Did You Know on Pitara Kids Network

How Do Fish Survive in Icy Waters?

Mon, 31 Jan 2000 15:02:06 +0000

In cold winter months, lakes and rivers freeze over forming ice. Yet, fish and other aquatic animals manage to survive.

Animals like seals, penguins, walruses and a wide variety of sea birds are all fish eaters. They live in the Arctic and Antarctic Circle, amidst the icecaps. The land is completely frozen. Yet these animals manage to live in this region. How do they do it?

The icy waters of the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans support a great amount of marine life. For millions of years life has remained unchanged, making it possible for these animals to adapt themselves to these particular patterns of existence.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Fri, 25 Mar 2005 20:48:41 +0000

If you touch a hot metal object, you will yank your hand away immediately. When this happens to you the first time, the sequence of events and the result (the burning of your hand) gets stored in your brain. This is what we call an experience.

When you see a hot metal object next time, you will not touch it. You will use the knowledge of your previous experience and decide to not repeat it again.

Which Mammal lays Eggs?

Fri, 16 May 2003 08:54:38 +0000

Mammals are creatures who give birth to their young ones as opposed to other animals who lay eggs. Birds, reptiles and insects lay eggs. But as with every other rule, this one has exceptions* too.

An exceptional exception

The duck-billed platypus of Australia walks out of fresh waters to build its nest on the ground. But it has retained its love of water and returns to streams and ponds to eat crayfish, snails, and shrimp. The most remarkable feature in the platypus is that although it is a mammal, it lays eggs!

Why's the Sun Red during Sunrise and Sunset?

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 14:19:47 +0000

As day breaks, a reddish-white ball of light that we call the sun, rises. This red haze gives way to a golden-white sheen as the day advances and reappears when the sun sets in the evening. Does the sun really change colours, or does it only seem so? The explanation lies in-between.

Light from the sun consists of three kinds of radiation – ultra-violet rays, visible light and infra-red rays. Unlike visible light, ultra-violet rays and infra-red rays cannot be seen.

What is a virus?

Sat, 16 May 2020 10:28:31 +0000

Viruses are these tiny, invisible structures that cause infections. They make us sick. There are millions of viruses in our environment but only about 5000 have been identified by scientists. The ones you may have heard of are the Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV and the Novel Coronavirus or Covid-19.

What do viruses look like?

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Do you think that a virus is some creepy, crawly thing? It is not. A virus is a non-living thing. It is invisible to the human eye. A virus is one hundred times smaller than a bacteria, which is why most viruses cannot be seen even under a microscope.

How does a Nuclear Bomb differ from a Conventional Bomb?

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 22:01:30 +0000

Every now and then we hear of countries of the world carrying out heated discussions about nuclear bombs. The topics range from who has the right to own a nuclear bomb and who does not, who should use it and who must not and so on. But what exactly happens when such a bomb actually explodes? And how are nuclear bombs different from conventional bombs?

The greatest difference between the two types of bombs is the sheer scale of destruction they cause. While a conventional bomb can be targetted to damage a particular area and the people living there, nuclear bombs are weapons of mass destruction. Just consider this: a 1 megaton (million ton) nuclear bomb is enough to wipe out the largest city on Earth. (1 ton=1000 kilograms)

What Makes the Egg Shell so Strong?

Tue, 19 Apr 2005 04:47:29 +0000

Have you ever wondered why hens don’t break their eggs when they sit on them? The secret lies in the shape of the egg. An egg is a great example of nature’s excellent skills in packing. If you squeeze the ends of an egg between the palms of your hands, it won’t break. However, if you squeeze it in the middle, it pops and creates a terrible mess.

If you have seen the way eggs are sold in the market, you would have noticed that they are kept with their ends pointing up and are never left lying horizontally. Hens, too, incubate their eggs the same way, with the narrower end pointing upwards.

Why do Plants Lean Toward Sunlight?

Fri, 31 Aug 2001 21:39:58 +0000

Plants kept inside a room always grow in the direction of the window. In woodlands where there is a thick canopy of trees and sunlight rarely falls on earth, very few plants survive. Those that do, do not require sunlight to make their food.

People have long wondered about this phenomenon until the answer was discovered and explained by the English naturalist Charles Darwin. He demonstrated that the growing shoot of a grass seedling always bends towards light. This is due to a phenomenon called phototropism.

Who Invented The Pen?

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 05:01:49 +0000

The history of writing instruments with which humans have recorded and conveyed thoughts, feelings and grocery lists, is the history of civilisation itself. This is how we know about our ancestors and their lives.

The handy sharpened-stone, used for skinning and killing animals was adapted into the first writing instrument. Around 24,000 BC, the cave man started drawing pictures with the stone onto the walls of his cave dwelling. His drawings showed events in daily life such as the planting of crops or hunting victories. Walls at the Apollo site in Namibia, southwest Africa are believed to be the oldest rock paintings to date.

Where Did Numerals Originate?

Sun, 11 Feb 2001 13:28:15 +0000

We deal with numbers all the time. Not just while doing math lessons at school, but also while counting money at the shop, memorising the numbers of our favourite TV channels or even keeping tabs on the number of hours we spend in front of the Internet! But we are so used to numbers that it has never occurred to us to find out where these numbers come from.

For that, we must travel back in time. We must go back to 6th century India. It was around this time, that the great Indian astronomer Aryabhatta invented a set of numerals that is now used by people all over the world.

Why don't Birds on a wire get a shock?

Tue, 29 Aug 2006 16:28:41 +0000

Now how is that possible? The fact is, for a living creature to get a ‘shock’ there has to be a substantial flow of current through the body. However, there is barely any current running through the bird’s body for two reasons. Firstly, the bird not only forms a circuit with the wire, but it also offers a high resistance to current, so the current passes through the wire instead of the bird.

It’s a bit like this, would you prefer going on a smooth road or a road full of potholes? The answer is obvious and just like you, the current prefers taking the easier path. All objects offer some amount of resistance to the flow of current, depending on the material.

How do Houseflies Spread Diseases?

Sun, 07 Jan 2001 19:49:44 +0000

The housefly (musca domestica) is one of the most common of all insects. It is a major health hazard, particularly in parts of the world where sanitary conditions are poor.

The housefly has a dull gray, bristled body that is about 7 mm in length. It has large reddish compound eyes. Its mouth cannot bite but consists of a spongy pad.

It has a peculiar system of feeding itself. At first it releases saliva and digestive juices over food and then sponges up the resulting solution. One can well imagine what we are eating after a fly are taken a ‘sip’ of our food.

What is Cloning?

Sun, 07 Sep 2003 11:55:52 +0000

Which is the most famous sheep in the world? A sheep called Dolly. But why is Dolly famous?

That is because unlike other sheep’s, Dolly was not born in the usual manner. She is actually a carbon copy of her mother, like an identical twin. This means that she is the twin sister of her mother who is older by six years and she does not have a father!

What is Cloning? [Illustration by Shinod AP]

Scientists at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, UK, made history on 27th February 1997, when they successfully cloned a sheep. So what is cloning?

Why does water stay cool in earthen clay pots?

Fri, 21 Feb 2003 13:54:47 +0000

Have you ever had a drink of cool refreshing water from a ‘matka’ or earthen clay pot placed outside? Surprisingly enough, the pots are exposed to blazing sunlight, yet the water within stays so cool. How is that possible?

This is because of a physical process known as evaporation. When a liquid changes to a gaseous (or vapour) state without boiling, it is known as evaporation.

A matka is made of mud and has many minute pores (extremely small holes). No matter how tightly you pack the mud, these pores remain. It is through these pores that the water, placed inside the matka, oozes out. Now, to evaporate, the water needs to absorb heat, which will change it to vapour.

What Happens After an Earthquake?

Sat, 06 Apr 2002 21:55:39 +0000

People often wonder whether an earthquake can drastically change the topography of a region. A few tremors and some buildings that collapse does not mean that the shape of the earth has changed, does it? However, earthquakes can and do change the topography of the region.

An earthquake raised Rhodes island. The line of erosion (on the rock to the left) shows the sea level before the earthquake. The rise is uneven in different parts of the island, usually several meters. [Ввласенко / CC BY-SA]Ввласенко / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Our earth is made of many layers just like an onion. We can divide it into four main layers: the inner or solid core, the outer or liquid core, mantle, and crust. The inner core is composed mostly of iron and is extremely hot. This heat causes the outer core to remain in a liquid or molten form.

Which is the fastest animal on earth?

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 10:28:31 +0000

Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal on earth – it can fly nearly as fast as an airplane.

Peregrine Falcon is one of the rare birds that thrive in urban environments. It uses tall skyscrapers as launchpads and hunts pigeons and ducks. It is the world’s most widespread bird of prey and one of the most widely found bird species. It also has a good relationship with humans who use it for hunting.

Known as the Duck Hawk in North America, it is a falcon. It has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black colored head. The Duck Hawk is known for its speed. The fastest recorded speed it has reached is 389 km/h (242 m/h). It uses this speed while hunting, flying high above its prey and swooping down at a frightening pace.

Which is the Oldest Living Creature?

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 18:30:00 +0530

The oldest living creature in the world will come as a surprise to you. Many of the animals in the seas, skies, and earth live long lives. Yet the oldest living creature in the world is an immortal jellyfish that has never died. Its family name is Turritopsis Dohrnii. It hails from a class of small animals that live mainly in saltwater.

The Dohrnii begin their life journey as larvae with a diameter of no more than 4 millimeters. The larvae have a tiny vase-shaped body with a mouth surrounded by tentacles. They come together and attach themselves to the ocean floor. Soon, they mature into jellyfish. Once they mature, they travel great distances and hunt other fish for food. The Dohrnii has currently spread across three continents by hitchhiking on the underside of cargo ships. Due to their tiny size, the countries they are invading are unaware that it is even happening.

Why do Ants walk in a Line?

Thu, 07 Mar 2002 00:40:25 +0000

When I woke up one summer morning, I noticed a string of dashes on my bedroom wall. The line ran from the ceiling to the wall behind my bed and then disappeared under it.

As I watched, I saw one of the dashes move. It was a small red ant walking up the line. Soon, another one followed and then another, till it grew into an army of ants marching up the wall.

I noticed that while walking in a line the ants were cleaning the wall paint underneath them and, in the process, making a path. And there is a very good reason for them walking in a line.

What is Water Harvesting?

Fri, 09 May 2003 05:03:49 +0000

Come summer and the entire nation seems to have just one word on its lips – water. Year 2000 saw one of the worst summers recorded in the history of India. The drought in the state of Gujarat and Rajasthan was the worst in decades.

Fresh water, they say is a scarce resource. Is it?

During the monsoons every year, we allow huge amounts of fresh water to run off our roads and pavements into the drains where it mixes with the sewage and heads straight for the rivers where we dump waste. Did you know that this rain water is enough to see us through the summers?

How did Christianity Come to India?

Sun, 17 Nov 2002 07:38:44 +0000

Would you doubt my word if I say that Doubting Thomas, one of the Apostles of Christ visited India and established Christianity? Don’t. For its true.

Among Christ’s 12 apostles, Thomas Didaemus or Doubting Thomas, along with Peter and Paul were pre-eminent. Thomas Didaemus was called Doubting Thomas because he doubted Christ’s word that on the third day after his crucifixion, Christ would rise again.

There are many schools of thought as to how Christianity spread in India. Some claim it is through St. Thomas who came to India in 52 A.D. Others claim that a Syrian merchant, Thomas of Cana, came to Travancore in Kerala and established a Christian colony there.

Why do Clocks Run Clockwise?

Sat, 23 Dec 2006 21:09:41 +0000

“Time to get dressed!” cries a harried Mama as she tries to pack the bag, straighten the tie, pack lunch, tie shoelaces as at the same time she pushes children dragging their heels towards the bus stop. Oh? Is it already “Time for school?” later still its “time for dinner” or “time for bed!” Old Father Time can be quite an interfering busybody and there really is nothing we can do. Most of us spend a greater part of our time and lives trying to beat exactly this – time!

Why can’t the Sun melt Snow?

Mon, 10 Feb 2003 13:20:47 +0000

There are some things in nature that have a great capacity to toss back or reflect a great deal of the sun’s light that falls on them. One of them is snow. Newly formed snow reflects about 90 per cent of the sunlight that falls upon it. This means that the sun is powerless to melt clean snow. And when snow does melt, it is not because of the sunlight. Snow does not melt on a spring day because of the sun’s heat. It melts because of the warm air from the sea.

Why Do We Have Wrinkly Fingers After Swimming?

Sat, 26 Mar 2005 10:05:37 +0000

You’ve been playing in the pool for almost an hour now, practicing your best underwater somersaults. Now it’s time to get out, and as you look at your hands, it’s . . . it’s . . . it’s the attack of the wrinkly fingered monster!

Don’t get frightened or run for cover under your towel yet. After spending lots of time in the water, it’s totally normal for fingers (and sometimes toes) to wrinkle.

Why Do We Have Wrinkly Fingers After Swimming?

Even though you can’t see it, your skin is covered with its own special oil called sebum. Sebum is found on the outermost layer of skin. Sebum lubricates and protects your skin. It also makes your skin a bit waterproof. That’s why getting caught in the rain, hopping in the shower after a game, or washing your hands before dinner won’t leave your skin soggy. Sebum is there to keep the water out.

Why are Human Voices Different?

Wed, 15 Mar 2000 12:11:25 +0000

Imagine a scenario. A criminal is being tried in court. He denies saying something. The prosecution brings a recording, saying they have his confession on tape. As the accused vigorously denies the voice being his, an expert shows just why the voice could be no one else’s.

A fictional scene? Perhaps, but it is a reality that no two persons in the world have exactly the same voices. Do you know why this is so?

How did the Pineapple get its Name?

Wed, 19 Jun 2002 22:05:00 +0000

What prompted people to call banana a banana and a pineapple a pineapple and not something else?

Actually there is a reason behind the names given to each and every thing; be it a fruit, vegetable, an animal or inanimate objects like stars, planets, etc. However, sometimes the names are misleading, Take the example of pineapple: no it doesn’t come from a pine tree, nor is it an apple.

When you look at a pineapple you may think you are looking at one fruit. Actually, the pineapple is a group of tightly packed small fruits!

Why is the Dead Sea dead?

Mon, 07 Mar 2005 13:54:44 +0000

The Dead Sea is indeed a very scary name for a lake. It is called so because nothing lives in it. There are no sea weeds or plants, no fish either. This is because the Dead Sea is nearly six times as salty as the ocean.

