Category Science

What is the largest carnivorous marsupial?

The Tasmanian devil is the largest carnivorous marsupial, known for their high-pitched squeal and aggressive temperament. They have held this title for over 80 years. Specifically, these creatures weigh between 9 and 29 pounds. A Tasmanian Devil weighing 29 pounds is as heavy as three one-gallon cans of paint. These mammals range from 20 to 31 inches long. Picture two bowling pins lined up end to end and you have the length of a 31-inch Tasmanian Devil. This mammal’s tail is equal to half of its body length. These animals store fat in their tail to use for energy. So, if you see one of these animals with a thick tail, you know it’s healthy. Thanks to conservation efforts, they are being reintroduced to Australian mainland after a 3,000-year gap. Mother devils can give birth to 50 young ones at one go. However, very few survive.

A Tasmanian Devil is a small animal with short brown or black fur with a stripe of white hair across its chest. Some of these marsupials have patches of white hair near their dark tail. This marsupial’s front legs are longer than its back ones. They have dark eyes and small mouselike ears. These animals have excellent sight and hearing allowing them to track down prey at night.

They are known for their very strong jaws. In fact, this marsupial’s jaws have a bite force of 94 pounds. That strong bite force allows them to easily consume the meat, hair, bones, and organs of the dead animals they find. Some scientists refer to Tasmanian Devils as environmental vacuums because they clean up the carcasses they find in their habitat.

Credit : A-Z-Animals

Picture Credit : Google 

Which insect is named after Greta Thunberg?

Did you know a beetle species in 2019 was named after Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg in recognition of her contribution towards creating awareness about climate change? Called Nelloptodes gretae the tiny beetle belongs to the Ptiliidae family of beetles. The beetle is less than 1 millimeter long. They have no eyes or wings and are a pale yellow and gold color. . Nelloptodes gretae belongs to a group of some of the smallest known free-living animals, London’s Natural History Museum said Friday.

The species is fitting for the Swedish 16-year-old. “Many people say that Sweden is just a small country and it doesn’t matter what we do,” Thunberg once said. “But I’ve learned that you are never too small to make a difference.” Not to mention the beetle’s antennae, which resemble Thunberg’s signature pigtail braids.

Michael Darby, a scientific associate at the museum who found the insect during his studies of the museum’s vast collection, chose the name to honor Thunberg’s contribution to saving the planet.

Nelloptodes gretae was first discovered in Kenya in the 1960s by entomologist William Block, who donated the samples to the museum, where they have stayed ever since. Thunberg has become known worldwide for her weekly climate strikes, which she started on her own in 2018. Since then, the teenager has inspired millions of people to spend their Fridays urging their governments to take action against climate change.  Her movement has resulted in the largest climate protests in history.

Credit : CBS news

Picture Credit : Google 

What are the ways to stay safe online?

Do you spend a lot of time online? How can you stay safe in cyber space? Here are some simple tips to shield yourself from dangers.

When you download a game. you look for something that keeps you engaged. You possibly use it as a stress buster or to lift up your spirits. But imagine a game that draws you in such a way that you end up in a darker place, quite possibly a point of no return. That’s not all. Many children and teens are easy prey for online predators because they are wired to take on more risks, without considering the consequences. Here are some simple tips to guide you in cyber space.

Be alert to strangers

Do not let your guard down and allow the wrong people into your online circle. A false sense of security sets in on social networks and services where safety is an assumption. But remember do not interact with any unknown people. Anyone can create an online profile, so it’s best to be alert. You can turn down friend requests from strangers.

Set strong passwords and do not share them

Your password must consist of at least eight characters, which are a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Do not share your social media passwords with friends or acquaintances, no matter what situation arises. You may share it with your parents.

Mails, messages from unknown senders are best unread

One of the terrifying things about the Blue Whale is that it finds you, even if you do not. The best way to be safe is to not open any mails or messages from unknown people.

Do not respond to invitations sent by them.

Keep your account private on photo sharing sites

We tend to let our guard down on photo or video sharing sites such as Instagram, Snapchat and others. But the media uploaded on such sites inadvertently gives out a lot of personal information. Ensure that your account is private on this site, so that people would need to request your permission before following your stream.

Avoid open chat rooms

These places are filled with landmines and should be avoided like the plague. In a chat room, unknown people can strike up a conversation with you through private messages. What’s worse you never know if they are telling the truth about their identity. If you must, then log in using privacy settings.

Anonymous?

There are applications that allow users to send  anonymous messages to people. Recipient cannot respond to the messages. Although people usually use it to show their appreciation to writers or colleagues, it can be equally  harmful if fallen in the wrong hands.

Here’s how you can be cyber smart:

If someone on the internet asks you to meet in person-even if they are the same age- say no and inform a teacher or an adult whom you trust.

Passwords should be hard to crack. Avoid using obvious dictionary words. You can use online password generators, which jumble up characters and numbers. Change it often.

Your online posts should not reveal any personal information. This includes your moods, habits, locations, or information on your friends.

Do not participate in online surveys or contests requiring your personal information. It is illegal for companies to ask for any information from children under 13 years of age, without the consent of your parents.

Picture Credit : Google 

The contagion in the dolphin world

While friendly close contact is essential for these acquatic mammals social bonds, sharing space and air can also quickly spread disease.

Three young male dolphins simultaneously break the waters surface to breathe-first exhaling, then inhaling-before slipping back under the waves of the Chesapeake Bay in the U.S. “A perfect sync,” said Janet Mann, a dolphin researcher watching from a small skiff.

Synchronised  breathing is something dolphins often do with close pals, such as these males, or that mothers and calves do together, said Mann. It’s a way of affirming the relationships that are so important to these highly intelligent and social mammals, like a handshake or a hug among humans. “It says, ‘We’re together,” said Mann, who is based at Georgetown University.

