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When we eat food, it passes through the esophagus and enters the stomach. Here, the stomach acid begins to digest the food.  Now w, the inner lining of the stomach is protected from the stomach acid with the help of mucus which is produced by special cells. However, the stomach acid can sometimes flow back into the esophagus, causing irritation, as there are no special cells to protect it. Hence, at the junction of esophagus and stomach, a band of muscles called lower esophageal sphincter or LES prevents this acid as well as chunks of food from flowing back. However, when the LES abnormally relaxes or weakens the stomach acid is able to flow back into the esophagus, creating a burning sensation called heartburn. Heartburn may also be caused due to the consumption of alcohol, caffeine, chocolates, etc as they relax the LES. Remember that spicy foods and citrus fruits irritate the esophageal lining and increase the production of stomach acid, thus worsening heartb...

Most fish use oxygen dissolved in water for respiration and metabolism. However, solubility of gases decreases with increase in temperature.  Hence, as the water gets warmer, less oxygen begins to dissolve in water, making it hard for the fish to breathe. Also, as temperature increases, the fish's metabolism increases, in turn increasing the oxygen requirement. Eventually, there won't be enough oxygen for the fish, causing it to suffocate and maybe die. Hence, if you have an aquarium, you should always check and maintain its water temperature. You can also use a filter or bubbler which helps add and circulate oxygen, thus maintaining your fish's health. READ ALSO Should we drink Fruit Juices? Why are Pizza Boxes Square? What if Plastic was Never Invented?

Beneath our feet, thousands of tree roots are connected to one another by fungi, whose roots penetrate and spread into the ground. They form a network called mycorrhizal network, through which trees send chemical signals and talk to each other. Big mother trees called Hubs send nourishment to smaller plants, helping them grow. Also, a dying tree deposits its resources in the network for other trees to use. READ ALSO Why can't babies walk at birth? Can Dogs recognize their Moms? What happens to our Body when we get Angry? Should we drink Fruit Juices? What is the Color of a Mirror?

Every year, we dump around 8 million tons of plastic waste in the oceans. Since plastic doesn't degrade easily, it keeps floating in the oceans for hundreds of years. Over time, strong winds and natural ocean currents cause this plastic to gather in five massive garbage patches. The biggest garbage patch of them all is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch or GPGP. It is in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California. According to estimations, nearly 1.8 trillion plastic pieces are floating in the GPGP, which weigh about 90,000 tons. Also, some people say that the GPGP is twice the size of Texas. Environmentalists are actively trying to develop alternatives for plastic. We should also contribute and reduce its use. READ ALSO What if Plastic was Never Invented? What if we accidentally Eat Plastic? Can Sneezing Pop your Eyes Out? Should we drink Fruit Juices?

Contact lenses act like a sponge and absorb the moisture present in our eyes. They even trap bacteria. So, wearing them for too long, failing to clean them periodically and sleeping in them can cause excessive dryness and even eye infection. In addition to this, unlike other parts of our body, the cornea of our eye receives oxygen from the surrounding air and not from blood vessels. Now, when we wear contact lenses during the day, it reduces the oxygen supply to the cornea. But when we wear them while sleeping also, it further reduces the oxygen supply to the cornea. Hence, to satisfy the oxygen need, tiny blood vessels grow in the cornea, thus causing blurred vision. READ ALSO Can Sneezing Pop your Eyes Out? Is it Safe to eat Moldy Bread? What if we Swallow Chewing Gum? Is it Bad to Hold our Urine? Why can't babies walk at birth?

New-born elephants or horses walk shortly after birth, while human babies need almost one year. This is because the human brain is not developed enough at birth, while the brains of elephants and horses are. Once the brain develops over a year, human babies start walking. Our brain isn't developed enough at birth because, in that case, the brain would be bigger in size, requiring a larger skull, thus making childbirth very difficult. Also, animals like horses and elephants walk only on their toes. However, humans use both heels and toes to walk. This means, they use the full length of their feet, making walking a more complex skill. Thus, this requires more coordination and brain power, resulting in more time for us to walk. READ ALSO Is sleeping in Contact Lenses bad? Can Trees Talk? What happens to our Body when we get Angry?

Whether a puppy recognizes its mother after a long gap or not, depends on how much time the puppy spent with its mother. The period between the first 2 to 16 weeks is a very critical period of a puppy's life. During this period, the puppy imprints on its mother. This means, it builds a strong bond with its mother, based on sight and smell. If this happens properly, then the puppy recognizes its mother even after separation. However, the puppy won't remember the specific relation. It will just recognize her as a familiar dog, because of the imprint. Since father dogs are usually unavailable during a puppy's critical period, the puppy cannot recognize its father, due to lack of imprinting. READ ALSO Should we drink Fruit Juices? What is the Color of a Mirror? Why are Pizza Boxes Square? What if we Swallow Chewing Gum? Why can't babies walk at birth?

Anger is a quite complex emotion. For some people, in displeasing situations, anger can completely overpower them before the discretionary parts of their brain can think and make proper judgements. When we get angry, what happens in terms of brain is that it initiates our fight or flight response. First, a part of the brain called amygdala is activated which signals the release of catecholamines and cortisol. These chemicals increase our heart rate and blood pressure, thus making us feel energetic. They even redirect blood from our intestinal tract to our head, hands and legs, thus preparing us for some physical action. So, this is what happens when we get angry. Note that, frequent anger isn’t good because these chemicals also release fatty acids which can accumulate in our blood vessels, decreasing blood flow, thus increasing the chances of heart attack, stroke, etc. READ ALSO Why are Pizza Boxes Square? What if Plastic was Never Invented? What if we acc...

Compared to fruits, fruit juices are unhealthy as they are devoid of the fruit’s fiber. Fruit’s fibrous content slows down absorption of its fructose in bloodstream, preventing unnecessary spikes in our insulin. As juice doesn’t have fiber, it results in fast absorption of the juice’s fructose, causing sudden spikes in insulin. Overtime, this can lead to Type 2 Diabetes. Now, one glass of orange juice contains at least 8 oranges. Instead of drinking juice, if we decide to eat oranges, it isn’t possible to eat more than 2 or 3. Thus, we consume more calories. Also, our brain doesn’t get the same feeling of fullness on drinking, that it gets on eating. We feel hungrier sooner, thus leading to over-consumption. Note that, packaged fruit juices are definitely unhealthy as they are prepared by keeping fresh fruit juices in oxygen-depleted environments for a year and chemicals are also added to enhance their flavor. READ ALSO What if we Swallow Chewing Gum? Is...

The color of an object depends on which color it reflects. If an object reflects blue, it appears blue. If it reflects all colors, it appears white. Now, a mirror reflects almost all colors. So that means, its color should be white, just like snow. But it's not!! Snow scatters light in all directions, making it appear white. But the mirror doesn't reflect light the same way. It reflects light at the same angle and direction from which it arrives. This is called specular reflection. Thus, it creates an image of whatever is in front of it. Now, mirrors best reflect light at wavelengths between 495 and 570 nanometers. The wavelengths in this range appear green to us. We can observe this when two mirrors face each other. In this case, the same image is reflected back and forth, making green color prominent READ ALSO What if we Stopped Sleeping? Can Blind people Dream? Why are we Afraid of the Dark? Can Sneezing Pop your Eyes Out? What if we accide...

Even though pizzas are round, square boxes are preferred. This is because a square box is made using just a single, cardboard, sheet. While a round box requires several sheets, that need to be joined together using special machinery. So, it is cheaper and simpler to make square boxes. As square boxes can be easily assembled on-site, they are transported in the form of flat cardboard sheets, easily stacked on one another. However, round boxes need to be first assembled. This makes it difficult to transport and store these huge piles of boxes on-site. Further, there are empty spaces around the pizza in the square box, making it easy to lift the pizza slice. The empty spaces can even be used to place chili flakes, oregano, et c. READ ALSO Why do we have different Eye colors? Are X-rays Safe? What if Plastic was Never Invented? What if we accidentally Eat Plastic? Can Sneezing Pop your Eyes Out?

Plastic is not biodegradable. As compared to organic waste, it takes hundreds of years to decompose. No plastic means land and water pollution would be reduced by a great extent. However, plastic is cheap, extremely easy to manufacture, very versatile and doesn't get affected by water. It would be very difficult to replace plastic. Glass and paper can theoretically replace plastic. But this would come at a grave cost. Firstly, it would prove to be expensive. Secondly, as paper is made from trees, it can prove to be a disaster for the environment. Electronics industry would greatly suffer as plastic is widely used everywhere, from computers to smartphones. To conclude, instead of banning plastic altogether, banning the use of single use plastic seems like a solution the world is waiting for. READ ALSO What if we accidentally Eat Plastic? Is it Safe to eat Moldy Bread? Why are we Afraid of the Dark? Can Blind people Dream?

Firstly, plastic is not biodegradable. As compared to organic waste, it takes hundreds of years to decompose. But, if the quantity of swallowed plastic is small, then it will not be a problem. Our body pushes out the materials which it cannot digest. Problems might occur if the quantity of swallowed plastic is large. Our body will not be able to push it out. It will stay in our gut and might partially prevent further food digestion. In extreme cases, this may also prove to be fatal. Also, many plastics are chemical-laden. These chemicals are commonly known as phthalates. They are used to make plastics more flexible, transparent, hard to break as well as to increase their longevity. Phthalates are extremely harmful to our body. They can damage our liver, kidneys, lungs and reproductive system.