It also contains many other dissolved minerals, including magnesium chloride, calcium chloride and potassium chloride in large quantities. Whereas in fresh water, only minute quantities of these minerals are found. The high concentration of salt makes plant or animal life impossible.

What is the Mystery of Dracula?

Thu, 19 May 2005 21:41:38 +0000

As bats flap through the musty castle, a coffin lid creaks open and an ashy white hand gropes for the cover. The lid slides off and a caped figure rises in the gloom – Dracula is on the prowl! Vampires have enthralled generations of readers and moviegoers; and the most popular ‘vampire’ is the fearsome Count Dracula of Transylvania.

Of course, these blood-sucking monsters do not exist and are merely the figment of our imagination.

Is Potato a Fruit or Vegetable?

Thu, 02 May 2002 06:52:02 +0000

Pick up a potato and you notice eyes with little lashes on it. In fact, the lashes look like tiny roots. Have you ever wondered why the potato has roots on it?

The potato is actually a stem. A stem in disguise, that grows under the ground!

Many plants are masters at adapting themselves to their surroundings. They can change their structure to suit their needs.

Farmer holding harvested dirty potatoes in his hands.

Just as we keep large vessels handy in the scorching summer to store water, plants deal with the problem in a smarter way. Their body parts have changed over a period of time so as to adjust to their surroundings. Thus, the potato plant has changed the shape and size of its stem to store food and water. And this storage is done under the ground where it is relatively cooler.

How Does the Steam Engine Work?

Wed, 14 Jun 2000 05:10:00 +0000

In 1804 the first steam-powered engine ran, carrying some iron in Wales, in Britain. But it was almost twenty five years later, in 1829, that George Stephenson, a British engineer, designed the “rocket” that paved the way for railways all over Europe, Asia and America.

How Does the Steam Engine Work? [Illustration by Shiju George]

The steam engine is an example of a heat engine. Heat engines are those that convert heat energy into mechanical work.

Why doesn't our stomach get digested?

Mon, 04 Apr 2005 18:26:52 +0000

All the food we eat goes into our stomach. Here, it is broken into smaller and simpler substances and get absorbed into the blood. Then, the blood carries these food particles to the different cells of the body, where they are used to provide energy to our body.

Why doesn’t our stomach get digested?

How is food broken into smaller particles?

Why does the Sun follow You?

Thu, 18 Aug 2005 19:55:18 +0000

Have you ever noticed that when you are in a car, or a bus, travelling on a straight road, the Sun appears to move right along with you?

While telephone poles and trees close to the road, whiz past in the blink of an eye, the Sun is always visible throughout the journey. No matter how fast Daddy drives, you just cannot leave the Sun behind.

Strangely enough, the trees nearer the road disappear from your range of vision more quickly than the trees further off. Why is this so?

Where did Jazz Originate?

Fri, 20 Dec 2002 06:12:23 +0000

One has just to blow a note on a sax and your feet start tapping to the rhythm and your body starts swaying to the music. That’s Jazz for you. Ragtime, hip-hop, be bop, cool, blues – the very names make your finger snap and do a Texas two-step, no?

Jazz has often been called the only art form to originate in the United States, though even this is not exactly true. Jazz, is a kind of music that was sung or played by the African slaves in the plantations of America. In the 18th and 19th century, Africans were lured or kidnapped from their villages and sold in faraway America as slaves to work in large plantations.

Why is it Harder to Walk Uphill?

Sat, 25 Nov 2000 01:07:23 +0000

Raju heard the familiar cry of the ice-cream seller reach his ears, clear as a bell, even from his fourth floor apartment. He flew out of the flat and bounded down the stairs four steps at a time. The lift being under temporary repair, he had to take the stairs. He arrived downstairs a little breathless, and extremely impatient to have his ice-cream.

After buying it, he decided to rush home so he could eat it in peace. The climbing upstairs bit was a pain though. It always was. He had barely gone one flight of stairs when his knees began to hurt, and he felt majorly out of breath.

What is Pluto – a Star or a Comet?

Tue, 25 Nov 2003 09:10:50 +0000

Which is the planet farthest from the sun? Pluto, of course.
But, some recent findings suggest that Pluto is not a planet at all. It seems Pluto could actually be a comet, reports the National Geographic website – www.nationalgeographic.com

Basically, it is Pluto’s small size that has got it into trouble. It has a diameter of approximately 1,420 miles or 2,280 kilometers. This makes it six times smaller than Earth. This fact irked scientists who always suspected that something so small could never belong to the hallowed club of planets.

How Far Away are the Stars?

Thu, 04 Dec 2003 12:42:03 +0000

The sun is a star, just like the thousands of others we see in the sky each night. But it looks so very big. Is it the biggest star? No. The only reason the sun appears so big is because it is closer to us than any other star.

The sun is just 93,000,000 miles (or 14,88,000,000 km) away from the earth. That seems an awful lot of distance, but light can travel so quickly that the sun’s rays reach the earth in a little more than eight minutes! That is the wonder of light.

Why is the Bridge of Sighs so Called?

Wed, 28 Feb 2001 07:05:26 +0000

The Bridge of Sighs (Ponte de Sospiri), is in Venice, Italy, and connects the inquisitor’s room in the east side of the Doge’s palace with the state’s prison or prigioni over the Rio de Palazzo.

Work on the Doge’s palace (residence of the Duke) or Palazzo Ducale was begun in the 14th century and got its present shape only by the 16th century. The palace was not only the Doge’s residence and thus contained the inquisitor’s (judge) office, it also housed many other institutions like lawyers offices, the Chancellery, Naval Offices, etc.

Why Do we Get Tired?

Fri, 03 Aug 2001 12:03:42 +0000

Sumit was a tireless bundle of energy. He was always up to some mischief or the other. As he grew, to his mother’s relief he became a more relaxed child, and over the years his energy level seems to have come down considerably. However, now he feels tired and fatigued. At times he wonders why he gets so tired so soon when there is so much that he wants to do?

What is it in our body that causes fatigue? Why do we feel listless and sapped of strength at times? Fatigue is caused by a kind of poisoning produced by our organs. When a muscle in our body works, it produces lactic acid. If we remove the lactic acid from a tired muscle, it is able to start working at once.

How do Nails Grow?

Mon, 19 Mar 2001 17:10:41 +0000

Put your hands face down and look at the fingernails on your hand. Are they long or short? Dirty? Covered with polish? And the nails on your toes? Are they tearing up your socks? When my nails do that to my socks I know that it is time to get hold of a nail trimmer to cut them down to size.

Meanwhile, my sister wants to show hers off. So she spends hours every day polishing her nails endlessly. She wants to look different. But whatever people do to their nails – paint them, cut them, grow or colour them – yours, hers, mine and everybody else’s nails are made of the same material called keratin.

What Kind of Horses did Knights Ride?

Mon, 16 Apr 2001 02:07:59 +0000

In 1066 AD the Normans (people who came from Normandy in Europe) conquered England and introduced feudalism in England. Feudalism was a system of contract where society was divided into four classes: royalty, barons (noblemen) and bishops, knights (a title or a rank) and lastly peasants. Merchants and artisans were placed just above the peasants.

From 1066 to about the 14th century, feudalism developed across Europe. There were no professional armies at that time like we have today. Every man who was called upon was expected to follow his king in battle. The king granted land to these knights. A knighthood was obtained either by birth into a noble family or through bravery in battle.

How Does Dew Form?

Sun, 22 Feb 1998 12:52:38 +0000

Remember walking to the school or the bus stop on a cold wintry morning? You can see the beautiful crystal drops of dew, and if you happen to be on the grass, they could well be soaking your shoes.

Ever wondered why there is no dew in the summer or rainy seasons? Well, special as it looks, dew needs special conditions to form as well. When a warm and clear day is followed by a cool evening and night, which is clear (cloudless), dew is formed.

Why Do Plants Bear Fruit?

Tue, 30 Sep 1997 07:15:29 +0000

Do you like fruits? Have you ever wondered why plants produce fruits? Is it only because nature wants you to enjoy eating its fruits and sing its praises?

The answer is no. Plants are much smarter than what you think they are. They actually use human beings, animals and birds who eat their fruits to propagate their kind. In other words, disperse their seeds.

The fruit serves as a mother’s womb where the embryo of a baby plant is nurtured. It protects the embryo, or the seed, in almost the same way as the mother protects her small ones. The flesh of the fruit serves as a protective lining as the seed develops. And, before the seed is ready to be sowed, the fruit is unripe and tastes sour. The sourness of the fruit discourages us from eating it.

How do Ducks Stay in Water and not Get Wet?

Sat, 14 Oct 2000 13:08:32 +0000

When you get out of the swimming pool or bathtub, you are soaking wet. Had you been a duck, you would be swimming in water and yet not look really wet. It sounds crazy, but it’s true.

The secret lies in the layer of smooth feathers, which keeps the water out and also helps the duck float. Moreover, these smart ducks make a kind of oil, which they spread on their feathers with their beaks. And since oil and water do not mix, the water just rolls off their bodies. Isn’t it a bit like having your cake and eating it too?

Who Invented the Photocopying Machine?

Sun, 28 Jan 2001 04:02:28 +0000

We have all used it at one time or another to copy our school documents, or parts of a book borrowed from the library, or just about anything we wanted a copy of. It’s just a matter of pressing a button of the xerox machine and hey Presto! a piece of paper comes out at one end, an exact duplicate of the document we needed copied!

However, when the invention was first patented, nobody wanted anything to do with it. Major corporations like IBM, Kodak and General Electric rejected the offer to develop it, perhaps regretting the decision to this day! However, the blood, sweat, and tears of its inventor, Chester F. Carlson did not go wasted, as the success of the machine proves today!

Why Do Stars Twinkle?

Fri, 04 Sep 1998 21:44:16 +0000

Watching stars on a moonless night can be an quite an interesting experience. As clusters of stars take familiar forms – of a bear, a man in armor wielding a sword, millions of other stars simply twinkle. As if they were playing hide and seek with one’s eyes.

We all know that each star is actually like the sun. And the huge collection of stars on the night sky is like a collection of many, many suns. But, the sun does not twinkle, one would point out. So why do other stars twinkle?

Why does Milk spill over when it Boils?

Wed, 09 Oct 2002 20:50:36 +0000

How many times have you seen milk boil and spill over, and wondered why this happens? To answer this question we have to know a little more about the composition of milk.

Milk and its composition
Unlike water, milk is not a simple liquid. It is a colloid and contains many substances in suspended form. These substances are mainly protein, sugar and fat. When milk is heated slowly, the proteins and fat get separated. Since they are lighter than the milk they collect on the surface in the form of a layer called cream.

Where Did Shoes Come From?

Thu, 14 Apr 2005 17:14:08 +0000

Ooh, aah, ouch! People in ancient times must have yelped like this when they walked on rough ground without any shoes on. And it was probably the pain and discomfort that propelled them to cover their feet for protection.

Footwear has a history which goes back many thousands of years, and has long been an article of prestige for people in different societies.

Where Did Shoes Come From? [Illustration by Anup Singh]

The earliest footwear, probably made of plaited grass or rawhide held to the foot with thongs was undoubtedly born of the necessity to provide some protection when moving over rough terrain in varying weather conditions.

Why do Flies have Compound Eyes?

Fri, 11 May 2001 00:04:44 +0000

Just like a man woos the woman he loves, takes her to nice restaurants, buys her presents, and courts her to impress her before marriage, animals too choose their mates through courtship.

Since animals cannot do all these, they do it differently. Some animals put up a colourful display, while others give little gifts to their beloved – a choice worm, a designer nest and so on. A few species display their love through a series of grunts and others, like the Saurus crane or the stickleback fish, perform an intricate courtship dance.

How does a Submarine Work?

Sat, 12 Apr 2003 20:16:50 +0000

Jules Verne in his science fiction, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, mentions a ship, Nautilus, which could dive beneath the waves and surface again when it wanted to.

Even before submarines were thought about, Verne had created the blueprint of this technological marvel. Not only did he describe the machine, but he also explained, in great detail, how it worked. In fact, today’s submarines use exactly the same technology as Verne’s Nautilus did!

How does a Submarine Work?

How does a submarine float and dive under water at will?

Who or What is a Gladiator?

Wed, 08 May 2002 07:09:37 +0000

It all started in ancient Rome. The most brutal sport that has ever existed in the history of the world was the fights between gladiators. The ‘sport’ traces its roots to the custom among the Etruscan people, a civilisation in Italy that existed before the Roman civilisation. At the death of the master of the house, servants would duel to the death for the right to follow their owners in death and provide help and company.

How Does Ice float?

Thu, 16 Dec 2004 03:41:03 +0000

A cool glass of water topped with huge chunks of ice is sure to quench your thirst on a hot summer day. But, before you guzzle the water, look at how the ice floats on the water surface. How do these large ice pieces manage to stay afloat?

Ice floats because it is less dense than water. (If you take a one-litre container with ice and weigh it, it will be lighter than a similar container with water.)

Why is the Mediterranean Sea Blue?

Wed, 19 Jan 2000 02:23:58 +0000

We know that about seventy one per cent of the earth’s surface is covered with water. The earth’s three main Oceans are the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

The Atlantic Ocean is a great mass of water that separates Europe and Africa from America. It is shaped like a great hour-glass-with a ‘waist’ where Africa and South America bulge out towards each other. Although in area it is less than half the Pacific, it has many ‘secondary’ seas, such as the Arctic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

What Is The Origin Of Silk Fabric?

Fri, 15 Jul 2005 14:43:43 +0000

My mother took out her favourite blue silk saree for the dinner party. I looked at it, mesmerised by its shimmer and lustre. The rich fabric draped around her body, making her look so very elegant. Definitely no other fabric can match the qualities of silk.

But have you ever wondered, how silk fabric came into existence? Silk production, or ‘Sericulture’ as it is known, has a long history, unknown to most of us.

What Is The Origin Of Silk Fabric?

The silken roots

How Bad is the Sting of a Scorpion?

Sat, 17 Feb 2001 14:20:30 +0000

Ever seen a scorpion scurrying across with two crab-like claws and its tail high in the air? Well this tail is what has to be watched out for! The zing in the scorpion is in its tail for it has a sting.

Scorpions are poisonous animals. They are arthropods belonging to the class Arachnida and are relatives of the spiders and ticks. Though they are considered creatures of the desert, you can find them in most climates, hot or cold. They can be found in snow-covered peaks, in caves, in grasslands and forests. You can even find them in your homes.

