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Ask A Scientist Archive 2012 2007
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2009
2010
2011
2012 |
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| January 5, 2010 |
I read an article about how kokanee eat
and I’m confused. What is a gill raker? And how does the
food get from the gill raker into the fish’s stomach? |
Gregg Losinski, Idaho Fish and Game |
| January 12, 2010 |
I have a cactus as a houseplant. The last
time I watered it, it exploded. What happened? |
Dr. Kevin Laughlin, Retired University of Idaho Extension Educator |
| January 19, 2010 |
Does doing homework in a quiet place help
with getting better homework grades? |
Dr. George Boland, Superintendent, District 91 |
| January 26, 2010 |
Does Salt Lake City receive more snow
because of the Great Salt Lake (lake-effect snow)? What
about towns around American Falls Reservoir? |
Jason Rich, Meteorologist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| February 2, 2010 |
Eastern Idaho and most of the Snake River
Plain receives very little precipitation, so we irrigate our
crops and lawns. We irrigate a lot. Do we know if we are
extracting more than is being recharged? Who studies and
monitors this? |
Flint Hall, Hydrogeologist, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality |
| February 9, 2010 |
What are the overall impacts of pumping
water from the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer? |
Flint Hall, Hydrogeologist, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality |
| February 16, 2010 |
We learned that one of the reason’s the
equator has warmer weather than Idaho is because the sun’s
rays fall more directly on it and in Idaho the rays are more
diffuse. Does that mean that it is brighter at the Equator
than in Idaho as well as warmer? |
Dennis Finn, Meteorologist, Field Research Division of NOAA's Air Resources Laboratory |
| February 23, 2010 |
I am curious to know if there are any
recorded species of giant millipede in Idaho?
|
Van Christman and John Zenger, Entomologists, BYU-Idaho |
| March 2, 2010 |
Due to the fluctuations of the earth's
temperature over time, who is to say that we are currently
living at the Earth's natural temperature? What if our
current temperatures are the result of a Global Cooling? |
Richard Eckman, Meteorologist, Field Research Division of NOAA's Air Resources Laboratory |
| March 9, 2010 |
Would I be taller on the moon? |
Alana Jensen, Environmental Educator, Stoller ESER Program |
| March 16, 2010 |
What types of activities do scientists
do? |
Dr. Roger Blew, Stoller ESER Program |
| March 23, 2010 |
How can you be sure that carbon dating is
accurate? (Part 1) |
Suzanne Miller, Paleontologist, Faunal Analysis and Services |
| March 30, 2010 |
How can you be sure that carbon dating is
accurate? (Part 2) |
Suzanne Miller, Paleontologist, Faunal Analysis and Services |
| April 6, 2010 |
Why is traveling faster than the speed of
light theoretically impossible? (Part 1) |
Gus Caffrey, Physicist, Idaho National Laboratory |
| April 13, 2010 |
Why is traveling faster than the speed of
light theoretically impossible? (Part 2) |
Gus Caffrey, Physicist, Idaho National Laboratory |
| April 20, 2010 |
What is the best route to take in order
to get a commercial pilots license? |
David Chandler, Pilot, Skywest Airlines |
| April 27, 2010 |
Is it a no-no to knock down a swallow
nest with swallow eggs or chicks in it? Is there a
deterrent
to keep them from nesting in the first place? |
Stoller ESER Team |
| May 4, 2010 |
What does the scientific method mean to
mankind? What is the history of the scientific method? |
Flint Hall, Hydrogeologist, Idaho DEQ |
| May 11, 2010 |
How is genetic engineering relevant
today? |
Steven Christenson, Biology Department, BYU-Idaho |
| May 18, 2010 |
There seems to be a disagreement about
the future of our planet. Some think we are causing
irreversible damage to the Earth and some think the planet’s
future has never looked brighter. What do you think? |
Earth Day Essay Contest winners |
| May 25, 2010 |
There seems to be a disagreement about
the future of our planet. Some think we are causing
irreversible damage to the Earth and some think the planet’s
future has never looked brighter. What do you think?
|
Earth Day Essay Contest winners |
| June 1, 2010 |
What is the difference between hail and
sleet? How is hail formed? |
Jason Rich, Meteorologist, NOAA |
| June 8, 2010 |
What should I do if I find a tick on
me? |
Sonya Pelot, Health and Safety Officer, Stoller Corp. |
| June 15, 2010 |
How do insects spend the winter living
inside your house? |
Alana Jensen, Environmental Educator, Stoller ESER Program |
| June 22, 2010 |
Is there a natural magnetism to other
planets besides earth? |
Dr. Brian Tonks, Astronomy Professor, BYU-Idaho |
| June 29, 2010 |
What are the main parts to your job as an
architect? What do you advise a teen who is wanting to go
into this field? |
Russell Jensen, Licensed Architect, CTA Architects |
| July 6, 2010 |
I know that magpie and raven’s feathers
are iridescent, but I’m not sure exactly what that means.
