Humans have been asking weird questions for thousands of years. Some have been very difficult to answer. Luckily, the days of having a question and taking a trip to the library (in hopes of finding an answer) are long gone. Today, we have plenty of search engines that can help provide us with answers from sources that are reliable. Although some questions cannot be answered, most can.

Today, we will talk about 10 bizarre questions you may have already asked at some point in your life. However, instead of just a list of questions, we will also attempt to answer them, if possible. Like all of our articles, the answers will be based on information from reputable online sources.

#1 What Happens To Insects When The Winter Comes?

Although many insects will die in the winter, they still leave their eggs behind. When the spring weather comes, the fully-grown adult insects that are dead, are replaced by a new generation. However, what about other insects and other critters, such as spiders? How do they make it through the winter (including the most extreme temperatures) without freezing to death? The answer is not that simple, but in general, there are said to be 3 different survival strategies they use:

1. Avoid The Cold Temperatures

Many species of insects (such as butterflies) will survive the freezing winter temperatures by just avoiding them. Similar to songbirds, some insects will move south when the cold weather arrives. Other insects will hide out in sheltered places such as the bottom of ponds and deep below the ice.

2. Carry On As Usual

Some species of insects and non-insects (like spiders) will survive on the surface even in extreme winter temperatures. Others will crawl within warm pockets carved out by grass and leaves.

3. They Just Freeze!

The third trick some insects will use to survive winters is perhaps the most bizarre. Some survive by using a cool trick called diapause. It is a dormant, semi-frozen state they will enter until the spring comes. The survival strategy is similar to hibernation that many warm-blooded animals use.

Insects certainly have some very impressive capabilities despite their small size.

#2 Do Insects Dream?

Although scientific data has shown that most animals dream (even complex dreams), what about insects? We briefly discussed this question in our post called Weird Dreams And Their Meanings.

At this time, there is no data to show that insects experience dreams. Unlike with some animals, scientists have not found a way to study insect brain activity. We don’t know if they actually sleep like humans. One thing is certain, insects do not have eyelids. However, they do have resting periods. Whether the insects are dreaming in their resting periods is a question that has yet to be answered.

#3 Do Animals Laugh?

According to various scientific studies, numerous species (including dogs, non-human primates and even rats) will demonstrate vocalizations that are very similar to human laughter. We all know that primates such as chimpanzees and orangutans will play, tickle each other and even wrestle. Whether they are expressing joy, is a little harder to determine. However, there have been reports of non-human primates expressing joy. There is even evidence to support that non-human primates do not just laugh, but will even crack their own jokes. Based on extensive scientific research, scientists now believe that due to the similarity in the forms of laughter among humans and apes when they are being tickled, laughter had derived from a common origin among primate species. Scientists also believe that it had subsequently evolved even before the origin of humans.

The video below provides interesting information on whether animals have a sense of humor.

#4 Do Animals Cry Because They Are Feeling Sad?

You may already be aware that almost all land mammals shed tears. Like humans, they produce tears to protect and lubricate their eyes. However, whether they cry as a response to emotions, is still uncertain. Although elephants have shown forms of behavior that are very similar to humans when we cry, scientists cannot prove this is because of emotions they are experiencing. However, it suggests that elephants experience similar emotions to humans. Hopefully someday, there will be an accurate way to know for sure. Do you think elephants shed tears because they are sad?

You may of heard about the true story of a baby elephant that cried for five hours after his mother attacked and abandoned him. Below is a video (not in the English language) showing the elephant being stomped and kicked by his mother. You can also see the elephant crying towards the end.

#5 Do Animals Get Acne?

We all hate those nasty pimples that invade our faces. Luckily, there are treatments to help control them. We all know that humans get zits, but what about animals? According to Answers.com, the answer is no. They state that some animals get specaueous cysts, which look like pimples, but are not. However, the video below shows that animals actually do get acne. They even claim that they get whiteheads and blackheads. The video is not recommended for people with a weak stomach.

#6 Can A Child Have Gray Hair?

The answer to this question is yes. When a child gets gray hair, it is called premature graying, or canities. Your hair color is produced by melanocytes (a mature melanin-forming cell, typically in the skin). As you age, the activity of the melanocytes in each follicle will start to diminish. This is what results in those dreaded gray hairs. Caucasians are said to have reduction of melanocyte activity typically sooner than in any other group. We will now talk about why children can get grey hair.

Common Causes Of Premature Graying

Some children get gray hair as a result of their genetically determined maturational schedule. For example, other family members may have had scattered gray hairs in their childhood, but didn’t get a full head of gray hair until their later years. Although it is likely that the child will also follow the same pattern, when it comes to health, it is probably nothing to be concerned about. However, the most common cause that can alter a child’s preset melanocyte-clock is vitamin B12 deficiency.