What is a Volcano?

Wed, 24 Sep 2003 17:37:09 +0000

What is nature’s most powerful, most destructive, most dangerous form? Some would say an earthquake, others a cyclone. However, these phenomenon are relatively smaller and less destructive in scale compared to the fury of a volcano.

Fourteen miles southeast of Naples in Italy, lie the remains of an ancient town called Pompeii. The city flourished under the shadows of the towering Mount Vesuvius. In 79 AD, the volcano erupted, destroying the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae and Torre Annunziata.

Why do Humans Sweat?

Tue, 15 Oct 2002 01:52:22 +0000

It is an annual ritual in most Indian homes. With the onset of summer it is time to bring the rusty, rickety old coolers down from the terrace and get them repaired. The reason is obvious – it is difficult to live through the hot, sweaty Indian summer without an air cooler. But did you know that the human body has its own cooler as well?

Think of the times you have travelled in a car. How hot the vehicle engine gets after a long journey. Similarly, as our bodies chug along they produce heat in the process.
They normally maintain a temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degree Celsius) and become feverish if it rises above this point.

How Does Satellite TV Work?

Fri, 15 Aug 2003 20:18:50 +0000

Nine ‘o’ clock. It’s time for your favourite serial on television. Have you ever wondered how the same serial can be viewed by millions of people across the world?

This is possible because of satellite television technology. It uses man-made or artificial satellites to send your favourite serial to your television set. But why do we need satellites for this purpose?

How Does Satellite TV Work?

The earth is round

What is the Weight of Air?

Fri, 14 May 2004 14:07:53 +0000

As you stand in the middle of a playground or while you are sitting in your class, there is an immense weight right over your head, but you do not feel it! This is the weight of the atmosphere, or air, as we know it.

Composed of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and other gases, it surrounds the earth like an envelope. And, it extends almost a thousand kilometres above the Earth’s surface.

Like all other substances, air also has weight. Imagine, we are actually talking about a thousand-kilometre high column of air above our heads. This is known as the atmospheric pressure.

How Wool Came Into Existence

Mon, 12 Dec 2005 03:50:19 +0000

It must have been a very intelligent human who looked at a sheep walking past and thought of the use its fleece might have!

Although the oldest surviving textile made out of wool is around 3,500 years old, the oldest fine woolen fabric dates to the fifth century BC (about 2,500 years ago) and was found in an ancient Greek colony.

How Wool Came Into Existence

Wool was probably the first fiber to be woven into a textile. Because when primitive man stopped hunting and started herding animals, it was his first step from a primitive life to a civilised one. Sheep were sort of a stone age convenience store for the nomadic lifestyle of our primitive ancestors, a walking food supply that required little care. Sheep provided for all the basic needs – meat and milk for food, skin and bones for clothing, shelter and tools.

Why do Doctors Examine the Pulse?

Tue, 14 Nov 2000 13:23:52 +0000

If you place the first three fingers of your hand on the inside of your wrist, a dull throbbing reverberates through your hand. Da-dub, da-dub, da-dub. Very reassuring, these gentle thuds, that remind us that our bodies are kicking along, and that, at least at last touch, we’re alive and well.

By pulse we mean the regular throbbing of arteries caused by the successive contractions of the heart. During the action of the heart there is a pause. During this pause, the wall of the aorta contracts. The aorta is the great trunk artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

What is a Tornado?

Mon, 22 May 2000 10:14:36 +0000

If you ever happen to see a dark often greenish sky, wall cloud, large hail and a loud roar similar to a freight train then run to a safe place as it could be a tornado.

Popularly known as twisters, tornado is derived from Spanish word ‘Tronada’ meaning thunderstorm and ‘Tornar’ meaning to turn.

Tornadoes [Illustrations by Amarjeet Malik]

A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column of air that can spin faster than 300 m.p.h., extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. They are generally observed as tube-or funnel-shaped clouds. At ground level they usually leave a path of destruction about 50 m wide and travel an average of about 8 to 24 km.

How are Earthquakes Recorded?

Wed, 13 Mar 2002 11:57:32 +0000

When an earthquake takes place, people say that it measured 6.2 or 6.5 on the scale. The scale they are referring to is the Richter Scale developed by Charles Richter in the 1930s.

The Richter Scale measures the magnitude of the seismic waves or vibrations that travels across the earth’s surface. The scale uses a logarithmic formula using high-frequency data collected from seismograph stations.

However, long before Richter developed his scale, a Chinese philosopher Chang Heng invented a device to measure earthquakes in 132 A.D. He constructed a large urn that had eight open-mouthed dragon-heads holding a ball each in their mouths, on the outside.

Who invented Hello?

Fri, 20 Aug 2004 11:15:32 +0000

Hello, Hullo, Hallo, Hull-oo-oo-oo. You may say it softly or you may holler at the top of your voice, but the person at the other end knows that all you are trying to do is get in touch with a greeting.

Legend has it that Thomas Alva Edison was the first to say hello over the telephone. But Edison didn’t invent ‘hello’ by a long shot. As a matter of fact, the greeting has been around for centuries much before the invention of telephone in 1885.

Why was the Berlin Wall Built?

Sat, 29 Sep 2001 00:30:39 +0000

A few tentative steps across Checkpoint Charlie and you were transported to a different world. One side had McDonalds, Coke, Toyota cars and a democratically elected government. Across the Checkpoint, was a world of state-owned factories, rows and rows of identical apartments, and a self-imposed government. This was the world of the two Berlins divided by barbed wire, watch dogs, tanks, and an imposing wall.

In 1945, following World War II, Germany was divided into two countries – East Germany and West Germany. East Germany was controlled by the communist regime of the Soviet Union while West Germany became a democracy supported by the United States. Berlin, the former capital city, although entirely within East German borders, was also split into two.

How do Satellites Stay Up?

Thu, 24 Apr 2003 16:34:46 +0000

Satellites orbit the earth because of the force of gravity. To understand why this happens and why the satellite does not get pulled in and fall, we have to understand what forces do. A force will change the motion of an object; it might speed it up, slow it down or change its direction. For example, if you are running and someone pushes you from behind, you speed up (the force is in the direction of your motion). But if someone pushes you in the chest when you are running, you slow down (the force is in the opposite direction to your motion). If you are running and someone pushes you from the side, you move away from them, changing your direction. (the force is at right angles to the motion). This idea is called

Why does Cutting Onions Make us Cry?

Thu, 29 Nov 2001 08:49:44 +0000

If you cut an onion, you begin crying. Have you ever wondered why this happens — why onions make tears run down your face?

Well, onions contain a oil, which has lots of sulphur in it. When you cut the onion, this oil is released. It evaporates very fast. When the oil gases reach your eyes, it causes irritation and sends signals to your tear gland to produce tears. So that the tears can wash away the irritant from your eyes.

Why Does Time Start in Greenwich?

Tue, 09 Oct 2001 04:38:38 +0000

Its six in the morning and the sun is streaming through the window of your home in Delhi. In New York, people are just packing up to go home as it is six in the evening!

Nothing amazing about it. We know that the earth is round and that it revolves once in 24 hours. So while it is daytime in the east, it is still night in the west.

But for ages, people measured time based on the position of the sun – it was noon when the sun was highest in the sky.

What is Daylight Saving Time?

Thu, 04 Jan 2001 16:27:04 +0000

People in some parts of the world gain an extra hour in winters and are able to sleep and snore that much longer thanks to a suggestion by Benjamin Franklin about daylight saving time. But when the suggestion was first made, it raised such a furore not only from those kept awake by the extra snoring but also from others and they wasted a lot of time fighting over this extra hour.

Actually the confusion began when the postal service and the railways began to connect far-flung cities. These towns followed their town clock by measuring the position of the sun. Therefore every city was on a slightly different time.

Why do Cats Always Land on Their Feet?

Wed, 22 Oct 2003 00:43:52 +0000

When someone falls from the fourth or fifth floor, and survives, we call it a miracle. When a cat falls from that height, we watch astonished as it lands on all fours, pauses, then straighten up and walks away looking just a little fazed. What would you call this, a miracle or God’s grace?

Any guesses why cats survive while humans don’t? Well, it all has to do with the in-built ability of a cat to adjust its position during a sudden fall, its light weight and lithe muscular body. While humans tumble uncontrollably and completely lose control over their bodies when they fall, cats are able to straighten themselves even in mid-air and manage to fall on their feet.

How do Earthquakes Happen?

Thu, 15 Aug 2002 04:16:22 +0000

Simply put, the shaking of the earth caused by a sudden shifting of rocks below its surface, is called an earthquake. The earths crust or outermost layer, is not made of one single piece of solid rock. It is actually made up of independent sheets of rocks called tectonic plates.

The tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century.

These plates slide against each other, giving rise to physical changes in the earths topography. The places where these tectonic plates meet each other, are called fault lines.

Where does the Pigeon Post Operate?

Sun, 17 Nov 2002 19:30:46 +0000

Among birds, pigeons have a natural and unerring instinct of returning to their nests or homes after long flights. In the early days besides domesticating animals like the horse, dog and cow, people also bred pigeons to carry messages back and forth. These pigeons are called homing pigeons.

Racing pigeons have a life span of 15-20 years. A healthy bird can fly stretches upto 1,000 km. Normally the message is tied around the feet of the pigeon in a plastic capsule to protect the paper. Two pigeons are released with the same message, as pigeons are prone to attacks from other birds of prey particularly the hawk.

What is Cloud Seeding?

Fri, 11 May 2001 03:21:04 +0000

There was a time when a farmer would sit out in his field, watching a lonesome cloud float away, taking with it the last hope of a much-needed burst of rain. As humans take control over more and more natural processes – not necessarily for the betterment of civilisation – rain too seems to have finally been leashed in.

Just like a farmer throws seeds on ploughed land to harvest plants, clouds can also be seeded with chemicals to induce rain! But to understand how cloud seeding works we must first learn some basic facts about the weather.

What is the Ozone Hole?

Mon, 14 Oct 2002 11:03:48 +0000

On beaches as well as on the cricket ground, it is always possible to spot people with some kind of cream on their bodies or faces. Remember the South African pace bowler Alan Donald or ‘White Lightning’ as he is called, with “war-paint” on his face? No, it is not an attempt at camouflage, simply an effort to gain protection from the ultraviolet rays of the sun.

And therein lies a paradox – it is the light and heat of the sun that sustains life on earth, but among its many friendly rays are some harmful ones as well. These ultraviolet (UV, as they are called in all popular sunscreen lotions) rays can kill life forms, including humans, if they are exposed to it beyond a limit.

Who discovered Vaccination?

Sun, 24 Feb 2002 05:56:48 +0000

“Mom, I have a stomach ache and I am feeling sick!” Try this out at home and the quick response is bound to be, “Don’t worry, we will take you to the Doctor!” More often than not, if the ache is because you haven’t done your homework, the mere mention of the word ‘doctor’ cures you. Of course, if the problem is genuine no one will know the cure better than a doctor.

Edward Jenner was an English physician who was the pioneer of smallpox vaccine — the world’s first vaccine. rook76 / Shutterstock.com

Know what the scariest thing about a doctor is? – that invariably you get an injection for all aches and pains. Do you know that a newborn child is given vaccination for many diseases? You may throw a tantrum and scream your head off to avoid the injection and inwardly mutter death threats at the person who invented such a painful method for treatment, but the fact remains that whenever we are sick an injection does the trick.
How did it begin? It so happened that one day in 1768, a young milkmaid visited a doctor in Gloucestershire, England. Though nearly everyone in the district was then sick with smallpox, a dreaded disease at that time, the milkmaid was not affected! In the eighteenth century, smallpox was a killer disease, as widespread as cancer now, but with the difference that the majority of its victims were young children.

Why do We Cup Our Hands When We Shout?

Wed, 21 Aug 2002 23:23:05 +0000

“Go on Sanjay, go on,” we shouted. It was the annual sports meet in our school and the 100 metres sprint was on. The White House runner Deepak was giving our Blue House sprinter, Sanjay, tough competition.

As the sprinters neared the finishing line, and the shouts turned into screams, I noticed something remarkable. Everyone had cupped their hands around their mouths while shouting.

The gesture caught my attention. I had seen that kind of a hand movement in plays and folk dances. What is the reason behind this theatrical gesture?

How is Paper Perfumed?

Fri, 05 Oct 2001 21:49:02 +0000

Fruity, musk, floral, woodsy… believe it or not, the human nose can detect the difference between nearly 1,000 different odours. Our nose is very sensitive to delicate variations in smell. To cater to the need ’to smell good’, perfume manufacturers churn out innovative new fragrances all the time.

How is Paper Perfumed? [Illustration by Shinod AP]

Perfume manufacturers spend a lot of money on making a perfume, research, bottling and advertisements. That’s not all, sometimes they even put the fragrance on a page in a popular magazine so that readers can sample the scent. A bit like a sniff preview!

What is Cotton Candy?

Sun, 09 Mar 2003 19:44:51 +0000

It’s sticky, it’s messy and it’s just the thing to eat at a fair. Children or adults, most people do not consider a mela or fair complete without the giant-wheel and the fluffy cotton candy wrapped around a stick. Or budhiya ke baal (old woman’s hair), as it is popularly known in parts of northern India.

And do you know what it is made of? Well, next time, don’t gobble up the whole of the candy. Instead, put a bit of it in water. In a matter of seconds the candy will disappear. No, it’s not magic. The candy is made of sugar and it dissolves the moment it’s put in water.

Why do Meteorites Strike the Earth?

Sat, 27 Apr 2002 10:32:14 +0000

On a hot summer afternoon, I sat down with my elder brother to play carom. I took the first strike and pocketed two coins. Then I did a little war dance. Wow!

Suddenly dada (Bengali for elder brother) had an idea. “How would it be if a fast-travelling object hit the earth? Quite like the way the striker hit the coins.”

I was amused. “How is it possible? The earth is so huge. Anyway there aren’t any strikers flying around in the solar system?”

How do Animals Camouflage?

Sat, 12 Jan 2002 02:47:52 +0000

Remember the last time you played hide and seek. You hid behind a bush while your friend tried to find you. If you were wearing a green dress, the chance of you being seen was automatically reduced as you could be mistaken for a bunch of leaves.

Hide and seek is a very old game and it seems human beings are not the only ones to play it. Small fish use the tactics of the game to hide from bigger ones, while moths and butterflies use them to hide from birds and other attackers.

