Q: Do sunflowers rotate 360 degrees like gymnasts throughout the day?

Sunflowers might hold a special place in the hearts of many, often symbolizing youthful energy.

However, they don't follow the sun's path all the time. Their heliotropic behavior only occurs during their immature stage, from sprouting until the bloom fully matures—a phase we could call their "adolescence."

During this period, sunflowers’ auxins (growth hormones) and carotenoid oxidase react differently to sunlight. Auxins, which stimulate cell growth, shy away from sunlight, while carotenoid oxidase thrives in it. This interaction causes the shaded side of the stem to grow faster, bending the sunflower toward the sun. Interestingly, the rotation isn’t instantaneous; there’s a lag of about 12 degrees (roughly 48 minutes) behind the sun’s position.

When the sun sets, auxins redistribute evenly across the plant, slowly resetting the flower’s position by around 3 a.m., ready to face the sunrise once more. Once mature, however, the flower’s stem stiffens, and it no longer rotates with the sun.

What Happens If the Moon Disappears?

If the Moon were to disappear, the consequences for Earth would be dramatic. Here are four major impacts:

1. Tides Could Cease:

The Moon’s gravitational pull is the primary force driving Earth’s tides. Without the Moon, tides would either stop or drastically weaken. While the Sun’s gravitational influence might create small waves, significant tidal phenomena would vanish. This disruption would upend marine ecosystems and trigger cascading effects on ocean currents, climate, and rainfall, potentially leading to mass extinctions.

2. Chaotic Climate:

Earth's 23.5-degree axial tilt, responsible for our seasons, was likely a result of a colossal collision millions of years ago. The Moon helps stabilize this tilt. Without the Moon’s gravitational influence, the tilt could become unstable, leading to erratic and extreme seasonal changes, akin to the harsh conditions depicted in The Wandering Earth.

3. Shorter Days:

In a Moonless past, Earth’s rotation was much faster, with a day lasting just five hours. The Moon's gravitational pull has slowed Earth's rotation, giving us 24-hour days. Without the Moon, the days would shorten again, altering circadian rhythms and life as we know it.

4. Darker Nights:

While night skies aren’t especially bright now, the Moon’s reflection of sunlight provides significant illumination. If the Moon disappeared, Venus would become the brightest object in the night sky, but its light is only a fraction—1/14,000—of the Moon's. Nights would become pitch-black, making "dark as night" a literal reality.

Why Do People Release Gas?

Flatulence occurs because gas accumulates in the intestines. After eating, food undergoes fermentation in the stomach, releasing gases. These gases move through the intestines and gather near the gut, ready for release.

Interestingly, farting is somewhat under voluntary control. If one chooses to suppress that gas, the gas can be reabsorbed by the intestinal walls, enter the bloodstream, and circulate throughout the body. Eventually, the gas reaches the liver, where it’s filtered, and then travels to the lungs, where it’s exhaled through the nose or mouth.

So, the next time you hold in a gas, remember—it might come out later, but perhaps not in the way you expect.