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Welcome to ilovebacteria.com formally known as Ratlab.co.uk!

In my mind, striped toothpaste has to be one of the best inventions of the 20th century. But how do they get the stripes in the stuff? And then, how does it not get all mushed together to make a horrid pale purple paste? In fact, the answer is not half as exciting as seeing those lovely stripes every time you brush your teeth. Toothpaste tubes are usually filled from the end and then sealed, but the stripy ones are a bit different. This is because the different colors are kept in separate compartments in the tube so they don't get mushed together and the tubes contain a nozzle system that forces the colored bits out of the tube at the same time as the white stuff. Different nozzle designs allow different toothpaste stripes to be made. Genius.

If you'd like to have a go at making your own stripy icing (probably not too good to brush your teeth with it), you will need a freezer bag, a drinking straw, icing sugar and red food coloring.

 

Food and drink
Why does asparagus make wee smell?
Why do beans make you fart?
Why does corn come out like it went in?
How does jello work?
How do they get the fortune in the cookie?
What are the crystals in cold vodka?

Health and disease
Can getting cold give you a cold?
What causes a hangover?
Why does my eye twitch?
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Do we age in space?

Human nature
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Why do men have nipples?
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Why is yawning contagious?
Why does poo smell?

Animal kingdom
Do animals suffer from allergies?
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Why can bumblebees fly?
Why don't mice like cheese?
Why is chicken pox called chicken pox?
Can chocolate kill dogs?
Why does a bag of water repel flies?
Do hedgehogs like milk?
Why do you never see baby pigeons?
Why are there no tricolored cats?
Why do some cats have extra toes?
How do fish end up in volcanic lakes?

The laws of physics
Why is the sky blue?
How come boiling water becomes ice on a cold day?
How does gravity work?
Why does a kettle sing?
Why does hot water freeze faster than cold?
What causes rainbows?
Why are clouds white?
Why does helium make your voice squeaky?
Why does the horizon moon look so big?

Bits and pieces
Why are there dimples in golf balls?
Why do Polo mints have holes?
Why does spaghetti break into three pieces?
Why are kitchen sponges so smelly?
How do they get the stripes in toothpaste?

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