Amazing answers to your curious questions

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How thick is the ice in the Antarctic?

The thickness of Antarctic ice is tough to measure because it’s freezing on top and hard to reach at the bottom. The underside of the thinnest sheets is estimated to be less than 200 metres from the surface. Where the ice is thickest, you’d have to drill down more than ten times that distance to reach the base.

Scientists have long thought that Antarctic ice builds up largely through snow forming layers, like those in sedimentary rocks. But they have discovered that ice sheets might also grow through a process of water thawing and refreezing to the bottom.

WHEN IWEAR RUBBER BOOTS, WHY DO IGET ELECTRIC SHOCKS IF ITOUCH METAL?

Static electricity is a buildup of electric charge on objects. In this case, ‘objects’ includes people. If you have a buildup on your body, touching something that’s a good conductor of electricity discharges it. But that process can also result in a painful shock. Walking across a room and touching a doorknob is a common example, and you may have noticed that static electricity is worst when the air is dry. Rubbersoled footwear can stop you from getting shocked because rubber is an insulator. It’s likely your ‘rubber’ boots are a composite material, and therefore not protecting you from those shocks after all. Keep down the buildup by using a humidifier and staying moisturised. If you’re still afraid of getting a shock, first apply something metallic to the doorknob, like a key, to discharge it.

IF MY GLASS IS FILLED WITH ICE AND WATER, WILL IT OVERFLOW ONCE THE ICE HAS MELTED?

The mass of the ice cube is roughly the same as that of the water it pushes aside while floating in the glass. When the cube melts, the surrounding liquid can move into the space it filled. If the glass contains only ice and water, it will not overflow because the amount of extra water will be equal to that previously displaced by the cubes.

WHY DO ALBINO ANIMALS HAVE RED EYES?

Eye colour is determined primarily by the brown pigment melanin. Dark eyes have lots of melanin in the iris. Blue eyes only have melanin in a layer on the back surface. Albinos don’t even have melanin on the back surface, so the iris is translucent. The red is the haemoglobin in the capillaries at the back of the eye. Albino animals find bright light uncomfortable as their irises can’t block as much light as non-albino ones.