Good Questions: Target's Light Display, Tickling & Bugs
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Every week, we answer your Good Questions. This week, Heather Brown investigates a downtown Minneapolis staple, tickling and bugs.
It's been a constant among the Minneapolis skyline for 15 years -- the light display at the top of the Target building. Ten-year-old Kalia from Minneapolis wants to know: Who picks the animations for the displays?
A team of designers at Target create the displays. They have more than 30 and usually rotate them weekly. Target considers the displays something of a "mood ring" for the city. They range from pumpkins for Halloween to purple for Prince to a fish tank just for fun.
Five-year-old Mia from Minneapolis asks: Why can't we tickle ourselves?
Whenever we touch something, the nerve endings under our skin alert our brains. Researchers have found that when we try to tickle ourselves, part of the brain predicts what those tickles will feel like. That prediction, or lack of surprise, means the brain's response to the tickling will be far less intense.
Jathan from Rice wants to know: Why are bugs attracted to light?
Before artificial lights, insects navigated by the light of the moon. They could figure out direction by keeping that light at a constant angle. Lightbulbs, which give off light on all sides, can screw up a bug's sense of direction. They find it hard to orient themselves and get stuck a bit of a crazy dance.
