What are Snow Donuts

Snow donut image

Snow donuts are commonly referred as 'snow rollers', 'snowballs' or even 'snowbales'. This natural phenomenon occurs rarely in certain specific weather conditions. Snow donuts resemble donut shaped spiral that rolls the icy ground in unusual cold weathers. This happens when wind pushes snow, making it roll across the vertical ground of the hill surface. But these phenomenons are rare and requires the right mixture of climatic conditions including wind, temperature, snow and moisture.



The snow that rolls across the hill starts gathering in a shape of a hollow cylinder to form a snow donut. But not all of the snow lands to the bottom surface shaped as a snow donut. Most of the cylindrical balls get squashed up. Very few manage to roll on the icy surface down the hills leaving behind a trail.Once the climatic conditions are just right enough to successfully transform the snow clump into a snow donut, the snow doughnut resembles a cylindrical ball with a hole in the center. The shapes of snow doughnuts or snow donuts could vary right from small ball to big wheels.

Snow donuts are usually found in Canada, Poland and on the  Prairies of North America.

5 Amazing Facts about Puffin Bird

Puffins are pelagic seabirds that feed on fish which they catch by diving in the water. They have black and white feathers and a large and colorful beak(shaped more like parrot's beak). Puffin birds are found in three species, out of which two species the tufted puffin and horned puffin are found in the North Pacific Ocean where as the Atlantic puffin is found in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Atlantic Puffin

5 Amazing Facts About Puffin Birds 

1. Many misinterpret puffin bird with penguins. This could be because they share the same black and white body color. Penguins have black and white skin coat, while puffins have black and white feathers. One more similarity between both penguin and puffin bird is their love for eating fish. But penguins are penguins and puffins are birds. Penguins have wings but can't fly, but puffins are seabirds that fly. They don't even belong to the same family. While penguins belong to the family Spheniscidae, puffin bird belongs to family Alcidae.

2. Puffin birds always breed in large colonies usually on coastal cliffs or offshore islands. They nest in burrows(empty rabbit burrows), or even in rock crevices. They are found in a much larger number and mostly the areas or islands they breed are referred to as Puffin Islands.

Tufted Puffin

3. After the breeding season, puffin birds shed the colorful part of their beak leaving it to look dull and small.  Only during the breeding season the puffin birds have a colorful beak.

4. Puffins feed on fishes like herring, capelin, hake etc and also zooplankton. They have this unique ability to hold and carry as many as dozen small fishes at a time crosswise in their bill.

5. Puffins have the ability of swimming underwater as well as fly in the air. Their webbed feet enables them to swim effortlessly underwater, where they catch many fishes at a time. 

20 Eco-friendly Tips to Help Save the Earth

In simple ways and methods we too can lend our hand towards saving our Planet Earth from destruction. Each one of us can come up with some contributions towards helping save our beautiful planet. This can be done with easy and smaller ways. But these easy and simple ways will definitely have a big impact towards saving our environment. Here are some ways you can help and protect planet earth.

20 Eco-friendly Tips to Help Save the Earth

1. Fix the Leaking Tap

Wasting water is one of the critical problems that need to be taken care of. We know that there is not much drinking water left on our planet. Many houses ignore the problem of leaking taps which is one of the major causes of water wastage. So first and foremost that you can do is get a plumber and fix the leaking taps in your house.

2. Use Energy Efficient Light Fixtures

Energy efficient light bulbs have several advantage over traditional light fixtures. They use 30 to 50% less energy. They last 10 times longer than the traditional light bulbs. The energy efficient light-bulbs save your money in a big way. So replace those traditional light-bulbs with energy-efficient light bulbs and save energy which in turn helps saving the earth.

3. Turn Off your Computer at Night

Many have the habit of keeping their computer on even when not in use, especially during nights. Turning computer off during nights can help you cut down a lot on electricity bills.  Unless you want your computer to perform any overnight task, it is advisable to turn it off during night. It helps in energy conservation and thus to save Mother Earth. This also helps your computer to perform better.

4. Use a Pressure Cooker

Using a pressure cooker is the best way to save time and energy. With pressure cooker the cooking time reduces which also ensures less use of energy. When we cook our food in a pressure cooker, the escape of steam is lesser than a regular cooking pan. Pressure cooker uses up to 70% less energy than other cooking appliances. It thus reduces fuel bills and carbon emissions. One more advantage about cooking food in the pressure cooker is the food cooks quicker and tastier.

