Surprising Facts About Nature, Inventions, and the Ocean

How Does a Steam Engine Work?
The steam engine was the first kind of engine that didn’t need people or animals to move it. Instead, it used the power of steam made by boiling water. As the water turns to steam and then cools down again, it creates pressure that pushes pistons and gets the engine moving.

Why Do Llamas Spit?
Llamas are animals from the camel family. They look like camels but are smaller and don’t have a hump. When a llama feels scared or in danger, it has a funny way of protecting itself and it spits to chase away anything that might hurt it.

What Is a Dutch Polder?
In the Netherlands, some areas were created by people, not nature. A polder is land that used to be part of the sea. People built dikes which are walls that hold back the water and then dried out the land inside. These polders are actually lower than sea level!

Who Invented the Airplane’s Black Box?
David Warren, a pilot from Australia, came up with the idea for the black box. When he was a child, his father died in a mysterious plane crash. One of the last gifts his father gave him was a radio, which later inspired David to invent a strong recording device for planes. It records what happens during a flight so that if something goes wrong, investigators can understand why.

Why Do Leaves Change Color in Fall?
In the fall, the days get shorter and there’s less sunlight. That means trees make less chlorophyll, the green stuff in leaves. As the green fades away, we start to see the beautiful reds, yellows, and oranges that were hiding underneath all along.

What Is the Slow Loris?
The slow loris is a small animal that moves very slowly, just like its name says. It lives in Southeast Asia and is the only kind of primate that is poisonous. Its big eyes make it look very cute, which is why people try to catch it but sadly, that puts this rare animal in danger of disappearing.

Why Do Coral Reefs Turn White?
Coral reefs are full of color because of tiny algae that live in them and give them food. But as the Earth gets warmer, these algae start to die. Without food, the coral gets weak and turns white and that's a sign that it's in trouble. This is called coral bleaching.