(upbeat music)
- Today on All the Answers.
We'll explore the center of our solar system
why a little ingenuity can help brighten the world
around you and we'll learn something about chemicals
that'll cause quite a reaction.
All this and more coming up now
on All the Answers.
What's the most important part of starting the day?
A day can't start without the daylight provided by?
The sun.
Everyone knows that the sun's rays light our days
but we don't often consider just how bright
that star really shines.
That's right, the sun is a star
and one of many throughout the galaxy.
So, every time you look up at the night sky
and all those stars, those are others like our sun,
just much farther away from us.
But that doesn't mean our sun is all that close to us either.
In fact, the Earth is over 93 million miles away
from the sun.
You may be wondering, what has the sun made of?
A great ball of fire?
Some kind of lava?
It's actually made of gas,
specifically 92% hydrogen and about 8% helium.
But that doesn't mean our sun is lighter than air.
In fact, the sun's mass makes up over 99%
of the entire mass of our solar system.
All the other planets combined, including our own,
are less than 1/100th the mass of the sun.
That's one big star.
But is it the biggest?
Our sun is actually classified by scientists
and astronomers as a yellow dwarf star,
which means there are some even bigger *****
of super hot hydrogen out there.
They're just very far away.
That's a lot of potential solar systems out there
with planets just like ours.
The sun provides a lot of light for us throughout the day,
but once the sun sets,
we lean on a key invention to keep things bright.
Light bulbs.
Before the creation of lights like these,
people used to rely on candles to light their homes after dark.
But candles melt and sometimes an open flame
isn't suitable for every room.
So inventors started imagining a new way to light up a room,
and one, in particular, changed the game.
Thomas Edison, while many contributed
to the invention of the light bulb,
it was Edison who pushed it forward.
He created a bulb like the ones we still use today.
Electricity runs up one side of a thin wire called a filament,
generating heat through friction that causes it to glow.
And the electricity continues back down the other side,
creating a current energy that keeps the light on.
Flipping a switch or unscrewing a bulb
disconnects this circuit and results in the light going out.
While Edison's filament was good,
another inventor who worked alongside him
had an idea to make it better.
Lewis Latimer designed a carbon filament that was more durable,
therefore lasting longer than Edison's earlier design.
Proving that you can always expand on a good idea
and make it even better.
And Latimer also showed that during a time
in the late 19th century,
when making progress like this was particularly difficult,
you can overcome any obstacle with perseverance.
Chemical reactions can also create light
just like electricity in a light bulb.
You know how fire emits light,
but what you might not know is that fire is created
by a process called combustion.
Combustion occurs when a fuel source mixes with oxygen
and they undergo a chemical reaction in the process,
creating heat and light.
Sometimes the chemical reaction is used to keep a room warm.
And at other times, it's what powers a rocket ship
to fly to space.
We see chemical reactions every day without even knowing it.
We even have them happening in our own bodies.
Breathing, digestion,
even emotions.
You're probably thinking,
"Okay, I get how chemicals are breaking down the food I eat,
and you may even know already that breathing
is really the process of absorbing oxygen in the air
and sending it through your bloodstream to your brain."
But emotions?
Those are just feelings, right?
They're in our heads, and that part is true.
Our brain dictates the way we feel,
as well as how we act in response to those feelings.
But did you know that's all caused by chemicals
moving throughout our brain cells?
Once our senses receive stimuli,
chemicals in our brain communicate with our nervous system,
which results in making us feel happy, sad, excited,
scared, the whole range of emotions.
That feeling you have when you learn something new?
That's a chemical reaction, too.
Coming up, we'll investigate deep caverns
and dive even deeper underwater.
But first, let's see if you can answer this question
about some cavern-dwelling mammals, bats.
How many different species of bat exist around the world?
A, 14, B, 140, C, 1,400, or D, 14,000.
The answer coming up when we return to all the answers.
We're back.
Let's find out the answer to our question.
How many different species of bat exist around the world?
A, 14, B, 140, C, 1,400, or D, 14,000.
If you said C, 1,400, then you know your bats.
Bats can be found in nearly every part of the planet,
so long as the temperatures aren't too extreme.
