Children’s science questions also focus on campfire blowing, kiwi hairiness, and neutron stars. And do the parents of the mule know that they are of a different species?
Saara Berkovits, 10
Nasal inside is often the first point where the respiratory viruses that cause runny nose and cough can infect mucosal cells and thus infect a person.
This is also the case now with the rampant coronavirus. As is well known, coronavirus can cause fever, dry cough, stomach symptoms, fatigue, and even life-threatening breathing difficulties. But the disease can also be asymptomatic.
The nasal virus most often takes its own finger, even in adults. When the virus is in the finger, it can be transmitted to the eye by rubbing or by mouth. Respiratory viruses do not infect through the skin. That’s why washing your hands with soap is important, especially now during a corona pandemic.
Thus, when the nose is generally the first place in a person where the virus can reproduce, it is best tested from there using a stick. From the back of the mouth, the virus cannot be tested as well.
Unfortunately, the nose is a rather sensitive place, but fortunately the virus is not tested in the eye!
Ilkka Seppä
ear, nose and throat doctor
Vaccine Research Center, University of Tampere
Does a neutron star reflect light?
Sampo Metsä, 11
Neutron stars are compressed old stars that are extremely dense. Their cores may contain a very exotic substance, such as a so-called quark substance.
The neutron stars are very round and smooth in shape like billiard balls, which can have small mountains less than a millimeter in size on their surface.
Their surface acts as a good mirror. It reflects incident radiation such as light and X-rays.
The surface usually consists of very hot hydrogen or helium gas, as does our own Solar. The surface of neutron stars can be up to 10 million degrees Celsius hot. The surface temperature of the sun is about 5,500 degrees.
Neutron stars emit light and other radiation into the surrounding space very strongly, much more than they reflect.
Joonas Nättilä
Flatiron Research Fellow
Columbia University and the Flatiron Institute in New York, USA
Aleksi Vuorinen
Professor of Theoretical Particle Physics
university of Helsinki
When the candle is blown, it goes out. Why doesn’t this happen when a campfire is blowing?
Eeva Wirola, 10
Candle the wax is usually stearin or paraffin. In the heat of the flame, the wax melts, rises along the heart, evaporates and breaks down into small molecules.
Those molecules combine with oxygen in the air, i.e. they burn. Thus, the gas near the heart of the candle burns in the candle.
The heat from combustion melts and vaporizes more wax, producing more fuel for the flame. This is how the flame of a candle feeds itself.
When blown into a flame, the air stream takes away both the burning gas and the heat it produces. Then the fire goes out.
A wood burns in the campfire, which, of course, is not removed by blowing. Blowing, on the other hand, carries more oxygen and combustion accelerates.
Bellows are based on this fact. It is a tool that is a more effective way than blowing to accelerate the burning of a campfire or hearth.
Simo Huotari
professor of physics
university of Helsinki
Do mule parents know they are different species?
Saga Pihko, 6
Mule of the parents the father is a donkey and the mother is a horse.
Horses are known to recognize their breed mates and people as individuals. They also distinguish familiar guests. Horses also know how to interpret people’s feelings and behave differently depending on whether they look angry or ordinary.
There is no researched data on the tendencies of donkeys to identify individuals and emotions. However, it is known that it is important for horses, donkeys and other solipeds to be identified as prey and to decide immediately whether to flee.
The experiences of solipeds on representatives of other animal species affect who they feel calmly and who they flee.
Consistent classification of organisms into different species is probably only a human predisposition. A similar system is probably lacking for other animals. We don’t even know in more detail the basis on which horses and donkeys distinguish an individual of another animal species from their own.
A horse as a large and donkey long-eared hoof animal may seem a little different from a representative of another species. Yet they are familiar enough that there is no need to fear another. It is likely that the mule’s parents are not even aware that they are a different species.
Outi Vainio
Professor Emeritus of Veterinary Pharmacology
university of Helsinki
Why is kiwi hairy? Is it because the buttocks wouldn’t go there like they did on the nose?
My Antin, 5
Different the hairiness of the kiwifruit varieties varies. We have the most edible kiwi fruit i.e. Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosan the surface is covered with a dense coat. The coat is made up of cellular hairs, so-called trichomes.
Kiwis have many different diseases as a nuisance. However, according to current knowledge, hair is not an effective way to defend against bacterial and fungal pathogens typical of kiwifruit. At worst, cellular hair can even increase the growing area for pathogens.
Cell hair, on the other hand, can help kiwis defend themselves against insects. After all, man can avoid hair by not eating the bark, but many insects have to put up with it.
Cellular hair makes it difficult for insects to move on the surface of kiwi leaves. The hair is also difficult for them to eat. They can slow down or even prevent the fruit from being eaten.
For us humans, however, kiwi shells are a good source of fiber, vitamin E, and folic acid if your mouth just gets used to the feel of the shell. If the shells eat, they should be washed well.
Kiwi is originally from China, where it has been cultivated for over a thousand years. The climatic conditions for growing it have been challenging. The hair has also provided protection against drought.
Anna-Liisa Laine
professor of ecology
University of Zurich, Switzerland
university of Helsinki
Send the question, the full name and age of the questioner to [email protected]. The column will be edited by Touko Kauppinen and Juha Merimaa.
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