BRAIN DUMP
SPACE
How long can a spaceship fly for?
Henry Zhou
▪ Once in space, there’s no air resistance to slow a spacecraft, so it can cruise at constant speed indefinitely. To change course it has to fire its rocket engines for a few seconds at a time, so its practical endurance is set by the amount of fuel it can carry.
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© Getty
DID YOU KNOW?
Sponges were one of the first animals to appear Earth
SCIENCE
How small can a population be and still remain healthy?
Ella Ashfield
▪ Inbreeding, evolutionary challenges and random events must all be taken into account in order to stay healthy and viable. However, the basic 50/500 rule suggests that a minimum population size of 50 would combat inbreeding, while a minimum of 500 individuals is needed to reduce genetic drift.