HOW STREET SMART ARE YOU?

1. What's the easiest way to catch a cold?

A. Sneezing
B. Sharing toothbrushes
C. Shaking hands
D. Going outside without a coat

2. What animal has the longest tail?

A. Armadillo
B. Giraffe
C. Anteater
D. Horse

3. What mammal gets the most sleep?

A. European hedgehog
B. Human being
C. Sperm whale
D. Kodiak bear

4.What's the largest reptile in the world?

A. Python
B. Alligator
C. Komodo dragon
D. Crocodile

5.In a day, how many minutes are your eyes closed from blinking?

A. 216 minutes
B. 30 minutes
C. 120 minutes
D. 3 hours

6. If all you had was beans to eat, what would be the most nutritious?

A. Lima beans
B. Soybeans
C. Kidney beans
D. Kazuke

ANSWERS

1. Not so glad to meet you!
Going outside without a coat can make you more susceptible to colds, but the easiest way to catch a cold is by shaking hands with someone. A cold is a virus and your body causes you to sneeze and cough in an immune response to the virus - your immune system is trying to destroy the virus. All that sneezing and coughing causes some of the viral cells to be expelled in the mucous that comes from your nose and mouth. And some of that can get on your hands. The virus can remain infectious on your hands for up to three hours. And if you meet someone and shake hands, you've given them an unwelcome gift!

2. Now that's a tall tail!
The animal with the longest tail also has a pretty long neck - Giraffa camelopardalis, also called the camel-leopard by the ancient Romans. It's the male giraffe. This skinny guy's tail can grow up to eight feet. The female giraffe's tail may not be as long, but like the male, she has blunt, skin-covered horns on her head. And no wonder the Romans called them camels - giraffes can go up to one month without a drink of water!

3. Yawn! Dig this bedtime story!
The sleepiest animal in the world is the European hedgehog. This prickly animal couldn't work a nine to five - it sleeps 18 hours a day in the summer, and all winter through. And it still has time for a family - in July or August, female European hedgehogs give birth to four to eight young. Because the European hedgehog has a coat of long pointed spines, it looks like a porcupine. But it's really closely related to the mole and the shrew.

4. Bigger than Jaws!
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, beware; the largest reptile is the carnivorous saltwater crocodile, found in the coastal waters of India, southern China, and Malaysia. It can grow up to 26 feet, which, by the way, is longer than a great white shark. Like all members of the crocodile family, which evolved 200 million years ago, this amphibious creature differs from a lizard in two ways: it has bony plates on its back that make a kind of body armor and it has its teeth set into its jaw (like people do). It also can either walk upright or on all fours.

5. Open your eyes to this fact!
If you add up all those flickers, your eyes are closed for an average 30 minutes a day. Blinking is like a quick shower for your eyes. By bathing them with tears, blinking keeps your eyes from drying out and washes away dust that gets in your eyes. But how do your eyelids stay healthy? On the edges of the eyelids are a number of small glands that produce a fatty secretion that lubricates your eyelids and the eyelashes to keep them in tip-top shape!

6. Now that's a healthy bean!
Let's hear it for the soybean! It's loaded with lots of protein, vitamins, potassium, magnesium, and iron. Soybeans have ten times the calcium of meat and twice that of eggs, and soybeans are low in fat. Soybeans were first grown in eastern China and brought to the United States in the 1800s. Today, it's the third leading crop, behind corn and wheat, in this country. Soybean products are protein meal, which is used as a dietary supplement in livestock feed, and oil, which is used in margarine, mayonnaise, salad oil, and other edibles. But this will surprise you: that same edible soy oil is used in industrial products such as paint, varnish, linoleum, and rubber fabrics. Versatile, wouldn't you say?

Director of Outreach & Promotion
NEWTON'S APPLE
172 4TH ST E
SAINT PAUL MN 55101
e-mail:newtons.apple@umn.edu