We offer a selection of interesting questions, the answers to which will make our world clearer and more interesting.

1. Do artificial gravity technologies exist?

Yes. According to the general theory of relativity, the forces of gravity and inertia are fundamentally indistinguishable. The g-force that you experience in a car, on a plane, or on a carousel is the same artificial gravity. Moreover, a carousel, unlike a car and an airplane, can maintain "centrifugal" gravity for an unlimited time. It remains to make the space station in the form of a carousel, and it will have artificial gravity.

This is how the pioneers of astronautics imagined cities in orbit. However, such stations are not being built yet, since this is associated with many technical problems. All other "gravity generators" are fiction, and not very scientific.

2. What will happen to a spider if it gets into the web of another spider?

Most likely, they will eat him. True, he may survive if he turns out to be much larger than the owner of the web. Then the owner will break the threads holding the unwanted prey so that the alien falls out.

3. How did the witch hunt begin?

On December 5, 1484, Pope Innocent VIII issued a bull against witches, giving broad powers to the Inquisition. Innocent VIII led a far from righteous lifestyle, did not hide his illegitimate children and, apparently, expected to earn the mercy of heaven in another way - the fight against witchcraft.

Inquisitors Jakob Sprenger and Heinrich Institoris, the future authors of the reference book of witches' atrocities and methods of dealing with them, The Hammer of Witches, while hunting for the devil's minions in German cities, faced opposition from local authorities. Then the zealous Dominicans sent a complaint to Rome to the Pope. He heeded their request and issued a bull, endowing the inquisitors with unlimited powers and the ability to involve the secular authorities of any locality in assisting, and calling for all efforts to eradicate witchcraft.

The bull Summis desiderantes affectibus ("With all the powers of the soul") marked a new stage in the activities of the Inquisition. The terror that unfolded as a result throughout Europe lasted several centuries. In the 17th century, the city council of Regensburg seriously feared that due to the zeal of the Inquisition, not a single woman would soon remain in the city. Surprisingly, the decree of 1484 has not been formally annulled by the Catholic Church to this day.

4. Is it possible to swing on a swing in zero gravity.

You can’t do it on ordinary ones. A swing is a pendulum that swings under the influence of gravity. If this force is not present, then it is impossible to swing. However, you can come up with a spring or magnetic swing. You can swing on them in weightlessness, if the body movements with the desired frequency shift the center of gravity first to one side, then to the other.

5. What is a smoking room?

Luchina. A smoking torch is a smoldering torch, it gave the name to a children's game. The players passed the board from hand to hand, saying: “Alive, alive, smoking room, thin legs, short soul,” etc. Whoever had the torch in his hands went out, he lost. Over time, a smoking room began to be called a person who seemed to have disappeared, but suddenly showed up again.

6. Are there immortal beings?

There are potentially immortals. There are no creatures that cannot be killed. But for some, death is not the natural and necessary end of life. Thus, the life cycle of bacteria and many other unicellular organisms ends with division; as a result, two equivalent organisms are formed, also capable of unlimited reproduction. Potential immortality is also possessed by plants, including higher ones, which can restore the whole organism from separate parts.

In Sweden, a spruce is known that has grown from the root several times over 9.5 thousand years, and in California, a whole oak grove was discovered, which was once a single tree that grew back many times after fires over 13 thousand years.

7. Did ancient people have caries?

Yes. Examination of the remains of 52 people who lived 13,700-15,000 years ago in what is now Morocco showed that 49 of them had carious teeth, and many of them were badly damaged. True, such a frequency of the disease is unusually high for that time. Scientists attribute this to the specifics of the diet of this tribe, in the diet of which acorns and other seeds accounted for a large proportion. In communities that consumed less carbohydrate food, tooth decay was less common.

8. Do animals kiss?

Yes. Animals quite often touch each other with their lips or beak, expressing caress or affection. However, for a full kiss, soft and mobile lips are needed. They are found only in some mammals, including monkeys. Many of their species during family and social contacts kiss for real, sometimes mutually. In most other mammals, the role of kissing is performed by licking or light biting.

