Braindrops from
The Franklin Institute


Learn more about your brain and how to take care of it

05/09/08 - The corona is the very hot outermost layer of a star's atmosphere. Our Sun's corona can only be seen during a total solar eclipse.

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05/08/08
Aerodynamics is the study of forces and the resulting motion of objects through the air. The word comes from two Greek words: aerios, concerning the air, and dynamis, which means force.
05/07/08
A "Nowcast" is a short-term weather forecast for expected conditions in the next few hours.
05/06/08
Hard water refers to water that has a significant amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium ions. This water performs poorly with most soaps and detergents and leaves a scaly deposit in containers where it is heated or evaporates.
05/05/08
Your skin is alive. It is made of many layered thin sheets of flat, stacked cells in which you will find nerves, blood vessels, hair follicles, glands, and sensory receptors.
05/04/08
Bat wings contain bones similar to that of a four-fingered human hand. A thin, strong membrane spreads across these bones, connecting them to the bat's back and legs.
05/03/08
PDA is short for personal digital assistant. It is a handheld device that combines computing, telephone/fax, Internet, and networking features.
05/02/08
Solar flares are violent eruptions of gas on the Sun's surface.
05/01/08
Polonium was discovered in 1898 by physicist Marie Curie and her husband, Pierre. They were looking for the source of radioactivity in a naturally occurring ore called pitchblende.

More Braindrops...

04/30/08
Approximately one third of the Earth's land surface is desert.
04/29/08
Olive cake is the solid phase that remains after pressing olives. It is also called pomace or sansa.
04/28/08
Qwerty is the most common modern-day keyboard layout on English-language computer and typewriter keyboards. It takes its name from the first six letters seen in the keyboard's top first row of letters.
04/27/08
Quicksand is actually solid ground that has been liquefied by a saturation of water. "Quick" derives from "quyk" which meant "living," which characterizes how the ground can appear to be alive as it easily shifts when in this semi-liquid state.
04/26/08
Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower, are members of the cabbage family; they get their name from their four-petaled flowers, which look like a crucifer, or cross.
04/25/08
A female kangaroo is called a doe, flyer, jill, or roo; a male kangaroo is called a buck, boomer, jack, or old man.
04/24/08
Avalanches are most common during and in the 24 hours right after a storm that dumps 12 inches or more of fresh snow. These moving masses can reach speeds of 80 miles (130 kilometers) per hour within about five seconds.
04/23/08
Hydrocephalus is the buildup of too much cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. There are two kinds. Congenital hydrocephalus is present at birth; causes include genetic problems and problems with fetal development. Acquired hydrocephalus can occur at any age; causes can include head injuries, strokes, infections, tumors, and bleeding in the brain.
04/22/08
Aphelion is the point in its orbit where a planet is farthest from the Sun. Aphelion is the opposite of perihelion.
04/21/08
Today more than 3,700 cherry trees of several varieties grow around the Tidal Basin, at East Potomac Park, and on the Washington Monument Grounds in Washington, D.C. Most of the trees are the Yoshino variety, Japan's favorite cultivated cherry tree that was developed about 1870 and presented as a gift to the United States in 1912.
04/20/08
Airbags are gas-inflated cushions built into the steering wheel, dashboard, door, roof, or seat of your car that use a crash sensor to trigger a rapid expansion to protect you from the impact of an accident.
04/19/08
Mangabeys are some of the most rare and endangered monkeys on Earth. The large, forest-living monkeys are found only in Africa. Depending on the species or subspecies, mangabeys can be golden brown, gray, dark brown, or a soft black, usually with a lighter color on their underbellies.
04/18/08
The Saguaro Cactus grows very slowly at about an inch a year, but to great heights: 15 to 50 feet. The largest plants, with more than five arms, are estimated to be 200 years old.
04/17/08
Between 1908 and 1919, only two famous Americans were pictured on U.S. regular issue stamps: George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.
04/16/08
"Googol" is the mathematical term for a 1 followed by 100 zeros.
04/15/08
This is Awards Week at The Franklin Institute, celebrating the 2008 Award Laureates. The Franklin Institute Awards Program was launched in 1824 when the Institute began giving awards and premiums for superior products and inventions at the annual American Manufacturer's Exhibition.
04/14/08
Foods flown on space missions are researched and developed at the Space Food Systems Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston. Diets are designed to supply each astronaut with 100 percent of the daily value of vitamins and minerals necessary for the environment of space.
04/13/08
Spider silk is one of the strongest known natural fibers.
04/12/08
There are five basic types of dunes: crescentic, linear, star, dome, and parabolic. The most common dune form on Earth is the crescentic.
04/11/08
No one form of sign language is universal. Different sign languages are used in different countries or regions. For example, British Sign Language (BSL) differs notably from American Sign Language (ASL).
