BBC_Science_Focus_-_08.2019

Q&A

GETTY IMAGES X6, SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY ILLUSTRATION: DAN BRIGHT

HARRY GREEN, LONDON

HOW HOT WOULD A PAVEMENT

HAVE TO BE IN ORDER TO FRY

AN EGG ON IT?

If the sunshine is beating down for hours, the pavement can get hot enough to at least

partially cook an egg. But for a fully cooked egg, which needs temperatures of around 70°C,

you’re beer o with a manhole cover. These tend to get hoer than the surrounding

pavement because they’re made from metal and heat up more when exposed to the same

amount of sunlight. They also have an insulating layer of air beneath them, reducing the

amount of heat that’s conducted away. RM

CLARE LINNELL, GUILDFORD, SURREY

WHY DO HUMANS

FEEL BETTER AFTER

THEY HAVE CRIED?

The popular idea that crying is beneficial

and ‘cathartic’ is actually the subject of

intense debate among emotion

researchers. A study of personal diaries

conducted by the University of South

Florida found that people generally

reported feeling down on the days before

and aer a good cry. Lab studies using sad

films have also found that most people

actually feel worse immediately aer

crying. However, a recent Dutch study

found that a beneficial eect of crying

kicks in aer about 20 minutes. The precise

reasons why crying may (sometimes) be

beneficial remain unknown, although

there has been plenty of speculation:

crying may prompt us to seek out

mood-boosting activities; it could trigger

physiological changes that help us to relax;

and of course crying can invite love and

support from others. CJ

FLORENCE AND

THE MACHINE,

AND ORION?

WHAT CONNECTS

3. The phrase goes back to the Ancient
   Greeks, who used it to refer to the time
   following the rising of the ‘Dog Star’ in
   the Northern Hemisphere.


4. The Dog Star is also called Sirius – the
   brightest in the night sky. It gets its
   name because it faithfully follows the
   constellation of Orion the hunter across
   the sky.


5. The British indie rock band Florence
   and the Machine released the song Dog
   Days Are Over in 2008 as the second
   single from their debut album Lungs.


6. The title is a reference to the ‘dog days
   of summer’ – the hot, sultry days in July
   and August when the weather is usually
   at its most uncomfortable.