In
medieval Europe, fortunetellers did not read tarot cards... but trees.As they appeared in
a person’s dreams. So dreaming of a green oak tree spelt a long life; a cypress
indicated problems in business. Bad days ahead if one had dreams of pine trees. But images
of palm trees were the best of omens and signalled loads of luck coming by!
Smog dogs
In some countries in Europe, car owners may now have to
worry about the "smog dog," a device designed to "sniff" tailpipes to
detect air pollutionI Formally known as the AccuScan Remote Vehicle Emissions Testing
System, the smog dog will look for exhaust from cars as they pass roadside monitors. A
camera close to the smog sensors will take pictures of the cars' license plates. And the
owners will be notified later...
Spring in the
Spittlebug's Step
Spittlebug, an insect about the size of a
pencil eraser, is the world's best ‘jumper’. The bug can leap more than two feet
high in a single jump. It uses the muscles in its hind legs to take off into the air in a
giant burst of energy. Just think..if basket ball star Michael Jordan borrows the bug's
springs, he would be able to jump 500 feet above the basket!
Cuddly Rattle
The
deadly rattlesnakes are a friendly lot..when they are with their kith and kin. Scientists
say that they have a great social sense! They can recognise their brothers and sisters who
were born in the same litter even if they were separated at birth. Sister snakes spend
almost half a day with their bodies wrapped together. They are so sharp that with a flick
of their tongue, they can identify a relative, other snake species or a member of the
opposite sex.
Jet-set
ink
Did
you know that we get sepia ink from a fish? Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) lets out the
ink as a smoke screen to confuse its enemies in the sea. It moves by ejecting water from a
muscular funnel present between its head and mantle—pushing them backward, the way
jet planes operate.
Sipping fog
In the Skeleton Coast of Namibia, a particular beetle quen-ches its thirst by
drinking fog. Whenever it feels like a swig of water, it climbs to the crest of a dune and
faces the breeze until the fog condenses on its body. Droplets then trickle down narrow
grooves on the shell and fall into its mouth.
Mime Rhyme
Birds too have music lessons like us. The Australian songbird,
zebra finch uses infant-like ways of learning ‘adult’ songs. Some finches repeat
"syllables". Others practise longer patterns called motifs. Their strategy seems
to depend on what their siblings are doing. The song of a zebra finch lasts one second and
has five or six different sounds. With their one-gram brain, zebra finches make great
music.
In
medieval Europe, fortunetellers did not read tarot cards... but trees.As they appeared in
a person’s dreams. So dreaming of a green oak tree spelt a long life; a cypress
indicated problems in business. Bad days ahead if one had dreams of pine trees. But images
of palm trees were the best of omens and signalled loads of luck coming by!
Spittlebug, an insect about the size of a
pencil eraser, is the world's best ‘jumper’. The bug can leap more than two feet
high in a single jump. It uses the muscles in its hind legs to take off into the air in a
giant burst of energy. Just think..if basket ball star Michael Jordan borrows the bug's
springs, he would be able to jump 500 feet above the basket!
Did
you know that we get sepia ink from a fish? Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) lets out the
ink as a smoke screen to confuse its enemies in the sea. It moves by ejecting water from a
muscular funnel present between its head and mantle—pushing them backward, the way
jet planes operate.
Birds too have music lessons like us. The Australian songbird,
zebra finch uses infant-like ways of learning ‘adult’ songs. Some finches repeat
"syllables". Others practise longer patterns called motifs. Their strategy seems
to depend on what their siblings are doing. The song of a zebra finch lasts one second and
has five or six different sounds. With their one-gram brain, zebra finches make great
music.