How Is Jelly Formed?

Thu, 10 Jan 2002 07:54:18 +0000

Had a good dinner? Now how about some cool custard with jelly on the side for dessert? Doesn’t the jelly look inviting, a transparent red-coloured blob sitting pretty on the plate, making you long to dig your spoon into it?

Called Jell-O in the United States of America, jelly changes shape with the change in temperature. It stays sets at room temperature, which is between 0 degrees and 20 degree C. Warm it to about 27 degree C and watch it disintegrate into a watery mixture. Cool it and it thickens until it sets again.

Why are Zebras Striped?

Sat, 09 Nov 2002 16:23:19 +0000

As a child I was always full of questions. I remember asking my parents why zebras were striped or why did giraffes have such a long neck. Most of the time the answers were elusive and I used to be very irritated. I could never get the right answer to satisfy my curiosity. I now realize why my parents could not give me a concrete answer. You see I happened to be in the same dilemma when my three-year-old daughter asked me the same question! I was faced with the difficult task of giving her half-baked answers or finding the right answers this time.

Why Do Horses Need Shoes?

Fri, 30 Oct 1998 21:01:00 +0000

Clip-clop, clip-clop goes a horse on the road. If you look carefully you will see that it walks on the tips of its toes – like a ballet dancer. Walking on tiptoe for a long time is difficult for us, but horses find it the easiest thing to do.

The foot of a horse is divided into a toe with a broad tip. While other animals have nails and claws, the horse has a hoof surrounding the toe. The hoof area cannot feel any sensation; it is made of dead tissue (A similar example is our fingernails: we do not feel any pain while cutting them, because they are made of dead tissue.) The heels of the horse do not touch the ground.

Elevator Physics

Sun, 17 Apr 2005 15:59:12 +0000

You get into an elevator (or a lift, as we sometimes call it) and for a second or two, just as the elevator moves down, we feel weightless. On the other hand, if we go up in an elevator, we suddenly feel heavier just as the elevator lurches upwards.

To understand this feeling of weightlessness, we need to understand a few basic things first.

Mass: The amount of matter that constitues us results in our mass. Mass is the property which “resists” a change in acceleration (linear or angular). It is this “resistance” that results in inertia.

Which Insects Live the Longest?

Mon, 27 Nov 2000 07:47:29 +0000

Take a look around. Which insects do you see? A fly sitting on your computer screen, a mosquito buzzing in your ear just as you drop off to sleep, a butterfly flitting about in the garden outside, or how about the ants that made off with the remains of a dead moth?

Most of the insects we see around us have rather short lives. A few hours, a few days, that’s about how long most insects last. We don’t notice them dying out because they’re promptly replaced by a new bunch. Yet, some insects live comparatively really long lives.

Why do People Kiss Under the Mistletoe?

Tue, 31 Jul 2001 02:09:33 +0000

In millions of homes in Europe and America, a sprig of mistletoe with berries is hung outside the doorway at Christmastime. According to custom, a man is allowed to kiss a girl if she is standing under the mistletoe.

Why do People Kiss Under the Mistletoe?

Legend has it that when Balder, the son of the Norse goddess Frigga was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe by Loki, an evil spirit, Frigga wept tears of white berries which brought him back to life. Overjoyed, Frigga blessed the plant and bestowed to kiss all who passed beneath it.

Where did the Yo-Yo Originate?

Sun, 01 Jul 2001 13:56:27 +0000

Yo! Man! Know where the yo-yo comes from? No, I am not asking you to name the local toy store. Sorry, let me rephrase it. Gimme its history, guys. You thought the yo-yo was created by Donald Duncan, huh? Forget it! The yo-yo is nearly a millennium old!

So, it wasn’t called the yo-yo then. But for want of a better name let’s stick to calling it the yo-yo, okay? Kids all over the world have played with a similar toy. It is believed that the yo-yo originated in China. Ancient Greek kids (500 BC) played with a little spool-like toy and archaeologists have found samples in many other countries including Egypt.

What are Canal Locks?

Wed, 24 Nov 1999 19:48:09 +0000

In some rivers or canals the water is not too deep for large ocean-going ships. In such places large watertight compartments are built that help ships and boats go up or down different levels on rivers or canals. These are called canal locks.

In certain areas, man-made canals are constructed to connect two water bodies. These canals are built to help cut down the distance a large ship would otherwise have to take to reach its destination. The canals are therefore constructed at a higher level, like the Panama Canal to prevent land on either side from getting flooded.

How did Sign Language Originate?

Sat, 10 Nov 2001 03:10:02 +0000

Have you ever seen people deep in conversation with each other without a single sound coming from their lips? Their hands and fingers move animatedly as they silently ‘speak’ sentences that sometimes you can also guess at. These people are actually conversing using sign language because they are hearing or speech impaired.

Across the world, people have developed sign language to communicate with each other and with the rest of the world. Signs and gestures have always been in use. Medieval monks who have taken vows of silence, Native Americans, African bushmen and others are fluent in the art of gestures and sign language communication. These could be signs such as asking for food or water. In England, the medieval monk Venerable Bede devised a number code based on manual signs.

What is the Trail behind a Jet?

Mon, 01 Aug 2005 04:45:07 +0000

When we were small, we used to look up to the sky and often see a white trail left by a jet aircraft. Rocket! Rocket! We used to yell, jump up with joy, clap our hands and strain our eyes as the ‘rocket’ disappeared into the horizon.

Soon, the white streak would change into a broken, twisted cloud path. And we were told that it was the fairies’ trail.

What is the Trail behind a Jet?

What causes this white streak?

Why do Airplanes have Wings?

Tue, 23 Apr 2002 01:14:32 +0000

I remember my trip to Goa. The flight was scheduled for six a.m. As the aeroplane taxied on the runway it gained speed. I felt a kick in the stomach and then we were airborne. It was my first flight and I was very excited. My father who was sitting next to me, asked, “Can you tell me how the aircraft flies?”

“Because of wings,” I replied promptly. But I could not tell him what the wings do to make a plane fly.

How Did Pencils Originate?

Mon, 26 Mar 2001 03:45:40 +0000

Not many people know that the pencil they use everyday can trace its history back 2000 years! Early writers, or scribes as they were called, of ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece wrote on forms of paper called papyrus.

They used a stylus which was a metal rod made of lead. That is why we still call the black core of the pencil as “lead” even though it is made from graphite!

Graphite was discovered sometime in the 16th century in England. Legend has it that people found bits of shiny, black graphite clinging to the roots of a fallen tree. The whole countryside was abuzz with talk about this mysterious mineral, which soon came to be known as “plumbago” or, more commonly, “Blacklead.”

Where Do Penguins Live?

Fri, 11 Feb 2000 03:32:04 +0000

Short, fat and looking as if they were attending a formal dinner dressed in a tuxedo, penguins could easily be mistaken for people from a distance!

Penguins are flightless birds found in the southern hemisphere. No, they are NOT found near the North Pole. Scientists feel that these birds became flightless as food was available in plenty. But their food was located underwater so they adapted to the sea with short flipper-like wings.

Where Do Penguins Live? [Illustration by Anup Singh]

Penguins have short legs and when they want to move fast, they slide on the ice on their bellies. Penguins eat fish and squid and live in large colonies called rookeries. There are 18 penguin species ranging from the smallest, the Little Blue at 40 cm to the Emperor Penguins at 120 cm. Only two species – the Adelie and the Emperor penguin – live in the Antarctic.

How do Humans Balance on Two Legs?

Fri, 12 Oct 2001 09:18:11 +0000

Four-year-old Rohit couldn’t understand why his parents and grand parents were so happy on seeing his 10-month-old sister, Ruchi, take a few unsteady steps towards her favorite toy. What was so unusual about her walking -after all, he could walk and run without anyone’s help, yet no one ever clapped nor hugged him, the way they were doing it for his sister.

Unable to hold his curiosity any longer he decided to talk about it to his closest friend and guide – his mother. His mother explained him unlike animals, human children cannot stand on their own feet soon after birth. They take time to do so.

Why do Beavers Build Dams?

Thu, 22 Jul 1999 20:24:04 +0000

Picture a giant rat with a flat tail and webbed feet. That’s what the beaver looks like.

There are two kinds of beavers: the American and the European. The European beaver, found in Norway, Poland, Germany and France, lives in burrows.

But the American beaver builds a dam across a stream or lake to construct his home or lodge. The lodges are made of huge logs of trees.

Why do Beavers Build Dams? [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

The American beaver constructs solid dams and lodges because it has the mind of an expert engineer among all the creatures in the animal kingdom. And it is hard-working too. Moreover, building fortress like lodges and dams helps it escape unfriendly animals.

Can Two People have Identical Fingerprints?

Mon, 06 May 2002 00:19:49 +0000

I was once watching a detective serial on T.V. where the fingerprints of the suspect are required. The hero invites the villain to his home and offers him a glass of water. The bad guy takes the glass and drinks the water from it. After he leaves the hero dramatically whips out a handkerchief and picks up the glass. His expressions showed that satisfaction at a job well done.

At that time, I found it amazing – how can smudges on a glass identify people? How can my hand be different from yours – apart from the size that is? It was only after my dad explained me the reason that the mystery behind that highly dramatic scene became clear.

How Many Kinds of Rhinos are There?

Thu, 19 Oct 2000 02:17:34 +0000

A modern day rhino or rhinoceros looks pretty much like its ancestor that existed on earth more than 30 million years ago.

Its status as an animal “biggie” hasn’t changed much either. The ancestors of the modern-day rhinoceros – the 4 feet tall Uintatherium and the 15 feet high Indricotherium – were the largest land mammals ever. Today’s rhino is the largest living land mammal, after the African elephant, in terms of size and weight.

Why do Onions Make us Cry?

Fri, 09 Aug 2002 01:30:57 +0000

One of the earliest memories I have as a child is when I was approximately three or four years old. I remember watching my mother work in the kitchen. She was cutting onions for the salad and I could see tears in her eyes. For a child the worst possible thing is to watch his/her mother cry. I got so upset that I got hysterical at my father for causing her pain. For I assumed my father was somehow responsible as we were only the three of us in our family.

The Hows and Whys of Bubble Gum

Mon, 15 May 2000 04:09:54 +0000

Chew this question: What is small and pink, tastes sweet, can be chewed for hours without it dissolving, yet is not to be swallowed? Some doctors feel that it helps to relieve stress. Others think it is good for the teeth. Americans are constantly rolling it about in their mouth and the US army gives it as part of field rations. No guesses for the correct answer. Yes, it is chewing gum or bubble gum as it is often called because you can blow large bubbles that go ‘pop’!

When will the Oceans of the Earth Overflow?

Sun, 05 Dec 1999 19:22:15 +0000

Try this out. Plug the sink and leave the water running. It will lead to a flood in the bathroom and a scolding for letting the water overflow. Since the sink could not hold an unlimited amount of water, it let the water spill out.

But even the oceans are enormous bodies of water that get flooded with water from rain, melting ice, and rivers year after year. Will they start overflowing too? If so, when? And, where will they go?

Why do Earthquakes Occur?

Thu, 29 Jul 1999 07:19:27 +0000

As a result of upheavals below its surface, the earth shakes now and then. This shaking of the earth is known as an earthquake.

Few natural events are as violently destructive as an earthquake. It usually strikes without warning, giving off violent vibrations in the process. These vibrations not only shake the ground but also sometimes crack it open. And then, there is chaos, for earthquakes have been known to wipe out cities and civilisations.

What is the Secret of the Windmill?

Thu, 03 Oct 2002 17:16:10 +0000

It was a particularly windy day in late July when my cousin and I sat down to make a pinwheel. The paper was folded into a wheel, the pin inserted at the heart of it and the entire structure fixed to the broomstick.

As our pinwheel took shape we ran out braving the sun and the hot wind. The pinwheel caught the wind and rotated. Seeing it, our hearts pin-wheeled as well.

Energy from wind
A few days later we happened to see the photograph of a windmill in a magazine. “Don’t these windmills look exactly like the pinwheels we made?” my cousin shouted. And what did we find? That they are actually similar! Like the pinwheel, the windmill also uses the wind’s energy to turn the blades on a large wheel. This movement of the blades is used to pump water, generate electricity or pound grain.

What are Komodo Dragons?

Tue, 10 Sep 2002 22:40:27 +0000

European mythology abounds in stories of knights in shining armour battling fearsome dragons. Fairytale storybooks are peppered with illustrations of these huge monsters looking like crocodiles with wings and huge claws and breathing fire. Of course fire breathing dragons do not exist, but there is a tiny island, called Komodo, in Indonesia, that is home to dragons – yes, real dragons!

Unlike the dragons of yore, the Komodo dragon does not possess a fiery breath, nor can it trample hapless humans underfoot, but it does pack a mean bite. This ‘dragon’ has a forked tongue that constantly flicks in and out (just like that of a snake). And just like a snake, when provoked the Komodo dragon does administer a lethal bite.

What is Ham Radio?

Sat, 04 Oct 2003 20:40:32 +0000

Consider this, your state has been hit by a cyclone with wind speeds measuring 300 kilometres per hour. All modern means of communication – telephone, cellphone, wireless sets – lie dead as the cyclone has destroyed all connecting stations and links.

This is what happened during the Orissa cyclone. All communication links broke down as dish antennas, radio stations, telephone lines, satellite links were destroyed.

There was no way people could contact the outside world. This was when a bunch of amateurs, students and radio enthusiasts got together to set up something called an amateur radio or ham radio station.

How Does a Helicopter Hover?

Mon, 12 Nov 2001 09:37:31 +0000

It was January 26 and Rahul was terribly exited. And with good reason too. His father, a pilot in the Indian Navy, had been bestowed the rare honour of flying the newly acquired “Pawan Hans” helicopters for the Republic Day parade.

Rahul couldn’t sleep the night before. He had already set his alarm clock to wake him up at 4 a.m., He wanted his mother to take him to the venue well before the scheduled time.

What is an Earthquake?

Mon, 28 Oct 2002 22:15:31 +0000

One moment, the world seems just the way it was yesterday, the day before, last year, or even the day before the day before. All is well with the world. It’s a beautiful sunny day and you are sitting drinking your morning tea or coffee relaxed and enjoying the day. Suddenly there is a rattling of plates and glasses. Within seconds chairs and tables are rocking violently, the fans sway crazily and crockery is falling off the shelves. Help!! Sometimes plaster falls from the ceiling, walls develop cracks or worse still, they collapse. The very earth is shaking!

