Australian_Science_Illustrated_Issue_52_2017

22 | SCIENCE ILLUSTRATED

ASK US

8 centimetres

Why do people get shorter as they age? Over time, cartilage in the legs and the joints of the spinal

column gets compressed. The process means that 80-year-old men shrink an average of

Who was the world's

first serial killer?

The woman responsible for the first documented serial

killings in history was the a Roman poisoner, Locusta,

who earned a living from making and selling poison in

the first century AD.

Locusta is believed to be responsible for at least

eight murders, including Roman Emperor Claudius,

who died in 54 AD after having been poisoned by fungi.

The murder was ordered by the emperor’s wife,

Agrippa the Younger, but neither she nor Locusta were

punished for the crime. The next year, Locusta was

sentenced to death for another poisoning murder,

but she was pardoned by Nero in return for killing

Claudius’ son Britannicus. 14 years later, Locusta

was once again sentenced to death and executed.

SHUTTERSTOCK

The poison maker Locusta

tested her fatal mixtures on

slaves, before poisoning

one of her victims.

SHUTTERSTOCK

VS

The lion has a high top speed for hunting its prey and

a very powerful bite to kill it off. However, the lion is a

less efficient hunter than the tiger, when the animal is

alone, because lions are used to hunting in groups.

Although the tiger runs more slowly than the lion, the

animal is a gifted hunter, which can encircle its prey all

by itself. The tiger aims for the prey's throat, using its

long claws to tear up the flesh.

LION

1,768 newtons

7.5 cm

110-120 cm

80 km/h

Force of bite 1,525 newtons

Which is the better hunter?

Claw length

Top speed

Shoulder level

10 cm

70-120 cm

65 km/h

TIGER