5. Stop Wasting Food

Some of us are fortunate to get good food and some are not. But those who have a lot of food at their disposal waste most of it. Wasting food not only reduces the amount of food available on the planet but also contributes to the wastage of the natural resources. It also effects the energy conservation. In a way food wastage impacts the Planet Earth in a big way.

6. Buy Energy Efficient Appliances

Before buying or replacing electrical appliances such as dishwasher, washing machine, microwave ovens, air-conditioners etc for your house, try and learn more about these appliances. Check whether these electrical appliances are energy-efficient and are made in sustainable ways. Such energy-efficient electrical appliances would not only protect the environment but also reduce your energy use and in turn lower your electricity bills.

7. Stop Using Plastic Bags

One of the most important way to save our planet is to completely stop the use of plastic bags. Plastic serves a serious threat to the environment. Disposing plastic poses a risk for animals and birds as well. Hence it is important that we stop using plastic bags right-away. Even if a shopkeeper gives us a plastic bag to carry our shopping items, we should be able to say no. Carry your own cloth bags or jute bags for shopping.

8. Reduce Use of Paper

Gradually we have come to a point where we realize that this planet of ours is turning into a big dumping ground. In an effort to clean our house, we dump almost everything on this big, giant dumping ground without giving it a second's thought. And that includes paper too. Hence to make a difference and save our planet, try to reduce use of paper as much as you can. This can be done by reducing use of book-prints, making use of digital prints, implementing cost-saving paper reduction program and recycling paper.

9. Donate Old Books

Instead of throwing away books, donate them to libraries or anyone who may find them useful. This especially can be done with study books. Poor students who cannot afford study books can make use of such books and would definitely be thankful. If you have unused pages that can be reused, try to bind them and make diaries or recycled notebooks out of it.

10. Grow Your Own Food

You do not need to be a farmer or have a farm to grow your own food. But you can try to grow some food items like vegetables, herbs, fruits within your kitchen window, terrace or balcony for your regular use. This can be done on a smaller scale and on organic terms. This way you know what you eat is good enough for your consumption and safer for your health. Some food items that can be grown include chilies, herbs, tomatoes, brinjal, coriander, curry leaves and so much more.

11. Shorten Showers

One way to save water is by shortening the time you stand below a shower. Shower bath can be relaxing but they do waste a lot of water. So try to shorten your shower timings or better - take a bucket bath.

12. Recycle and Reuse

This is the best way one can help Planet Earth. What we can do is reuse and make use of most of the things that we think we do not want anymore. Such as plastic cups which can be used as plant pots or pen holders. Recycling helps reduce the amount of waste that we dump on the earth. This can be done by redecorating and recycling a used product to turn it into entirely new product. Such activity can be fun and help us make the environment cleaner and much better place to live.

13. Borrow, Don't Buy

This may not be something that many prefer, but it is an ideal way of saving our planet. We can borrow books from our friends to read instead of buying a whole new one which may be responsible to cut down a tree to create. We can borrow study books from senior kids for our younger kids. We can borrow dresses which our elders outgrow into. Even if you don't wish to wear them, you could borrow and donate it to those underprivileged kids who can make the most of it. Few borrowed items which your family or friends do not want anymore can be recycled to make something new. This way we can make use of the most of it and help our planet earth.

14. Turn Off The Switches

Whenever not in use, make sure you turn of all the unnecessary switches. Many of us have a habit keeping lights and fans on, even when they leave the room. Switches to ovens, television, chargers, computers, speakers are left on even when they are not in use. We should pay attention to such details by checking out and turning them off if unused. This way you play a major role in energy conservation.

15. Start a Compost Pile

Composting is very planet friendly and can benefit your gardens a lot. If you reside in a building, introduce the idea of a compost bin where all the household kitchen waste and garden waste can be composted to make a organic fertilizer. This can be used to enrich your compound gardens as well as individual plant pots. Vegetable scrapings, used water, rotten food, dried leaves, grass etc can be added to this compost bin on a regular basis to create rich and eco-friendly fertilizer.

16. Use a Clothesline

Instead of using a clothes dryer, one can use a clothesline to save our planet. Use of clothesline not only helps save energy but reduces energy bills and saves money. With enough humidity, clothes that are hang on clothesline dry in no time.

17. Plant Trees

One of the most important and easy way one can help the planet from degradation is by planting trees. We know how important trees are to the planet to stay healthy. It is not just about the health of the planet but our health too which is at risk. The only way both can be taken care of is by growing and maintaining lots and lots of trees.

