Thursday, March 26, 2009

Is it true that eating peanut causes acne?


Though eating peanuts can be a cause of some allergy for some children and teenagers, it is not a direct cause of acne. The truth is, acne, zits, and blackheads can occur due to a variety of causes, but your diet is not a direct cause of these.

Most of the time acne is caused by factors such as exercise, cosmetics, hormones, hygiene, medications, shaving and stress. One of these factors cause the sebaceous gland ( a gland found throughout the skin) to produce sebum, an oily substance. The hair follicles may get trapped in the sebum with other debris and form a bacterial culture right inside your skin. As the bacterial colonies increase in size, the pimples emerge.

While it is true that a generally unhealthy diet can reduce your body's ability to fight off acne, the food itself does not cause the acne. It is more important to recognize that eating healthy foods can strengthen your body's ability to fight of bacteria infections such as acne..

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Would you believe tht beer waste produces electricity?

Power is generated from beer wastewater through the action of sugar-consuming bacteria. Organic matter is consumed by the bacteria, liberating alcohol, starch, and sugar in the process. The by-products of this method are electricity, clean water, and carbon dioxide.


A new alternative source of energy, the Beer Battery, not only produces electricity but also cleans up manufacturing leftovers.

Beer Battery is produced from beer wastewater and sugar-consuming bacteria.

Fuel cells are able to convert chemical energy back into electrical energy without producing pollution.



Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Why do racing cars have smooth tires?


Tires serve as cushions for the wheels of automobiles. They give the car a good grip on slippery roads, and stop the car from sliding about when breaking or cornering. Except for racing cars, most of the tires we see have tread patterns running around the tire. These treads are the thin zigzag channels that cut around the rubber. The treads sponge up surface water and pup the water out behind as the car rolls forward. On a wet road, a tire has to move more than 5 liters of water a second to give an adequate grip.

Most cars have to function in all weathers, so their tires must be treaded. On a perfectly dry road, however, the treads are actually not needed.

Racing cars are used only during races, and these events are usually held during a dry season. That's why they don't need tires with treads. The smooth tire of a racing car ( also called a slick) gives the car a maximum possible area of contact with the road. If racing cars will have to run on wet roads, then the slicks are replaced with treaded tires.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Beat Oil Crises with Biofuels

Jatropha plantation can be found in the Philippines

Due to continuous increase in the price of fossil fuel nowadays, people from around the world tend to rely on Biofuel, which is a cheaper alternative. As a matter of fact,Brazil, the world's top producer of ethanol, uses sugarcane for this fuel. Many developing countries such as those in the southern part of Africa produce large amount of sugar and have potential to become ethanol producers. The United States relies on corn to produce nearly one-quarter of the world's ethanol. China is fast emerging as the third largest ethanol supplier.

Ethanol which is also known as bioethanol is a gasoline-type fuel made by fermenting sugars into alcohol. Ethanol can be made from sugar cane, sugar beets, sweet sorghum and starch from corn.

Biodiesel is a diesel-type fuel made from plants that naturally produce oils. These oils are processed so that the glycerine in the oil is removed and is replaced with methyl alcohol. Biodiesel can be made from all kinds of pant oils like soybean, rapseed, coconut, palm, canola, jatropha, sunflower, and olive.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

How strong is the spider's silk?


Recent studies says that the silk spun by spiders to make web is stronger than steel. It is about five times stronger and twice as strong as Kevlar of the same weight. At one time the US military were planning to make a bullet-proof made of spider's silk.

In addition, the production of spider's silk is completely environmentally friendly. It is industrially viable, it could replace Kevlar and be used to make a diverse range of item such as:

  • biodegradable bottles
  • bullet-proof clothing
  • bandages, surgical thread
  • ropes and nets
  • artificial tendons for ligaments to support for weak blood vessels

Saturday, March 7, 2009

What makes us cry while slicing an onion?


Onions have a pungent odor, but this is not what causes our eyes to tear whenever we slice these bulbs. It is the release of syn-propanethial-S-oxide, a chemical irritant that stimulates our tear glands. When we cut an onion, an enzyme called lachrymatory-factor synthase is released into the air. This enzyme then couples with the enzyme present in the onion to produce an unstable sulfenic acid that rearranges itself to another gaseous substance, syn-propanethial-S-oxide. This gas gets into our eyes, producing sulfuric acid, and then the tears start flowing.

There are ways in getting around this problem.

  • you can wear googles.
  • you can chill the onion in the refrigerator before chooping it.
  • you can try running tap water over the bulbs as you slice or cut the onion under water.

Friday, March 6, 2009

What is the purpose of yawn?



One usually yawns when bored or tired. Yawning makes you draw in breath, filling your lungs with air. This increases the oxygen supply to the blood to help wake yourself up.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

why do people blink?


Every time we blink, normally about six times a minute, a tear is secreted by the lachrymal gland in the corner of the eye. This tear spreads over the cornea to keep the eyeball clean and moist. The amount you blink increases when wind, dust or bright light threatens to harm the eye.

Monday, March 2, 2009

How were the days named?


Four of the names we use for the days of the week are of Scandinavian origin, while the others come from heavenly bodies. Sunday is named in honor of the Sun; Monday was the day of the Moon; Tuesday was the day of Tiw, the Scandinavian god of war;Wednesday comes from Woden ( Odin), chief of the Scandinavian gods; Thursday is named after Thor, the god of Thunder; Freya ( or Frigga ), the goddess of friendship, gave her name to Friday; and Saturday was the day of Saturn.