24 results for “temperature”
Matter, Energy & Physics
Energy and Heat
temperature, does some work, and must dump the rest as waste heat at a lower temperature
Article · 4 min read
Space & the Universe
The Big Bang
temperature had fallen to about 10 billion degrees. That is cool enough for the basic building
Article · 4 min read
Chemistry
Water: The Strangest Ordinary Substance
temperature, ice ought to sink, and lakes ought to freeze solid from the bottom up. None
Article · 3 min read
Planet Earth
The Atmosphere
temperature. The troposphere, the lowest layer, holds nearly all the water vapour and all the weather
Article · 4 min read
Planet Earth
Weather and Climate
temperatures meet, rivers of fast-moving air form at the altitude of airliners. These jet streams
Article · 4 min read
The Human Body
Skin, Hair and Nails
temperature and makes vitamin D. Hair and nails grow from it. Your skin is easy to overlook
Article · 3 min read
Planets & the Solar System
The Moon
temperatures reach about 120 degrees Celsius and plunge to minus 130 at night. Deep craters near
Article · 4 min read
The Human Body
The Brain
temperature and hormones. At the base, the brainstem runs breathing, heart rate and sleep, and connects
Article · 4 min read
The Human Body
The Senses
temperature and the chemistry of the blood, producing thirst and hunger. None of these feel like
Article · 4 min read
Planet Earth
The Oceans
temperatures just above freezing and under pressures that would crush a car. Yet it is full
Article · 4 min read
Planet Earth
Inside the Earth
temperatures of 4,000 to 5,000 degrees. Below it, the inner core is a solid
Article · 4 min read
Space & the Universe
The Life of a Star
temperatures. It lasts perhaps ten million years. The Sun, a middling star, will manage about ten billion
Article · 3 min read
Planet Earth
Rocks, Minerals and Fossils
temperature mount. The streaky, folded rocks of ancient mountain roots are metamorphic. These are not separate
Article · 4 min read
Life & Biology
Dinosaurs and Mass Extinctions
temperatures plunged, and the food chains that depended on plants and plankton fell apart. About three
Article · 3 min read
Planet Earth
Volcanoes
temperatures dropped by about half a degree. After Tambora in 1815, the largest eruption in recorded
Article · 4 min read
Matter, Energy & Physics
Electricity and Magnetism
temperature of the Sun's surface. The force between charges is enormous. It is what holds
Article · 4 min read
Planets & the Solar System
Mars
temperature is around minus 60 degrees Celsius, though a summer afternoon at the equator can reach
Article · 4 min read
Animals
Reptiles and Amphibians
temperature follows their surroundings, and they warm up by basking in the sun and cool down
Article · 3 min read
Chemistry
Chemical Reactions
temperature. Vinegar poured on baking soda fizzes because the reaction produces carbon dioxide gas. Milk going
Article · 3 min read
Animals
Sharks
temperature, and launches itself clear of the water to take seals from below. The reputation Sharks
Article · 3 min read
Animals
Insects
temperature. These societies arose independently several times, and a single Argentine ant supercolony stretches 6,000 kilometres
Article · 3 min read
The Human Body
Sleep and Dreams
temperature, hormones, hunger and alertness. Light is the clock's main signal. Bright morning light tells
Article · 3 min read
Matter, Energy & Physics
Light
temperature. Fireflies and deep-sea fish make light with chemistry. A laser makes it by persuading
Article · 4 min read
Animals
Mammals
temperature steady, usually between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius, whatever the weather. That takes a lot of fuel
Article · 4 min read
