BBC_Knowledge_2014-06_Asia_100p

If you bang yourself, why

does rubbing the area

help the pain go?

What is nanocellulose?

It seems that how much you think about pain has a big effect on
how much it actually hurts. When you rub your banged shin, you are
stimulating a different set of nerves and this gives you something to
focus on other than the signals from the pain receptors. There may also
be an illusory correlation at work. Most bangs only hurt acutely for a few
seconds. If we spend those seconds rubbing the bashed part, we are
likely to believe this is what got rid of the pain. LV

Cellulose makes up cell wall. Nanocellulose is made from fibres

of natural cellulose extracted using a chemical technique called acid

hydrolysis. The resulting material is strong, flexible and lightweight. In

future it could be used in everything from body armour to membranes

for purifying water. With extra processing, it can take on electrical

properties and could be used in flexible phone displays. GM

Why does honey crystallise?

Honey is a supersaturated

solution of glucose and fructose.

This is inherently unstable and

so it naturally tends to crystallise

over time. Glucose is less soluble

than fructose so it crystallises

first. Honey made from plants

with higher glucose content in

their nectar (including dandelions

and rape) crystallises more quickly.

Commercial honey is heated

and filtered to remove tiny crystals

and pollen grains that act as

seeds for crystal growth, so that

it stays liquid for longer. Storage

temperature is a factor too. Honey

crystallises quickest between 10ºC

and 15ºC. LV

Why do ships sink in the

Bermuda Triangle?

Ships sink in all parts of the ocean. There’s nothing

particularly dangerous about the seas around Bermuda. In fact

a 2013 study commissioned by WWF International, found that

the most dangerous waters were the South China Sea, the

Mediterranean and the North Sea. The Bermuda Triangle doesn’t

even make the top 10, despite being one of the busiest shipping

lanes in the world. There have been no sinkings in the Bermuda

Triangle since 1967. Various theories such as magnetic compass

anomalies have no evidence to support them. LV

Don’t cry -

give it a rub A magnified view of the wonder material nanocellulose

The Hermes was sunk in

Bermuda waters in 1985

to make an artificial reef (^) Keep your honey in a
cupboard and you can
add a bit of texture to it
as it crystallises
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