04/10/08
A codicil is a separate document that adds to and/or replaces one or more provisions in an existing will.
04/09/08
Hafnium, an element undiscovered until 1923, is a shiny, silvery-white metal. It is always found with another chemical element, zirconium.
04/08/08
The lacrimal gland produces lubricating fluid for the eyes. Excess fluid drains through the tear ducts and into the nasal cavity. This is why an abundance of tears can cause the nose to run.
04/07/08
The goliath frog is the largest frog in the world, measuring up to 12.5 inches in body length and up to 7 lbs in weight! Goliath frogs are found in the rainforests at the equator of western Africa, near swift-moving rivers and waterfalls.
04/06/08
Fingernails grow about one tenth of an inch per month, approximately two times faster than toenails.
04/05/08
The United Nations uses six official languages in its intergovernmental meetings and documents: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
04/04/08
Nautical archaeology is the science of finding, collecting, preserving, and studying human objects that have become lost or buried under water.
04/03/08
Friction is a force that resists motion when the surface of one object slides over the surface of another.
04/02/08
One of the world's most dangerous animals is the mosquito. The mosquito accounts for 2 to 3 million deaths per year, primarily due to its role in spreading malaria.
04/01/08
Aerobic organisms require the presence of oxygen for growth, while anaerobic organisms do not require oxygen and sometimes cannot even tolerate the presence of oxygen.
03/31/08
Macaws are members of the parrot family, famous for their bright colors that actually blend in well with the green leaves, red and yellow fruits, and bluish shadows in the rain forest.
03/30/08
The epidermis is the outer layer of skin. It is thinnest on the eyelids and thickest on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
03/29/08
A "shooting star" is actually a meteor, and its glowing trail is caused by the incineration of a piece of celestial debris entering our atmosphere.
03/28/08
A lava tube is a tunnel below the surface of a solidified lava flow. It is formed when the exterior portions of the flow solidify and the molten internal material is drained away.
03/27/08
Iodine is the heaviest of the commonly occurring halogens. The element occurs primarily in seawater and in solids formed when seawater evaporates. Its single most important property may be the ability to kill germs. It is used in antiseptics, germicides, and other medical applications.
03/26/08
Acoustic ecology is the study of sound in the relationships between organisms and their environment.
03/25/08
Sliced or cut apples stay white longer if dropped in a bowl of water containing 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
03/24/08
In 1971, IBM introduced the first "memory disk" or "floppy disk." The first floppy was an 8" plastic disk coated with magnetic iron oxide.
03/23/08
In general, deserts are defined as areas where more water evaporates in the air than falls to the ground as rain.
03/22/08
The average human being is able to recognize approximately 10,000 different odors.
03/21/08
If a tiger lost all his hair, he would still be striped; the stripes are skin deep. Tiger stripes are similar to fingerprints in that each individual cat's markings are unique.
03/20/08
A cloud to ground lightning bolt carries between 100 million and 1 billion volts. It can reach 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 3 to 4 times hotter than the surface of the Sun.
03/19/08
The venom of the box jellyfish is considered to be among the most deadly in the world, containing toxins that attack the heart, nervous system, and skin cells.
03/18/08
Lymphedema is swelling from fluid build-up caused by improper functioning of the lymph system.
03/17/08
The more taste buds you have, the more intensely you perceive tastes, especially bitter ones. People who are particularly sensitive are called supertasters, and they can have up to twice as many taste buds as normal tasters.
03/16/08
NASA celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2008. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration began operation on October 1, 1958.
03/15/08
Did you know that a group of alligators is called a congregation?
03/14/08
The longest known cave in the world is Mammoth Cave, located in Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. It has more than 350 miles of surveyed passages.
03/13/08
A newborn's visual sharpness is approximately 20/400. That is equivalent to seeing only the big letter "E" on an eye chart.
03/12/08
Prehistoric animals are all organisms that walked, swam, crawled, slithered, or flew on Earth more than 5,500 years ago, before humans started recording history.
03/11/08
At 250 tons and 60,000 vacuum tubes, the SAGE system was the largest and heaviest computer system ever built. The SAGE system was a continental air-defense network commissioned by the U.S. military in the 1950s.
03/10/08
Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is March 10-16, 2008. Launched in 1996, the campaign has united a coalition of over 1,200 science, advocacy, and other health organizations that share an interest in elevating public awareness of brain and nervous system research.
03/09/08
Fulgurites are natural tubes of glass formed by the fusion of silica (quartz) sand or rock from a lightning strike. Their shape mimics the path of the lightning bolt as it disperses into the ground.
03/08/08
Grapefruit is a cross between a sweet orange and a pummelo. It is believed that grapefruit originated in the West Indies.
03/07/08
Ostriches can sprint in short bursts up to 43 miles per hour (70 kilometers per hour).
