Highlights in Science in 2013

1. Exoplanets A study by Caltech astronomers reported that the Milky Way Galaxy contains at least one planet per star, resulting in approximately 100–400 billion exoplanets.  Astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) reported that "at least 17 billion" Earth-sized exoplanets are estimated to reside in...

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NASA and Google join hands to grow Turnip on Moon

As the man's desire increases, technology is born! Well, we haven't been able to create a habitable environment for humans on Moon but we have started testing the conditions on Moon for habitable conditions by growing plants there. Growing plants is a vital step toward sustainability in a new environment. Aside from the obvious life...

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The Tree Circus

  Axel Erlandson (December 15, 1884 – April 28, 1964) was a Swedish American farmer who shaped trees as a hobby, and opened a horticultural attraction in 1947 advertised as "See the World's Strangest Trees Here," and named "The Tree Circus". He was an unusual farmer who made trees grow to whatever design he desired.  This...

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Baby Massage Oil - Ayurvedic or Synthetic?

When it comes to a baby, every mother wants the best for it - be it a food product, daily care products or even a beauty product for their little angels! But here comes the tough part- how to know which product is the best? There are thousands of brands available in the market for each product with another thousand options with different...

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Three suns shone over China: Illusion or magic?

Sundogs in Fargo, North Dakota. Taken February 18th, 2009 On 1st November 2013, friday, three suns shone over the inner region of Mongolia in northern China. Well, contrary to the rumours, it was neither indications of doomsday nor magic. It was an atmospheric phenomenon known as "Phantom Sun" or "Sun dog". Its scientific name is Parhelion...

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Projection of Climate Departure: Assessing Climate Change

Scientists at University of Hawai have projected the timing of climate departure from the present variabilities. First of all, let me explain to you what this means. The climate is changing at a very slow pace , thus the changes in ecological and social parameters due to climate change are extremely less when considered for a small...

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Science Fact - 19

The body of Jeremy Bentham is stuffed with hay and preserved at the University of London since 1832.  Jeremy Bentham (15 February 1748 – 6 June 1832) was a British philosopher, jurist, social reformer and the founder of modern utilitarianism.  Bentham died on 6 June 1832 the age of 84 at his residence in Queen Square...

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Solar Flip

Our Sun is about to flip! Yeah that's right but it doesn't mean that we need to flip out! The magnetic poles of the Sun are about to flip, that is, the North pole will become the South pole and vice versa. According to scientists at the Wilcox Solar Observatory at Stanford University , the Sun could be barely two to three months...

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Science fact - 18

The last sunday of September is celebrated as the World Heart's Day! On this World Heart's Day, here are some crazy facts about your heart: The size of an adult's heart is equal to two fists whereas of a kid's heart is equal to one fist. The average adult heart beats 72 times a minute; 100,000 times a day; 3,600,000 times a...

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Science fact - 17

Never Ending Battery For over 170 years, the Oxford Electric Bell (also known as the Clarendon Dry Pile) has been chiming almost continuously, the composition of its power source uncertain.  The Oxford Electric Bell is an experimental electric bell that was set up in 1840 and which has run almost continuously ever since, apart...

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Science Fact - 16

September 22 is globally celebrated as the World Rhino Day in appreciation of the 5 rhino species - Black Rhino, White Rhino, Indian Rhino, Javan Rhino and Sumatran Rhino. Three of these - Black Rhino, Javan Rhino and Sumatran Rhino - are critically endangered. Some facts about Rhinos: The name rhinoceros comes from the Greek...

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Found Proof of Extraterrestrial Life. Or Did We?

Yet again, we are back to discussions about existence of extraterrestrial life and another instance of having located it. A recent study published in the Journal of Cosmology points towards the existence of life in space. A specially-designed balloon sent 27km into the stratosphere to monitor the Perseid meteor...

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Want to take a one-way trip to Mars?

The Red Planet has been the focus of discussions these days due to an initiative of one-way trip to the planet by an organisation, Mars One. Their mission is to establish a human settlement on mars within a decade. Between 24 and 40 candidates will be selected to participate in a seven-year training program that would start in 2015....

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Ozone Hole has Started Recovering but Climate Change in Antarctica Uncertain

We have been hearing and talking about ozone depletion and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) since the discovery of ozone hole in May 1985 - the research was published in the journal Nature (Link). Ozone hole isn't an actual hole - it is the annual thinning of the ozone layer over Antarctica which is caused by stratospheric chlorine. However,...

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