Drinking Alcohol, often to dangerous excess, is an accepted part of many people’s lives. The pressure on those that do not drink, particularly the young, to “join in with the crowd” is immense. Recent research shows that drinking by 12-20 year olds (particularly girls) is increasing, despite the efforts that are now being made to emphasise the hazards that young drinkers face: significantly higher chances of developing clinical depression, greater chance of causing permanent physical damage to their internal organs and increased likelihood of unwise, unprotected sexual activity (with the obvious consequences). Continue reading
Category Archives: SciTec
So you think your feet are cold?
The next time you poke your one of your feet outside your nice warm bed in the morning and think it’s too cold to get up, just imagine being a reindeer, stuck outside, in the snow and ice, desperately looking for food in temperatures as low as -30°C. There are a lot of people that don’t believe reindeer can fly, but to be honest, I find it pretty amazing they survive at all. Continue reading
When is a bird a fish?
Look at the picture. You might recognise the bird as a puffin, but even if you didn’t, I bet you still recognized that it’s a bird, and would probably be a little surprised if I told you that it is actually a fish. Confused? Well there is an explanation… Continue reading
Hide and Seek?
It’s no game. Hiding successfully is an effective way to avoid predators. It’s also pretty useful for predators as it allows them to surprise their prey. The cheetah is the fastest animal on land with a maximum speed of around 60mph over level ground. However, it can only run at top speed in straight lines and is exhausted after just 400 metres. Without the element of surprise, its prey can usually outmanoeuvre the most determined cheetah long enough to munch grass for another day. Continue reading
Baby, it’s Cold Outside…
Trying to find enough food to keep going through the cold northern winter is so tough that many of the birds we think of as British don’t even try. They fly off to warmer regions where there is plenty of food, returning in the spring when conditions are more suitable: plants are growing and prey is in abundance. Continue reading