Innehållsförteckning för April 2023 från What on Earth! Magazine

BIZARRE BELIEFS The fireproof salamander Salamanders are brightly coloured amphibians that look a bit like a lizard crossed with a frog. They are nocturnal animals which are found in many parts of the world and are especially common in North America. The name salamander comes from an old Persian word meaning ‘fire within’ and is connected to a strange and ancient belief: that salamanders are fireproof, and able to both start a fire and put one out. In fact, during the 1st century CE, a Roman writer and naturalist named Pliny the Elder is said to have thrown a salamander into a fire to test if the stories of salamanders’ magical, fireresistant powers were true. Unfortunately they aren’t, and the poor salamander did not survive the experiment. Farts in a…

In 2008, the king of Norway knighted a penguin at Edinburgh Zoo. The penguin’s name is Sir Nils Olav and it is an honorary officer in the Norwegian Army. Your photos Where does your curiosity take you? Tell us by sending your photos and letters to: photos@britannicamagazine.com If your photo, drawing or letter is featured in a future issue of Britannica Magazine, you will win a copy of the brilliantly disgusting Gross Factopia! Moon mission In our March Issue, we invited readers to design and draw their very own lunar vehicles. Here are two of our favourites. As you can see, they both include some impressive on-board gadgets! Vehicle 1 is by Gregory, age 8 Vehicle 2 is by Benji, age 9 Lift-off! I built this space rocket using old…

A GALAXY OF STARS This spectacular photo features an arc of stars from our own galaxy, the Milky Way. The colours along the horizon are created by reactions in Earth’s upper atmosphere known as ‘airglow’. OOOH! HIDE-AND-SEEK A large African animal is hiding (not very well) behind this bush in Marakele National Park in Limpopo, South Africa. Can you guess what type of animal it is? The long trunk is probably a good clue… HOUSE OF FUN Have you ever imagined what it would be like to live in a parallel universe where everything is upside down? This wacky house in the city of Krasnoyarsk in Russia gives visitors just that experience. As you can see, even the furniture inside is upside down! INSIDE FACE PAINT Each year, the Hindu…

Q What’s the definition of a dream job? A Something you can do in your sleep! Q What is a bird’s favourite type of biscuit? A Chocolate chirp cookies! Q Why was the lightning angry? A Because someone stole its thunder! Q Why did the pirate want a bar of soap? A To wash herself ashore! Q What runs around a house but cannot move? A A fence! Q Why did the teacher get glasses? A Because she couldn’t control her pupils! Q How can you make a fire with just one stick? A If it’s a matchstick! Q What do you call an ingenious fish? A Minnow-vative! Q What do you call an untrustworthy frog? A An am-fib-ian! Q How do you say sorry in dots and dashes? A…

Why do cats love hiding in boxes? Do you have a cat? If you do, have you noticed whether it likes to sit inside boxes? Most cats do, and it’s not just domestic cats: big cats such as tigers do it too. Scientists think this could be because the gentle pressure the cardboard box exerts on the cat’s sides feels similar to the feeling of cuddling up to other kittens when the cat was young. Alternatively, it could be because cats are ‘ambush predators’ that like to hide and then sneak up on things unawares. Experts in cat behaviour at the Messerli Research Institute in Vienna, Austria are continuing to investigate the phenomenon! The AI computer program that reads people's minds Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is a branch of computer…

ANIMALS 1 What type of marine animal is an orca? a. A shark b. A whale c. A dolphin d. A porpoise 2 Which of these farm animals is there the largest number of on Earth? a. Pigs b. Cows c. Sheep d. Chickens 3 What does the Latin species name Tyrannosaurus rex mean in English? a. King of the jungle b. King of the tyrant lizards c. King of the dinosaurs d. Terrifying teeth 4 What is a giant panda’s main source of food? a. Bamboo b. Bark c. Fruits and berries d. Insects 5 What is a collective name for a group of camels? a. A hump b. A troop c. An oasis d. A caravan 6 Up to how many times a second can a bee beat its wings? a. 10 b. 90 c. 190 d. 900 SPACE & NATURE 7 What is the second…

Very few reptiles survived the terrible Permian Mass Extinction, which occurred 266 million to 251 million years ago and may have been caused by massive volcanic eruptions. It led to the extinction of about 95 per cent of marine species and about 70 per cent of land species. Thankfully, one of the reptiles that did survive was Lystrosaurus, which was an important species for humans. Lystrosaurus is a link between reptiles and mammals. If it hadn’t survived, some experts think mammals may never have evolved at all. Humans are mammals. So we must be thankful that this possible distant ancestor of ours made it, even if it did look like a cross between a lizard and a pig. Then, out of disaster came a completely new generation of reptiles. These…

DO IT YOURSELF When you arrange small pieces of stone, tile, glass or other material to form a picture or pattern, it is called a mosaic. Mosaics are often used to decorate buildings, but they can also be thought of as beautiful works of art in themselves. People from different parts of the world have been making mosaics for centuries. You’ve probably seen examples of ancient Greek and Roman mosaics. But did you know that the ancient Mesopotamians, Islamic peoples of the Middle East, Pueblo Indians of North America and Incas of South America all created wonderful mosaics too? One of the most famous Roman mosaics was found in Pompeii, the city destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. It shows the ancient Greek king Alexander the…