Question Your World - Do we really need that much water?

Simple answer, yes!

The human body does some pretty exceptional work, but in order for it to function at optimal capacity it needs to be properly hydrated. Water is essential for all life and it's no wonder that our bodies need it for both physical and mental functions.



Water helps regulate your temperature, lubricates joints and muscles, and digestion! But did you know that the amount of water you drink has a direct impact on your brain?!?!

A properly hydrated body will yield a brain that has a stronger memory capacity, a level temperament, and will increase motivation! A lack of water will cause the brain to get slightly hydrated and reduce the oxygen flow to the cerebral center. Some scientists have also hypothesized that a dehydrated body will also have some temporarily shrunk neurons and receptors!!

So, remember to get in a good amount of water everyday, its good for you!

Here's some more info on relationship of water and your body!
Water!
also...
So, how much water do you need??

QUESTION YOUR WORLD - Leap Day Science!

What's going on in February this year? Why is the month of March one whole day further back than I'm used to??

Well, for the answer to that we'll have to turn to our old friend, Math!

The Earth's orbit around the sun is 365 days, kinda. Though we count it as 365 in reality each year yields a little extra time. The actual time it takes the Earth to orbit the sun is 365.25 days a year (yielding a surplus quarter of a day at the end of the year). So, the Gregorian calendar, the one we use, came up with a very simple but effective solution...everytime we hit the 4th quarter day (every 4 years) we add a 'Leap Day'! 4 quarter days = 1 full day, right?

There's some other pretty amazing math that goes into Leap Day too!

For example:
Years that are divisible by 100 can NOT be leap years, however years divisible by 400 CAN be leap years...So, 2100, 2200, 2300 will not be leap years, however 2400 and 2800 will be leap years!

Also, in the span of 2 millennia we will only have a total of 485 leap years! Which makes this year pretty special.
So, be sure to enjoy the extra day...after all, its the hoppiest day of the year!

For more leap day info check this out Leap Day Wiki page
Anything ever happen on a Leap Day? Leap Day history
Are you born on a leap day? Well, you're in good company! Leap Day B-Days!

QUESTION YOUR WORLD - How long is a light year?

So, how long is a light year...short answer: Long!!! long answer: about 5.9 trillion miles!!! That's how quickly light can traverse across space. So if you wanted to walk the distance of a light year you would need to be marching on your feet for about 168 million years!! For you to arrive at this moment, you would have had to start walking from the time when dinosaurs ruled the earth! Whew...better pack a few lunches for the calories you would have been using up! The speed at which light travels is still the fastest known speed in our universe.

On a related note, there sure are a lot of movies that make reference to this amazingly fast speed. Warp speed, Hyperspace, and Ludicrous speed are all references to the fastest known speed that we humans have been able to identify!

Check out more info on light year and big stellar distances here: Distance!


Also, Cool Cosmos has some pretty cool info about some of these huge distances and times!

Question Your World - Valentine's Day special! Mate for life!

So, we sure do celebrate loyalty, companionship, and romance on Valentine's Day. We're not the only species that shares similar sentiments. Did you know some animals also mate for life? Wolves and Termites are just two of the many animals that mate for life! Its good to know that there are strong bonds of loyalty from nuclear family mammals to insects that pine for one another.

Want more examples of animals that keep that one special main squeeze? Check this out! :Mate for life list!