03/06/08
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's oceans; it covers about one-third of the global surface.
03/05/08
A leaf is a plant's principal organ of photosynthesis, the process by which sunlight is used to form foods from carbon dioxide and water.
03/04/08
Mercury goes around the Sun in only 88 days. It takes Dwarf Planet Pluto 248 years to make one trip around the Sun.
03/03/08
To date, 105 Franklin Institute laureates also have been honored with 107 Nobel Prizes.
03/02/08
The damage path of a tornado can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long.
03/01/08
A leap year is a year in which one extra day has been inserted at the end of February. Leap years are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth's revolutions around the sun.
02/29/08
Pandas live in cold and rainy bamboo forests high in the mountains of western China. Bamboo is the most important plant in a giant panda's life. They eat as much as 84 pounds of it each day.
02/28/08
Capillaries are so thin that blood cells can only pass through them in single file.
02/27/08
Geriatrics is the branch of medicine that focuses on health promotion and the prevention and treatment of disease and disability in later life.
02/26/08
Beryllium is the lightest member of the alkaline earth metals family. These metals include beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium.
02/25/08
Explorer 1 became the United States' first successful satellite on January 31, 1958. Data returned by Explorer 1 and Explorer 3 (launched in March 1958) provided evidence that the Earth is surrounded by intense bands of radiation, now called the Van Allen radiation belts.
02/24/08
Frogs are more likely to live in or near water than toads. There are approximately 4,000 known frog and toad species.
02/23/08
A glacier's top end is called its head while its lower end is called its snout, toe, or terminus.
02/22/08
The Przewalski's horse is also known as the Asiatic wild horse, or Mongolian wild horse. It is stocky, short, and pot-bellied, with a spiky mane like a zebra.
02/21/08
One of the first museums to open to the public was The British Museum in London, which opened free to the public in 1759 after being founded a few years earlier in 1753.
02/20/08
Did you know that trees improve water quality by slowing and filtering rain water as well as protecting aquifers and watersheds?
02/19/08
A cold front is a warm-cold air boundary with the colder air replacing the warmer. While a winter cold front can bring frigid air, summer cold fronts often can more accurately be called "dry" fronts, bringing air that might be only a few degrees cooler, but much less humid.
02/18/08
Lady "bugs" are a group of beetles that are also known as ladybird beetles, or lady beetles. The color on the wing covers can be yellow, orange, or red; some species are entirely black.
02/17/08
In February of 1908, the U.S. War Department informed the Wright Brothers that their proposal to build a heavier-than-air flying machine for $25,000 had been accepted. The performance of the Wrights' Army Flyer exceeded expectations so much that the War Department paid them $30,000--which included bonus money--for their efforts.
02/16/08
The light from a laser is monochromatic, or contains exactly one color or wavelength.
02/15/08
Tangerine is the common name for a variety of Mandarin orange. The tangerine resembles the orange but is smaller and oblate in shape and has a more pungent odor and a thinner rind.
02/14/08
Fear of computers is called Cyberphobia or Logizomechanophobia.
02/13/08
Migration refers to the regular, periodic movement of animals between two different locations. It usually occurs in response to seasonal changes, motivated by the drive to reproduce or feed. Birds, insects, fish, whales, and other mammals are known to have migratory patterns.
02/12/08
The color blue is an appetite suppressant. This may be due to the fact that blue food is a rare occurrence in nature. Our primal nature avoids foods that are poisonous, and when our early ancestors foraged for food, blue, purple, and black were "color warning signs" of potentially lethal food.
02/11/08
Biophysics is the application of theories and methods of the physical sciences to questions of biology.
02/10/08
All three basic rock types were used in the construction of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Igneous granite is found in the base and lower steps of the memorial, the floor and statue of President Lincoln are made of metamorphic marble, and the interior columns and walls are composed of sedimentary limestone.
02/09/08
Warthogs use burrows for shelter. When they enter them, the hogs back in in order to defend themselves. In the morning, warthogs burst out of their burrows at top speed to get a running start on any predators that may be nearby.
02/08/08
Known as hacking, unauthorized computer access is a crime punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
02/07/08
Sucrose is actually two simpler sugars fused together: fructose and glucose.
02/06/08
Rainsplash is soil erosion caused by the force of impact of raindrops.
02/05/08
The laryngeal prominence is more commonly known as the Adam's apple.
02/04/08
Depending on the species of praying mantis, their coloring can range from light brown to bright green.
02/03/08
The highest tides in the world are at the Bay of Fundy, which separates New Brunswick from Nova Scotia. At some times of the year the difference between high and low tide is over 50 feet (16 meters).
02/02/08
A detritivore is an organism which feeds on dead organic material.
02/01/08
Did you know that there are over 2,500 satellites (operative and inoperative) orbiting Earth?