18. Shop Wisely

Shopping plays an important role in our efforts towards saving our planet. What we shop and how we shop has a huge impact on our contributions towards saving our planet. Buying less plastic and carrying reusable shopping bags works in a positive manner. One has to put a lot of thought before buying certain items to make sure you are not cheating yourself as well as your planet. Reduce use of plastic-wares and disposable items. Instead opt for recyclable and reusable items. Do not buy things if you are not going to use them immediately.

19. Volunteer to Cleanup Drives

Do your bit to save your planet and be proud of it. Volunteer in cleanup drives and help clean the areas around you. This will not only make your planet clean but would make you feel proud of yourself. Sign up with society cleaning drives or NGOs for a weekend task and spend some time cleaning your surroundings.

20. Educate Others

If you as an individual alone can make a difference by doing your bit, imagine what would be the result if many follow your path. This can happen only when you don't keep your knowledge to yourself and educate others. Start by talking to people in your society or office and make them realize the importance of these steps they can carry too for saving the planet earth. Make them realize the importance of energy conservation, recycling, reusing and inspire them to do their bit. Initiate a cleaning drive or a tree plantation drive within your neighborhood. These efforts of yours will never go wasted and would benefit all of us in the near future. 

Why Do We Have Lines on the Palms of Our Hand

The lines that we have on our palm are known as the palmar creases or palmer flexion. These are the tiny ridges on the palm surface which depend upon the bone structure and the arrangement of muscles on an individual's hand. These tiny ridges are strong where the fingers and the thumb meet. These lines that we have on our palm help us fold and stretch our skin, when our hands bend. This folding of skin calls for a better grip and also prevents in the skin from tearing easily. These lines on our palm also help us to hold things firmly.

The lines that we have on our palm differ from person to person. Though Science is yet to figure out why patterns of the palmer creases differ from one individual to other. Yet it is said that the creases start to appear right when the skin starts forming. This process takes place within the womb, as the human hands develop the lines on the palm at around the 12th week of gestation and are present on a infant's hand right when it is born. The few factors that may affect the thickness or the presence of the number of lines on an individual's palm could be family history, race etc.

It is believed by many that the lines on the palms of our hand can tell our future. Many people believe in the practice of Palmistry. Fact to be told, no way one can predict the future of an individual by reading the lines on the palms of our hand.

How Do We Get High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the force of our blood that pushes against the arteries. We do need some blood pressure so that it helps the blood to move throughout the body. But at times, the pressure rises more than one needs and stays high over time. This high pressure keeps pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. In many ways this high rise in the blood pressure can damage our body. This process of the rise in the regular blood pressure and staying high over the time is known as high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is also referred as 'hypertension'. This condition of high blood pressure in one is dangerous as it makes one's heart pump and push more than normal stages. Understand this, the higher one's blood pressure, the greater is the damage risk. High blood pressure needs to be controlled to avoid major damage such as a heart stroke, heart attack or other complications. The situation at times could be fatal.

Symptoms and Causes of High Blood Pressure

Some symptoms of high blood pressure include severe headache, chest pain, tiredness, irregular heartbeat and difficulty in breathing. Some foods that may get you blood pressure higher include intake of salt, packaged foods, frozen food items, heavy creams, etc. Packaged foods and canned foods are the many culprits as they have heavy doses of sodium in it. Foods like canned beans, canned fruits, frozen meats, soft drinks, pastries should be avoided as much as possible.

One can include fresh fruits and vegetables, oatmeal, leafy vegetables, fishes with omega 3s, cow milk and berries to maintain a healthy heart. Other than foods, some other factors that lead to high blood pressure include body temperature, mental state, sleep apnea, over exertion and certain medications or drugs.

How is Blood Pressure Measured?

Blood pressure is measured with an instrument known as the sphygmomanometer, commonly also known as the blood pressure monitor or blood pressure gauge. The blood pressure is measured as systolic and diastolic pressures. Here 'systolic' refers to blood pressure while pumping blood and 'diastolic' means blood pressure when heart is at rest in between beats. 

What is a Sinkhole

Also known to be a swallow hole, shake hole, sink or even a doline, a sinkhole is a depression caused in the Earth's surface. These sinkholes that form on the earth's surface do not usually form due to natural process. They can be natural or even man made. These depressions formed in the earth's surface, are due to the dissolution of carbonate rock. And this process is also known to be the Karst process. Sinkholes either could form gradually or may appear sudden.

