I’m a scientist who is proud to be raising little scientists. I’m a nerd who loves fantasy who is proud to be raising nerds who love fantasy. Our adventure conversations are usually full of out-loud thoughts where those two things and dreams meet. Here are the wonderings I recorded from our most recent adventure:

What is the name of the tallest tree in the Universe?

My answer: I think redwoods are the tallest tree, but maybe that’s only in the United States? We’ll have to look it up.

The real answer: Ok, this one was really fun to research because I thought I would be giving him the name of the species of tree that was the tallest.. but the tallest tree actually has its own name!

The tree’s name is Hyperion. And for you scientists out there, it’s a Sequoia sempervirens, commonly called a Coast Redwood.

Who is fastest: The Flash, Sonic, or a motorcycle?

My answer: Woah, buddy. That’s a tough one. Especially since I’ve never read or seen anything with The Flash. Definitely not the motorcycle, but I’ll have to look it up.

The sort of real answer: This was the diciest question. Because as anyone who knows anything about superheroes will tell you, stats in comic books are ALWAYS debatable.

So, let’s start it off easy. According to a recent TV episode (2014), Barry Allen (the Flash himself) states he has a top speed of 2,532 miles per hour or Mach 3.3. And according to Sega, Sonic the Hedgehog’s maximum running speed is 3,840 miles per hour (in Sonic Adventures DX) so Sonic wins.

BUT The Flash has access to the speed force which allows him to go even faster and even travel through time. During certain missions in the comics, his speed even blows past the speed of light without him blinking an eye. In these cases The Flash would win.

So it all depends on which writers you would include with Flash canon or not.

And if you’re curious about the motorcycle, the fastest one in the world is the Kawasaki Ninja H2R which can go 222 mph. So, it doesn’t even come close.

Do turtles eat frogs?

Our Discussion:

Me: No? I think they eat mostly plants and bugs. I don’t think they eat anything with bones?

4: What do you mean no bones?

Me: Like, soft animals. Worms and stuff.

4: So…they eat bologna?

Me: ….

4: Bologna is a soft animal, right?

The answer: Sea turtles eat jellyfish. (A soft animal!) Painted turtles eat vegetation, algae, bugs and crustaceans. Sometimes they eat small fish (not a soft animal).

Bigger snapping turtles will eat frogs-if they can catch them. As for the bologna, I explained that even though it’s made out of animals, and is a soft food, it’s not a soft animal and is also not for wild animals to eat. (Whether or not domesticated humans should eat it will be a topic for a different walk).

And speaking of what humans eat… Last question is…

Why does Mexican food taste so good?

My completely unbiased answer: It really is so good, isn’t it?

The real answer: While this question is more opinion based, we looked it up anyway. The research question became what are the flavors in Mexican food that make it so delicious? So, if you love Mexican flavors, you’re most likely loving a combo of Tomato, onion, cumin, garlic, jalapeño, red pepper, chili powder, and paprika.

… so there you have it. Those are the most pertinent questions that were asked this week and the answers we found. But you don’t take my word for it. Go look it up! 😉