01/31/08
The largest and longest nerve in the body is the sciatic nerve.
01/30/08
Mussels have important functions in aquatic environments. Because they are sensitive to changes in water quality, mussels are important indicators of aquatic ecosystem health. The disappearance of mussels from a river or lake often signals that other aquatic species are in danger.
01/29/08
A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of them that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others. A service mark is the same as a trademark, except that it identifies and distinguishes the source of a service rather than a product.
01/28/08
Nearsightedness, or myopia, is a vision condition in which near objects are seen clearly, but distant objects do not come into proper focus.
01/27/08
A vaccine is a substance made of weakened or killed disease germs designed to make a body immune to that particular infectious disease. The vaccine prepares the immune system and its antibodies to react quickly and effectively when threatened by disease in the future.
01/26/08
Butterflies' colors come from tiny scales which cover the wings. Colors may aid in species recognition and camouflage, or by warning away predators.
01/25/08
"Caveat Emptor" notifies a buyer that the goods he or she is buying are "as is." When a sale is subject to this warning, the purchaser assumes the risk that the product might be either defective or unsuitable to his or her needs.
01/24/08
Small warm-blooded animals have much higher resting pulse rates than large ones. For example, a mouse may have a heart rate of 670 beats/minute, while the average human's resting heart rate is 70-80 beats/minute.
01/23/08
The dromedary camel can drink 30 gallons (100 L) of water in just 10 minutes.
01/22/08
Paleozoology is a sub-discipline of paleontology that focuses on the study of ancient animal life. Paleobotany is a sub-discipline that focuses on the study of the plant life of the geologic past.
01/21/08
A keloid is a patch of excessive scar tissue that may form following a skin injury. Keloids tend to be thick, smooth, and pink in color.
01/20/08
An adult electric eel is capable of firing off roughly 600 volts of electricity.
01/19/08
Today's hockey sticks are made primarily of graphite, which is a strong, lightweight material woven from carbon. Professional hockey players' sticks are custom-made so the curve and angle of the blade are tailored to their exact specifications.
01/18/08
The iron oxide or rust in its crust is what gives Mars its "red" color.
01/17/08
The first computer mouse was introduced in 1968 by Douglas Engelbart and his team of researchers at the Fall Joint Computer Expo in San Francisco.
01/16/08
Did you know that hormone imbalance and crash dieting can trigger temporary hair loss?
01/15/08
Approximately 7 or 8 percent of human males are relatively or completely deficient in color vision. Humans with the most common form of color-blindness are unable to differentiate between reds and greens. They see the world as a blend of blues, yellows, and grays.
01/14/08
"Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" opens February 9 at The Franklin Institute. The original Star Wars film was released in May 1977. Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and Kenny Baker, who played R2-D2, are the only actors credited with being in all six Star Wars films.
01/13/08
The seahorse's scientific genus name, Hippocampus, is Greek for "bent horse." There are approximately 35 species of seahorse worldwide.
01/12/08
A coroner is the person responsible for the legal investigation of any unexplained or suspicious death that occurs within their area of jurisdiction. It is the coroner's job to determine a manner and cause of death.
01/11/08
Molybdenum is a hard, silvery metal with a very high melting point. It is used primarily to make alloys with other metals. Molybdenum improves the strength, toughness, resistance to wear and corrosion, and ability to harden steel.
01/10/08
Acetylsalicylic acid, more commonly known as aspirin, is the most popular therapeutic drug in the world.
01/09/08
Onychectomy is the name of the surgical process in which a domestic cat's claws are removed. While ethically disputed in the U.S., it is outlawed in the U.K. and widely across Europe.
01/08/08
Alien Hand Syndrome is a neurological disorder in which the sufferer's hands have separate wills, or, "minds of their own." It is caused by damage in the medial motor frontal region of the brain.
01/07/08
Additive color mixing refers to mixing colored light, like red, green and blue, to make other colors. Subtractive color mixing refers to mixing pigments, like cyan, magenta and yellow, to create colors.
01/06/08
The FI.edu domain was activated March 22, 1988.
01/05/08
99942 Apophis is a near-Earth asteroid. The likelihood that it will strike Earth on April 13, 2036, is estimated at 1 in 45,000.
01/04/08
Amphibians are cold-blooded, born in water, and breathe through their skin and lungs or gills.
01/03/08
A blizzard is a winter storm characterized by high winds, low temperatures, and driving snow. The winds must exceed 35 miles per hour and the temperature 20 degrees F (-7 degrees C) or lower.
01/02/08
Although it is not the largest of all sharks, the great white is the largest predatory shark.
01/01/08
The CALIPSO satellite was developed to help scientists answer significant questions and provide new information about the effects of clouds and other airborne particles on changes in the Earth's climate.