Magnesium is one element present in the volcanos different rock layers. 镁元素存在于火山的不同岩层中。 Since it diffuses slowly through crystalline rock, scientists can calculate rock ages by how much magnesium is present. 由于镁元素...
Your body uses three senses to keep you balancedto tell you what's up and down. 人体有三种感官能够帮助维持平衡，并告诉我们向上还是向下。 One of the senses is your eyes. They tell you how you're oriented with the world arou...
Consider a pilot whos flying in clouds, so she has no visual clues. 假设一个飞行员正穿梭于云层之中，看不到任何东西。 She enters a left turn, and her inner ears say youre turning. 她把飞机往左转，这时候内耳会告诉她...
Large, Earth bound tornadoes are pretty impressive weather events. 大型地球龙卷风的天气现象让人印象深刻。 Those dark, giant funnel clouds inspire much awe and fear. 那些黑色、巨大的漏斗云让人心生敬畏和恐惧。 Bu...
The gasses drag magnetic fields and electrical currents in their wake, carrying them into the stars high atmosphere. 这些气体拖动其后的磁场与电流，将其带入太阳的高层大气中。 Now, earthly tornadoes are noteworthy for the ma...
Cooking Under Pressure 高压烹饪 When you boil potatoes on the stove top, it can take half an hour to cook them til tender. 如果你用炉子烹煮土豆，那么需要半小时才能煮熟。 But, when you boil them in a pressure cooker, instead...
The sealed lid keeps the steam inside, raising the pressure inside the cooker to about twice normal air pressure. 密封的盖子保存了锅内的水蒸气，导致锅内的压强升至标准大气压的两倍。 Now heres the secret of speedy press...
If youve ever blinked at a sudden light, jerked your hand away from something hot, 如果你在突然的灯光下眨眼，或碰到滚烫的物品立刻抽回手， or jumped at a loud noise, then you know that these are not actions we consciously pl...
Once it reaches the spinal cord, the impulse is routed speedily back to the muscle originally stimulated. 一旦到达脊髓，神经冲动便会迅速返回至最初受到到刺激的肌肉。 This process occurs almost instantaneously, before weve...
More often than not, the wind dies down at night after a blustery day. 通常情况下，大风刮了一整天后在夜晚会逐渐平息下来。 Where does the wind go? Why are nights generally more calm than days? 大风去了哪里呢？为什么夜...
But with cooler air sitting tight at ground level, the usual temperature pattern turns upside down for a few hundred feet above the ground. 但是随着冷空气在地表停留，地表上方几百英尺处的气温模式就会发生颠倒。 Known a...
What makes kitchen plastic wrap cling so maddeningly to itself, and so conveniently to the sides of bowls and plates? 为何厨房的保鲜膜可以自我吸附，还能巧妙地贴合在碗盘上？ Plastic wrap clings for two reasons: its elastic a...
Now that you know the secret to plastic wraps elasticity, lets explore why its sticky. 既然你已经知晓保鲜膜弹性的原理了，现在就探究下保鲜膜的粘性吧。 Most thin plastic films easily pick up a static electric charge by fr...
I love to snack, but I also want to lose weight. The problem is, I really hate vegetables and fruit, at least as snack foods. 我喜欢吃零食，但也想减肥。问题在于我非常讨厌蔬菜和水果，至少作为零食而言。 I want somet...
But plain, simple popcorn is not only a healthful snack but also one of the most nutritious foods you can eat. 但是普通的爆米花不仅是一款健康的零食，而且是你能吃到的最有营养的食物之一。 How so? For one thing, popc...