9. Why do surgeons treat their hands with 70% alcohol and not 96% alcohol?

This is enough for sterility. Alcohol at a concentration of 70 degrees disinfects almost as effectively as 96 degrees, while it tans the skin less. In addition, 70-degree alcohol is cheaper.

10. Why are there pimples on cucumbers?

These are the remnants of thorns. Many types of wild cucumbers are covered with impressive thorns. They prevent animals from eating the fruits before the seeds ripen in them; then the thorns dry up and break off. However, in the ancestors of the cultivated cucumber, growing in a humid tropical climate, the thorns have been transformed into organs through which excess water is discharged in droplets. Thus, only tubercles remained from the spikes.

11. What exploded in the Big Bang?

False vacuum. According to modern concepts, empty space (vacuum) can be in different energy states. Our habitual space seems to be the lowest energy state of the vacuum. However, before the Big Bang, the vacuum could be in a much more energetic state, which is called a false vacuum. According to the theory of cosmological inflation, this state is unstable. It was the decay of the false vacuum that could become the source of energy for the Big Bang.

12. How does a whale not suffocate if it is born in water?

He is quickly pushed to the surface. Cetaceans do not have hind limbs, and the pelvic bones are reduced and are not connected to each other and to the spine, so the birth canal consists almost of soft tissues. Childbirth passes very quickly. The whale emerges tail first, the head is the last to come out. Immediately after birth, the mother or other members of the flock push the newborn to the surface of the water so that he can breathe. Of the mammals in the water, sirens also give birth.

13. Is it true that a person's nose grows all his life?

No. Nose growth usually ends by the age of 18-20. In the future, only its shape changes due to a decrease in the firmness and elasticity of the skin or under the influence, for example, of dehydration of the body. But with some pathological processes in adults, the concentration of growth-regulating hormones increases. In these cases, the nose and ears can actually increase.

14. Does the laser pointer shine far?

For hundreds of thousands of kilometers. On a wall illuminated by the sun, the spot from the pointer is difficult to see even from 10 meters, and at night it is visible from a hundred meters. If the beam hits directly into the eye, then it can blind from 10 km. The maximum distance from which one can theoretically see a pointer signal in space in the absence of interference is hundreds of thousands of kilometers. At a million kilometers, too few photons would reach the eye due to the divergence of the beam.

15. How is the police different from the gendarmerie?

Gendarmes are military. The phrase gens d'armes is translated from French as "people with weapons." In France, the gendarmerie is part of the armed forces and is subordinate to the Ministry of Defence. That is, they are military personnel performing police tasks. In addition, the gendarmes are entrusted with duties related to the armed defense of the country.

The police, on the other hand, is a civilian formation subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior. It provides public order in the broad sense of the word. In modern Russia, the analogue of the gendarmerie is the internal troops.

16.Where is "in the middle of nowhere"?

It is not known where, but obviously very far away. Once in this phraseological turnover, the word “kulizhki” was used, which gradually began to be replaced by “kulichki”. Back in the 19th century, this replacement was considered erroneous. So, in the explanatory dictionary of Vladimir Dal, it says: “In the middle of nowhere (incorrect: in the middle of nowhere), no one knows where.” "Kulizhka" is a diminutive of "kuliga".

In the eastern dialects of the Russian language, this word meant a forest cleared, uprooted or burned for arable land. Kulizhki were, as a rule, outside the villages, on the outskirts, they were swampy places, moreover, according to popular beliefs, inhabited by evil spirits. By the way, Moscow also has its own “kulizhki” (more precisely, Kulishki): this is the name of the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe current Slavyanskaya Square and Solyanka, where there were once fish and salt markets (hence the name).

When the word "kulizhka" began to fall out of wide use, the expression was rethought and turned into "in the middle of nowhere." However, its meaning has not actually changed: indeed, where can you find the devil with Easter cakes? According to some linguists, initially the expression "to hell with the middle of nowhere" was the answer to the question: "Where are you going?" Superstitious people avoided directly answering this question, so as not to invite trouble along the way.