While such close contact is essential to dolphin social bonds, sharing space and air can also quickly spread disease. Mann and other scientists are trying to understand how a highly contagious and lethal disease called cetacean morbillivirus- related to measles in humans and first detected in Virginia and Maryland waters can spread rapidly among dolphins along the Atlantic Coast, as it did from 2013 to 2015.

Thousands of deaths

During that outbreak, more than 1,600 dolphins washed ashore on beaches from New York to Florida, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Altogether, an estimated 20,000 dolphins died from the virus, and the region’s population of coastal dolphins shrank by about 50%.

“It’s much like COVID – it’s respiratory” in how it spreads, said Mann. “When dolphins breathe together at the surface, they’re sharing respiratory droplets just like we do when we’re talking or coughing on each other.”

She realised that the key to understanding swift virus transmission was tracing dolphin social networks, much as how public health authorities have tracked the COVID-19 pandemic.

To understand how diseases circulate in social animals such as humans, dolphins, or chimpanzees scientists must scrutinise not only the biology of a virus, but also how vulnerable populations interact, said Jacob Negrey, a researcher who studies animal viruses at Wake Forest School of Medicine. “Contact networks represent a double-edged sword,” he said. “Your friends that you need are also the individuals most likely to get you sick.”

Dolphins are extremely playful animals and often swim close together, sometimes even touching fins. “We call it holding hands,” said Mann.

“The males stay pretty coordinated with each other. The females sync, but not as regularly. They sync mostly with their offspring,” adds Mann. That difference in behaviour may help explain why males died in greater numbers during the most recent cetacean morbillivirus outbreak – a hypothesis the researchers are examining.

Depleted populations While Atlantic bottlenose dolphins are not endangered, NOAA considers their coastal populations to be “depleted”, meaning “below optimum sustainable population”.

Outbreaks of the virus emerge here every 25 years or so. And they strike dolphins and their close marine relatives elsewhere, including some endangered whale species.

University of Hawaii researcher Kristi West called the disease – which causes skin lesions, pneumonia, brain infections and a suppressed immune system – “the most significant threat to dolphins and whales on a worldwide scale”.

While viruses naturally occur in the wild, human disruption of marine habitats has made animals more vulnerable. “The disease becomes an even more significant threat when we combine it with other stressors that dolphins and whales throughout the world are facing,” said West. AP.

Picture Credit : Google

WHAT MAKES THE SEASONS?

Earth is always tilted the same direction as it orbits the Sun. So when Earth is on one side of the Sun, the northern hemisphere is tilted closer towards the Sun, making it warmer. At the same time, the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, and is, therefore, colder. When Earth reaches the other side of the Sun, it is the opposite, so it’s winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern.

Seasons happen at different times in different parts of the world. The tilt of the Earth doesn’t change as it rotates around the Sun. But the part of the planet that gets the most direct sunlight does change.

The Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun from September to March. That means the northern half of the planet doesn’t get as much light and heat from the Sun. This causes autumn and winter. During the same months, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun. That means the southern half of the planet gets spring and summer.

From March to September, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun. So that’s when the northern half of the Earth experiences spring and summer. During the same months, the Southern Hemisphere experiences autumn and winter.
Other planets also have seasons. But the length and intensity of each season varies from planet to planet.

  • On Earth, seasons last between 90 and 93 days.
  • On Venus, seasons last between 55 and 58 days.
  • On Mars, seasons change about once every six months. Summer lasts 199 days and winter lasts 146 days.
  • On Saturn, seasons last about seven years.
  • And if you lived on Neptune, you would have to wait more than 40 years for the seasons to change!

Credit: Let’s talk Science

Picture credit: Google

WHAT ARE LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE?

Every place on Earth’s surface can be pinpointed by two figures: its latitude and its longitude. Lines of latitude (called ‘parallels’) form rings around Earth, parallel to the equator. A place’s latitude is given in degrees (°) north or south of the equator, which is considered latitude 0°. On the other hand, lines of longitude (called ‘meridians’) run round Earth from north to south, dividing the world up like the segments of an orange.

A place’s longitude is given as degrees west or east of the prime meridian, which is longitude 0°.

Latitude and longitude are angles that uniquely define points on a sphere. Together, the angles comprise a coordinate scheme that can locate or identify geographic positions on the surfaces of planets such as the earth.

Latitude is defined with respect to an equatorial reference plane. This plane passes through the center C of the sphere, and also contains the great circle representing the equator. The latitude of a point P on the surface is defined as the angle that a straight line, passing through both P and C, subtends with respect to the equatorial plane. If P is above the reference plane, the latitude is positive (or northerly); if P is below the reference plane, the latitude is negative (or southerly). Latitude angles can range up to +90 degrees (or 90 degrees north), and down to -90 degrees (or 90 degrees south). Latitudes of +90 and -90 degrees correspond to the north and south geographic poles on the earth, respectively.
Longitude is defined in terms of meridians, which are half-circles running from pole to pole. A reference meridian, called the prime meridian , is selected, and this forms the reference by which longitudes are defined. On the earth, the prime meridian passes through Greenwich, England; for this reason it is also called the Greenwich meridian. The longitude of a point P on the surface is defined as the angle that the plane containing the meridian passing through P subtends with respect to the plane containing the prime meridian. If P is to the east of the prime meridian, the longitude is positive; if P is to the west of the prime meridian, the longitude is negative. Longitude angles can range up to +180 degrees (180 degrees east), and down to -180 degrees (180 degrees west). The +180 and -180 degree longitude meridians coincide directly opposite the prime meridian.

Credit: WhatIs.com

Picture credit: Google