18th May 2016

You were once a single cell

During fertilization of the egg by the sperm, the DNA of the sperm is injected into the egg. Both the sperm and the egg have a single set of chromosomes each, but the fertilized egg receives the DNA from the sperm and comes to possess both the sets of chromosomes. This fertilized egg cell stays as such for about half an hour and then proceeds to divide to form the multicellular embryo. Thus, all of us have spent about half an hour as a single cell.

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16th May 2016

What is entomophagy?

The practice of people eating insects is called entomophagy. It has been practised for centuries throughout Africa, Australia, Asia, the Middle East, and North, Central and South America. This is because many bugs are both protein-rich and good sources of vitamins, minerals and fats.

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16th May 2016

Tongue prints for identification

Every person, including identical twins, has a unique eye and tongue print along with their finger print. Tongue prints are as distinctive as eye and finger prints.  The technique of biometry is being used to identify individuals using the uniqueness of the iris. Nowadays, tongue prints are also being considered for biometrics, since tongues are protected in the mouth and hence difficult to forge.

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16th May 2016

Three eyelids for protection

Camels have three eyelids. They have upper and lower eyelids that have eyelashes to shield the eyes from sand. In addition, camels have a third eyelid, which is thin like a transparent membrane. It opens sideways, from both sides, like a shutter. Camels can see through this third eyelid during sandstorms.

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12th May 2016

Why are so many cabs yellow?

Researchers had found that the human eye spots the colour yellow very fast. Following this cue, John Herz, founder of the Yellow Cab company, picked up the yellow colour for cabs so that they would be easy to locate by travellers.

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12th May 2016

What are corals?

Corals are small colourful marine animals that are found in the seas. They build the coral reefs. Their exoskeletons provide the structure of the reefs. The reefs are of high ecological importance. Corals grow very slowly at the rate of about one centimetre a year.

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