If
Don Quixote was still alive, he would heve loved to visit Vietnam now. A country that will
steer wind power. Vietnam is developing its first wind power generators at a cost of US$
52 million dollars, to meet its soaring demand for energy. Till now, most of the
electricity generated here was by gas, hydro and coal power plants. Now wind power will be
the new mantra of Vietnam.
Don’t
call it a bluff
Well, bluffing, the
oldest trick of all, comes in handy in the natural world too. The peacock butterfly, a
perfectly tasty snack for a bird, often cheats death with what is nothing more than a
bluff. By suddenly exposing the prominent eyespots on its wings, it startles and scares
away a predatory bird. But the most interesting point is: the birds continue to be fooled
by these little butterflies.
Mars trap
After weeks of spinning its wheels on a Martian sand
dune, NASA’s rover, Opportunity, is finallly free. The rover got stuck on April 25,
2005, as it was crossing a series of shallow sandy ridges on Mars. Engineers back home on
earth eased the rover out, by slowly backing it over its previous tracks.
Growing
(high)
China plans to launch a satellite that will carry plant seeds into space and
bring them back to earth for sowing. The idea is that radiation in space will cause
genetic mutations that might have a beneficial effect. Chinese researchers claim
remarkable results from earlier space-based experiments, including growing trees that have
stronger resistance to diseases.
Space
waste
Did you know that 95 per cent of the objects orbiting the earth
are trash? Only 600-700 objects of the 13,000 in orbit are in use, as satellites. Its time
to process a waste management plan beyond the sky.
Vile
appeti
It gave us Finding
Nemo, the blockbuster on the clownfish and his aquatic friends. But now the Walt
Disney Company is under fire for plans that conservationists say will push some shark
species closer to extinction. Disney had proposed to serve shark-fin soup at an expensive
wedding banquet. Around 10,000 tonnes of shark fins are harvested each year to tempt the
tastebuds of foodies around the world. Environmentalists say that the shark-fin trade
seriously endangers sharks, and whales. So, hopefully, next time, we will not see Nemo in
the soup!
Red spark
The Mars Express spacecraft has experienced a light show
on the red planet is similar to the auroras on earth. Earth’s auroras are caused by
charged particles from the solar wind pouring down the planet’s magnetic field lines
and hitting molecules of gas in the atmosphere, causing the glow. Earth’s magnetic
field radiates out of its poles, and so auroras appear around the poles. But Mars has no
magnetic field. Solar particles flowed
towards an area
of highly magnetised rock, create beams of light, instead of earth-like auroras.
If
Don Quixote was still alive, he would heve loved to visit Vietnam now. A country that will
steer wind power. Vietnam is developing its first wind power generators at a cost of US$
52 million dollars, to meet its soaring demand for energy. Till now, most of the
electricity generated here was by gas, hydro and coal power plants. Now wind power will be
the new mantra of Vietnam.
China plans to launch a satellite that will carry plant seeds into space and
bring them back to earth for sowing. The idea is that radiation in space will cause
genetic mutations that might have a beneficial effect. Chinese researchers claim
remarkable results from earlier space-based experiments, including growing trees that have
stronger resistance to diseases.
Did you know that 95 per cent of the objects orbiting the earth
are trash? Only 600-700 objects of the 13,000 in orbit are in use, as satellites. Its time
to process a waste management plan beyond the sky.
It gave us Finding
Nemo, the blockbuster on the clownfish and his aquatic friends. But now the Walt
Disney Company is under fire for plans that conservationists say will push some shark
species closer to extinction. Disney had proposed to serve shark-fin soup at an expensive
wedding banquet. Around 10,000 tonnes of shark fins are harvested each year to tempt the
tastebuds of foodies around the world. Environmentalists say that the shark-fin trade
seriously endangers sharks, and whales. So, hopefully, next time, we will not see Nemo in
the soup!
towards an area
of highly magnetised rock, create beams of light, instead of earth-like auroras. 