Thursday, March 3, 2016

Floating Bonsai


A plant floating in air, sounds unbelievable right? Well, going by a recent experiment in Japan, the concept of plants standing suspended in air is possible. The Japanese decided that their tiny bonsais should be not only cute but cool too, so they made them float in the air.
The designers at The Hoshinchu Team named their creation “Air Bonsai.” It consists of the bottom part called the “energy base” and a floating ball called “little star.” Both halves have repelling magnets installed inside so that the “little star” could float with the bonsai on top. The force of the magnets opposing each other is adjusted so that it is neither too strong nor too weak to drop the plant.
The base is made of traditional Japanese porcelain and the bonsai can be replaced with any other plant. Isn’t that magical?

Image credit: hoshinchu 

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Do You Get Hangry?


You may have heard of ‘hanger’, the term combining hunger and anger! If you get a bit grumpy when you are hungry then you may be ‘hangry.’
The term was initially thought of simply as a funny twist of words to describe cranky behaviour when people hadn’t eaten, but scientists have confirmed that ‘hanger’ is real and actually pretty common!

So why do growling stomachs spark annoyance? The brain releases a chemical known as neuropeptide which sends a message to help increase food intake but is also the same chemical which regulates anger and aggression. So whenever you feel hungry… keep calm and have a bite!

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

What Does the “Appendix” Do?


Have you ever wondered why there is an appendix in the human body? Ever wondered, "If we don't need an appendix why is it there in the first place?" Just because you don't need your appendix, doesn't mean it's useless.
For a long time, people believed that the appendix was a shrivelled, leftover organ used by early humans to help digest leaves. And that's been the predominant thinking up until recently. Thanks to a recent discovery, scientists and doctors now know why the appendix exists. 

We all know that we have bacteria in our bodies. In fact, there are about 10 times more bacteria in and on our bodies than in our actual cells. But these are good bacteria. The bacteria in our gut help us digest food and manufacture vitamins. They even help our immune system. That's right; bacteria in our bodies help our immune system fight other bacteria.

But sometimes invading bacteria get the best of our immune system and we get sick.  We are talking of illnesses like cholera or severe dysentery. In cases like this, all your good gut bacteria could be washed out. That is, unless they have a place to hide in; like the appendix.

Scientists now believe that the appendix acts as a reserve, where good bacteria can hide until the illness is over. Then they re-emerge and repopulate the gut and go right back to helping us out.  However, it’s also true that diseases like cholera or dysentery are almost unheard of now because our modern sewage systems have largely done away with them. So in today's world, you can live just fine without your appendix. 

Monday, February 29, 2016

How Canned Food Was Invented


Since time immemorial, human beings have tried to make food last longer. Methods like fermentation, pickling and salting foods and drying meats and vegetables for consuming later have always been around. But preserving food in a nearly-fresh state for many months was a problem faced by a lot of countries during war. Soldiers fighting battles in remote, far-flung regions needed a continuous supply of nutritious food and no one had any clue what to do about it. So in a desperate attempt to solve this problem, in 1795, the French Directory (that’s what the French government was called at that time) decided that something needed to be done about the military’s food supply. The Directory’s leaders offered a 12,000-franc prize for anyone able to get a breakthrough in the preservation of food. 
This problem was finally solved 14 years later, when Napoleon was the emperor and his military was powerful but hungrier than ever. At this time, Nicolas Appert, a young chef from the region of Champagne, finally won the sought-after prize. Appert, who had worked as a chef for the French nobility, came up with a brilliant solution. His innovation was simple but effective – champagne bottles, sealed with an oddly effective mixture of cheese and lime. Appert’s invention was built on earlier imperfect techniques, which either removed air or preserved food by heat but hadn’t managed to do both.
Running a bustling lab and factory, Appert soon progressed from champagne bottles to wide-necked glass containers. In 1803 his preserved foods (which came to include vegetables, fruit, meat, dairy and fish) were sent out for sea trials with the French navy. By 1804, his factory had begun to experiment with meat packed in tin cans, which he soldered shut and then observed for months for signs of swelling. Those that didn’t swell were deemed safe for sale and long-term storage. This soon became the method in which food was packed for armies all over Europe. So exceptional was this invention; that in 1809 Appert was awarded the Directory’s prize, with the condition that he pay to publish his method.  That’s how in 1810 his invention was published as “The Art of Preserving, for Several Years, all Animal and Vegetable Substances.”
Appert’s food preserving process was all the more amazing because it was invented way before Louis Pasteur’s discoveries of germ growth and sterilization by more than 50 years. Canned food also predated, by around 30 years, the can opener itself. The metal cans used by Appert were made of tin-plated steel or even cast iron, with heavy lids that had to be chiseled open or stabbed through with soldiers’ bayonets!!
After winning the prize, Appert spent many more years working to improve his method. His factories remained innovative but unprofitable, and he died a poor man in 1841. But by then variants of his process were used to can foods ranging from New York oysters and Nantes sardines to Italian fruit and Pennsylvania tomatoes.