Some types of anemia can also produce gray hairs. Other causes include some thyroid disorders and disorders of skin pigmentation (such as vitiligo). Doctors recommend that if you notice that your child has gray hair (even if you believe it to be hereditary), they should get it checked out.

#7 What Color Of Hair Do They Put On Your Driver’s License If You Are Bald?

This is a question you may have asked yourself when you first started noticing the early signs of balding. Did you ask if the answer is the hair that they had before they went bald, their eyebrow color, or the hair they have on their body? Perhaps there may be a default color such as black?

Based on our research from various online discussion boards, we found a variety of answers. Although some agreed with the assumptions stated above, more agreed to one specific answer: Most say that (depending on the state) the driver’s license gives you an option to choose “bald”.

#8 Can You Have Sex In Space?

Although this isn’t a question you hear everyday, it is actually a popular one astronauts often ask (of course). Due to the micro-gravity environment, sex in space can be a challenge in several ways.

Problem #1: The lack of proper blood flow can be a huge problem for men.

Due to the lack of proper gravity in space, gravity doesn’t flow throughout the body as it does here on Earth. This would make it difficult for men to achieve erections (even with the help of Viagra).

Problem #2: The buildup of sweat in layers.

Today, when astronauts exercise while they are out in space, their sweat will buildup in layers throughout their body. Being sticky all over your body would likely make sex uncomfortable. However, this problem probably wouldn’t stop people from trying to make it work regardless.

Problem #3: In space, even a slight push or pull will throw an object across the spacecraft.

You would have to be strapped into a harnesses and fastened to the walls of the spacecraft. This would make sex very uncomfortable. Perhaps role-playing may help make the situation better?

Although it is unknown whether sex has ever happened in space, one day it likely will. Especially if humans want to save their species and spread out into space. We will eventually make it happen.

#9 What Would It Be Like To Live On Other Planets?

Have you ever looked up into the sky and wondered what it would be like to live on other planets? Luckily, we found a 12-part series on Space.com. The series explores what the physical sensation of living on other worlds in our solar system would be like. For example, it will go into detail about what gravity would be like on Mercury, or the length of a day on Venus. This is a great source that provides many links that can help you get an answer to this strange and very fascinating question.

The Planned Trip To Mars In 2025

You have probably heard about the exciting mission to Mars that is planned to take off in about 10 years. If you want to know exactly what it would be like to live on Mars, you may be able to find out for yourself. However, only 100 potential astronauts will get a shot at the long trip that is expected to take at least 7 months. The catch is that it is just a one-way ticket. The mission is being designed to take you there, but it won’t bring you back to Earth. The plan is to form a permanent colony. New crews are expected to arrive each year. Although many scientists agree that it is a good thing for humans to spread out into space (to prevent extinction of the human race), some are skeptical about the Mars mission and believe the crew won’t even make it to the Red Planet.

Futurist Michio Kaku believes the mission is nothing but a tragedy waiting to happen. This is because of all of the risks involved (such as untested technology), including the billions of dollars that has to be spent. Of course, not matter how much technology has advanced, it is impossible to eliminate all risks.

#10 Are The Number Of Atoms In The Observable Universe Larger Than A Googolplex?
A googol is 10 to the 100th power; that is, the digit 1 followed by 100 zeroes.

The term “googol” was invented by a 9-year nephew of the prominent American mathematician Edward Kasner. The term was later adopted to a more formal definition known as “googolplex”.

So you think a googol is a large number you can’t even imagine? A googolplex is even larger. A googolplex is 1 followed by 10 to the power of 100 zeros (or a 1 with a googol zeros after it).

The answer to the unusual question is no. Even the smaller number of a googol is believed to be larger than the number of atoms in the observable universe, which amount to only 10 to the 80th power. According to American scientist Carl Sagan (November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996), writing a googolplex in standard form (“10,000,000,000…”) would be physically impossible. This is because in order for it to be done, it would require more space than is even available in the known universe.

According to Oxford English Dictionary, googol and googolplex are “not in formal mathematical use“. 

Interesting Fact About How The “Google” Search Engine Name Came About

The biggest search engine in the world known as Google actually originated from a misspelling of a “googol”. In 1997, the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin (including other Standford graduate students) were brainstorming domain names. The man responsible for giving Larry Page the name of his search engine is Standford student Sean Anderson. He had mistyped googol as “google”. When Larry learned that “Google” was available, he decided it was the name he wanted. Today, even Google’s corporate headquarters in Mountain View, California is called the GooglePlex.

Conclusion

The human brain will always ask questions that are challenging to answer. This is part of what drives the curious to keep attempting until the answer eventually comes. Scientific experiments have certainly played a big role in helping to answer some of the most mysterious. Whether you’ve asked any of these 10 weird questions yourself or not, you’ve probably heard of at least one. If you have an unusual question that we didn’t bring up in our list of 10, share it in the comments below.