Sparticl

The world is full of insects. Even though we've identified more than a million species, there are probably millions more we don't know about.

What characteristics make an animal part of the Insecta class? For starters, they all have three body segments: a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. Find out more.

You've probably taken hundreds of photographs, but do you know how cameras take pictures?

Photography has everything to do with the science of optics — how light reacts when it is refracted, bent, and captured by photographic film or photosensors in modern digital cameras. Learn these basics of how practically any camera works.

How do waves behave? Investigate one kind of wave that resembles sports fans doing…you guessed it…“the wave.”

Then explore waves colliding, 10-story-high ocean waves, seemingly motionless musical waves, and the search for gravity waves that may tell us about the first second of existence.

While it looks like skaters defy the principles of physics, in reality they're using momentum, gravity, friction, and centripetal force to perform amazing tricks.

And physics isn't the only science involved in this extreme sport. New technologies and designs are being applied to skateboarding all the time.

Most people now understand the need to protect their skin from too much sun. But what did people do before the invention of sunscreen? And do you know the difference between sunscreen and sun block?

Discover the history of sunscreen and sun block, learn about natural products to protect your skin and about modern innovations for skin protection.