Knowledge N Fact4u

How much water can a camel store in its hump ? •Camels do not store water in their humps. Instead, camels use the humps to store energy-rich fat deposits.  •Many animals, including humans, use body fat as an energy storage. •Unique to a camel, however, is the fact that it stores the fat in a hump up on top instead of around the belly or limbs.  •It does this to stay cool. Fat has a natural tendency to insulate heat, acting like a blanket to bodies that are covered in fat.  •Being a hot-climate animal, a camel would waste energy trying to cool down if its fat were wrapped around its body. •Instead, by placing the fat in a hump that is out of the way, the camel can stay as cool as possible while still having an energy reserve.  •Think of it like a tourist from northern Siberia with a coat stuffed full of snacks just stepping off the plane in the Sahara Desert. What does he immediately do? He takes off his coat and slings it over his shoulder. He still wants ...

Why do my fingers absorb water and become wrinkled? •Human finger tips do not become wrinkled, because they absorb water.  •Skin is a fairly good barrier that keeps out most of the external water. •If our fingers did absorb a significant amount of water after staying in the pool or bath for several minutes, then our fingers would swell to round, plump shapes, which is the opposite of wrinkling.  •The wrinkling is actually caused by a reduction of fluid inside the finger tips. •How can our finger tips experience reduced fluid internally when exposed to increased fluid externally? •From a physical perspective, this effect seems to be a paradox. The answer is that the wrinkling of wet finger tips is an active biological response, rather than a passive physical effect. •Scientists have known for almost a hundred years that nerve damage in the hand can result in a person no longer being able to get wet-induced finger wrinkles. Finger wrinkling is there...