|
The Great Wall of China may disappear
in 20 years. And the degradation has
already begun. A report claims that
the main reason is sandstorms,
caused by destructive farming
methods of the people of Northern
China that have left the land barren. The
Wall is worst hit in Minqin County in the
Gansu province. A 25-mile stretch of the
Wall has shortened in height, measuring
only seven feet, which was once 16 feet
high, says Zhou Shengrui, a Chinese
archaeologist. In many other spots,
cracks have appeared due to erosion.
Environmentalists are trying to protect the
Wall by planting trees to cover the barren
land, and plastering the wall with sand.
Bat saliva may give life to victims of
cerebral strokes. At present, there is no
specific cure for people who are not
treated within three hours of stroke
onset. But, Cleveland Clinic’s
Cerebrovascular Center in US is studying
an agent found in vampire bats’ saliva,
which may help people to break this
time-barrier. This agent, known as
Desmoteplase, would dissolve the blood
clots that cause a stroke. It has shown
positive results in two of three trials.
A tiny gold-coloured frog has been
discovered in a remote mountainous
region of Colombia, South America. It
measures about two centimetres, and has
been named as the ‘golden frog of
Supata’. This unique frog can be spotted
only within a 20-hectare area of the
region that has the world’s most
diversified amphibians with more than
583 species. Though
scientists are very excited
about this newfound
species, team leader
Oswaldo Cortes
feels that the
discovery
just shows
how little
we know
about the
biodiversity of the
planet. So while exploring
this uncharted biodiversity, the scientists
are all set to simultaneously save the
existing species from extinction.
|
|
Your home may help you survive in
water. Well, this is true for water spiders
at least. In spite of being air-breathers,
they spend their entire life underwater,
thanks to their homes – tiny scuba tanks
that they spin around themselves.
Scientists at the University of Bern,
Switzerland, examined eight female
water spiders, and found that these tanks
or air bells act as reservoirs for oxygen,
which allow them to breathe. The
spiders trap air bubbles from the water
surface using the short hair on their
abdomen and legs, and fill webs with the
air. The webs change into bell shape, and
their silk layers allow oxygen in,
expelling carbon dioxide. And these
special houses also act as safe havens for
breeding and hiding prey.
The Bastoey Island in Norway is planning
an ‘ecological prison’. The prison has
installed solar panels within the jail to
meet 70 per cent of its electricity needs.
And the prison inmates will implement
various eco-friendly ways to reduce their
carbon footprint, such as produce most
of their own food, and learn to recycle
materials. “On a long-term basis, from a
social and economic perspective, this is
the cheapest for society”, says Justice
Minister Knut Storberget. This would
develop a sense of responsibility in the
inmates, preparing them for a green life
outside the prison bars. Hmm… ecology
literally knows no bars.
About 40 per cent of deaths
worldwide are caused by water, air
and soil pollution, say researchers
of Cornell University, US. Environ-mental
degradation and rapid
growth in population are the
major causes behind the sharp rise
in human diseases and mal-nourishment.
According to David
Pimentel, professor of ecology and
agricultural sciences, 57 per cent
of the 6.5 billion of world population
is malnourished, compared to 20
per cent of 2.5 billion in 1950.
Moreover, malnutrition is the direct
cause of 6 million children’s deaths
each year.
|