How do they Make an Igloo?

Thu, 31 May 2001 21:41:02 +0000

To many of us, building a house of ice doesn’t sound too good. One might wake up from a good night’s sleep to see it melted. All these things don’t matter to Eskimos, who live in north Canada, Greenland and Alaska. They build igloos or houses of ice knowing that they will not melt. At least, not till winter passes by. The reason is that the walls are made in a special way so that they become rock hard.

Why does Cola Fizz?

Fri, 06 Jun 2003 14:39:37 +0000

Switch on the television and you are bound to see some cola advertisements. Aamir Khan, a Bollywood hero, pops open a cola and the bubbly drink fizzes to the top. Have you ever wondered what causes the countless teeny bubbles in all these soft drinks?

Soft drinks are carbonated, i.e. carbon dioxide gas is dissolved in the liquid. This gas gives the drink its sparkle and tangy taste, and prevents it from spoiling (the gas reduces bacterial growth).

Why do we Blink?

Fri, 28 Nov 2003 18:17:35 +0000

How many times do you blink in a minute? Weird, who knows! Well, mostly people blink around 15 times a minute (Reader’s Digest – Why in the World).

Blinking is an involuntary action that protects the eye. Most of our eye is enclosed in a bony socket covered with a layer of fat, which forms a protective cover. But when the eyes are open, one-tenth of the total surface area is exposed to the atmosphere. This means the eye, the most delicate and sensitive part of the body, has to withstand the dust present in the air.

What to do During an Earthquake?

Fri, 12 Apr 2002 18:11:00 +0000

An earthquake is literally an earth shattering experience! Here you are enjoying an afternoon snooze, or having a cup of coffee in the morning or even sleeping under a quilt on a cold winter night when WHAM! The entire crockery shelf collapses shattering plates and cups; the painting on the wall nearly knocks you down as it falls; or the antique fan looks like it will brain you as it hangs down, held by a single wire!

Why Do Turtles and Tortoises Live So Long?

Sun, 23 Nov 1997 04:39:31 +0000

Turtles and tortoises have been on planet Earth even before the dinosaurs. They are that old. The difference between a turtle and tortoise is that the turtle stays in water while the tortoise stays on land. But both creatures have one thing in common: they live to a ripe old age, from 120 years to almost 200 years!

Some of them are huge, like the giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands – they weigh beyond 200 kg; their shells are more than a metre long. The beauty is that they hatch from eggs that are no bigger than a hen’s!

How do Animals Communicate?

Tue, 27 Feb 2001 04:32:58 +0000

Humans have invented new and advanced ways of communicating with each other. Television, radio, telephones and of course email. You will be surprised to know that animals who seem to have very simple methods of communication – using their bodies and voices – are also capable of long distance communication.

How do Animals Communicate? [Illustration by Shinod AP]

Foot stomping and low frequency rumbling created by elephants can travel upto 20 miles and is used by elephants to signal other herds or members, says an article in the Hindu newspaper.

Is Bamboo a Grass!

Fri, 24 Aug 2001 08:38:34 +0000

If you look at a blade of grass and a bamboo tree they remind you of a mouse and an elephant. But unlike those animals, the grass and the bamboo belong to the same family. They are brothers! The bamboo is the largest member of the grass family.

It grows in Asia, South America and Africa. It has about 500 different varieties. They all have smooth, hollow jointed stems with a strong watertight partition at each joint. While most flower every year, there are some that flower only three or four times in a 100 years.

Do Whales and Dolphins see Blue?

Wed, 23 Jun 2004 16:30:16 +0000

Dolphins and whales live in the deep blue sea, but strangely these animals are not able to see the colour blue!

Leo Peichl of the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt and his colleagues discovered during routine tests that seals do not respond to the blue colour. Intrigued, they carried out similar tests on few other species, such as dolphins and whales, and found the same results.

According to fossil evidence, whales are believed to have descended from a four-legged primitive ungulate (hoofed mammal) which lived on land and was similar to the modern day hippopotamus. Like the hippopotamus the whales come to the surface for breathing to this day. However, tests carried out on hippopotamuses and river otters (close relatives of seals) showed that both species are receptive to the blue color.

Who Invented Band-aid?

Sun, 18 Nov 2001 21:20:38 +0000

What happens when you have a small wound? Just apply a small piece of sticky plaster with gauze (a loosely-woven cotton surgical dressing), or band-aid on it for a few days, and ta-da, your wound is healed!

What a stupendous item this band-aid is! So ideal for accident prone people, whether adults or kids. Well it was exactly for this reason that Earle Dickson invented it. He did it for his wife, who though not into rough contact sports was nevertheless accident prone.

How did the Safety Match Originate?

Mon, 22 May 2000 15:40:00 +0000

Fire was invented when two flint stones were struck together igniting a spark. From earliest times people made fire by either striking flint stones or by rubbing a hard stick against a soft one so that the friction caused soft flakes to peel off and start to smoulder.

The only improvement on these primitive methods was the tinder box that contained some steel, flint, and some dry tinder for the spark to ignite. This tinder was often pieces of linen or silk. But this was a time-consuming process especially if the tinder was damp or cold.

Which is the World's Oldest Working Locomotive?

Sun, 03 Mar 2002 05:19:35 +0000

The Indian Railways is one of the world’s oldest railways dating back to 1849. It also has the largest network in terms of route length covering nearly 63,000 route kilometres touching every nook and cranny of India. The Indian Railways is also the world’s single largest employer with about 1.6 million people working in nine zones.

Among its many unique gems are the toy train that runs on the Darjeeling Himalayan rail route, the rack railway at Udagamandalam in south India, the busiest narrow gauge network in the world, etc. However, the pride of place goes to the ‘Fairy Queen’, a living locomotive legend. So what’s so special about it? Well, it is the world’s oldest locomotive still in operation on a main line transporting tourists from Delhi to Alwar in Rajasthan.

How do Flush Toilets Work?

Wed, 30 Aug 2000 16:51:21 +0000

Toilets are an amazing invention. Nearly every home has at least one. It is a very necessary utility needed in all homes to maintain hygiene. It is really amazing how this system works – you press a lever or pull a chain and whoosh! About two gallons of water rushes down into the porcelain bowl in three and four seconds. Gurgle-gurgle-urp it is clean and ready for use again!

Toilets were known in India as early as three thousand years ago! Excavations at Harappa revealed drainage facilities with effective sanitation. However, the Chinese were the first to use flush toilets. Archaeologists found a two thousand year old antique latrine belonging to the Han Dynasty complete with running water, a stone seat and a comfortable armrest. It was a fact that French king Louis XIII had his toilet fashioned after his throne.

Why do we See a Face on the Moon

Sun, 17 Mar 1996 20:04:41 +0000

When people say that they see a man’s face on the Moon, they are actually seeing the uneven surface on the Moon. There are deep holes, called craters, and hills on the Moon’s surface. There is no man on the Moon.

That the Moon is much smaller than the stars and even the earth. In fact, four moons put together would make one earth. The Moon looks big because it is much closer to us in comparison to the stars.

What is a Tsunami?

Tue, 28 Nov 2000 12:09:07 +0000

Last year there were three more fishing villages in the Pacific island country of Papua New Guinea than there are today. You might ask why. The answer is that these three villages were washed away by an ocean wave that was more like a giant wall of water. It goes by the name tsunami, a Japanese term meaning a harbour wave.

Ocean that Becomes a Giant Wall [Illustrations by Kusum Chamoli]

A tsunami is caused by a disturbance in the sea floor, just like the disturbances on land. It may take the form of a quake or volcanic eruption or landslides on the ocean floor. Imagine the slab-like pieces of the sea floor, each of which may be hundreds of kilometres long. And imagine these slabs moving against each other, forcing one or the other upwards.

What Toothpaste did the Ancients Use?

Mon, 24 Dec 2001 02:12:59 +0000

One of my earliest childhood memories of Delhi is seeing morning walkers, milkmen, or shopkeepers chewing away at the neem stick, much like a cow chewing the cud. It seemed strange that they should go to all that effort when readymade toothpaste was available.

Neem (Azadirachta indic a) twig still used as toothbrush in many parts of India

The world was divided into four kinds of people: those who used toothpaste and brush, and they were the elite; those who used tooth powder for which the index finger doubled as the brush; people who used indigenous “monkey-brand” tooth powders and lastly, those who used neem sticks which were two-in-one.

Who Invented Traffic Lights?

Tue, 29 May 2001 01:06:14 +0000

Long before roads needed traffic lights, railways were using a system of signals to control train traffic. In the early railways, a single track was used for both up-going and down-going trains, and safety depended on spacing the arrival and departure of trains according to time intervals.

These signals consisted of a ball and something that looked like a kite. When the kite was raised on top it indicated danger while if the ball was raised, it indicated the all clear.

Why do Locusts Swarm?

Sat, 13 Dec 2003 15:57:51 +0000

Have you ever tried chasing a frisky grasshopper? If you have, you will definitely know that scampering after a jumpy bug is not an easy task. Most species of grasshoppers have a keen sense of hearing and the moment they sense trouble, they can hop fast and furious!

Sometimes, shortage of food turns grasshoppers into migratory insects as they venture out in search of newer pastures. This situation happens when the species begins reproducing rapidly and does not have enough food for all the members of its community.

What is Mad Cow Disease?

Wed, 14 Nov 2001 04:57:27 +0000

In 1996, doctors detected 10 cases of a rare and fatal human brain disease in Britain and they diagnosed that it was probably due to eating beef from animals with “mad cow disease”. Scientifically, this cow disease was termed bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE while the disease affecting humans was termed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

The disease caused panic in Europe both among people eating beef and the farmers who were selling it. The European Union, which is the administrative body and includes all countries in Europe, responded immediately by banning imports of British beef.

Why are Some Reptiles Brightly Coloured?

Thu, 05 Aug 1999 11:47:40 +0000

Most animals have skin colour that makes them merge into their surroundings. They become near invisible unless you look very closely. But some reptiles such as the sea-snakes, coral snakes and frogs of Central and South America are brilliantly coloured or have bright bands like deep yellow, orange, pink on their bodies.

They are easily visible among the green leaves or brown earth. This is because these animals are poisonous. The colouring is a warning to other animals, especially their natural enemies, to avoid eating them. The frogs of Central America called the dart-poison frogs secrete a poison from their skin.

How Did Santa Claus Originate?

Sun, 14 Jan 2001 20:31:45 +0000

Its nearly midnight and with a jingle of bells a sled comes streaking from the north, pulled of course by Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer. Sitting in the sled is a jolly round red robed figure with flowing white beard and a bag slung over his shoulder that lands on the rooftop with a merry ho-ho-ho.

Hey! Its Christmas and its Santa Claus. If you’ve been nice, he slides down the chimney and loads up little stockings hung there with lots of toys and goodies. If you’ve been naughty, then you get fewer toys!

Why do some Rivers Flow Underground

Mon, 17 Apr 2000 12:28:40 +0000

From ancient times, people have settled down along the banks of rivers, since they provide water to drink, to irrigate their fields, and to use as waterways to go from one place to another.

But hidden away, below the earth, are rivers that we rarely see, until they surface near the sea, or when they merge with another river. Some have names and are talked of with a sense of mystery, but many are nameless streams that flow through the nooks and crannies of the earth.

Why is the Ball-point Pen Called So?

Tue, 14 Oct 2003 05:05:22 +0000

Writing is one of the most important inventions. Humans first used brushes for writing, then thick reeds were used. Feathers were used in medieval Europe for writing.

In the mid-19 century, metallic pens and nibs were widely used, while the fountain pen was produced in 1884 by the American, LE Waterman. However, these pens had a lot of problems. The ink would spill and blot very frequently and writing was cumbersome.

The first ball-point pen was invented by an Hungarian journalist, Ladislo Biro, in 1938. Biro had noticed that the type of ink used in newspaper printing dried quickly and did not smudge the paper. He decided to make a pen using the same type of ink. However, that thick ink could not flow through the normal pen nib, so he tried something else. And that is how the ball-point-pen was born.

Why are Some Plants Non-vegetarian?

Sat, 01 Jun 1996 09:32:17 +0000

Are you scared of going to the forest because you think there are man-eating tigers in the forest? What would you do if there were man-eating plants too?

Don’t worry. Man-eating plants do not exist. But insect and animal-eating plants do. They are what you would call non-vegetarian plants.

In fact, there are 500 varieties of plant species that trap prey and eat it. The most famous among these carnivorous plants are sundews, pitcher plants, bladderworts and the Venus flytrap.

What is Blood Pressure?

Sun, 17 Dec 2000 21:38:51 +0000

The heart is a live pump that delivers blood to different parts of the body. Blood flows in or flows out when the heart contracts and expands. The blood is forced into the arteries, which expand to receive the oncoming blood. The force with which the blood moves through the arteries is knows as blood pressure.

The arteries have a muscular lining which resists this pressure. The blood is thus squeezed out into smaller blood vessels. Maximum blood pressure coincides with the steady contraction of the heart, which pushes the blood into the arteries. This maximum pressure is called systolic pressure.

How do Human Cannonballs Fly?

Thu, 10 May 2001 01:03:49 +0000

Even been to a circus where they featured a human cannonball? A person enters a huge cannon and when the fuse is lit, he comes shooting out with a bang, flying in the air before landing on a net!

My god! I thought that was the most horrifying thing I had ever seen. What a crazy thing to do. How does he do it without being blown to pieces, I would wonder.

How do Human Cannonballs Fly? [Illustration by Anup Singh]

Though scary, it was one of the most captivating items for me, and the hundreds of children and adults who would watch the circus item with their mouths open.

Why do Aircrafts Have a Black Box?

Tue, 24 Apr 2001 16:31:18 +0000

Often, after an air disaster, we hear about the black box in the news. The black box does not play any part in making an aircraft fly but it serves an important function. It is basically an electronic device used by investigators to discover the cause of a crash and may be, prevent others.

Why do Aircrafts Have a Black Box? [Illustration by Shiju George]

The black box can be inserted or removed from an aircraft. In a passenger aircraft there are actually two black boxes. One contains the flight data-recorder and the other, the cockpit-voice recorder.

What were the Voyager Missions?

Sat, 19 Jul 2003 22:32:53 +0000

Imagine a journey that takes you a billion kilometres away from earth, to the edge of the solar system, from where you can look back over your shoulder and see our sun as just another star in the sky.

