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Curious Questions from Curious Minds!
Welcome to Curiopedia, where imagination and discovery take shape! Discover something new today with these curious questions from children. Click on the ‘View Answer’ button to find out the answer! If you want your (child’s) curious question answered and featured here, submit it now.
Month Year
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Winged beauties
What is the difference between a moth and a butterfly?
Sivaatmika Venkatesh , Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu
View AnswerBoth butterflies and moths belong to the Lepidoptera order of insects, have wings, an exoskeleton, a body with three segments, three pairs of legs and one pair of antenna. Now, let's look at the difference. First, the antenna. In a butterfly, it is long and thin with a bulb-like shape at the end. A moth's is feathery with sawed edges. While resting, butterflies fold their wings over thei back whereas moths spread it over their tummies. A butterfly's chrysalis is hard an smooth whereas a moth's cocoon has a silky covering.
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Snap, chew, gobble
Why do insectivorous plants need insects to survive?
Angel Deswal , Bahadurgarh, Haryana
View AnswerInsectivorous plants are carnivores or meat eaters. The reason they need to trap and eat insects is because they usually grow in poor soil that has very few nutrients. Thus, they evolved to be insectivorous. They use a combination of photosynthesis and energy derived from the insects they consume, to survive. There are many kinds of insectivorous plants: pitfall traps, flypaper traps, bladder traps, snap traps, and lobster-pot traps.
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Acne again
How do we get pimples?
Srishti Subramani , Bengaluru, Karnataka
View AnswerPimples are caused by a medical condition called Acne. We have very fine hair on our face which you can hardly see. At the base of each hair is the follicle from which it springs. In oily skin, the follicle is blocked by excess oil. Sometimes, dead skin cells also clog it. This causes various forms of acne like pimples, whiteheads and blackheads. While acne sets in during the teenage years, it can affect any age-group. Severe cases can even cause scarring. There are treatments available, and the earlier they are begun, the better it is.
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Escape artists
Why does a lizard's tail jump when cut off accidentally?
Kamaleshwar , Chennai, Tamil Nadu
View AnswerLizards have what is called a 'fracture plane' in their tails. This means that any stress on the points will cause the muscles to move away from each other and the tail drops off. But, the nerves in the severed part are still communicating with each other. Thus, the cut-off portion continues to jump around and move, sometimes, upto half-an-hour. This tends to distract the hunter, and the lizard manages to escape.