Simle Quesions wih No Answers七件没有答案的简单现象

7SimpleQuestionswithNoAnswers

Askaphysicistabouttheradiusoftheblackholeatthecenterofthegalaxyandshe'lltellyoumorethanyouwantedtoknow.Askherhowabicycleworks,andshe'llshrug.Itmaysurpriseyoutolearnthatscientistslackexplanationsforsomeofthesimplestquestionsyoumightthinktoask.Readonforatasteofthemanyseeminglymundanequestionsnoknowcananswer.Whatcausesstaticelectricity?Staticshocksareasmysteriousastheyareunpleasant.Whatweknowisthis:Theyoccurwhenanexcessofeitherpositiveornegativechargebuildsuponthesurfaceofyourbody,dischargingwhenyoutouchsomethingandleavingyouneutralized.Alternatively,theycanoccurwhenstaticelectricitybuildsuponsomethingelse—adoorknob,say—whichyouthentouch.Inthatcase,

you

aretheexcesscharge'sexitroute.Butwhyallthebuildup?It'sunclear.Thetraditionalexplanationsaysthatwhentwoobjectsrubtogether,friction

knockstheelectronsofftheatoms

inoneoftheobjects,andthesethenmoveontothesecond,leavingthefirstobjectwithanexcessofpositivelychargedatomsandgivingthesecondanexcessofnegativeelectrons.Bothobjects(yourhairandawoolhat,say)willthenbestaticallycharged.Butwhydoelectronsflowfromoneobjecttotheother,insteadofmovinginbothdirections?Thishasneverbeensatisfactorilyexplained,andastudybyNorthwesternUniversityresearcherBartoszGrzybowskifoundreasontodoubtthewholestory.AsdetailedlastyearinthejournalScience,Grzybowskifoundthatpatchesofbothexcesspositiveandexcessnegativechargeexistonstaticallychargedobjects.Healsofoundthatentiremoleculesseemedtomigratebetweenobjectsastheyarerubbedtogether,notjustelectrons.Whatgeneratesthismosaicofchargesandmigrationofmaterialhasyettobedetermined,butclearly,theexplanationofstaticischanging.Whyisyawningcontagious?Lastyear,AustrianresearcherswonanIgNobelPrizefortheirdiscoverythatyawnsarenotcontagiousamongred-footedtortoises.Weknowsomuchabouttortoises,buthumanyawning?Stillanenigma.Thesightofaperson'sgapingjaws,squintingeyesanddeepinhalation"hijacksyourbodyandinducesyoutoreplicatetheobservedbehavior,"writestheUniversityofMaryland,BaltimoreCounty,psychologistRobertProvineinhisnewbook,"CuriousBehavior"(BelknapPress,2012).Butwhy?Preliminarybrain-scandataindicatethatregionsofthebrainassociatedwiththeoryofmind(theabilitytoattributementalstatesandfeelingstooneselfandothers)andself-processingbecomeactivewhenpeopleobserveotherpeopleyawning.Manyautisticandschizophrenicpeopledonotexhibitthisbrainactivity,andtheydonot"catch"yawns.Thesecluessuggestcontagiousyawningreflectsanabilitytoempathizeandformnormalemotionaltieswithothers,Provineexplained.Butwhyshouldoursocialconnectionswithoneanothercirculatethroughyawning,asopposedtohiccuppingorpassinggas?Nooneknowsforsure,andthat'sbecausenooneknowsquite

why

weyawn.Embryosdoittosculptthehingeoftheirjaws.Fullyformedpeopledoitwhenwe'resleepyandbored.Buthowdoesyawningamelioratethesecomplaints?

Whyaretherelefties(andrighties)?One-tenthofpeoplehavebettermotordexterityusingtheirleftlimbsthantheirright.Nooneknowswhytheseleftiesexist.Andnooneknowswhyrightiesexisteither,forthatmatter.Whydopeoplehavejustonehandwithtop-notchmotorskills,insteadofadoubledoseofdexterity?Onetheoryholdsthathandednessresultsfromhavingmoreintricatewiringonthesideofthebraininvolvedinspeech(whichalsorequiresfinemotorskills).Becausethespeechcenterusuallysitsinthebrain'slefthemisphere—thesidewiredtotherightsideofthebody—therighthandendsupdominantinmostpeople.Asforwhythespeechcenterusually(butnotalways)endsupintheleftsideofthebrain,that'sstillanopenquestion.Thetheoryaboutthespeechcentercontrollinghandednessgetsabigblowfromthefactthatnotallright-handedpeoplecontrolspeechinthelefthemisphere,whileonlyhalfof

lefties

do.So,whatexplainsthoseleftieswhosespeechcentersresideintheleftsidesoftheirbrains?It'sallveryperplexing.

Whyaremothsdrawntolights?"Look!Thatmothjustflewstraightintothatlightbulbanddied!"saidnooneever.Weseeithappensooftenthatit'smorelikelytoinvokeyawnsthandiscussion.But,surprisingly,thereasonfortheseinsects'suicidalnosedivesremainsatotalmystery.Science'sbestguessesaboutwhytheydoitaren'tevenverygood.Someentomologistsbelievemothszoomtowardartificiallightsourcesbecausethelightsthrowofftheirinternalnavigationsystems.Inabehaviorcalledtransverseorientation,someinsectsnavigatebyflyingataconstantanglerelativetoadistantlightsource,suchasthemoon.Butaroundman-madelights,suchasacampfireoryourporchlight,theangletothelightsourcechangesasamothfliesby.JerryPowell,anentomologistattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeleysaidthethinkingisthatmoths"becomedazzledbythelightandaresomehowattracted."Butthistheoryrunsintotwomajorstumblingblocks,Powellexplained:First,campfireshavebeenaroundforabout400,000years.Wouldn'tnaturalselectionhavekilledoffmothswhoseinstincttellsthemtogokamikazeeverytimetheyfeelblindedbythelight?Secondly,mothsmaynotevenusetransversenavigation;morethanhalfofthespeciesdon'tevenmigrate.Alternatetheoriesareriddledwithholes,too.Forexample,oneholdsthatmalemothsareattractedtoinfraredlightbecauseitcontainsafewofthesamelightfrequenciesgivenoffbyfemalemoths'pheromones,orsexhormones,whichglowveryfaintly.Inshort,malemothscouldbedrawntocandlesunderthefalsebeliefthatthelightsarefemalessendingoutsexsignals.However,Powellpointsoutthatmothsaremoreattractedtoultravioletlightthaninfraredlight,andUVdoesn'tlookabitlikeglowingpheromones.Mothdeaths:notasyawn-inducingasyoumightthink.Whydoeslightninghappen?Weknowwhylightningstrikes:Ithappensbecausepositiveelectricchargesbuildupnearthetopsofthundercloudsandnegativechargesbuildupatthebottoms.Theelectricalattractionbetweentheseoppositecharges,andbetweenthenegativechargesandpositivechargesthatbuilduponthegroundbelow,eventuallygrowsstrongenoughtoovercometheair'sresistancetoelectricalflow.Thechargessuddenlyshoottowardoneanotherandconnect,completinganelectricalcircuitandtriggeringaflashof"lightning"aschargesshootalongthecircuittheyhaveformed.Butwhydooppositechargesbuildupindifferentpartsofclouds?

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