When water flows underground and starts dissolving the rocks, slowly and gradually sinkholes form. These rocks that dissolve are mostly limestone, salt beds, gypsum or clay.  When rocks start dissolving, small caverns form within the surface. This process carries on over a period of time and the land later caves in. This sudden collapse happens when pressure hits on the earth's surface. Small cracks may emerge to show the beginning of the sinkhole. These small cracks are not dangerous in the beginning. But as the cracks keep expanding and forming a hole, a weight of certain object would make the land cave in.

Sinkholes can differ in size and at times could be big enough to swallow even a house or a swimming pool. The process is so dramatic that it would not give out a warning at times, and suddenly would break out into a big, enormous hole creating chaos. 

What is Soundproof Glass

There are numerous occasions when we wish, we were sitting in a room with soundproof glass; especially when we are with friends spilling out secrets. Soundproof glass help us achieve that level of privacy where conversation stay intact with no secrets been revealed to the outside world.

Soundproof glass is a type of glass which refrains sound from penetrating from one side to the other. This could either be from inside to outside or from outside to inside. Such type of glass are used by people who spend time in noisy environment. For example, people living on busy streets or cabins of noisy offices.

How Does Soundproof Glass Work 

Sound in the form of energy pass through various mediums such as solid, liquid or gas. The closer the molecules in the medium, the faster the sound energy pass from one point to another. Since the molecules of a solid medium are closely held, the sound travels faster through it. But when a soundproof glass is installed, it absorbs the sound waves and reduces vibration thus working as a barrier and preventing the sound from passing.

How can Soundproof Glass be Made

A sound proof glass can be made by simply using a thicker glass. The thicker the glass, the stiffer it would be and lesser the vibration. One of the other option to make a sound proof glass is using a material between two panes of glass. One of the most common material used for glass sound proofing is lamination. Lamination of glass is where a thin piece of plastic is placed between two glass panes. This cuts down significant amount of sound and allows noiseless atmosphere. Laminated glass work as the best soundproof glass and best soundproof windows.

What are Waterspouts

Tornadoes that form over water are called as waterspouts. A waterspout is a strong columnar whirlpool that resembles funnel shaped cloud and move over water. At times they form over water and move over land from water. A waterspout could be accompanied by heavy hail storm, lightnings and strong winds. A waterspout has a five part life cycle, which include a dark spot formation on the water surface followed by spiral pattern of water surface and formation of a spray ring along with a development of visible cloud like condensation funnel which finally decays.

Waterspouts can form in an area less than 2 km in width. The column of rotating cloud that is funnel shaped, descends over water. This cloud that develops could be mild or even harmful. Some of the waterspouts formed are strong and usually tornadic in nature. At times these waterspouts could be mild and weak. Such mild waterspouts are caused by different atmospheric pressures and develop in moisture laden environment. Though weaker than a tornado, waterspout can still manage to cause considerable damage to it's surroundings.

Where are waterspouts witnessed?

Waterspouts are witnessed in tropics and subtropical areas. Europe, Australia, New Zealand have common occurrences of waterspout. One of the area which witness waterspouts frequently is Florida Keys with around 400 waterspouts approximately around the world. 

What is Chromite

Chromite is an oxide mineral. The main composition of Chromite is chromium along with iron and oxygen. It is the only ore of Chromium. The color of chromite varies from grey to black  and has a sub-metallic lustre with a high specific gravity. Chromite is relatively hard and metallic. It is found in basic and ultra-basic igneous rocks or metamorphic rocks and even sedimentary rocks. Their occurrence is a result of altering of these rocks by heat or weathering.

Being the only ore of chromium, chromite is highly used in the production of stainless steel, nichrome and chrome plating. Given it's high heat stability, it is also used as a refractory material. 

How To Make A Water Filter

This is a simple activity for kids, that help them learn about water purification process and how it is carried out. This could work as one of the best summer engaging activity for kids, as they not only make the water filter right from scratch, but understand and learn science. The making of water filter with this activity is easy and the kids will have lot of fun making it. The wonders of science can be learned through such simple techniques. The technique is pretty simple and kids can carry on themselves, with adult supervision.

Materials Required For Making a Water Filter

Pet bottle - 1(2 liter capacity)
Gravel
Activated charcoal
Cotton ball
Dirty water

Method for Making a Water Filter

1

With the help of an adult, cut the bottle in half.  Put the bottle upside down resembling a funnel inside the bottom half. This is what the use is - the bottom half would work as the collector of the filtered water and the top half will be where we build the filter.

