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If you look at the label of any food, you will probably find that it lists the Calorie content. Calories tell us how much energy you will get by consuming the food. How do scientists measure that energy?
This is an illusion that surprised me the first time I saw it. I was visiting a beautiful waterfall in Tennessee, and had never heard of the Waterfall Effect. The results were quite surprising and delightful.
In looking at the food web, we are trying to see how energy is transferred from one living thing to another. As part of that study, we need to be able to measure that energy. Luckily that involves something that you are probably very familiar with.
How do you feel? No, I don't mean are you happy or sad? Touch the back of your hand. Did you feel it? How? When you touched your hand, you pressed on nerves in your skin. These nerves reacted and sent a message to your brain, telling you that something touched your hand. Some parts of your skin have more nerves than others. We are going to examine how these nerves are arranged, and see how that can affect the message that your brain gets.
It has been a while since I did a biology related experiment, so this week we are going to take a look at how your muscles work. In particular, we are going to examine the muscles that move your arm, to see what is really involved in moving your body.
This experiment came from Diane in South-central Pennsylvania. She and her son were discussing ceiling fans, and how they make you feel cooler. They wanted to know if the fan actually cools the room, or does it just feel that way?
One of the most common questions that I get is where do I get the ideas for these experiments. Some are old classics that I try to give a new angle. Others are the result of questions sent to me by subscribers. Some of the ones that I like the best are the ones that just pop up, seemingly out of nowhere. This is one of those. It also comes with its own story, which makes it even better.
The story is one of Aesop's fables. If you have never read any of these, go read some. It is well worth the time.