17. Who made the parachute?

In 1783, the Frenchman Louis-Sebastien Lenormand made the first successful parachute jump, confirmed by witnesses. Lenormand jumped from a 15-meter observatory tower in the city of Montpellier using a wooden-framed parachute he designed.

18. When was the first dollar printed?

The monetary unit of the dollar (from the German taler) was announced on July 6, 1785 by the Continental Congress. At first, the dollar was a silver coin. And since 1861, the first banknotes were put into circulation, which were printed on special linen-cotton paper with green paint. One edge of the bills was uneven. A spine was kept in the mint, the opposite edge of which was an exact copy of a banknote of a certain series. According to him, the reliability of banknotes was established.

In August 1862, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing began its work. Four women and two men in the basement of the Treasury Department's main building began sorting and stamping $1 and $2 bills, which were printed by private companies. Government money printing began in 1863, and by 1877 all US currency was printed by the Bureau.

Today in the United States in circulation there are banknotes with an issue date not earlier than 1928 - in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000 and 10,000 dollars. True, banknotes with a denomination of more than $100 are prohibited from being exported outside the country. $10,000 notes have not been printed since July 1944, and by the end of the 1980s, there were only 348 such bills in circulation. In 1969, the US Treasury announced the cessation of further issuance of banknotes in denominations above $100. The last $2 bill was printed in 1976.

On the face of the $500 bill is a portrait of McKinley, 25th President of the United States, $1,000 - Stephen Cleveland, 22nd and 24th Presidents, $5,000 - James Madison, 4th President, for 10,000- dollar bill - financier Samon Portland Chase.

The common "bucks" comes from buck (English) - deer. It was deer antlers or skins that served as the monetary equivalent in Great Britain. This word took root in the New World, as the British also settled it.

19. Does the hedgehog change its spines?

Yes, gradually. A certain number of needles fall out from a hedgehog throughout the year. And when the hedgehog wakes up from hibernation, it loses about a third of the needles, in the place of which new ones immediately begin to grow. Therefore, the animal is not defenseless. If a hedgehog's spines fall out faster than they grow back, then most likely he is sick.

20. Why does Chomolungma have a second name - Everest?

Because the former was not known to surveyors. In the 19th century, the British conducted geodetic surveys in the Himalayas. They could not enter the territory of Nepal, then closed to foreigners, and took measurements from India at a distance of more than 200 km from the Nepalese peaks.

At that time, Kanchenjunga, on the border of Nepal and India, was considered the highest mountain. But in 1852, the Indian mathematician Radhanat Sikdar, based on measurements made by the British, calculated that the mountain, codenamed Peak XV, should be higher than Kanchenjunga. She needed to be given a name by which she would be recognized in the world.

Not knowing the Tibetan name of the mountain (Chomolungma), the head of the British India Geodetic Survey, Andrew Waugh, named the peak in honor of his predecessor in this post, George Everest.

21. When did the light appear?

During the big bang, but became visible immediately. Visible light is electromagnetic radiation in a certain wavelength range. Radiation existed in the Universe from the very moment of the Big Bang, but in a dense hot plasma, photons could not move freely: electrons constantly absorbed them and emitted them again, the substance was opaque.

Light began to travel freely through space only 300,000 years later, when the temperature of the universe dropped, electrons merged with nuclei, and the gas became mostly transparent. The light emitted then is now visible as microwave background radiation.

22. Where did the asteroid that supposedly killed the dinosaurs fall?

Near the Yucatan Peninsula. A crater with a diameter of 180 km was formed during the fall of an asteroid 65 million years ago. According to one hypothesis, the dust and soot raised by him reduced the flow of sunlight and heat. The death of plants led to the extinction of dinosaurs. But many paleontologists point out that the extinction began long before the asteroid hit. And even a serious catastrophe would not have led to the rapid death of the dominant fauna if the dinosaurs did not experience evolutionary competition from mammals.

