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Nitrogen Gas and Compounds

Nitrogen is a very interesting element. It is the seventh element of the periodic table, with seven electrons in its atoms. The somewhat unique combination of electronic structure and small atomic size makes it possible for as many as five of its electrons to be involved in bonding with other atoms. Nitrogen bonds very readily with other atoms to ...

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NitrogenGasandCompounds
Biology

See You Later Crocodile, In A While Alligator

Name a reptile that is really big, has lots of teeth and has been around for millions and millions of years. If you guessed an alligator, you'd be right. If you guessed a crocodile, you'd also be ... Continue reading

SeeYouLaterCrocodile
Biology

Marmaduke and the Taco Bell Chihuahua Are Cousins

You would never think Marmaduke, the enormous great dane of the newspaper cartoons, and the tiny Taco Bell chihuahua are close relatives. But the fact is, ALL dogs are pretty close relatives. ... Continue reading

Marmaduke
Biology

Sweet Dolphin Dreams

Imagine if your breathing wasn't an automatic response. That might work during the day. But what about when you went to sleep? You wouldn't get a good night's sleep if you had to wake up every few ... Continue reading

DolphinDreams
Geology

Devils Postpile National Monument

Established in 1911 by presidential proclamation, Devils Postpile National Monument protects and preserves the Devils Postpile formation, the 101-foot Rainbow Falls, and the pristine mountain scenery. ... Continue reading

DevilsPostpileNationalMonument

Left Nostril Right Brain

LeftNostrilRightBrainA recent experiment performed by researchers at Philadelphia's Monell Chemical Senses Center, probably the world's pre-eminent institution devoted to the study of smell, showed that the world smells different through your two nostrils. When the participants in the experiment sniffed through their left nostril, connecting to their left brain, they showed slightly better skill identifying odors by name. When they sniffed through their right nostril, they found the odors more pleasant. Why the difference?

The right nostril connects most directly to the right hemisphere, while the left links to the left side of the brain. For most people, even left-handers, the dominant language centers are in the brain's left hemisphere. The right hemisphere dominates, by contrast, for some kinds of emotional processing. That's why people with a stroke on the left side of their brain often lose basic language skills, such as the ability to find the right word for an object or to string words together intelligibly. Right-brain stroke patients are more likely to lose certain emotional components of their speech, such as the ability to modulate the pitch and loudness of their voice.