Answers to Questions Kids Ask! - Where "Why?" Turns to "Wow!"
Born on this day
September 19, 20111931 - Brook Benton
1934 - Brian Epstein
1928 - Pete Murray
1933 - David McCallum
1940 - Zandra Rhodes
1940 - Bill Medley
1945 - Kate Adie
1946 - Michael Elphick
1948 - Jeremy Irons
1949 - Twiggy
1963 - David Seaman
Picking your nose may rank up there with spitting and burping as good old-fashioned (and repulsive) fun. But for those who know noses, that unspeakable habit does involve health risks you just can’t blow off. Not surprisingly, it all begins with your fingers–and doorknobs, and phones and all the other little things you touch every day. These objects are crawling with bacteria from the hands of every other person who has made contact with them. So if one of your fingers touches a germ-covered knob and then winds up way in your nose, you’ve just been given a bunch of bacterial hitchhikers a free ride into your body. Since the inside of your nose is dark, warm and moist, you can bet these microscopic buggers will make themselves right at home and multiply. And this, of course, can make you miserable and sick.
So what if your nails sometimes wander up your nostrils? If they’re always trimmed and polished, it shouldn’t matter, right? Well, manicured or not, fingernails can cut the interior of your nose and invite even more risk of bacterial infections. In one notable incident, a forceful young nosepicker broke a blood vessel and needed an operation to stop the bleeding.
Link to this question!
What are fingernails and toenails made of?
Fingernails and toenails, hair, skin, animal fur, animal claws and hooves, and even animal feathers are largely made up of the very same chemical protein called keratin. It’s nature’s own…
Does warm milk really make you sleepy and if so, why?
There are a few reasons some people think warm milk helps you fall asleep. First off, milk contains tryptophan, the same ingredient that makes everyone sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner. In…
How does a hot air balloon work?
The basic principle of ballooning is simple: Warm air rises. If warm air is contained in a lightweight bag it will rise until the temperature of the air inside the…
Why doesn’t alcohol freeze?
Alcohol will freeze, but only at extremely low temperatures. Water’s freezing point is 0 degrees Celcius, but the freezing point of ethanol (the alcohol you’re talking about) is -114 degrees…
Where do worms go in the winter?
The ground is very insulating. In fact, if you dig down deep enough, it can be very warm. While the ground does lose some heat during the cold winters, for…