23. If diamond is the hardest material, then how is it processed?

Diamond is the same. First, jewelers must study the structure of the stone in order to understand how to process it. Cutting the crystal in the direction of greatest hardness is practically useless. It is sawn in the direction of lower hardness, usually with the help of the thinnest (hundredths of a millimeter) circular saw, into the blade of which diamond chips are pressed.

So, essentially, a diamond cuts a diamond, albeit very slowly, over many hours. Recently, lasers have also been used for cutting. They cut and polish stones with the help of disks with the same diamond dust. Unfortunately, up to half of the diamond's original weight is lost during processing.

24. Why is Baikal famous?

Lakes are water bodies with a slow water exchange, occupying about 1.5% of the land surface, which are characterized by the absence of a direct connection with the oceans. Hydrogeologists believe that there are about 5 million lakes on Earth, the total water supply in which is 230 thousand km 3, of which 123 thousand km 3 is fresh.

On a global scale, the drinking water supply of Lake Baikal, located on the territory of Russia, is 1/5 of and exceeds the volume of water of the five Great Lakes of North America combined. In order to imagine how large the water reserve of this lake is, it is enough to say that to fill the lake basin, the deepest point of which lies 5-6 thousand meters below the ocean level, all the rivers of the world would have to drain water here for 300 days.

Baikal is one of the oldest lakes on the planet. Its age is estimated at 25 million years. Despite such a venerable age, he does not show signs of aging. 336 rivers flow into Baikal, but the main role in the water balance of the lake, namely 50% of the annual inflow of water, is played by the waters of the Selenga River. Once in Baikal, its upper 50-meter layer is repeatedly cleared by epishura crustaceans living in it (endemic to Lake Baikal), saturated with oxygen and settling for years.

Water exchange in the northern basin of the lake occurs with a frequency of 225 years, in the middle - 132 years, in the southern - 66 years, which makes it suitable for drinking as drinking water without any additional purification.

Children are very interested in participating in various competitions, relay races. The event, the main idea of ​​which is intellectual questions, will surely attract a lot of people who want to participate. Such activities will captivate both children and adults. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to them and conducting them more often, especially among middle and high school students.

Why intellectual games are useful for schoolchildren

A smart game that includes intellectual questions is very useful for children. In terms of personal development, this will help:

• learn to make important decisions quickly;
• think logically;
• find solutions in difficult situations;
• increase brain activity;
• feel the confidence and spirit of victory when you answer correctly.

In terms of benefits for the company of children, intellectual questions and a spirit of excitement will contribute to:

• active communication between students;
• developing skills to communicate their ideas;
• uniting the team in a difficult situation.

In any case, intellectual questions for schoolchildren will help to make a bright holiday filled with emotions and the desire to win.

How to get kids interested

For the most part, students themselves do not mind taking on such a responsible mission as participating in an intellectual relay race. But in order for the game to be filled with excitement, a thirst for victory and efforts, it is worth coming up with a motivation. It could be:

• a gift for everyone;
• cup for the winning team;
• diplomas to all participants;
• winning a ticket to a children's pioneer camp;
• automatic receipt of grades for subjects related to the theme of the game.

There are countless ideas for rewards. The main thing is to have an incentive to take an active position in the intellectual relay race.

Interesting intellectual questions for high school students

To make the competition active, unusual and interesting, you need to carefully prepare for it. Various intellectual questions with answers will help to do this:

• Name the continents on the globe that begin with the letter "A". How many are there in number? (There are five of them: North America, South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica.)
• How many eyes does a fly have? (Five.)
• How many sense organs does a person have that are considered basic? (Five: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch.)
• How many squares are on the chessboard? (There are sixty-four squares on the chessboard.)
• How many times did the old man meet the golden fish from the sea in the fairy tale? (He called her five times.)
• How many leaves are in a lily of the valley? (Two.)
• How many days does it take a hen to incubate an egg to hatch a chick? (Twenty-one days.)
• Why is there a tongue in the mouth? (Behind the teeth.)
• Until what point can you go deep into the forest? (Exactly half, because after half you start to leave the forest.)
• Four cones grew on one of the birches, and five cones grew on the second. How many cones are on two birches? (Cones do not grow on birches.)