We are not talking about a science fiction movie but the Voyager space mission. On August 20, 1977, the Voyager 2 spacecraft was launched. Close on its heels, the Voyager 1 was launched on September 5, 1977. Both the unmanned spacecraft were launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, USA.

How do Chameleons Latch on to Prey Using Just Their Tongue?

Mon, 01 Oct 2001 11:11:12 +0000

Have you ever seen a chameleon flick its tongue at a fly? Well, this small reptile with a foot long body has an extremely long tongue. Its nearly three-fourths the length of its body!

A chameleon can launch its tongue out at targets up to two body lengths away. It flicks its tongue and can snap its prey in 1/25th of a second! This is faster than you can blink your eye!

Once the tongue makes contact with a prey, the prey gets attached to the sticky tongue like glue. The chameleon then withdraws its tongue, with the prey firmly attached into its mouth. The chameleon’s sticky tongue is capable of gripping anything – sometimes even lassoing lizards nearly the same size as itself.

How Will our Sun Die?

Wed, 08 May 2002 00:54:36 +0000

Everything that is born must die. Not only living beings, but inanimate objects like stars too.

The birth of a star

The universe has massive clouds of hydrogen floating around. Sometimes, these clouds come together and form very dense and huge balls of hydrogen gas. As the clouds come close, their temperature increases. This is called a proto-star (original star).

The increase in temperature triggers off nuclear reactions at the core of the star. Nuclear reactions inside the star occur when the nucleus of two hydrogen atoms fuse to produce a helium atom. This reaction which is actually the same as that inside a hydrogen bomb, release huge amounts of heat and light. This is what makes a star glow.

Why is Snow White?

Mon, 29 Jul 2002 13:35:53 +0000

I am sure like my two kids, all of seven and three years, you too may find the cold in Delhi a bit too extreme. It is cold and clammy and some days it is foggy making it dangerous to drive. Some days I would like them to be adequately muffled up in warm winter clothing, while they feel quite comfortable running around in a sweater and shorts! But most days it was grumble, grumble, grumble!

What are the Various Jazz Styles?

Tue, 15 Oct 2002 11:12:25 +0000

Jazz originated from the American South in the 18th century as a form of music sung by African slaves employed in the many plantations. Jazz music was influenced by different cultures from a combination of African folk music and rhythms to Caribbean and black American music.

Various styles of playing evolved in the 19th and 20th centuries as musicians started to improvise. This was because early musicians did not have formal training in Western classical music and those that did began to introduce European harmonies and forms into Jazz and made the pattern of music uneven.

Why does a Cricket Ball Swing?

Sun, 11 Mar 2001 20:21:37 +0000

How many times have all of us heard that the former captain of the Indian cricket team, Kapil Dev, was one of the greatest out-swing bowlers of all times. Indeed! He took more than 430 wickets in Test cricket. But, do you know how a cricket ball swings?

The term ‘swing’ refers to the movement of the cricket ball in the air after it leaves the bowler’s hand, which takes the ball away from or towards the batsman. If the ball moves away from the batsman it is called an out-swinger; if the ball moves towards the batsman it is called the in-swinger.

Why are Eggs Oval?

Sun, 02 May 1999 07:09:24 +0000

Have you ever climbed a tree and peeked into the nest of a crow or a sparrow? Or looked into that flowerpot where the noisy pigeon decided to lay its eggs? The sight of a mother hen sitting on a bunch of fresh white eggs is great, though most of us see them only when they land on the breakfast table every now and then.

Eggs come in different colours. They may be blue, blue-green, yellow, spotted, blotched or white. No egg looks identical. Even those eggs that are laid in a clutch or at one time may have different colours. Most eggs are oval, and sometimes they are long and elongated. One end is slightly larger and heavier while the other end is smaller and conical.

Why's it hard for Ketchup to flow?

Mon, 21 Feb 2005 04:40:13 +0000

Why is it so tough to get ketchup out of the bottle?

Why’s it hard for Ketchup to flow? [Illustration by Shinod AP]

When you overturn a sauce bottle that has been left untouched for some time, chances are, either the sauce will not come out at all or a gigantic blob will plop down on your plate. Getting ketchup to ‘flow’ out of the bottle can be quite an ordeal.

Where are the Shaking Minarets?

Thu, 15 Feb 2001 22:32:46 +0000

Among the many architectural marvels of the world, like the leaning tower of Pisa, the whispering gallery at St Paul’s Cathedral at London or the musical pillars of South India, are the astonishing and historical shaking minarets of Ahmedabad, in Gujarat state, India. The minarets are so unique that if one minaret in shaken, the other sympathetically shakes too!

Barely a kilometre away from the Ahmedabad city railway station is the Sidi Bashir mosque (Muslim equivalent of a temple) famed for its jhulta minars or shaking minarets (tall tower-like structures, either at the entrance gate or on the four corners).

Which is the Most Abundant Fruit in India?

Wed, 01 May 2002 22:08:33 +0000

Did you know that in India, mango orchards cover roughly 33 percent (1.08 million hectares) of the total area under fruit cultivation? In a hectare of land you can grow thousands of trees. And each tree bears, thousands of fruit! I will leave it to you to calculate how many mangoes the country produces! It’s no wonder that the subzi mandis (vegetable and fruit markets) get flooded with mangoes in summers.

Forget the fact that the country produces millions of mangoes, do you know how many varieties there are? Thousands! Some of the popular ones are Alphonso, Dassehri, Banganapalle, Langra, Safeda, Neelam and Chausa. With so many varieties in the country, people have created varieties with fancy and romantic names, like Husn-e-Ara and Jehangir.

The Colours of Light

Sun, 13 Sep 1998 16:29:46 +0000

A beam of light seems to have no colour. Actually, it is made up of coloured rays. Usually, these coloured rays combine to form the white light. But it is possible to see the different colours at certain times. For instance, when it rains and the sun’s rays pass through raindrops. Since the raindrop has many sides or surfaces, the rays split up into a fanshape of different colours. And we see the rainbow. Violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red.

Who Invented the Frisbee?

Sat, 08 Dec 2001 11:46:28 +0000

At first glance in the park or at the beach, you may confuse it for an UFO (unidentified flying object) and rush home thinking the Martians have really landed from outer space! Soon it becomes clear that the “spacecraft” is actually a harmless toy — a colourful Frisbee, and the creature from outer space is the boy next door!

Today, almost all of us have seen one or sent a Frisbee gliding through air. We have seen dogs chase it and leap to catch these flying discs. The toy has proved enormously popular and there are Frisbee throwing competitions held in America.

What is a Kangaroo Rat?

Mon, 17 Jun 2002 14:37:03 +0000

It looks like a small kangaroo for its hind legs are longer than its fore legs. And it uses its tail to balance itself. In fact, unlike other rats it does not run on all four legs but jumps around from bush to bush in search of food – like a kangaroo. And that’s why it is called the kangaroo rat.

It has another unique feature. Unlike most animals, the kangaroo rat does not need to drink water.

How are Stars Named?

Thu, 22 Aug 2002 12:47:58 +0000

Till now we have only seen roads, railway stations, airports, places etc. being named after famous people. But imagine paying money to get a star named after you. If that can happen, then anything is possible in this world!

Well, there are organisations in different parts of the world that sell names for the stars in the sky. All you have to do is – go there, fill out the long, detailed form that they give you and buy star names or name stars after someone.

How are Frogs Different From Toads?

Fri, 05 Oct 2001 01:00:36 +0000

If you travel back tens of millions of years to the age of dinosaurs, you may possibly hear a rhythmic musical croaking from marshy ponds or even under your feet. And if you look closely you would probably find the common frog goggling away at you.

Amazing isn’t it? Not many people know how ancient frogs are. Scientists have traced their ancestry to 200 million years and found that these animals haven’t changed in the least!

Where is the Twins Day Festival Held?

Sat, 11 Jan 2003 06:25:24 +0000

Are you a twin? And if so, are you a “double” too? Then Ohio, United States is the place for you to be for an August weekend of twin fun. Every year, in August, twins from all over the world gather at Twinsburg, Ohio, for a special day dedicated to twins and for a weekend of socialising, celebration and fun?

The Twins Days festival at Twinsburg is the world’s largest annual gathering of twins. It’s a big club-like event in which twins, “doubles”, triplets, quadruplets and their parents come to this small town near Cleveland.

Do centipedes really have 100 feet?

Wed, 05 Dec 2001 13:50:22 +0000

They are called centipedes because it is believed that they have 100 feet. Actually, they don’t. Of the 3,000 different types of centipedes on our planet, none have 100 feet. Some have 50 and some as much as 350.

The extremely venomous Peruvian Giant Yellow-leg or Amazonian Giant Centipede. These eat everything from insects to birds!

All centipedes have an odd number of body segments, and each segment has two legs attached to it. So, that magic number 100 has never been reached.

Who's the Brainiest animal of Them All?

Tue, 22 Oct 2002 04:42:41 +0000

The next time someone calls you an ape or a bird brain, ask her to think again. Brain scans of animals have revealed similar patterns of electrical activity in human and animal brains, so obviously humans aren’t the only smart ones around.

Who’s the Brainiest of Them All?

The brainiest animals are chimpanzees, which share 99 per cent of the human deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA as it is known. (DNA is a chain of molecules within the nucleus of a cell that have all the genetic information influencing the characteristics we inherit from our parents.)

Why Don't Spiders Get Caught in Their Webs?

Sun, 30 Dec 2001 11:34:30 +0000

Spiders are not insects but are classified by biologists as arachnids. Arachnids are different from insects as they have eight legs and no antennae. There are over 40,000 species of spiders and some of them build webs while others rely on speed to catch their prey.

A spider building its web is extremely fascinating to watch. Some spin these webs by squirting silken threads from modified excretory glands in their body. Each silk gland (some species have up to five) produces a different type of silk. Some silk glands produce a liquid silk that becomes dry outside the body; while other glands produce a sticky silk that stays sticky.

Why Do Rabbits have Buck Teeth?

Mon, 16 Jun 1997 07:32:55 +0000

What is it that makes every child remember Bugs Bunny? Its toothy smile of course! All rabbits have huge buck teeth in front, and with good reason. Being vegetarians they have to make a meal of leaf, grass, or vegetable.

The plants, on their part, are very smart. Over a period of time they have developed ways of protecting their leaves from such animals, for they need leaves to make their own food.

Why Do Rabbits have Buck Teeth? []

They have many ways of dealing with animals such as rabbits: they have thorns and needles, or their leaves have certain chemicals that weaken the teeth of chewing animals. So much so that the animal may die because it is no longer able to chew food.

What is Memory?

Wed, 17 Jan 2001 23:54:25 +0000

As a child my day began with a LARGE glass of milk and five almonds with their skin pealed, that my mother used to put in a bowl of water the previous night. While the milk was for health and energy, the almonds were for increasing the memory. I don’t know how much they helped, but I still offer them to my children in the hope that they do. After all, memory is a precious thing.

What does SOS mean?

Thu, 20 May 1999 07:42:23 +0000

Recently, sailors on the nuclear submarine that sank in the Baltic Sea were isolated from rescue workers as their radio set got damaged. Luckily their radio operators knew the Morse code and were able to communicate by knocking on the sides of the ship.

There are many explanations for what the words stand for: Save Our Souls; Save Our Ship; Send Our Succour… The meaning of all three is the same – it is a plea for help by someone in distress. That’s exactly what SOS is.

How Can We Correct Crooked Teeth?

Sun, 25 Mar 2001 10:51:18 +0000

Smile! A smile actually brightens up your entire face and is the most striking part of your face. But sometimes you are ashamed to smile. Why? Because you have buckteeth? Your teeth are crooked, stained? Have you seen some kids with a mouthful of metal? These are called braces.

Today, doctors can work wonders with your teeth. They can straighten your teeth and put a sparkle on it. All this without dentures, mind you!

Just as you go to a doctor with an upset stomach or an eye doctor to test your eyes, your teeth also requires attention and care. Teeth help in chewing.

What is Geothermal Energy?

Tue, 12 Aug 2003 03:20:53 +0000

In winter, all of us warm water in the geysers in the bathroom for bathing. Nature too has geysers which throw up a huge amount of hot water and steam. The ‘Old Faithful’, as one of the geysers in the Yellow Stone National Park in the United States of America is called, spews out boiling water at intervals of 33 to 120 minutes.

Old Faithful, as one of the geysers in the Yellow Stone National Park in the USA is called, spews out boiling water at intervals of 33 to 120 minutes

Why do natural geysers spew hot water?

How can We Use Water to run Cars?

Thu, 16 Jan 2003 16:00:01 +0000

Huge amounts of polluting gases are being released into the earth’s atmosphere by the large scale burning of fossil fuels or natural fuels found under the earth. These gases are the main culprits behind the phenomenon of global warming and other climatic changes.

In order to find cleaner fuels, scientists around the world are trying to find a fuel or source of energy which produces little or no pollution on being burnt.

Quite amazingly, a new technology points out that water can be used to generate electricity. But burning water? How is that possible?

Why do Woollens Get Holes?

Sun, 16 Jul 2000 07:18:44 +0000

Most people think moths are responsible for eating up our woollen clothes, furs and rugs and making holes in them. This is because when we open these boxes in spring, a number of moths fly out. Don’t you believe it! Moths do not eat wool.

It is the larvae (caterpillar) of certain moths that cause holes in our woollens. Caterpillars feed on wool, furs and other fabrics and damage them. But where do these caterpillars come from? The lifecycle of moths, butterflies and sawflies is in four stages – eggs, larva (caterpillar), pupa and adult.

What are Volcanic Tubeworms?

Sat, 11 Dec 2004 13:50:41 +0000

In order to raise chicks the farmer keeps the eggs warm and is careful not to crush them. But when scientists in the University of Southern California rear tubeworms, they keep the immature worms very cold and under high pressure.

You would think the scientists are being cruel by subjecting these little worms to such extreme conditions. They are not.

The worms can thrive only under these circumstances, because they live in the deep sea where it is very cold. They thrive on the sulphurous vents of volcanoes at a depth of 8,000 feet in the Pacific Ocean.

Who stole the Candle Wax?

Wed, 30 Oct 2002 17:03:57 +0000

On every Diwali, known as the festival of lights, our family has a big discussion on the kind of lighting we should have. And after talking about candles or electric bulbs we invariably choose the _diya_s or earthen lamps for their beautiful flames. But last year, we reached the kumhara or potter’s roadside shop a bit too late. The lamps had been sold out and the potter had a big smile on his face. So we decided to light candles.

