7 Surprising Facts About Nature, Water, and Pain Relief

• Ever wonder how an ant colony works?
In every ant colony, there’s just one queen whose job is to lay eggs. All the other ants are workers, each with a set role. Some build the nest, others search for food, some protect the colony, while others clean or take care of the baby ants. Everyone has a job, and they stick to it.

• Curious why leaves fall?
When autumn comes and the days get shorter and cooler, trees get less sunlight. Because of this, their leaves can’t do photosynthesis like in summer, and they stop making chlorophyll, the green pigment. Without it, the leaves turn yellow, orange, or red, and soon fall off.

• Wondering how painkillers work?
When our body gets inflamed or infected, it creates hormones called prostaglandins that break down and cause pain. Painkillers stop that process. By blocking the breakdown of those hormones, they help stop the pain from spreading.

• Why do communities need water towers?
Today, we have strong pumps that move water where it’s needed. But in the past, towns used tall water towers. These towers used gravity to create pressure so water could reach homes and flow from the taps.

• What’s the purpose of breakwaters?
Breakwaters are big walls built in the sea. They stop huge waves from crashing onto the shore and help protect boats and harbors from getting damaged.

• How do we taste food?
People used to think that different parts of the tongue were for different tastes like sweet in one spot and salty in another. But now we know that’s not true. Our tongues have about 10,000 taste buds, and each one can sense all the different flavors.

• How does the Owl Butterfly scare off enemies?
The Owl Butterfly, found in South Africa, has two sets of wings. One pair helps it blend into its surroundings. But if a predator comes close, it opens its second set of wings, which have big eye-like patterns that look scary and often frighten the attacker away.