Such intelligent questions with answers will help children think and be smart during the game. It is worth preparing for the relay race to be held in one breath, and stock up on additional questions.

Questions for an intellectual trick game

Children faster than adults perceive tasks in which there are errors, so you can safely include cunning in the game. Interesting and reaction-inducing questions for a mind game might be:

• What geometric figure can be called "Solar"? (Ray.)
• What bag do you most often go on a hike with? (With backpack.)
• Name the heel that is the sharpest among the rest? (Hairpin.)
• Ballet with teeth. (Nutcracker.)
• Sports female name. (Olympics.)
• musical flower. (Bell.)
• The kindest doctor in the world. (Aibolit.)
• This musical instrument is often taken on a hike. (Guitar.)
• A tourist who knows the whole world. (Robinson Crusoe.)
• Which artist painted the world's most mysterious smile? (Leonardo da Vinci.)

Such questions for an intellectual game will surely cause excitement and a thirst for victory in children.

Questions for the smallest in intellectual relay races

It is not necessary to ignore the youngest schoolchildren in such games. Children's questions for the intellectual competition will help to involve a large number of children, even first-graders, in the relay race. Assignments should be easy. Children should be asked to answer who they will become if:

• They'll go to the doctor. (by a patient.)
• They will watch TV. (by a TV viewer.)
• Loud music played after 11pm. (Troublemaker.)
• They will travel by public transport. (Passenger.)
• They sit behind the wheel of a car. (Driver.)
• They will worry about the game of their favorite football team. (A fan.)
• They go to the grocery store. (Buyer.)
• They will go to rest on the sea or in the mountains. (Resting.)
• They will go with a fishing rod to the pond. (Fisherman.)
• They will come to someone's home. (Guest.)

Multiple choice questions, one of which is correct

You can also offer children questions that have several answers, and they must choose the correct one.

1. What color is not in the rainbow?

• Red.
• Orange.
• Brown.
• Green.

Correct answer: brown.

2. If you mix red and blue paint, what color will you get?

• Blue.
• Violet.
• Green.
• Orange.

Correct answer: purple.

3. Which of the military has blue berets?

• Sailors.
• Pilots.
• Tankers.
• Paratroopers.

Correct Answer: Paratroopers

4. Which plant is not blue?

• Forget-me-not.
• Chicory.
• Buttercup.
• Cornflower.

Correct answer: buttercup.

5. What sea does not exist in the world?

• Red.
• Blue.
• yellow.
• White.

Correct answer: blue.

Questions with humor

1. One person really did not like the Eiffel Tower, but he dined every time on the lower level of this building, why?

Answer: You can't see the tower from there.

2. What kind of surface is used all the time, but almost never driven?

Answer: stairs.

3. Two people approached the river at the same time, there was a boat on the shore. The boat could only support one, but both men landed on the opposite bank. How did it happen?

Answer: They came to different shores.

4. How can a person not sleep for eight days?

Answer: maybe if he sleeps at night.

5. In which word "no" is used a hundred times?

Answer: moans.

Let the intellectual game for schoolchildren go like clockwork. Cheerful and sonorous children's voices will fill you with joy and faith in

1. Cat and dog.

2. Separates the male and female halves.

3. Earthquake.

4. Buddhism forbids them to kill.

5. In Sweden, the tax on dog owners is assigned based on the height of the dogs, and in Norway - based on their length.

6. Due to space dust.

7. Located in two parts of the world.

8. Emeralds may be in their stomachs, which chickens peck to improve their digestion.

9. Many learned to read specifically to read this book.

10. To light the way (fireflies are collected in bags).

11. Cold!

12. In a dream (some of our parliamentarians do the same thing at meetings, only no one understands them).

13. The sorcerer removes the disease with a mask, which is then sold in the markets.

15. D (you can’t imagine shorter).

16. Marine (the so-called biogenic substances are concentrated in it, the chemical and energy properties of which are close to the composition of human blood).

