Science Week - Fact or Fiction?

You weigh slightly less when the Moon is directly overhead.

• Fiction

• Fact

Answer explanation

The moon's gravity pulls you slightly away from the surface of the Earth, so you weigh less.

There is enough DNA in your body to stretch around the Earth 10 times

• Fact

• Fiction

Answer explanation

There is actually enough DNA to sretch from the sun to Pluto and back....17 times!

Your body is made up of more bacterial cells than body cells

• Fact

• Fiction

Answer explanation

There are 10 times more bacterial cells in your body than your own body cells. Even if you wash your hands really well.

Light takes 40,000 years to travel from the centre of the sun to it's surface

• Fact

• Fiction

Answer explanation

It then takes another 8 minutes to reach the Earth.

Grasshoppers have ears on their chin

• Fact

• Fiction

Answer explanation

But they do have ears in their bellies

If Betelgeuse exploded you would see the bright light for 3 days!!

• Fact

• Fiction

Answer explanation

The sky would actually be bright for 2 months

The tallest mountain in the solar system is Everest

• Fiction

• Fact

Answer explanation

It is actually Olympus Mons on Mars which is 14 miles high

In the 1970's a cat co-authored several scientific papers.

• Fact

• Fiction

Answer explanation

His owner wrote several papers using the plural 'we' in error. Rather than correct it he added his cat, F.D.C Willard, as the second author.