
Everyday Science
Why Do Cats Purr? What Science Knows and Doesn't
Cats purr by generating low-frequency vibration in the larynx during both inhalation and exhalation, but the exact control mechanism remains under study.
A good everyday explanation begins with the short answer and then tests where it breaks. Blue skies and purring cats both become more interesting once one mechanism stops pretending to explain everything. We distinguish established physics from active biological hypotheses and refuse to promote a pleasing correlation into a tiny lab-coated fact.

Cats purr by generating low-frequency vibration in the larynx during both inhalation and exhalation, but the exact control mechanism remains under study.

The daytime sky looks blue mainly because air molecules Rayleigh-scatter shorter visible wavelengths more strongly than longer ones.