Did you know that the banana plant is actually a huge herb? The
stalk is composed of leaf sheaths that overlap each other and grow from an underground
stem called a rhizome. This herb can grow up to 20 feet tall. And there are about 500
different types of bananas in the world. That means if you ate a different kind of banana
everyday, it would take almost a year and a half to eat every type!
Stunned to
death!
Dolphins use sound to 'see' their way around in the deep. They use
echolocation—making a sound and listening to it bounce off objects—to find food
and to navigate. They also hunt by making very loud clicking sounds that may knock out any
small fish or squid within range. Then they just gobble up the sound-stunned prey.
Fabulous trick, right!
Hotter
the better
The hot springs at
Yellowstone owe their vibrant colours to heat-loving microorganisms called thermopiles.
Scientists believe these microorganisms are ancient and may shed light about the origin of
life itself. But they have a practical use too! Thermophile-derived enzymes are used to
convert corn into sugar to sweeten drinks as their enzymes can work in high temperatures
and trigger chemical reactions more quickly.
Built-in compass
Aquatic, anaerobic bacteria called ‘magnetotactic’
bacteria find their way around by using the earth's magnetic field. The bacteria make
magnetic particles that contain iron. When lined-up, the particles make a long magnet that
is it uses like a compass. This built-in compass enables the bacteria to find its way down
to the deep, oxygen-free parts of its aquatic habitat.
Copper tales
In the 1990s,
scientists discovered copper contamination in 7,000-year-old layers of ice in Greenland
glacial caps. This points to copper pollution of the atmosphere that occurred about 2500
years ago. The pollution is attributed to the Romans who used copper for military purposes
and to produce coins. Romans in their heydays produced nearly 17,000 tons of copper
annually, an amount not produced again until the Industrial Revolution in Europe. With
this enormous output of copper came pollution that would also be unsurpassed till the
Industrial Revolution.
Tulip mania
In Holland, tulip farming is a thriving
industry. This exotic flower was brought from Turkey in 1593 and became a status symbol
among the rich. In the 17th century people were willing to pay such exorbitant prices for
tulip bulbs that it led to an economic crisis. An old bill of sale records what was paid
for a single tulip bulb:
2 loads of wheat; 4 loads of rye; 4 fat oxen; 8 fat swine; 12 fat sheep; 2 hogsheads of
wine; 4 barrels of beer; 2 barrels of butter; 1,000 pounds of cheese; a bed; and a
sizeable wagon to haul it all away.
Spotted
lions?
You know of spotted leopards but whoever has heard of spotted lions? At the turn
of the century, however, mysterious small, canines were seen at heights of 10,000 –
11,500 feet in Kenya's Mau forest. The locals called them "Marozi," These
creatures were about 4 – 5 feet in length, had brown spots on a tan background and
looked like lions. Lion cubs have similar spots but they lose them as they grow older. So
was this creature was a spotted lion? Was it a sub-species of lions, a separate species or
a hybrid? The scientists continue the debate even though the animal was last sited in 1948
and is probably extinct.
Did you know that the banana plant is actually a huge herb? The
stalk is composed of leaf sheaths that overlap each other and grow from an underground
stem called a rhizome. This herb can grow up to 20 feet tall. And there are about 500
different types of bananas in the world. That means if you ate a different kind of banana
everyday, it would take almost a year and a half to eat every type!
Dolphins use sound to 'see' their way around in the deep. They use
echolocation—making a sound and listening to it bounce off objects—to find food
and to navigate. They also hunt by making very loud clicking sounds that may knock out any
small fish or squid within range. Then they just gobble up the sound-stunned prey.
Fabulous trick, right!
Aquatic, anaerobic bacteria called ‘magnetotactic’
bacteria find their way around by using the earth's magnetic field. The bacteria make
magnetic particles that contain iron. When lined-up, the particles make a long magnet that
is it uses like a compass. This built-in compass enables the bacteria to find its way down
to the deep, oxygen-free parts of its aquatic habitat.
In Holland, tulip farming is a thriving
industry. This exotic flower was brought from Turkey in 1593 and became a status symbol
among the rich. In the 17th century people were willing to pay such exorbitant prices for
tulip bulbs that it led to an economic crisis. An old bill of sale records what was paid
for a single tulip bulb:
You know of spotted leopards but whoever has heard of spotted lions? At the turn
of the century, however, mysterious small, canines were seen at heights of 10,000 –
11,500 feet in Kenya's Mau forest. The locals called them "Marozi," These
creatures were about 4 – 5 feet in length, had brown spots on a tan background and
looked like lions. Lion cubs have similar spots but they lose them as they grow older. So
was this creature was a spotted lion? Was it a sub-species of lions, a separate species or
a hybrid? The scientists continue the debate even though the animal was last sited in 1948
and is probably extinct.