that your body burns fewer calories, making it more difficult to maintain or lose weight. Metabolising food requires energy, which is referred to as the thermic effect of food. Processed food or junk food like french fries, potato chips, sugary drinks and most pizzas requires less energy to digest and metabolise than whole foods. This leads to fewer calories burned throughout the day, making weight loss and maintenance more difficult.
WHY ARE MOUNTAIN TOPS COLD?
You’d think that the higher you get, the warmer it should become, with all that air floating upwards. But the truth is, temperatures drop by about one degree every 100 metres you climb. Well, the fundamental law of nature applies here— compress a gas and it heats up, let it expand and it cools down. The same goes up there on a mountain. In an open area, air comes flying out and it expands. But on mountain tops it loses all those energetic air molecules and the temperature goes down.
There are many more secrets about science which you would want to know. For many such intriguing facts, tune in to Secrets of Everything only on Sony BBC Earth.
