Science & Technology

The four inner planets — Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars — share several features in common. Astronomers call them “terrestrial planets” because they have solid, rocky surfaces roughly similar to desert and mountainous areas on the earth. The inner planets…

Matches have been around for a surprisingly long time. The first sulfur-based matches appeared in the 1200s, and a way to strike them using phosphorous-soaked paper was devised in the 1600s. Modern matches date to 1827, when English chemist John…

Bees and wasps are considered a pest by many, and wasps in particular will sting viciously if they feel threatened. They are most active during the warmer months of the year, especially between August and October (in the northern hemisphere),…

Cubic yards often replace cubic feet as the U.S. standard unit when handling large volumes of materials, such as concrete slabs, mulch and topsoil, because the resulting calculations are smaller and more manageable. As an example, a contractor can better…

You may not think of chemistry when you’re baking a cake, but it is definitely a chemically based process. Whatever type of food you bake, the recipe’s basic ingredients are involved in several chemical reactions that tie diverse ingredients together…

Many people tend to use the words “alligator” and “crocodile” interchangeably, implying that there is almost no difference between the two animals. While they do look similar, there are several important differences between them. Crocodiles have longer and thinner snouts…

Pounds per square foot, or psf, and pounds per square inch, or psi, are measurements of pressure still used in the United States but largely abandoned elsewhere in the world. One pound per square inch is equal to one pound-force…

Shaped by wind, ice and snow, the tundra is a vast and seemingly barren region circumnavigating the northernmost edges of North America, Greenland and Eurasia. It is home to a variety of vegetation, including many species of shrub. Characterized by…

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the chemical formula of Styrofoam is C8H8. Styrofoam, the brand name of a type of polystyrene, contains equal parts carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). The manufacture of true polystyrene requires…

Before reproduction, the fish has to become sexually mature, just as with other animals. In a study done by Robert C. Summerfelt and Paul R. Turner, flathead catfish were found to age 10 years before becoming sexually mature enough to…