The availability of canned food played a crucial role in 19th century, feeding the enormous armies of the Crimean War, the U.S. Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War, and offering explorers and colonialists a taste of home in unfamiliar lands. Following the global depression of 1873, U.S. exports of canned foods boomed, led by the Campbell, Heinz and Borden companies. In 1904, the Max Ams Machine Company of New York patented the double-seam process used in most modern food cans. Today a double-seam machine can safely seal more than 2,000 cans a minute - a long way indeed from Appert’s champagne bottles!!

*Image Credit: buzzpo.com

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Jatayu Nature Park

The first phase of Jatayu Nature Park, a much awaited tourism destination in Kerala, was inaugurated last month. The park is named after the mythical bird from Ramayana; Jatayu, who tried to rescue Sita from Ravana when she was abducted. The nature park aims at promoting mythology, adventure and wellness tourism in India. Located in Chadayamangalam village in Kollam district of Kerala, this rock theme park is a treat to the eyes as well as an adventure for tourists. The nature park also has an adventure zone and over 20 games including paint ball, archery, rifle shooting, rock climbing, bouldering etc. 

Spread over 65 acres of land, the park houses a giant sculpture of Jatayu. The sculpture sits atop the rock where Jatayu is believed to have taken his last breath after fighting with Ravana. The sculpture has a 6D theatre and an audio-visual based digital museum inside it. For the health enthusiasts, the park contains Ayurvedic cave resorts. The attraction is the breathtaking view of the surrounding which is about 1000 feet above sea level.

Image credit: thebetterindia.com

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Mumbai Boy’s Cricket Record


Imagine a batsman slaughtering delivery after delivery for sixes or fours non-stop to reach a score of over 1000 runs!!!

This incredible feat was performed by a young teenager from Mumbai; Pranav Dhanawade. Pranav broke the record to be the first person to reach 1000 or more runs in any form of cricket. He achieved this feat last month at a tournament organised by the Mumbai Cricket Club. His score of 1009 came of 323 deliveries including 59 sixes and 129 fours. His team declared for 1465.

*Image Credit: ndtv.com

Friday, February 26, 2016

Three Cheers to the Japanese!


This is an incredible and heart-warming story that must be told. The train network in Japan is run by the Japan railways. About three years ago they had decided to shut down the Kami-Shirataki train station in the northernmost island of Hokkaido, Japan. At that time, ridership at the Kami-Shirataki station had dramatically fallen because of its remote location, and freight service had ended there as well.  

They were going to start the shut-down process, when railway employees in the region noticed that the station was still being used every day by just one high-schooler. So guess what…they decided to keep the station open for her until she graduates! Incredible - isn’t it? The railway officials even adjusted the train’s timetable according to the girl’s schedule. 

And so, for nearly three years now, there’s been only one passenger waiting at the Kami-Shirataki train station in Japan; the high-school girl, on her way to class. The train stops there twice a day- once to pick up the girl and again to drop her off after the school day is over. The unnamed girl is expected to graduate this March, which is when the station will finally be closed


Now that’s what we call “putting education first”! Our salutes and cheers to the Japan Railways!