Greatest 101 questions of all time: 1-20 - Telegraph

Greatest 101 questions of all time: 1-20
The '101 greatest questions of all time' have been answered in a BBC magazine.Here we present the first twenty.
Last Updated: 8:19PM GMT 24 Feb 2009
1 of 3 Images
In Victorian England, seaside resorts got a reputation for having healthy airPhoto: GETTY
Where's the best place to stand in a thunderstorm?Photo: PA
The 'Greatest 101 questions of all time' have been answered in BBC focus
Where is the safest place to stand outside in a thunderstorm?
Tall, pointy objects standing alone in an open space are more likely to getstruck by lightning but it’s by no means a certainty. Sometimes the flatground next to a tall tree can be hit. A car or other enclosed metalstructure is the safest place to be in a thunderstorm. Failing that, aditch, trench or group of shrubs of uniform height is better than nothing.Keep away from boundary areas between dissimilar terrain (water and land;rock and earth; trees and fields). Also keep at least five metres away frommetal objects or other people as lightning will often jump from one objectto another.
Why do identical twins have different fingerprints?
Although identical twins share the same DNA, they don’t look identicalcell-for-cell, because not every aspect of your physical appearance isrigidly determined by your genes. Fingerprints are formed semi-randomly asthe foetus develops in the womb andare affected by such things as chancefluctuations of hormone levels. Similarly, the pattern of freckles and moleson the skin is caused by random mutations and will vary between identicaltwins.
Is the human race still getting taller?
The average height, at least in Western society, is increasing because ofbetter childhood nutrition and sexual selection. But the tendency of womento find men taller than six feet (183cm) more attractive can’t beextrapolated upward, and people above 6ft 2in (188cm) are much more likelyto suffer back problems. Above 6ft 8in (203cm), and the heart strains topump blood round the body.
Why do I feel cold and shiver when I have a fever?
A fever is when your body increases its internal thermostat, found in thehypothalamus. If you exercise hard or it’s a hot day, your body temperaturemight increase, but the thermostat remains at around 36.8°C. When you feelhot the hypothalamus tries to correct this with sweating and increased bloodflow to the skin. But with a fever, it is the thermostat that has risen.This means your body temperature is now below 36.8°C, so you feel cold andshiver, to try and raise your temperature. The higher body temperature mayhelp fight infection by speeding white blood cell production and slowingbacteria reproduction.
What is OK short for?
The most popular theory is that OK comes from ‘oll korrect’, a deliberatelymisspelled writing of ‘all correct’. It was popularised in Boston newspapersaround the 1840s when it was fashionable to go around spelling thingsincorrectly for humorous effect. Legend also has it that New York Democratslater adopted the abbreviation to promote their candidate Martin Van Buren –the initials ‘OK’ were derived from his nickname, Old Kinderhook.
Why can’t we just fill in the ozone hole with man-made ozone?
The sheer scale of the notorious hole – or, more accurately, depleted region –in the Earth’s ozone layer over the Antarctic beggars belief. At its peakeach September, it spans an area bigger than the continental United States,and tens of millions of tonnes of ozone would be needed to fill it up again.Simply creating that amount of ozone, let alone getting it where it’sneeded, would be astronomically expensive.
Why do fingers and toes wrinkle when left in water?
The waterproof coating on our skin gets rubbed away from areas of our bodieslike our hands and feet that are frequently in contact with objects. If youimmerse yourself in water with a lower concentration of dissolved salts thanthat of your cell contents, water will be absorbed by osmosis and cause yourskin cells to swell. Since they are anchored to the tissues below, they areforced to corrugate to accommodate this.
What is a hiccup?
A hiccup comes from an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm, producingasudden intake of air. The glottis (the vocal apparatus of the larynx) slamsshut at the same time, so that the column of air strikes the closed glottisto produce the characteristic, onomatopoeic noise.
Is there an easy way to prove the Earth is round?
Yes, travel. Because the Earth’s surface is curved, you’ll notice thatdifferent constellations of stars are revealed.
Can you have a fish out of water?
Yes. Several species of fish can breathe air and crawl on land. There areabout 50 species of flying fish, too.
Why is sea air good for you?
It isn't, particularly. In Victorian England, seaside resorts got a reputationfor having healthy air – maybe in comparison to the era's city smogs. Theseaside's "bracing" smell is caused by a chemical produced bycoastal bacteria, present in very low concentrations. But a study last yearfound that sea salt can react with chemicals in marine exhaust fumes toworsen the atmospheric pollution in a busy port.
Do plants die of old age?
Given good conditions, some plants can live for ever. It takes a change inexternal conditions to finish them off. But annuals die soon after seeding.
Does chewing gum really stay inside you for years?
No. Chewing gum is indigestible but it doesn't have any magic property thatallows it to escape the normal digestive transit. Three days is the usuallimit.
Where do phobias come from?
Around 10 per cent of the population suffer from phobias. Some may betriggered by a traumatic event while others are linked to physical problems.Studies suggest that simple phobias are partly genetic while others may bedue to cultural history. For example, a fear of spiders may be passed downfrom the Middle Ages when spiders were associated with the plague, asvictims' deserted homes became shrouded in cobwebs.
Do men have cellulite?
Yes. It's not just women who are cursed with orange peel skin, although in mencellulite tends to be in different places, usually around the neck andabdomen.
Can germs catch germs?
Yes. The germ would be an even smaller organism that attacks its host germfrom within.
Why do I get more car sick in the back?
It's probably because you don't have such a good view of the horizon. Motionsickness occurs when the balance mechanism in your ear registers movementwhile your eyes are telling you that you are stationary.
Could we live on water and supplements?
No. As well as vitamins and minerals we need carbohydrates, fats and proteinsfor energy and cell repair.
Do hot drinks cool you down?
Yes. They make your body think you are hotter than you really are so you sweatmore and that leads to heat loss.
What would happen if there were no Moon?
The most immediate effect (other than the lack of moonlight, of course) wouldbe on the Earth’s tides. With only the Sun’s gravitational influence, thedifference between high and low tides would be reduced dramatically - aswould tidal drag, which slows the Earth down at a rate adding about 0.002seconds to the length of a day each century. Long term, the effects would befar more serious. The climate of the Earth is sensitively dependent on the23.5° tilt of the Earth’s axis, and without the stabilising presence of ourrelatively huge Moon, the gravity of the other planets would produce bigchanges in this angle - as it does with Mars, whose tilt changes by 60° overa few million years.