Have you ever heard the phrase "blind" as a bat and wondered?
Are bats actually blind?
Bats do have extremely limited vision,
but they aren't totally blind.
They have the ability to detect variations in light,
but within close range,
a bat won't be able to see the objects around it with any detail.
And yet, they fly around at high speeds without running into anything,
which includes cave walls and even each other, most of the time.
So what exactly are these bats doing in order to see without relying on their eyes?
Bats use a technique called echolocation.
Let's break that word down.
Start with echo.
A bat emits a high frequency sound at ultrasonic pitch that produces echoes.
An echo is a repeating sound caused by sound waves bouncing off of surfaces in the distance
and returning to your ears.
This diagram shows what that looks like, even though we can't actually see it.
As the waves return to the creator of the initial sound,
you'll notice that the size and distance between each ripple has expanded.
But how do you take that information which you can't actually see and utilize it?
Humans aren't able to do it as effectively on their own,
but many species of bats have an advanced auditory nervous system
that is able to process those variations.
Comparing the initial pulse is emitted to the waves that return to their large satellite-like ears.
And those signals, deciphered by a bat's brain, produce a detailed image of what lies ahead.
A bat can even create a map of its surroundings using echolocation.
Which brings us to the end of the word.
Location, they use echolocation not only to tell where objects are,
but also their relation to those objects while moving at high speeds.
This ability also allows them to hunt their prey in the dark of night,
and this prey isn't particularly big.
Many bats' diets consist of tiny flying insects,
though various species of bats eat other animals like fish.
Lizards and frogs.
And others prefer fruit and nectar.
We'll save a vampire bat's diet for a different episode.
Vampire bats, by the way, get their name from, of course, vampires.
The most famous vampire must be Bram Stoker's Dracula.
But he was not the first.
The first mention of a vampire was in a short story,
The Vampire, written over 200 years ago, in 1819.
And we've been telling stories about vampires ever since.
We might assume that they use the power of echolocation
before returning to vampire form and claiming another victim.
We'll hope we never have to find out in person.
There's another species of mammal that uses a similar form of echolocation
in a different environment altogether.
If you thought those sound waves we referenced earlier
looked a lot like waves in the ocean, then you're on the right track.
Dolphins, porpoises, and whales all use a kind of echolocation.
But not due to limited eyesight.
In fact, dolphins and whales see well, both above and below
the surface of the ocean, but they must travel long distances
through very dark waters.
And dolphins are able to use high-pitched clicking to communicate
over distances where physical contact isn't possible,
and signaling might not be clear to other dolphins in the area.
Whales, on the other hand, are much larger and emit a very low
pitch sound that can travel up to 10,000 miles underwater.
For context, the circumference around the earth is less than 25,000 miles.
So whales can talk to each other across distances, we can barely even fathom.
Amazing.
All these animals have evolved to use every one of their senses
in order to eat, move, and even communicate.
So how have humans used these brilliant methods to further our own species?
Well, we also found a use for echolocation.
The submarine, which looks and even moves somewhat like a whale,
uses something called sonar, which stands for sound navigation and ranging,
does for submarines what echolocation does for animals.
By emitting sounds in sequence, the sonar machine is able to detect objects,
track movement, and even communicate with other subs underwater.
It's yet another great example of humans taking cues from the nature around us
and utilizing these traits for ourselves in productive ways.
So, if you ever see a submarine breach the surface of the ocean,
no, they probably saw the shore you're standing on long before you saw them.
Let's look at one more invention that borrowed from this amazing use of sound.
And sound is right in the name.
The way bats use ultrasonic sound waves to create an image
is the same thing doctors are creating with an ultrasound machine.
If you've ever seen an ultrasound of a developing baby before it's born,
that image is the creation of a computer using technology which picks up
the returning sound waves at a frequency higher than we can even hear
to map an image within the uterus of a pregnant woman.
Through this method, the doctor can make sure the baby is developing in the healthiest way.
We covered a lot of amazing uses of sound waves in ways that blow the mind.
Coming up, we'll explore the frequencies that travel within the mind.
But before we go, see if you could answer this question about the brain.