17. Because they see camouflaged objects better.

18. Icebergs that have run aground.

20. Iceland leads in the number of launched fireworks.

21. Pour the juice from the second glass into the fifth.

We are not looking for answers to which, perhaps, we do not consider them important or simply take them for granted.

For example, have you ever thought about why we smell a specific smell when it rains, or why we cry when we cut onions?

There were logical answers to several such questions.

1. Why do old books have such a smell?

In short, several hundred volatile organic substances give the smell. In 2009, a study was conducted on this topic, the results of which were published in the journal Analytical Chemistry.

According to him, volatile organic substances enter the air from books, and more specifically from the decaying components of which it consists - paper, ink and glue.

2. How are seedless grapes grown?

Most fruits today do not come from seeds, but from cut branches. A small part of the vine or twig is cut, processed and placed in the ground, after which roots and leaves begin to grow from it.

Some seedless grapes do contain seeds, but they are very small. In general, most types of grapes contain seeds, just not all of them form a hard shell that is familiar to us.

3. Why can't we see baby pigeons?

Perhaps because we do not often look into their nests. Pigeons do not leave their nests until they are fully grown. In addition, when the pigeon has grown enough to leave the nest, it is almost impossible to distinguish it from an adult pigeon.

4. Why does it smell so good when it rains?

This fragrance is called Petrichor. With this name, they decided to designate the smell in the air, which remains after the rain has passed. It was invented by two Australian scientists in 1964.

The term Petrichor was formed from the fusion of the Greek words petra ("stone") and ichor ("ichor" - a liquid flowing in the veins of the Greek mythological gods).

It is worth noting that in the creation of this fragrance, one of the main roles is played by the organic compound geosmin (geosmin - from gr. "smell of the earth"). This organic matter is nothing but a waste product of various microorganisms, including cyanobacteria and actinomycetes.

5. Why do we cry when we cut onions?

When cutting onions, the structure of its tissues is disturbed, cells are torn, which in turn leads to the release of sulfonic acids, which turn into thiopropional dehyde-B-oxide He is the one who brings tears.

In addition, these acids condense into the form of thiosulfite, which gives the onion its characteristic smell.

It should be noted that education thiopropional dehyde-B-oxide as a result of cutting the onion, it reaches its peak in 30 seconds after the first cut.

Tears are a protective reaction of our body, which begins to produce a weak solution of sulfuric acid.

Our brain "informs" the lacrimal glands that it is time to secrete a large amount of fluid, which should wash away the irritating substance.

The more damaged onion tissues, the more gas is produced and the more fluid the body produces, i.e. more tears.

The reaction of the onion is a kind of defense mechanism against pests.

6. How much gold does a gold ring lose when we wear it?

According to a 2008 study published in the Gold Bulletin, on average, a gold ring loses about 0.12 mg of gold each week.

Chemist Georg Steinhauser, who is the author of the study, writes: "Most of all gold is lost while relaxing on the beach, where the ring is exposed to the abrasive influence of sand."

7. Why does garbage stink more in hot weather than in cold weather?

Most of the garbage consists of organic material - peels from fruits and vegetables, leftover food, etc. This material begins to decompose, releasing an unpleasant odor that signals that it can no longer be eaten.

If the environment is fairly warm, the organic material decomposes faster. In addition, we are less sensitive in cold weather, so when the weather is warmer, the stink of garbage becomes stronger.

8. Why don't penguins fly?

The bird, on the path of evolution, apparently had to choose which skill would be more useful to her: be able to fly well or swim well.

This idea was put forward by scientists whose study was published in 2013 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

According to the study, penguins can't fly because their bodies are more adapted to diving than flying.

"To learn to fly, they need to grow big wings, and to dive betterincrease body size. But if both conditions are met, then flight becomes impossible," explains Robert Ricklefs, study co-author and ornithologist at the University of Missouri in St. Louis.

