BBC Science Focus - 03.2020

Q&A

GET T Y IMAGES X5, BBC, WIKIPEDIA COMMONS ILLUSTRATION: DAN BRIGHT

It’sdue to a mutation in the gene that

is responsible for providing hairs with

their keratin protein as they emerge

from the follicle. The hair is formed,

but it has a weaker structure and

becomes easily damaged and

dislodged. This genetic mutation can

occur in cats naturally, but selective

breeding for this trait since the 1960s

has produced the Sphynx breed. Some

Sphynx cats are completely bald, while

others have short downy fur over their

bodies or in isolated areas.CC

GRETATHUNBERG

AND SNOOKER?

WHAT CONNECTS

1. Teenage climate activist Greta
   Thunberg has a beetle named after her.
   The beetle was found in Kenya in the
   1960s but wasn’t named as a new species
   (Nelloptodes gretae) until last year.


2. Attenborough’s TV career began in
   1952, when he joined the BBC and
   started producing natural history
   series such asAnimal PatternsandZoo
   Quest. He later became controller of
   BBC Two.


3. When the BBC began broadcasting
   in colour in 1967, Attenborough
   showcased the benefits of colour TV by
   commissioningPot Black, a programme
   featuring the, then relatively obscure,
   sport of snooker.
   2. Thunberg has a long way to go to
   catch up with Sir David Attenborough,
   though. He has at least 20 species and
   genera named after him, including a
   beetle (pictured above), a carnivorous
   plant and an extinct marsupial lion.

CATHERINEMURPHY, VIA EMAIL

WHYARE SPHYNX

CATS HAIRLESS?

TOBYGRAHAM, SHREWSBURY

HOWDOES WATER

EVAPORATE

WITHOUT BOILING?

Theestimated global cost of

damage to crops by diamondback

moths each year. To try and combat

this, US scientists are trialling a

release of male moths that have

been genetically modified to

ensure their female offspring die

soon after hatching.

£3.9bn

KEVINWARD, STROUD

IS HOT FOOD MORE FILLING

THAN COLD FOOD?

Hotfood does tend to make you feel full

for longer, and this is because it increases

the time it takes for your appetite to

return. Freshly cooked food has more

flavour because of the volatile organic

compounds that are released, and this

extra stimulation makes the food feel

more satisfying than the same nutrients

eaten cold. It’s also much harder to bolt

down hot food, and eating slowly signals

to your brain that you are consuming a

substantial meal – and so your brain

suppresses your appetite for longer once

you’ve finished your meal.LV

Liquid water is made up of molecules

of H 2 O attracted to one another by

intermolecular forces known as

‘hydrogen bonds’. These are relatively

weak, and there are always some H 20

molecules whizzing around with

enough energy to break free of their

neighbours, even at temperatures well

below 100°C. These can then escape –

‘evaporate’ – into the air. Even more

evaporation will take place if the

surrounding air pressure is reduced, for

example by going to high altitude.RM