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Humans and Sea Squirts
Posted by Dr. Science on 04/29/2013
How can we humans be in the same phylum as sea squirts?
———- from Shannon Bryant of Cedar Rapids, IA
You ever see those drawings of sea monkeys they have in the back of comicbooks? Well, those are actually sea squirts and their humanoid appearanceis quite obvious when you magnify them 2,000 times. One theory holds thatsea squirts were humans who were sucked into the center of the earth whenAtlantis sank. There, the intense gravity shrunk them to microscopic size.Hence the pejorative term “Squirt” we use to describe something puny andinsignificant. Incidentally a “phylum” is just a fancy Latin term for”file”, referring to the big file cabinet in the National Bureau ofStandards, where they classify everything.
Dealing with Mice
Posted by Dr. Science on 04/26/2013
How can I convince mice to leave my home without killing them?
———- from Dan Haggerty of Seattle, WA
Hire a motivational speaker. Many specialize in rodent persuasion. The trick involves convincing the mouse it’s in his best interests to leave. So rather than casting the solution in a negative light, the speaker challenges the mouse to move on towards a higher goal! I once had Zig Zigler himself rid my house of mice and cockroaches. Not only did the varmints leave, they went on to profitable careers in real estate and nutritional counseling.
Soda Machine Frustration
Posted by Dr. Science on 04/24/2013
Why is it that vending machines are always out of the soda I want, but myfriend, who is standing next to me and wants something else, always gets hisfirst choice?
———- from William Fisher of Columbia, MO
It’s because your friend has dared to want something else, while you arestill stuck at the infantile level of desire. You want, no, demand the sameold thing and the universe is tired of giving it to you. You’d be tiredtoo, if only you had the self confidence and self knowledge to dare to wantsomething else. Soda machines are the Zen masters of modern life and thelesson they teach those on the path to enlightenment can be learned no otherway. So the next time you approach such a machine, choose anything but theflavor you want and send yourself down the express lane toward nirvana.
Strange Sounds in Kung Fu Movies
Posted by Dr. Science on 04/22/2013
I love Kung Fu movies, but wonder where all the strange sounds come from.They can’t be human, I know that much.
———- from Patrick Keller of Colorado Springs, CO
At frequences beyond the range of human hearing are thecries of the inanimate world. Chairs, tables, windows and doors all have alot to say, and are saying it almost all the time. The people who make KungFu movies have had their consciousness expanded by the mystic arts enabling them to perceive these cries. Thanks to special microphones and recordingdevices, these oohs, aaahs, thwunks and splats are brought to theforeground, where they irritate those of us who would rather hide from theirmessage.
Coloring Hair
Posted by Dr. Science on 04/19/2013
If I spend $75 to have my brown hair colored blond, how come when it getswet it goes right back to being brown?
———- from Meaghan O’Brien of Dublin, Ireland