9. Why is it difficult to sneeze with your eyes open?

It is worth noting first that if you choose to deliberately leave your eyes open when you want to sneeze, they will not come out of their sockets. And even if If this happened, then closed eyelids could not help you to avoid it.

In fact, when we sneeze, we close our eyes simply because the reflex is triggered. When your brain sends the signal to sneeze, part of it tells you to close your eyes.

10. Why do people walk forward and not sideways?

If crabs walk like that, then why don't people do it? Even if we need to go left or right, we still turn around and move forward.

One reason could be the fact that walking sideways uses as much energy as running forward.

A study published in the journal Biology Letters in 2013 found that walking sideways requires more energy because a person has to stop after each step to take the next step.

11. Why do some people have freckles and others don't?

Freckles contain the pigment melanin. Most freckles are due to the same gene that leads to red hair, MC1R.

The cells in the skin that produce melanin are called melanocytes. MC1R makes a protein that lives on these cells and tells your body what melanin to create.

In darker people, melanocytes are more likely to produce one type of melanin, eumelanin. People who produce more pheomelanin have paler skin and more freckles. By the way, such people do not sunbathe much; in the sun, their skin almost does not change color, since pheomelanin - unlike eumelanin - does not protect a person from ultraviolet rays.

12. Why does even the smallest speck of dust in the eye create a very unpleasant sensation?

Your cornea - the anterior most convex transparent element of the eyeball - has many nerve endings.

If you get dust in your eye and then you start rubbing it, you just rub the dust on the surface of the cornea, which worsens the situation, making the pain worse. You can also inadvertently press hard on a speck of dust, and it will enter the cornea.

Instead of rubbing your eye, try blinking - this helps in most cases.

Incredible Facts

In fact, there are a lot of secrets in the world, about which modern science practically knows nothing.

Below are the most exciting ones.

1. What is the composition of the universe?

Atoms, as you know, are the most important component of almost everything on our planet. However, they are just a small part of what the Universe consists of.

It's about five percent.

The remaining ninety-five percent is dark energy (dark matter), about which nothing is known. Due to the lack of any information, it was given this name.

2. Why do we dream?

Some believe that dreams are subconscious unfulfilled desires, others say that they are ordinary brain impulses.

3. Why do we sleep?

Since ancient times, scientists have been trying to find the answer to this eternal question. Despite the fact that we spend a third of our lives sleeping, science is still unable to explain the reason for this phenomenon. It is likely that dreams are important for the maintenance of memory or for the development of learning ability.

4. Where does carbon come from on earth?

Ever since the beginning of the industrial revolution, man began to send carbon into the atmosphere, which is hidden in the bowels of the Earth. Where does he come from again?

5. How to get solar energy?

Due to the fact that fossil fuels are an energy source that will eventually come to an end, we will need to extract it from some other places. The most promising candidate for this role is the Sun. The only thing left is to figure out how to do it.

The most difficult questions

6. What happens to prime numbers?

Prime numbers are not as simple as they seem. There is a strangeness in them that mathematicians are still unable to understand. Therefore, one of the seven mysteries of the millennium, the Riemann hypothesis, has been keeping the greatest minds awake for several hundred years.

There is a $1 million reward for her proof.

7. How to deal with bacteria?

As antibiotics become widespread and overused, more bacteria adapt to them every day. Science has to look for new ways to fight.

The main hopes are placed on the results of research in the field of DNA, as well as on the search for an answer to this question in deep-sea research.

8. Can the computer run even faster?

Today, iPhone owners have a more powerful device than NASA had when they planned to fly to the moon. Is continued productivity growth realistic, or have computers already reached their limit?

The answer to this question largely depends on the correctness of doing incredibly complex calculations.

9. Can we find a cure for cancer?

Unfortunately, most likely, this disease is built into our genes. It is for this reason that the longer we live on earth, the higher the likelihood of getting one of the forms of this terrible disease.

However, looking at the problem from the other side, it is worth noting that about 50 percent of cases of malignant tumors can be prevented.

The main thing is not to smoke, do not abuse alcohol, eat moderately, play sports, lead an active lifestyle and avoid excessive exposure to the sun.

