Hardwood?
Call us naive. But we thought that maybe there was a slight chance that the main distinction between a softwood and a hardwood was that hardwood was harder than softwood. What fools we are.
Haven’t you gotten the lesson yet? LIFE IS NOT FAIR. Our language makes no sense. The center will not hold. Burma Shave.
Anyway, it turns out that the distinction between the two lies in how their seeds are formed on the tree. Softwoods, such as pines, spruce, and fir, are examples of gymnosperms, plants that produce seeds without a covering. John A. Pitcher, director of the Hardwood Research Council, told Imponderables that if you pull one of the center scales back away from the stem of a fresh pine cone, you’ll see a pair of seeds lying side by side. “They have no covering except the wooden cone.”
Hardwoods are a type of angiosperm, a true flowering plant that bears seeds enclosed in capsules, fruits, or husks (e.g., olives, lilies, walnuts). Hardwoods also tend to lose their leaves in temperate climates, whereas softwoods are evergreens; but in tropical climates, many hardwoods retain their leaves.
While it is true that there is a tendency for softwoods to be softer in consistency (and easier to cut for commercial purposes), and for hardwoods to be more compact, and thus tougher and denser in texture, these rules of thumb are not reliable. Pitcher enclosed a booklet listing the specific gravities of the important commercial woods in the U.S. He indicates the irony:
At 0.16 specific gravity, balsa is the lightest wood listed. At a specific gravity of 1.05, lignumvitae is the heaviest wood known. Both are hardwoods.
Do Earlobes Serve Any Particular or Discernible Function?
Our authorities answered as one: Yes, earlobes do serve a particular function. They are an ideal place to hang earrings.
Oh sure, there are theories. Ear, nose, and throat specialist Dr. Ben Jenkins of Kingsland, Georgia, remembers reading about a speculation that when our predecessors walked on four feet, our earlobes were larger “and that they fell in [ward] to protect the ear canal.” Biologist John F. Hertner recounts another anthropological theory: that earlobes served as “an ornament of interest in sexual selection.”
Doctors and biologists we confront with questions like these about seemingly unimportant anatomical features are quick to shrug their shoulders. They are quite comfortable with the notion that not every organ in our body is essential to our well-being and not every obsolete feature of our anatomy is eliminated as soon as it becomes unnecessary.
Actually, the opposite is closer to the truth. Anatomical features of earlier humankind tend to stick around unless they are an obvious detriment. As Professor Hertner puts it,
Nature tends to conserve genetic information unless there is selection pressure against a particular feature. Our bodies serve in some respect as museums of our evolutionary heritage.
Submitted by Dianne Love of Seaside Park, New Jersey .
Why Does Butter Get Darker and Harder in the Refrigerator After It Is Opened?
Butter discolors for the same reason that apples or bananas turn dark—oxidation. And although butter doesn’t have a peel to protect it from the ravages of air, it does have a snug wrapper surrounding it until it is first used by the consumer. Only after the wrapper is eliminated or loosened does the butter darken.
Why does it get harder? The cold temperature in the refrigerator causes the moisture in the butter to evaporate. Many other foods, such as peanut butter and onion dip, become less plastic when refrigerated because of evaporation of liquid.
Submitted by Mitchell Hofing of New York, New York .
Why Are Dance Studios Usually Located on the Second Floor of Buildings?
Truth be told, the quality of Imponderables we receive on call-in talk shows is usually distinctly inferior to the stuff
Call us naive. But we thought that maybe there was a slight chance that the main distinction between a softwood and a hardwood was that hardwood was harder than softwood. What fools we are.
Haven’t you gotten the lesson yet? LIFE IS NOT FAIR. Our language makes no sense. The center will not hold. Burma Shave.
Anyway, it turns out that the distinction between the two lies in how their seeds are formed on the tree. Softwoods, such as pines, spruce, and fir, are examples of gymnosperms, plants that produce seeds without a covering. John A. Pitcher, director of the Hardwood Research Council, told Imponderables that if you pull one of the center scales back away from the stem of a fresh pine cone, you’ll see a pair of seeds lying side by side. “They have no covering except the wooden cone.”
Hardwoods are a type of angiosperm, a true flowering plant that bears seeds enclosed in capsules, fruits, or husks (e.g., olives, lilies, walnuts). Hardwoods also tend to lose their leaves in temperate climates, whereas softwoods are evergreens; but in tropical climates, many hardwoods retain their leaves.
While it is true that there is a tendency for softwoods to be softer in consistency (and easier to cut for commercial purposes), and for hardwoods to be more compact, and thus tougher and denser in texture, these rules of thumb are not reliable. Pitcher enclosed a booklet listing the specific gravities of the important commercial woods in the U.S. He indicates the irony:
At 0.16 specific gravity, balsa is the lightest wood listed. At a specific gravity of 1.05, lignumvitae is the heaviest wood known. Both are hardwoods.
Do Earlobes Serve Any Particular or Discernible Function?
Our authorities answered as one: Yes, earlobes do serve a particular function. They are an ideal place to hang earrings.
Oh sure, there are theories. Ear, nose, and throat specialist Dr. Ben Jenkins of Kingsland, Georgia, remembers reading about a speculation that when our predecessors walked on four feet, our earlobes were larger “and that they fell in [ward] to protect the ear canal.” Biologist John F. Hertner recounts another anthropological theory: that earlobes served as “an ornament of interest in sexual selection.”
Doctors and biologists we confront with questions like these about seemingly unimportant anatomical features are quick to shrug their shoulders. They are quite comfortable with the notion that not every organ in our body is essential to our well-being and not every obsolete feature of our anatomy is eliminated as soon as it becomes unnecessary.
Actually, the opposite is closer to the truth. Anatomical features of earlier humankind tend to stick around unless they are an obvious detriment. As Professor Hertner puts it,
Nature tends to conserve genetic information unless there is selection pressure against a particular feature. Our bodies serve in some respect as museums of our evolutionary heritage.
Submitted by Dianne Love of Seaside Park, New Jersey .
Why Does Butter Get Darker and Harder in the Refrigerator After It Is Opened?
Butter discolors for the same reason that apples or bananas turn dark—oxidation. And although butter doesn’t have a peel to protect it from the ravages of air, it does have a snug wrapper surrounding it until it is first used by the consumer. Only after the wrapper is eliminated or loosened does the butter darken.
Why does it get harder? The cold temperature in the refrigerator causes the moisture in the butter to evaporate. Many other foods, such as peanut butter and onion dip, become less plastic when refrigerated because of evaporation of liquid.
Submitted by Mitchell Hofing of New York, New York .
Why Are Dance Studios Usually Located on the Second Floor of Buildings?
Truth be told, the quality of Imponderables we receive on call-in talk shows is usually distinctly inferior to the stuff
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