However, eyes popping out, also scientifically known as globe luxation is almost impossible. This is because your eye muscles and bony eye sockets are the once which firmly hold your eyeballs in place every time, even while sneezing. Now, when you sneeze, a huge pressure builds up in your chest and head. However, this pressure is extremely unlikely to dislocate your eyeballs because the pressure is released through your nose and mouth. However, it is important to note that there are a very small number of cases reported, in which eyeballs have indeed popped out due to sneezing. So, it’s certainly not impossible, but is extremely rare.

The mold on our bread is a fungus. The green visible parts on the bread are just spores of the fungus. Its invisible branches called hyphae actually spread deep into the bread, creating an extensive network. Now, as fungi don’t have chlorophyll, they cannot prepare their own food. Hence, they rely on other sources. Bread is one of their best options because it contains nutrients as well as moisture. Now, it is neither recommended to eat moldy bread, nor it is safe to scrap off the mold and eat the rest. It is because some molds can produce mycotoxins that can be harmful for humans. Also, as bread is a soft food, the hyphae can easily penetrate deeper, making scrapping or cutting worthless.

Firstly, it is a myth that chewing gum sticks to the insides our stomach just like it sticks to any other surface. It does not, it passes through the body just like any other food. Our body is able to digest many parts of the chewing gum like sweeteners, flavorings, etc., but not the gum resin. However, that does not mean that it stays in our stomachs for years, in fact, just like any other waste material, it is pushed through our intestines and then finally out of the body. So, is there any use of swallowing a chewing gum? The answer is a big no, because it has absolutely no nutritional value. Also note that, choking may occur if big chunks of swallowed gum get stuck in our windpipe. READ ALSO Why are we Afraid of the Dark? Why don't Birds get Electrocuted on Power Cables? Are Earphones harmful? What if Wind suddenly Stopped?

Our body has various ways to get rid of unwanted waste materials. One of these ways is through urine. Urine is a liquid waste consisting of unwanted materials like water, salts, urea, uric acid, etc. The urinary system consists of two kidneys, two ureters, a urinary bladder and a urethra. The two kidneys filter blood and produce urine, which flows through the ureters and starts getting collected in the urinary bladder. When our urinary bladder starts getting full and it begins to stretch or expand, the nerves of the bladder inform the brain to produce an urge to urinate. Now, when we want to urinate, the bladder contracts and the urine flows out of the body through the urethra. Once in a while, it's okay to hold our urine. But stress and pressures of modern life make us hold our urine more often and for longer periods, which can have negative effects on our health.  For example, a wet and warm bladder of urine is the perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Henc...

If you stay awake for around 24 hours, you won't really feel tired or exhausted. Instead, you feel energetic, positive and happy!! Do you know why? Because the brain secretes extra dopamine, the happy hormone to compensate for lack of sleep. But, this doesn’t last long. After 48 hours of staying awake, body starts shutting down. You feel exhausted as the body cannot metabolize glucose properly, lowering energy supply. Immune system weakens, you start looking pale and make impulsive decisions. Continuing to stay awake, can lead to hallucinations, making it difficult to understand what is real. In a study, a student called Randy Garner went without sleep for 11 days. Though, he is fine now, this isn’t recommended as studies show that 14 days without sleep can lead to death.

Dreams are a collection of images, events or sensations which we see or feel in our daily lives. Now, whether a blind person can see in his dreams or not, depends on when he lost his vision. If he lost his vision in the later stage of his life, then his brain would use visual information stored in his memories to create dreams. But the same wouldn’t happen if an individual is blind since birth. This is because his brain has never received any visual information. So instead, his dreams would get their content from memories of sound, smell, touch, etc., which he perceives in his everyday life. However, another science experiment showed results contrary to this. In that experiment, people who were blind since birth were able to draw their dreams, thus proving that they not only sense or feel, but also see in their dreams.

Some experts say humans have developed this fear due to evolution. In prehistoric times, our ancestors were at high risk of being attacked by predators or enemies, when in dark.  Hence, through evolution, the tendency to fear darkness developed. Also, in the dark, as we cannot see properly, it creates anxiety, making us imagine the worst possible outcomes. So, it is not the darkness itself that we find frightening, it is what or who lurks in that darkness. Also, if we observe other people getting afraid, or if we are told to be afraid about something, we immediately accept those things as scary. So, whether it is our parents warning us about the dark, or a horror movie showing a ghost appear in the dark, our brain latches onto it and starts getting afraid of the darkness.