10. When will robots become our interlocutors?

Of course, today there are robots that can tell you a few jokes, but we are talking about a full-fledged conversation that takes place between people.

Despite the fact that artificial intelligence is constantly evolving, there is no reliable information about whether robots will ever be independent “personalities”.

11. What is the bottom of the ocean filled with?

At first glance, this question may seem absurd, but in fact the bottom of the ocean is not explored by 95 percent!

Experts say that a person will get to the moon faster and easier than descending into the deepest part of the ocean.

The hardest questions

12. What is a "black hole"?

Taking into account the fact that both the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics are baffled by this question, we can only believe that science will nevertheless unite the efforts of all areas that are at least somehow connected with this issue and find the answer.

It is crucial to understand how the strangest parts of our universe exist and function.

13. How long can a person live?

Relatively recently, science and medicine began to treat old age as a disease, and not as an inevitability. But still, in this case, it is not the question of life expectancy that is paramount, but how to stay healthy longer?

14. How to solve the problem of overpopulation?

In 35 years, the population of the planet Earth will reach ten billion. To this day, there are no concrete ideas on how to organize the infrastructure that could provide a normal life for this number of people.

15. Is time travel possible?

Scientists note that according to technical indicators, it is possible to travel into the future. Since during the movement at high speed there is a slowdown in the personal perception of time by an object subjected to such an impact, from the point of view of a person, everything that happens looks like an accelerated movement into the future.

But travel to the past is still impossible.

16. Why does a person yawn?

Despite the fact that both people and most vertebrates yawn, experts have not yet found an exact explanation for this phenomenon. The most common point of view is the lack of oxygen in the body.

The most difficult questions

17. Why does the placebo effect work?

Today, in relevant circles, they argue not only about the principle of the placebo effect, but also about the advisability of people using this method of treatment.

18. Why are nine out of ten people right-handed?

This question has been studied for over 160 years. But why the leading hand of the vast majority of people on the planet is right, we still cannot answer.

19. What makes us human?

If we look at the human genome, we will see that it is 99 percent identical to the monkey. Our brains, however, are larger than those of most individuals in the animal kingdom. It is not the largest, but it has three times more neurons than, for example, a gorilla.

Scientists believe that cooking, as well as skills in making fire, over time made us the owners of a larger brain. But it is possible that our ability to cooperate, as well as trading skills, made this world human, and not belonging to monkeys.

20. How do birds fly to the same place every year?

To date, the best explanation for this phenomenon is the influence of the Earth's magnetic field. This fact has not yet been accepted as the only true one, but so far a better explanation has not been invented.

21. How does a monarch butterfly understand where to fly?

Monarch butterflies, like birds, travel very long distances every year. The strange thing is that this species of butterflies lives no more than six months, so each individual makes only one flight in its life. How do they know the direction of flight?

22. Why does a giraffe have such a long neck?

There are many explanations for this question, but none of them has been officially confirmed. One theory is that giraffes use their necks to forage for food high up in the trees, where few other animals can reach.

23. What is consciousness?

Science still cannot answer this question. But we know that consciousness is the totality of the work of several parts of the brain, and not some of its separate areas.

It is important to understand which part of the brain is responsible for what and how the circuits of the nervous system work.

Just as importantly, by integrating and processing a lot of information, and focusing and blocking out the unnecessary, we respond to sensory input so we can discern what is real and what is not.

24. Are we alone in the universe?

Probably no. Astronomers often find places where water worlds may well give impetus to the development of life or have already given it. Moreover, these places are located both in relative proximity to our planet, and at a distance of a large number of light years.

Today, astronomers can scan the atmospheres of alien worlds for oxygen and water. The next few decades will be an exciting period of exploration of potentially habitable planets, of which there are about 60 billion in the Milky Way alone.

25. Where does gravity come from?

This question has been of interest to the scientific community for many centuries. And, most likely, more than any other from this list. Here on the face of the eternal struggle between classical physics and quantum mechanics.