2

Place a thick layer of cotton ball inside the filter, i.e. the top half of the bottle. Now continue to add one layer of thick crust of activated charcoal on the cotton ball.

3

Place the third layer of gravel on the sand. Lightly shake the filter, so that all the layers are fixed firmly in their place. Your filter is ready.

4

Pour the dirty water through this filter. You can make your own dirty water by adding bits of paper, small leaves, little mud or dirt in the water. Once you pour this dirty water in the filter, wait for the filtration process to happen. Do not pour all the dirty water, but keep some as a specimen which you can compare later with the filtered water.

5

You will soon see that once the water starts moving through all the layers, it gets much cleaner than before.

6

Gather all the filtered water and compare it with the dirty water you have kept. You will notice the difference in both the water.

How it Works

Activated charcoal is often used in the water purification process, mostly in commercial water filters. As the water travels through each layer of the filter, the dirt gets stuck in each layer. The bigger pieces of dirt like paper bits, get stuck on the first layer. The small pieces pass through the first layer but get stuck in the charcoal layer. The cotton ball layer gets rid of the fine dirt and the result you get is the filtered water.

Tip

If you do not have activated charcoal, make use of sand. Add a thick crust of sand instead of charcoal on the cotton ball layer. 

What Are Sinuses

If you are suffering from cold and headache for more than 10 to 14 days, then maybe you have an infection of sinus, also know as Sinusitis. Sinus headaches can be too irritating and keep recurring frequently, unless sinusitis is not treated. Sinuses are air-filled spaces within the bones of the head and face that contribute to the upper tract of your respiratory tract from the nose to your throat. The sinuses develop even before one is born. There are four parts of sinuses - one located in the cheeks on either side of your nose, one located in the forehead, one located behind and between our eyes and one located at the back of one's nasal cavity.

What is Sinusitis

Sinusitis is a medical condition in which one suffers from the infection of sinus. The cold virus damages the delicate cilia of one's nose and causes the mucous lining of the nose to swell. Due to this swelling, the narrow opening from the sinuses are blocked causing more and more mucous to produce; which could be harder and stickier, thus making it difficult to flow out of the sinuses. It results in an infection of the sinuses and this condition is referred as Sinusitis.

Sinusitis symptoms include headaches, severe cold, runny nose, blocked nose, congestion, sore throat and facial pain. Sinus headaches can be painful and discomforting. Causes of sinusitis could be anything from pollution, infection, allergy to certain substances such as dust, pollen etc. Individuals suffering from asthma, chronic cold or allergies are more prone to sinusitis.

Acute sinusitis is a short term condition which responds well to antibiotic treatment or recovers on it's own in a matter of few days. But chronic sinusitis on the other hand, could last for many days, even weeks or may keep recurring. Medication course for the same is advisable. Sinusitis is a matter of concern and could cause unnecessary pain and discomfort.

Sinus Surgery

Sinus surgery is a boon to patients suffering from chronic sinusitis.  Mucus is developed by the body and acts as a lubricant that moves across the sinus cavities. Sinusitis swells the mucous membrane thus blocking the mucous movements. When in the cases of sinusitis, antibiotics and other prescribed medical treatment don't work, sinus surgeries are suggested to correct the problem. Endoscopic Sinus Surgery is considered to be safe and perfect solution for the problem of sinusitis. 

What are UV Rays

UV Rays or Ultraviolet rays are invisible rays which are part of the solar energy. UV rays help our body to make Vitamin D and hence we are suppose to walk in morning sun. Vitamin D is essential for the strengthening of our bones and teeth. It helps us to build strong immunity against body disorders like Rickets or even colon cancer. UV rays are also used to slow down the growth of skin cells and treat diseases like psoriasis.

Commercial uses of UV rays include disinfection and sterilization. Few animals perceive in ultraviolet and can see things. Animals such as birds, bees and even some fishes can see in ultraviolet. For example by perceiving ultraviolet, bees can collect pollen from flowers. Human eyes can however detect wavelengths only in visual spectrum.

How Harmful is UV Rays?

 UV rays are useful for the ecosystem.  But too much UV rays can be a threat to our existence. UV light is a type of a electromagnetic radiation which is responsible for sun tans and sun burns. The ultraviolet rays have the potential to burn eyes, skin as well as hair if these human parts are not properly protected. Too much exposure to sun affects our skin. Too much UV rays can damage the skin cells and also cause cancer. And hence one should always use a sunscreen when opting to be out in hot sun. