Brain Teasers
NASA Canaries
Science
Science brain teasers require understanding of the physical or biological world and the laws that govern it.Science
NASA was considering sending canaries into space to study them under zero gravity. The project was scrapped when someone realized that in spite of having sufficient water supplies, they could die of dehydration within a few hours. Why?
Answer
Birds, unlike humans, need gravity to swallow. Humans can swallow even while hanging upside down.Hide Answer Show Answer
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Comments
The few benefits of peristalsis.
That explains why our beer drinking parrot mascot back in my fraternity days could never do a keg invert!!!
good job Blaze!
Drinking upside down must not be very comfortable........
unless you know that, you'll never figure this out!
That was really hard!
Apr 13, 2002
Yippee - more fun trivia to make me look smart at parties! Thanks!
good one.
birds need gravity to swallow water
that wasn't so hard
Wow - fun AND education all at the same time! Interesting.
Strange.....that's all I got to say
you could also say that the birds coudn't reach the water because they were floating, but that's a rubbish suggestion of mine
I thought it had something to do with gravity but i just didn't know what. Good one!
Can't they have the water injected into them?
The rainydee comment really made me laugh!
Wonder if they could sing in space?
That was really hard!! I think it wasn't a very good teaser, because if you weren't a super smart person who studies birds, then you wouldn't have a clue what the answer was. sorry!
Interesting! Thanks for the bird info
It is not about knowing the teaser answers, it is about learning from the answer!
This is a very good info.
For example if you had a science fair about birds,i am sure that you will be the only one presenting this strange fact.
Very nice teaser, and most important, thanx for this precious fact
If you have some more than please let us see them soon.
This is a very good info.
For example if you had a science fair about birds,i am sure that you will be the only one presenting this strange fact.
Very nice teaser, and most important, thanx for this precious fact
If you have some more than please let us see them soon.
Well said... I enjoyed that one alot
Thanks I learnt a very important fact. I'll bear it in mind next time I think of taking my pet canary for a trip to space!
Very nice Dutchy!
Great teaser. Keep them coming.
Do tell. Ofcourse I didn't know that about canaries. Interesting bit of trivia. Thanks for posting.
Well, well, well. I'm going to file
this under "facts I probably won't ever need again". BUT...kudos for the posting (which I've never done).
this under "facts I probably won't ever need again". BUT...kudos for the posting (which I've never done).
Studying the art of comsumption made this one easy.Or should I say for the birds.
I knew he wouldn't be able to drink because of his beak. I didn't really figure out WHY. They put water in their beak and tip their beak up and let the water slide down their throats. So, of course, they would need gravity.
Interesting. Never thought about that.
Interesting. Never thought about that.
Didn't know that bit of trivia. Interesting!
There are some pigeons that do not require gravity to swallow. They actually have the ability to do so without lifting their head back.
huh... very interesting, never knew that. Thanks for making me think
Well you do learn something new every day!
Wouldn't the validation of that fact be one of the things studied by putting the canary into space. I mean until you put the canary in space (or remove gravity by someother means) you can't be 100% sure they need gravity to swallow.
Dehydration. Space. When you put the two together, it wasn't that hard.
I TRUSTED MY FIRST THOUGHT AND I GOT IT RIGHT. I LIKED THE TEASER AND KEEP THEM COMING!!!!!
knew that!!!
Answer
Birds, unlike humans, need gravity to swallow.
Should say MOST birds, unlike humans, need gravity to swallow.
.......................
Presumably, I'd also imagine it would be a huge problem to teach a bird brain how and where to access the water supply which would need to be kept in a dispenser of some type anyway. I mean chimps and dogs etc would be no problem.
I'm thinking we need to "intubate" the little fellas straight to their stomachs and tape the tubes in place for the duration.
Wait - this was just a fun puzzle not an engineering challenge. My bad.
Anyone know how ya get yellow feathers out of duct tape?
Birds, unlike humans, need gravity to swallow.
Should say MOST birds, unlike humans, need gravity to swallow.
.......................
Presumably, I'd also imagine it would be a huge problem to teach a bird brain how and where to access the water supply which would need to be kept in a dispenser of some type anyway. I mean chimps and dogs etc would be no problem.
I'm thinking we need to "intubate" the little fellas straight to their stomachs and tape the tubes in place for the duration.
Wait - this was just a fun puzzle not an engineering challenge. My bad.
Anyone know how ya get yellow feathers out of duct tape?
No ... how do you get yellow feathers out of duct tape?
And ... (for the rest of you) .....
Don't get your claws out too quickly, I'm not going to be humpin' for "x" number of comments here .....
(at least for now) ...
BUT .... I DID get your attention and got you talking about the problem.
Oh ... I enjoyed this teaser very much and gave it top rating for funzies.
Later .....
BB02
And ... (for the rest of you) .....
Don't get your claws out too quickly, I'm not going to be humpin' for "x" number of comments here .....
(at least for now) ...
BUT .... I DID get your attention and got you talking about the problem.
Oh ... I enjoyed this teaser very much and gave it top rating for funzies.
Later .....
BB02
I guessed because the water will evaporate too fast. However I think this should be under "trivia" and not under" teasers". As someone said, "if you do not study birds you would never know this. It is definitely informative, and a little bit of trivia.
I love birds. This is very interesting to know about them. Thanks for the info.
I much prefer puzzles that require you to think, to those that require you to have some random fact stored somewhere in your mental filing cabinet. As it was, the random fact needed to solve this "puzzle" happened to be in my filing cabinet, and was easily retrievable. BFD.
Good job. You didn't have to know that fact in order to figure it out.
Easy one for me.
OK Bad rabbit you have made your remarks for today. So put a lid on it and crawl back in your hole.
OK Bad rabbit you have made your remarks for today. So put a lid on it and crawl back in your hole.
I liked this teaser and learned something. Thanks for posting. But, wow - there sure are some ornery folks here! at least they're pretending to be!
to Lukasiwicz & Raisin99,
Great observations on the nature of "puzzles".
There should always be an "enigmatic" quality to them. Something that requires the "intuitive leap" to solve.
To be able to solve a problem ("puzzle") by factual knowledge - or even prior experience - is fine and operationally useful .... but ....
It often takes the "fun" out of being creative.
Nice job, folks.
BB02
Great observations on the nature of "puzzles".
There should always be an "enigmatic" quality to them. Something that requires the "intuitive leap" to solve.
To be able to solve a problem ("puzzle") by factual knowledge - or even prior experience - is fine and operationally useful .... but ....
It often takes the "fun" out of being creative.
Nice job, folks.
BB02
I think you have to KNOW this answer, not figure it out. I would also wonder where they would have the water available for the little birdies. If not confined in a container the water would float all over the place.
Got this one. We had a daily teaser not too long ago about birds needing gravity to drink water. Pigeons and doves are the exception.
What a neat bit of trivia!
I'm with Babe on this one; should be under trivia!
Apart from the fact that birds unlike humans are unable to drink from a straw?
Another puzzle for the juniors me thinks?
Apart from the fact that birds unlike humans are unable to drink from a straw?
Another puzzle for the juniors me thinks?
I had no idea on this one; Science has always been my worst subject.
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