How do their feathers reflect light? |
Mark Delwiche, President, Snake River Audubon Society |
| July 13, 2010 |
Why do some birds hop and some birds walk
while on the ground? |
Mark Delwiche, President, Snake River Audubon Society |
| July 20, 2010 |
What skills do you find are the most
important for the Aerospace Engineer professional? |
Jacob Cook, Aerospace Engineer, University of Texas |
| July 27, 2010 |
What is the difference between a beaver
dam and a beaver lodge? |
Alana Jensen, Environmental Educator, Stoller ESER Program |
| August 3, 2010 |
If heliotropes like sunflowers move
during the day so that their heads face the sun, what
happens during the night? Do the heads slowly turn toward
the east so they will be facing the sun in the morning or do
they stay with their heads facing west and then slowly turn
toward the sun AFTER it appears in the morning? |
Dr. Roger Blew, Stoller ESER Program |
| August 10, 2010 |
I’ve seen brown praying mantises and
green praying mantises. Does the color indicate sex? |
Alana Jensen, Environmental Educator, Stoller ESER Program |
| August 17, 2010 |
Sighting: July 16th, 2010 Location: Teton
Valley, Teton County, Idaho Pond at about 6500 So, 1750 W.
Saw two large birds swimming: large as swans, dark, brownish
black, yellow under throat, long yellow stiletto-like beaks,
serpentine necks, deeply submerged, not timid. They reminded
me of loons and mergansers, but much larger and other
differing features? Do you have an answer as to
identification. |
Dr. Chuck Trost, Professor of Biological Sciences Emeritus, ISU, and Field Trip Chair, Portneuf Valley Audubon Society |
| August 24, 2010 |
How do bats hang upside down without
falling down? |
Alana Jensen, Environmental Educator, Stoller ESER Program |
| August 31, 2010 |
Why did you choose Mechanical Engineering
as your career? |
John Foster, Mechanical Engineer, Stoller Corp. |
| September 7, 2010 |
What triggers bird migration? |
Alana Jensen, Environmental Educator, Stoller ESER Program |
| September 14, 2010 |
What type of science do you use in your career as a
meteorologist? |
Jason Rich, Meteorologist, NOAA |
| September 21, 2010 |
How do matches work? |
Alana Jensen, Environmental Educator, Stoller ESER Program |
| September 28, 2010 |
Oil is under pressure in the ground because it is deep. Is
magma under pressure just because it is deep or are there
other circumstances that build up pressure like maybe a
buildup of gasses? |
Doug Owen, Park Geologist, Craters of the Moon National Monument |
| October 5, 2010 |
What is Biochemistry? What should I look for in a university
biochemistry program? |
Dr. Caryn Evilia, Department of Chemistry, Idaho State University |
| October 12, 2010 |
A rattlesnake injects his venom to kill his prey. When he
eats the prey, does the venom make him sick? |
Dr. Chuck Peterson, Herpetology Professor, Idaho State University |
| October 19, 2010 |
Do beaver ponds hurt or help a habitat? |
Gregg Losinski, Regional Conservation Educator, Idaho Fish and Game |
| October 26, 2010 |
What is the difference between Doppler radar and VIPIR radar
imaging? |
Dennis Finn, Meteorologist, NOAA |
| November 2, 2010 |
If an asteroid impacts the earth, dust is thrown up into the
atmosphere, but if an asteroid impacted the oceans, would it
evaporate the water, causing heavy rains? |
Dr. Brian Tonks, Astronomy Professor, BYU-Idaho |
| November 9, 2010 |
Why does precipitation fall on the tops and leeward sides of
mountains? |
Jason Rich, Meteorologist, NOAA |
| November 16, 2010 |
How do you measure snowfall? It seems like it would either
melt, compact or blow away before you could get a cumulative
measurement. |
Jason Rich, Meteorologist, NOAA |
| November 23, 2010 |
Is the Island Park caldera the biggest
caldera created by the Yellowstone Hot Spot? |
Doug Owens, Geologist, Craters of the Moon |
| November 30, 2010 |
Is Craters of the Moon experiencing the
same whitebark pine cone shortage Yellowstone Park is? |
Doug Owens, Geologist, Craters of the Moon |
| December 7, 2010 |
Does weather affect AM/FM signals? Does
the time of day make a difference in the strength of the signal? |
Dr. Richard Eckman, Meteorologist, NOAA |
| December 14, 2010 |
I noticed a dove that looks different
than the mourning dove. Where did this new dove come from, is it harmful to our native birds, and are there hunting regulations for this species? |
Gregg Losinski, Conservation Educator, Idaho Fish and Game |
| December 21, 2010 |
I heard there will be a lunar eclipse on
Dec. 21st that will visible in Idaho. What is the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse? |
Dr. Brian Tonks, Astronomy Professor, BYU-I |
| December 28, 2010 |
How do rechargeable batteries work? Why
do they deteriorate? |
Flint Hall, Hydrogeologist, Idaho DEQ |
