I’d Like To Know

Q

Can you answer a question my grandson asked me – do male kangaroos have pouches? Mrs L.I., Ipswich.

A

No, male kangaroos don’t have pouches; only the female of the species do, as they’re used to raise their young. The embryo-like newborn is as tiny as a bean when first born, and the hairless little one then spends upwards of eight months in the mother’s pouch, where it is suckled and kept safe from predators. The joey then ventures out more and more, until it no longer requires the pouch. Hard to believe this tiny bean-sized creature can reach speeds of more than 35 miles per hour when fully grown.

Q

Misplacing my house keys just before I was due to head out gave me time to ponder the question: who first invented the lock and key? Mrs C.S., Selkirk.

A

First evidence of keys and locks goes all the way back to Egyptian times, when keys were made out of wood and would allow wooden pins to be raised to release a bolt. It was only really the wealthy who had need of them, however.

Wood was replaced by different materials over time. The first double-acting tumbler lock was invented by English locksmith Robert Barron in 1778, offering a more secure method. Jeremiah Chubb progressed Barron’s idea, with Linus Yale following with his cylinder lock.

I wonder what they would make of the remote keyless systems available now?

Q

I love Whitney Houston’s music, and my friend tells me her mother was also a singer. Can you tell me more about the family? Mrs E.Y., Great Yarmouth.

A

Whitney’s mother, Emily “Cissy” Houston, was born in New Jersey in 1933 and was backing singer for the likes of Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin before going solo, winning two Grammys for her work.

Soul and gospel singer Cissy is aunt to another talented and famous singer – Dionne Warwick.