Know It All

He's got an answer for everything, week 2

1) How does science explain man's obsession with boobies? – John, Faversham
Breasts are said to resemble the buttocks. As our ancestors evolved from walking on all fours to walking upright, a form of automimicry took place. The bum was seen as an erogenous zone when it was on prominent view, but once we started staring at women’s chests rather than their backsides then it became the women with larger buttock-like breasts who became most attractive. This hypothesis isn’t universally accepted, but it does have some strong support from the likes of Desmond Morris.
A far simpler explanation is that breasts are a sign of sexual maturity and also what distinguish women from men on a basic visual level. The old adage goes, ‘You don’t look at the mantelpiece while you’re poking the fire’, but it was probably her knockers that gave you wood in the first place.


2) Is there any background colour chameleons can’t blend into? – Mark, Ipswich
Chameleons don’t change colour to match their background. They change according to their mood, to attract mates, or because of changes in ambient light and temperature. Different types of chameleon change to difference colours, but the Chamaeleonidae family as a while does broadly cover all colours, though not all shades. So while you can have an orange chameleon, it won’t necessarily resemble Dale Winton.
Chameleons have a transparent outer layer of skin, on top of a layer that contains four types of cell (chromatophores), two of which (xanthophores and erythophores) contain different pigments and two of which (iridophores and guanophores) reflect different wavelengths of light. So when these cells enlarge or shrink, it’s just like getting a new coat. Ace.


3) If a conjoined twin was found guilty of murder, would both twins then have to go to jail? – Hal, Gosport
No, a conjoined twin wouldn’t be imprisoned for a crime he hadn’t committed. In the case of murder, one twin might be convicted of being an accessory to the murder committed by the other, in which case they’d both go to jail. While conjoined twins probably have as much reason to commit a murder as anyone else, they don’t really have the opportunity. Their twin would obviously be a witness and any other witnesses wouldn’t have too much trouble identifying them. Unsurprisingly then, there have been no murder cases involving conjoined twins.


4) How long is it possible to physically stay awake for? – Ash, Yeovil
Jonathan Daley stayed awake for 502 hours, six minutes (nearly 21 days) in a sleep-deprivation study at John Moores University in Liverpool. Other claims for the record include 18 days by Maureen Weston, and 11 days by Jim Thomas, Tony Wright and Randy Gardner.
Microsleeps, lasting up to a couple of seconds at most, can be undetectable unless very closely monitored, hence the range of potential records. Being awake for just 17 hors is enough to make drive as dangerously as someone who’s over the alcohol limit. Up to 20 percent of accidents on monotonous roads, such as motorways, can be attributed to sleepiness.

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