What are Dry Clouds?

Sat, 30 Jun 2001 20:42:56 +0000

It is that time of the year when all of us look to the sky, waiting for the first drops of rain to fall on our faces. We wish the monsoon would come soon. But for people who live in polluted cities like Delhi or Tokyo, there’s some bad news. Israeli scientists have discovered that air pollution may actually stop rain from falling.

To know how pollution may prevent rain from falling, it is necessary to know how and when rain falls. The sun beats down on the earth and heats up the land and water.

What is an Orca?

Tue, 18 Dec 2001 05:21:09 +0000

If you have seen the movie Free Willy, you would be able to instantly recognise an Orca. Willy is an Orca or a killer whale.

Orcas (Orcinus orca) are mammals classified under the order Cetacea. Though they are called killer whales, they belong to the dolphin family. Like other whales and dolphins, they, too, come up to the surface to take in oxygen.

Orcas can be found in all the oceans of the world. Orcas are found in pods which is the collective term for these animals like ‘a gaggle" for geese or ‘school’ for fish. A pod may consist of two or three groups with each group consisting of 15 or 20 members.

What are Truffles?

Wed, 08 Dec 1999 08:22:59 +0000

Every year, between November and March, people in southern France and Italy are busy trampling the woods, sniffing the air and peering under the roots of elm and oak trees looking for truffles. Truffles? Hey, its no trifling matter – there are organisations in France and Italy which let you take part in truffle hunts!

Truffles are a rare and delicate type of edible mushrooms that look like little potato nuggets. They grow in open woodlands in regions with a warm and moderate climate, on soil rich in calcium or limestone.

Who is the real McCoy?

Tue, 25 Dec 2001 05:47:12 +0000

Ever heard the expression, is that the “real McCoy?” No, its not the musical group we are talking about. Real McCoy is actually a reference to one of America’s most prolific inventors, Elijah McCoy. McCoy invented and patented all kinds of mechanical things to help them work smoothly, efficiently and safely.

Over time, the expression “real McCoy” has been used for anything that means the real thing, the real solution.

Elijah McCoy

Elijah McCoy was born in 1843 at Colchester, in Ontario, Canada to George and Mildred McCoy. His parents had once been slaves at a large manor in Kentucky, America. However, they managed to escape to Canada before the American Civil War began in 1865. Following the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery and the McCoy family returned to settle at Ypsilanti, Michigan.
As a child, Elijah was fascinated with all things mechanical. Encouraged by this interest Elijah’s parents saved money and sent him to Edinburgh in Scotland to study mechanical engineering.

How does a Juggler Juggle?

Sun, 22 Jul 2001 14:04:50 +0000

Yesterday, after seeing a circus show, I made up my mind about a career. I was at home busy throwing an orange in the air with one hand to catch it while the other hand was passing me a second orange. I wanted to juggle oranges the same way a clown juggles balls.

I could manage it with two. But my hand started to fumble when it came to the third. The clown we saw yesterday was throwing plates in the air and I knew my mother would kill me if I broke any!

Where Did Piggy Banks Come From?

Tue, 30 Oct 2001 14:58:39 +0000

You can find a piggy bank at almost every home. But whoever heard of pigs and savings? Pigs in a poke, yes, and pigs in a sty. But what is the connection between the sty residents and a home saving bank?

Actually none. The connecting link has to do with clay. Clay? Yes. Though coin-slotted money boxes in the shape of animals, including pigs have been in existence for centuries, the actual term came to be associated with Europe in the middle ages.

Why are Moths Attracted to Light?

Thu, 14 Jun 2001 23:16:46 +0000

Have you seen moths zoom into a flame and die? It looks as if they are pulled by some unseen force.

It is an unseen force that attracts the moth — the ultraviolent light in the flame, which is invisible to humans. The moth finds it irresistible. It is driven to the light by its mating instinct.

Why are Moths attracted to light?

Ultraviolet vision helps moths get together in the dark. And it is the heat coming from their bodies that makes them aware of each other. Thus, the heat waves from the flame seem like the powerful signals sent by a supermoth. And the moths fall for it every time. They obviously do not learn from their mistakes.

Where is the Rare Blind Dolphin Found?

Tue, 20 Mar 2001 03:21:47 +0000

What comes to mind at the mention of Varanasi? The peals of temple bells in this ancient pilgrim town; people performing puja at the ghats and elsewhere; bodies being cremated at the banks of the river Ganga. Do dolphins come to mind?

Dolphins?! That happy looking performing artist which looks more like a shiny inflated balloon toy? Yes, and this freshwater dolphin is a rare specie, found in Indian and Pakistan – in the Ganga and in the Indus. It is a blind dolphin.

What is the Software for Life?

Thu, 02 Jan 2003 15:20:13 +0000

We all use computers. If you use Windows on your machine, like me, you will have a small button at the the bottom of your screen called ‘Start’. Every machine in the world which has the Windows software installed has to have that button. However, we can have different screen colours, different text sizes, wallpapers etc.

Similarly our bodies are essentially the same, but we have different colours, sizes, shapes and structures. Our body also has a software which is responsible for these differences between one human being and another. It is called the DNA.

How did the Modern Horse Originate?

Mon, 27 Aug 2001 04:53:15 +0000

Many millions of years ago a fox-like animal roamed across the plains of what is now the American continent. At that time the continents were not even divided as they are today.

This animal had four soft toes on its feet like a cat or dog. This animal came to be called the ’eohippus’ by modern day scientists who discovered skeletal fossils of this specie.

Horses running in snow

The skeletal remains of this animal had many things in common with the skeletal structure of the modern horse, especially in the structure and distribution of its teeth. That is why scientists concluded that the eohippus is the ancestor of the modern horse even though the two don’t even look alike.

What is the Rubik's Cube?

Thu, 11 Jan 2001 04:04:40 +0000

My nephew Akshay was a brat. No two ways about it. When he was not occupied with dismantling everything that moved, ticked, or clicked he would be engaged in stuffing an icecube down your shirt when you were busy working on whatever it is that didn’t involve him.

After a lot of thought, my uncle and I decided to purchase something that would rack his brains till kingdom come. We scouted the market for all sorts of things and luckily we came to a shop that sold a colourful cube – the Rubik’s cube.

Why were the 1904 Olympics Such a Disaster?

Wed, 11 Apr 2001 10:45:43 +0000

The 2000 Summer Olympics at Sydney were a millennium extravaganza unparalelled in the history of the Games. Techno-wizardry was at its best and the spectacular pageantry and the actual Games thrilled millions of viewers worldwide.

Hosting the Games is big business. What the host country spends is trifling compared to the amount of money it receives by way of advertising revenue and tourist influx.

Since 1896 when the modern Olympic Games were first held, the Games have undergone many upheavals. They were launched in 1896 to promote sports and test the sporting skills of humans in various categories. Over the years though, the true spirit has been lost as participating countries turn a blind eye to notions of honour and fair play. Instead, the focus is on winning either by hook or crook.

How did the Teddy Bear Get Its Name?

Tue, 28 Aug 2001 11:38:04 +0000

It was party time for the 40 giant teddy bears. They had succeeded in achieving what most fashion conscious people in the world would give their right arm and eye for: a party dress made by the most famous couturiers or dress designers on earth.

And it was all for a grand auction in the tiny principality of Monaco, in Europe. On October 15, world celebrities, both rich and famous vied to make the highest bid for each of the 40 giant stuffed teddies so that their money could be donated to a charitable cause.

What is Esperanto?

Tue, 17 Apr 2001 18:44:17 +0000

Esperanto is an artificial international language created by Dr Ludovic Lazarus Zamenof between 1877-85. Zamenhof, who grew up in Warsaw, Poland, was convinced that a common language would be necessary to resolve many problems as language barriers helped to aggravate problems between nations.

Zamenhof realised that none of the major European languages, French, German, English, Spanish, Italian and Russian could be made universal as they were all difficult languages to learn. The difficulty in mastering grammar would put native speakers at an advantage with respect to those who did not speak them fluently.

Do Aphasics Make Great Lie Detectors?

Sat, 24 Mar 2001 16:12:33 +0000

Believe it or not but it is true. There are people who lose the ability to understand or use words due to brain damage. But they become extremely good at something else. They become experts at spotting liars. By the changing expressions of people’s faces and the tone of their voice they can make out lies from truth.

The condition in which people lose their power to understand or words due to brain damage is called aphasia. A study conducted in Massachusetts, USA, has clearly proved that aphasics make good lie detectors.

Is the Red Colobus monkey extinct?

Sun, 11 Nov 2001 06:37:01 +0000

Unbelievable but true! A large West African monkey has simply vanished from the earth. It has joined the Dodo, by becoming the first primate to vanish in the 20th century. After a six-year long survey, scientists and wildlife experts have declared the monkey, known as Miss Waldron’s Red Colobus monkey, extinct.

Primatologists (people who study the evolution of apes and monkeys) carried out exhaustive surveys in Ghana and the Ivory Coast, in Africa, but failed to spot a single monkey of the species. The last confirmed sighting of a Miss Waldron’s Red Colobus was over 20 years ago in Ghana’s rainforest. Soon after, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) declared the mammals endangered.

What are Go-Go Boots?

Wed, 03 Oct 2001 12:55:26 +0000

Ever seen rock stars or movie stars strutting about in calf-length boots? Well, these calf-length boots were the rage at one point of time. Discotheques at Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York saw young women dressed in thigh high skirts to show off these boots called Go-Go boots.

The Go-Go boots had its origin with the original ankle-length boots with pointed toes and inch-high heels worn by Cowboys in the American mid-West.

Cowboys needed these boots for riding, and to ensure they don’t bitten by scorpions or snakes when they were walking on the desert undergrowth. The heels also gave them a grip from being dragged along when they lassoed a cow or calf for branding (leaving a mark of the owner on the skin of the cattle) or during cattle drives.

Why do Ears Pop?

Mon, 26 Oct 1998 01:08:58 +0000

Recently I went to the top of a skyscraper in a lift. After I had gone up a few stories, I felt a funny sensation in my ears. My eardrums seemed like they were growing and were about to burst. As I went a little higher, the sensation was worse. My fellow passengers in the lift told me to swallow a few times. This would help the sensation pass, they said. And, it did.
This happens to a lot of people when they are flying, or skiing downhill at very high speeds, or going deep into a mine well.

What is an ISBN number?

Sat, 11 Sep 2004 22:48:45 +0000

There are hundreds of thousands of publishers across the world, and millions of books get printed every year. Moreover, a book like The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a book that has been printed by several publishers. This makes the task of identifying a book very difficult.

To overcome the problem of identifying books, publishers have came up with a unique numbering system. For instance, if 50,000 copies of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes are printed by a publisher at one time (called an edition), all of them are identified by one number code. This number code is like your home address that cannot be shared by anyone else apart from your parents and siblings.

Where did Coffee Originate?

Wed, 28 Nov 2001 04:22:36 +0000

The aroma of coffee beans was one of the earliest smells to intoxicate me as a child – such was its flamboyant richness. That, and the lush sight of frothy white milk becoming creamier as it mixed with the nut-brown coffee decoction, served in steel tumblers, was perfect happiness.

It is a memory shared by many Indians living in the southern states, the main coffee growing as well as drinking regions in the country.

The pleasure that the beverage gave was so intense that it never occurred to me that coffee could have originated anywhere but in India.

Do Raccoons Wash their Hands Before they Eat?

Sun, 04 Feb 2001 00:22:23 +0000

We wash vegetables before cooking it. And we wash our hands before we start eating. That is because we have been told that washing would clean our food and that cleanliness is necessary to keep diseases away. But, have you seen cows, dogs or cats wash their food? They don’t.

But there is one kind of furry mammals called racoons, which wash their food before eating. And it has been noticed that racoons refuse to eat if they cannot find water around. Even if they do, they don’t look too happy about it. Some other kinds of racoons eat without washing their food.

Why do Some People snore More than Others?

Sat, 28 Jun 2003 21:04:24 +0000

If you ever slept in a room with an uncle or an aunt who snores, you would know how annoying it can be. The person causing all the noise sleeps like a log, while the room partner spends the night tossing and turning; waking up bleary-eyed the next morning.

Did you know that snoring is a common ailment all over the world? Believe it or not, but on an average one in every four adults snores, says the website sleepquest.com, a site listed by Britannica.

What's Biting the Flea?

Tue, 01 Feb 2000 02:22:01 +0000

Scratch, scratch scratch goes your pet dog or cat. Behind the ears, on his body. He whips about trying to chew up his tail. What’s eating him? You part the hair and feel around. It’s a flea!

Fleas are parasitic insects that suck the blood of birds and mammals. There are over 2,400 flea species worldwide classified under the order Siphonaptera. They are tiny wingless insects like the lice in our hair, either black or reddish brown.

What is Physiotherapy?

Tue, 04 Jul 2000 15:55:06 +0000

If you’ve ever been laid up in bed because of a broken leg, or with an arm in a cast, you’ll know how limp that limb feels when it is finally out of bandages. That’s because the muscles in that particular part of the body have not been used for so long that they’ve ‘forgotten’ how to function. They need to be re-taught their work, and this is where physiotherapy comes in.

Physiotherapy is that branch of medicine, which makes use of physical agents or exercises to treat a disease or an injury. It is also called physical therapy.

Why do we Get Hiccups?

Fri, 25 Aug 2000 04:04:30 +0000

Hic! You’ve just hiccuped for what seems like the tenth time since you finished your big dinner. Wonder where these funny noises are coming from? The part to blame is your diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of your chest, and all hiccups start here.

The diaphragm almost always works perfectly. It pulls down when you inhale to help pull air into the lungs, and it pushes up when you exhale to help push air out of the lungs.

Why do we Yawn?

Sat, 13 Apr 2002 13:56:37 +0000

Do you think that a great big yawn means you are really bored? Well, if you do, then you cannot possibly be further from the truth. Until recently many researchers used to think yawning is essential to increasing the oxygen intake to the lungs. A few on the other hand insisted that yawning is similar to stretching as it increases blood pressure and heart beat rate.

While both research findings are correct, new studies show that yawning actually perks you up instead of doing the opposite (as many of us seem to think). Scientists point out that we have a tendency to yawn before a big event – athletes yawn before a race, pilots yawn before take-off and you yawn before an exam.

