6th May 2016

What makes the national flag of Paraguay special?

The national flag of Paraguay has different emblems on the obverse and reverse sides. The flag has an emblem on the obverse side, which is the national coat of arms of Paraguay that comprises a yellow five-pointed star surrounded by a green wreath capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY. The emblem on the reverse side is the seal of the treasury, which is a yellow lion below a red Phrygian cap and the words PAZ Y JUSTICIA (‘Peace and Justice’).

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4th May 2016

The longest river in the world

The Nile is one of the most interesting rivers of the world owing to the ancient Egyptian civilization, which is known as the ‘Gift of Nile’. The river originates in the well-watered regions of northeastern Africa and proceeds to drain northwards in the Mediterranean Sea. It is known as the world’s longest river. Although different sources provide different measurements of the river, according to some experts it is 6,650 kilometres long.

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4th May 2016

Maggot therapy for wounds

Maggot therapy is used to heal wounds. In this method, maggots or larvae of flies are allowed to eat away the dead tissue in the wound, thereby clearing it quickly and healing it in the process. It is also known as Maggot Debridement Therapy (MDT). Wounds infested with maggots heal quickly and without spread of gangrene or other infection.

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4th May 2016

The first synthetic human chromosome

Chromosomes are considered the basic structures of heredity. They carry the codes that give rise to the expression of the characteristic features of an organism. Humans have 46 chromosomes. In 1997, a team of scientists J.J. Harrington, G.V. Bokkelen, R.W. Mays, K. Gustashaw, and H.F. Willard synthesized artificial chromosomes. These chromosomes are stable up to six weeks. These chromosomes can be used as vectors to carry genes of interest into other cells and for the study of their expression.

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3rd May 2016

What is the journey time to our nearest galaxy?

Andromeda, the galaxy closest to the Milky Way, is about 2.5 million light years away. To travel in space, we need to achieve the speed of light, which is about 3,00,000 kilometres per second. Even at that great speed, it will take us about 2 million years (not 2.5 million years due to an effect called time dilation) to reach Andromeda.

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3rd May 2016

Invention of the thermometer

In about 1607, Galileo invented an instrument that could measure the rise of water in a glass tube with the rise in temperature. This instrument is called a thermoscope. Later, scientists modified it to add a scale to mark the rise of water. Subsequently, water was replaced with alcohol and mercury.

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