var num_of_facts = 9;
facts = Math.floor (num_of_facts * Math.random());
if (facts==0) {
title="Which of the following is stronger: steel or spider's webbed silk?";
body="Amazingly, the silk from a spider's web is stronger than steel; if a piece of steel were the same size as a spiders web it would be 5 times weaker. Also, spider's silk has the second strongest tensile strength, the amount of tension an object can resist without breaking apart.";
}
if (facts==1) {
title="How does a firefly make it's light?";
body="Fireflies or lightning bugs (Photinus pyroles) create rhythmic flashes of light from their anus with intervals between 4 to 8 seconds. Some scientists speculate that it's a way to send signals to each other, attract prey, or signal a warning. Whatever it may be, their light has been a mystery for years. The light has recently been defined by the concept of bioluminescence. This is caused when oxidation of carbon and hydrogen occurs quickly within only a few steps. This quick reaction produces a lot of harmful energy and instead of being rid of by heat, some organisms rid of it in the form of light, such as fireflies. Specifically, in fireflies, the substance luciferin under the presence of the enzyme luciferase undergo oxidation. And, moreover, the whole process is controlled by the nervous system.";
}
if (facts==2) {
title="What makes Mexican jumping beans jump?";
body="Mexican jumping beans' jumping ability is not caused by the beans themselves. Instead it's an insect called the bean moth (Carpocapa saltitans) that creates this phenomenon. The moth lays its eggs around a bean flower or in the seed pod of the spurge. Then the egg will hatch within the shell and a caterpillar or larva will be living within the shell. Then, when the bean is exposed to heat, such as the heat of your hand, the insect will start to become annoyed and begin moving.";
}
if (facts==3) {
title="What is the Genome Project?";
body="One of the biggest things in government-funded biological projects is the Genome Project. The project, started in 1990 with $3 billion in funds, is an on-going project that's main objective is to map out the whole complete human genome. Genome stands for the broad set of all genes that compose an organism, which stands to be a monumental task for the biomedical community. There are over 50,000 to 100,000 genes to be mapped and so far 2,000 have been identified and mapped. The knowledge that'll be obtained from this 15 year project will benefit the public greatly in uncovering and accelerating biomedical advances in understanding inherited disorders, evolutionary traces, old age, diseases, and many more.";
}
if (facts==4) {
title="How much DNA is in the average human cell?";
body="DNA is one of the basic genetic materials of a human cell. They're composed of very tiny and thin strands that are wrapped around within the nucleus. If the DNA of an individual human cell were laid out it would total 6.5 feet. And with the trillions of cells that encompass the whole human body, all the DNA in a human would constitute 10 to 20 billion miles. That's over 600,000 times across the earth's equator!";
}
if (facts==5) {
title="What causes tree leaves to change color in the fall?";
body="The bright red, green, purples, and brown colors which we all see on the leaves of the trees in the fall are not caused by chlorophyll. They're caused by pigments called carotenoids which are always present within the plant cells. The green chlorophyll just covers it up during the growing season. Then in the fall, when the chlorophyll production declines, the carotenoid's colors become visible.";
}
if (facts==6) {
title="Is four the most leaves a clover can have?";
body="Surprisingly, getting a clover with four leaves is NOT the most you can get. Within the Trifolium genus of plants, there's clovers with fourteen leaves! One is the white clover (Trifolium repens) and the red clover (Trifolium pratense), both of which are found in the US and both of which are the most common nitrogen-fixating legumes.";
}
if (facts==7) {
title="Can birds fly upside down?";
body="Yes, there is a only one species of birds that can fly that way. It is the smallest species of birds and is the only species that can fly backwards. You guessed it, it's the humming bird, which can fly upside down and backwards because of it's angled wing structure. This also allows it to hover around and pollinate flowers.";
}
if (facts==8) {
title="What is the difference between dolphins and porpoises?";
body="Dolphins and porpoises are so similar to each other that most people couldn't tell you the difference between the two. Even a more educated biology student might tell you that they're the same species. In actuality they belong to their own Families! The difference is that dolphins have cone-shaped teeth and a beak-like snout, while porpoises have flat or spade-shaped teeth and a rounded snout.";
}
document.write('
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document.write('' + body + '
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document.write('Created by Team 11771
for ThinkQuest 97');