How do Spiderwebs Help Skydivers?

Wed, 15 Aug 2001 04:28:01 +0000

While dusting the house have you ever cross jhalis (webs) in the corners of the wall? Sometimes you may come across them under table corners or at rarely used places. Yes, the webs are woven by spiders.

It’s a nuisance clearing them for just when you manage to remove one sticky web, the spider scurries off to a corner to spin yet another!

How do Spiderwebs Help Skydivers? [Illustration by Anup Singh]

But before you destroy these webs with a sweep of the broom, here’s some food for thought – you are about to dismantle one of the strongest structures in the natural world!

What is the origin of OK?

Fri, 01 Oct 2004 07:01:26 +0000

‘I’m OK means ‘I’m fine’. But if you say the weather’s OK in a lazy drawl, it could mean ‘so-so’. When you respond with an OK at the end of someone’s explanation, you could be saying, ‘Alright, I get what you’re saying’. And when someone explains that ‘This is the way to do it, OK?’ it means, ‘Have you understood?’

What is the origin of OK? [Illustration by Shinod AP]

One abbreviation, many meanings. And like all delightful accidents of history, the origin of this multi-faceted OK seems to lie in a humourous misspelling of the words ‘all correct’ as ‘orl korrect’, approximately 170 years ago, in the US.

Which Film Stars were Inventors Too?

Tue, 13 Mar 2001 15:26:45 +0000

Most movie fans have seen or at least heard of Hollywood legends Hedy Lamarr and Steve McQueen. But how many know that these two were inventors who have significantly changed our lives. Nobody? Not surprising.

But it’s true. Hedy Lamarr and Steve McQueen were both Hollywood stars and inventors. Hedy Lamarr thought of torpedoes guided by radio signals and Steve McQueen invented the bucket seat that has revolutionised the automobile industry.

However, Hedy’s invention was never used for the purpose invented. Instead it is now used in satellite communications today.

What Kind of Creatures are Sharks?

Wed, 18 Apr 2001 19:04:44 +0000

Sharks can be found in every ocean of the world. To many people, there’s only one kind of shark: the man-eating white shark of the movie Jaws. They think sharks are ruthless predators that attack anything they come across.

Sharks are sometimes thought of as primitive creatures as they have been in existence for million of years. In fact, sharks are very intelligent. They have a fantastic sense of smell and hearing as well as good vision in low light conditions.

Where is the Tower of Babel?

Sun, 09 Dec 2001 13:39:59 +0000

The ‘Tower of Babel’ is a structure that is mentioned in the Bible in the Old Testament in Genesis. The Biblical account describes how the descendants of Noe who migrated from Armenia towards Babylon (in Mesopotamia) decided to build a city and a tower whose architectural excellence would make them famous. But, God caused confusion by confounding their tongues, so that they did not understand each other’s speech. Slowly they moved away from that place and they ceased to build the city.

What does a Train Whistle tell us about the Universe?

Tue, 26 Nov 2002 15:33:03 +0000

I remember my first visit to the railway station as a child of five. The excitement of the approaching train was an experience I have never quite forgotten. At first I heard a train whistle far away, low and distant. As the train got closer, the sound of the whistle not only increased, it became shriller, and difficult to bear. So much so that I covered my ears in alarm!

Once the excitement had passed, I discovered a secret – even with my eyes closed and by just hearing the whistle, I could tell whether a train was approaching or moving away.

What kind of Family Life did the Dinosaurs Have?

Thu, 09 Sep 1999 12:27:40 +0000

In Argentina this year, scientists digging on a site made a fantastic discovery, which made them realise that dinosaurs lived as a large family. The site consisted of many nests with each nest containing as many as 15 to 30 eggs. The eggs belonged to a plant-eating dinosaur called Titanosaurs. It is the biggest nesting site of dinosaurs found so far.

The word dinosaur is a Greek word meaning giant reptile. Most reptiles lay eggs in nests but they walk away after the young hatch to fend for themselves.

Which Galaxy is Visible to the Eye?

Sun, 16 Nov 2003 01:16:32 +0000

The sun we see everyday is just one of the thousands of stars we see at night. Such a huge collection of stars is called a galaxy. And the stars we see belong to a galaxy called the Milky Way. There are millions of galaxies in the sky, most of whom are hidden from our view.

However, there are some galaxies which can be seen with the naked eye. The most famous and the brightest of these is the M31 or the Andromeda galaxy.

Why is Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow?

Mon, 26 Nov 2001 12:47:32 +0000

Here’s a quiz question: what is curly or straight and needs to be combed, brushed, plaited or twisted? It is gelled, shampooed, dyed, coloured black, blonde, white, red, brown and needs to be cut once in a while. A hint – the answer is above your head – it’s your hair!

Each time you pass by a mirror, the one thing that strikes you is the hair on your head. Hair is something that grows by itself without any help. Well, actually, brushing and combing and even oiling it does help or else you tend to lose your hair.

Who Sold the Eiffel Tower Twice?

Wed, 21 Feb 2001 19:53:39 +0000

There have been conmen and cheats, cardsharps, and crooks but when it comes to deception and trickery few could match the style of international conman Victor Lustig.

Victor Lustig was the king of conmen with forty-five known aliases and nearly fifty arrests in the United States alone. He was born in 1890 in Czechoslovakia. Though brilliant as a child, he turned to a life of crime, excelling in gambling, card games and scams.

Lustig became a riverside gambler plying the various cruise boats that invariably consisted of the rich and famous. Here he met other experts and under their tutelage fine-tuned his skills.

Why do Some People Stutter?

Wed, 29 Mar 2000 02:19:20 +0000

Rahul is a lonely child. He is laughed at because whenever he speaks, he stutters. He goes “my name is Ra-Ra-Rahul.” His mother and grandmother thought it was because he had a short tongue. Other people said it was because, as a baby, Rahul’s hair was cut before he spoke his first word. Finally, Rahul’s mother took him to the doctor. She was told that it had nothing to do with these myths. Rather, Rahul had a speech disorder called dysphemia.

Are Fish Dumb?

Thu, 11 Oct 2001 20:22:42 +0000

There was a time when people thought that fish were dumb creatures. Until they invented machines which could detect sounds under water. And guess what these machines heard?

A string of grunts, clicks, thumps and other kinds of sounds. It was the fish doing a lot of underwater talking! It seems that they have a lot to talk about, for each sound has a different meaning.

There is a kind of fish called the croaker. They actually croak like a frog!

Who was the US President for a Day?

Fri, 06 Apr 2001 11:04:08 +0000

Quick all you quizzards and prospective Who Wants to be a Millionaire candidates: Who was the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth Presidents of the United States? James Polk, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore . .? Yeah, but what about David Atchison? Wasn’t he sworn in after Polk? So shouldn’t Atchison be the 12th president and not Zachary Taylor?

Yes. It’s true. There was a gap of a day between Polk stepping down and Taylor taking over. And Atchison stepped in as President – just for one day! The term for it is President pro tem.

What is Leukaemia?

Thu, 09 May 2002 12:02:26 +0000

Some 15 years back when I was still in school, our class teacher, Mrs. Khurana, would remain absent from school and class almost every other day. We kids were very happy without realising and neither did we bother to find out the reason for her absence.

It was only later that our principal informed us that Mrs. Khurana’s only son was suffering from leukaemia (wrongly called blood cancer). I remember later that Mrs. Khurana took her son to abroad where he underwent a bone marrow transplant.

Why Do Knuckles Pop?

Mon, 27 Aug 2001 07:48:35 +0000

Have you ever laced your fingers together and bent your fingers back? If you pressed hard on any bent finger, you would have heard a popping sound? Finger joints produce that loud c-r-a-c-king sound. The sound comes when bubbles in the fluid around the joint burst!

Our entire body is made of a skeleton of 206 bones. Bones help in giving shape and support to the body and help us move about. Our bones are not too long otherwise we would not be able to bend or grasp things. Bones fit together at joints which is the meeting place between different bones of the skeleton.

Do Some Animals Farm?

Sat, 04 Aug 2001 00:29:13 +0000

We all live the way we do in villages and cities because a long, long time ago, the early humans gave up hunting for farming. They domesticated plant species by cultivation, ploughed the land and harvested the grain. That was the beginning of civilisation as we understand it.

But, do you know that certain ant species were actually farming fungus years before humans learnt how to farm?

For many millions of years, ants belonging to the attines group were farming and cultivating fungi in their anthill nests. They had actually domesticated various wild fungi!

When was the First Circumnavigation by Air?

Thu, 18 Oct 2001 03:42:14 +0000

Ever since Colombus set sail to see if the world was flat or round, intrepid explorers have vied with each other to go around the earth. The world has been circumnavigated by sea by Marco Polo and people have walked across continents from end to end. But until 1924 no one had tried to circumnavigate the world by air except over a continent by a balloon in a Jules Verne novel.

Eight Americans decided to circumnavigate the world by plane. So in 1924, they set out from Seattle Washington, USA, in four Douglas World Cruisers and 175 days later three of the aircraft and crew returned to set a new world record.

What are Q-Tips?

Sun, 02 Sep 2001 00:43:37 +0000

Everbody has used this product at some time or other in some form or other. Sometimes it is used to clean the wax from your ears, and sometimes to clean dust from delicate instruments. Many kick themselves for not patenting it when they knew about it.

So what are Q-Tips? It is such a simple silly thingummy – a piece of thick plastic or cardboard with cotton wrapped at each end! Q-Tips are today, a registered trademark of Chesebrough-Ponds, Inc, USA. However, it was invented in 1920 by a Polish-born American, Leo Gerstenzang.

What is Asthma?

Sat, 01 Apr 2000 10:59:46 +0000

Asthma is one of the most common diseases affecting the lungs. A serious disease, it affects all races and both sexes equally. This disease affects millions. Many of us recognize asthma symptoms like wheezing, chest tightness and gasping for breath. However, few of us know what is going on inside the body of a person with asthma.

When we breathe, we inhale oxygen through the nose and mouth. The air passes down the trachea or windpipe through the two bronchi that branch off into the millions of tiny airways that make up the lungs. Here the inhaled oxygen enters the bloodstream and carbon dioxide is pulled out of the blood and sent back up the airway to be exhaled.

Cigarette Packs that Talk

Mon, 27 Nov 2000 17:32:16 +0000

Cigarette smoking is injurious to health – everyone knows that. Well, till a few decades ago, people were unaware that smoking could cause lung and heart diseases and cigarette packs never had a warning on them, like they do now.

In recent years, research has shown that smoking is dangerous and it has now been made compulsory for all cigarette manufacturers to have what is known as, a ‘statutory warning’ printed on the cover. It states that ‘cigarette smoking is injurious to health’.

Why does a Kentish Plover Parent Desert its Family?

Wed, 27 Feb 2002 19:03:49 +0000

When couples exchange vows on the marriage day, they generally say ’till death do us part’. For a species of shore-dwelling bird called the Kentish Plover, it is ’till divorce do us part'.

Indeed, birds of this species usually leave their partners after the incubation (hatching) of the eggs and usually it is the female who moves on, while the male stays on to look after the babies. A recent study conducted by Andras Kosztolanyi of the University of Debrecen, in Hungary, sheds light on the reason behind this behaviour.

Whick Book Carries Its Own Light?

Fri, 07 Sep 2001 04:48:00 +0000

How many times have you been told not to read in bed and how often have you been ticked off for reading in poor light? Probably quite a few times if you are an avid book-worm. Now you can cast away your small flashlights and get rid of your reading lamp, for there are specially designed books that create their own light!

Whick Book Carries Its Own Light? [Illustration by Shinod AP]

The glowing book

How Did the Indian Postal Service Start?

Wed, 26 Dec 2001 16:41:07 +0000

Although methods of postal delivery varied from one country to another, it is believed that in India, Emperor Chandragupta Maurya who ruled the country between 321-297 BC, was the first to introduce a form of postal communication to dispatch confidential reports to distant posts in his empire.

However, the first recorded mention in history is to be found in the writings of historian Ziadduin Barni. He mentions that Ala-ud-din Khilji of the Delhi Sultanate, who ruled Delhi over 700 years ago, organized a regular horse and foot runner service called harakuras in 1296 AD. These runners carried a baton with bells and ran across the allotted territory with mail. Runners changed after each mile and the post was delivered in record time.

How does the Army Post Office System Work?

Tue, 26 Dec 2000 14:42:19 +0000

It’s the one thing every soldier away from home looks forward to: mail. So everyday it is ‘Hey, Mister Postman, look and see, if there is a letter for me’? For a solider in his outpost, the letter from a loved one is his most cherished and valued document, read and re-read a million times till the next one arrives.

The soldiers in the Indian defence forces are from every nook and cranny of India – from Kashmir in the North to Kanyakumari in the South from Tawang in the state of Arunachal Pradesh in the East, to Porbandar in the State of Gujarat in the West. And they are also posted all over the country.

How Did Advertising Start in India?

Fri, 24 Nov 2000 21:41:42 +0000

The first newspaper in India was brought out by an Englishman James Augustus Hickey in 1780 who was stationed at Calcutta. The paper was brought out on Saturdays and was first called the Calcutta General Advertiser or Hickey’s Bengal Gazette.

Publishing a newspaper is an expensive business as Hickey realised to his cost. He was losing money faster than the newspapers came out of the printing press. To make ends meet, Hickey decided to take on advertisements or ads.

Which is the Oldest Church in India?

Tue, 26 Sep 2000 23:00:37 +0000

In 52 A.D. Thomas Didaemus, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ is believed to have landed at Musiris (Cranganore) in Kerala. He made his first converts both Jews and Hindus at Palayur a town now in Trichur district, Kerala. There he built a small church with an altar, which he consecrated.

This is supposed to be the oldest church in India.

St. Thomas later moved to the east coast. and settled in Madras (now Chennai) in 64 A.D. after having travelled all the way to China. Back in Chennai, the apostle is said to have stayed at what was then a village where the present zone of Mylapore is located.

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To measure sunshine, weathermen use a Campbell Stokes sunshine recorder. Th...

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The Sun gives off huge amounts of deadly radiation, but we are protected fr...

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There are no penguins in the Arctic. Penguins are only found south of the e...

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Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic is the world's most isolated island. It...

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The first motorcycle was designed and built by the firm of Michaux-Perreaux...

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The first person to claim that the Earth revolves round the Sun was a Greek...

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In 1925 Sauer, a Dobermann Pinsher, tracked two thieves 160 km (100 miles) ...

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