True or false?
There are approximately 170 billion cells in the average human brain.
The answer coming up when we return to all the answers.
We're back. Before the break, we asked, true or false?
There are approximately 170 billion cells in the average human brain.
Billion? With a B?
That's an absurd number of cells within a single organ.
But, in fact, it's true.
Our brain is made up of just about 170 billion cells.
And about 86 billion of those cells are neurons,
which help transmit signals throughout the brain itself.
Synchronized impulses generated from masses of these neurons communicating with one another create brain waves.
Brain waves make the human brain as advanced as a computer.
It processes thousands of stimuli, triggering responses.
As well as manages all the processes we need to live without us even thinking about it.
Like our heart beating or our lungs breathing, blood carrying that oxygen,
the liver, kidneys, stomach, the list goes on and on and on.
And the brain is at the center of it all.
So, what actually links all the inner workings of the human body, or really any animal body,
to the motherboard that is the brain.
The brain is split into two hemispheres, and within those hemispheres are four lobes.
The frontal lobe, which is associated with executive functioning.
Things like self-control, planning, reasoning, even deep thinking.
The occipital lobe, which is dedicated solely to vision,
processing the light our eyes register and deciphering it into the images we visualize.
The temporal lobe, the area of the cerebral cortex between your temples,
it retains visual memory, language comprehension, even emotional associations, conscious and unconscious.
And finally, the parietal lobe.
Above the temporal lobe, behind the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe contains the cortexes that play a major role in spatial awareness
and processing information related to touch and other senses.
These senses are communicated through the central nervous system in the form of signals called neural oscillations,
also known as brain waves.
The rhythmic pattern, these oscillations, are what make these signal waves in the way we can picture them.
So now that you know the inner workings of your brain, it really makes you think, doesn't it?
So, all animals must have a brain, right?
Not exactly, an organism that started it all.
Billions of years ago, and still exist today, functions without a brain.
In fact, it doesn't even have multiple cells, it's the amoeba.
This little guy may look like a worm, an octopus, sometimes even a droplet of water, but look closer.
And you'll see it's actually a single cell, or unicellular organism.
Amoeba's move primarily by extending and retracting pseudopods.
It's by this style of movement that many scientists classify organisms as amoebas.
Amoeboid cells occur in four major lineages.
The protozoic, some fun guy, a little algae, and even animals.
An amoeba isn't going to beat you in a foot, or should I say a pseudopod race.
You've seen the speed of light, you've heard the speed, and distance of sound.
And of all the animals we've talked about, this one is known for its speed, the cheetah.
You might know that the cheetah is fast, but did you know it's actually the fastest animal on land?
A cheetah can reach speeds of...
A, just under 50 miles per hour.
B, more than 50 miles per hour.
A cheetah at its peak speed could keep up with a car on the freeway.
Reaching up to 60 miles per hour, and a cheetah's acceleration, can have it reach that speed in just three seconds.
Most cars can't even do that, so how do cheetahs run so much faster than other land animals?
Their ability to clear 20 to 25 feet in a single stride can be attributed to various physical aspects cheetahs have
that differ from other big cats, long muscular legs, a small lightweight body, and loose shoulder and hip joints, extending mobility.
Not to mention a flexible spine that allows for maximum reach.
Make the cheetah a perfect specimen for running across planes at top speeds.
Cheetahs are great at stalking prey.
Their small spots and golden fur blend in with the tall grass,
giving them the perfect camouflage from animals with otherwise great eyesight and awareness.
When the cheetah feels it's time to strike, it will launch from the grass and chase down the small animal,
but usually only needs a fraction of its top speed to make the catch.
However, a cheetah expands so much energy running this fast that it needs half an hour to catch its breath, before it eats.
Cheetahs have risen from an endangered status in the past, but are now threatened by extinction again.
They're sought after by poachers.
Their natural habitats are being destroyed, as well as the constant rise in temperature caused by climate change.
It'll be on all of us to make sure their home in the planes is preserved by making necessary changes to help our planet.
So cheetahs will always have a place to run.
Well, that wraps up our episode for today.
Until next time, keep asking questions, and we'll bring you all the answers.