BRAINDUMP

How do fire breathers not burn themselves?

Harry Sanders

Preparation is key to the art of fire breathing, and only through keeping safety in mind at all times can even the most gifted fire breather perform uninjured. To do this, they focus on three main things: fuel type, technique and wind direction. The first is arguably the most important factor, as if a fuel with a low flash point is chosen, such as alcohol, it becomes incredibly difficult to control the resulting flame, as the substance will be highly volatile at low temperatures. Instead fire breathers will use a substance like paraffin, which has a relatively safe flash point. Secondly, fire breathers will have honed their technique of inhaling the substance, adding a small amount of it in liquid form to their mouth and then breathing the resultant vapour or liquid over their energy source, usually a lit torch. Fire breathers will always take note of wind direction at all times in order to remove the possibility of having the resultant flame blown back over them.

WHAT ARE BUTTERFLIES’ WINGS MADE OF?

Dorothy Burns

Butterflies are from the order of insects known as Lepidoptera. A butterfly has four wings – two forewings and two hindwings. Each wing is made up of thousands of tiny scales that sit in overlapping rows over a framework of veins – a bit like tiles on the roof of a house. Some scales contain colour pigments, whereas others are translucent, creating colour by refracting and diffusing light.

The front and back of the wings usually have different patterns. The undersides are often designed to help the butterfly camouflage to its surroundings when it’s resting – like the mottled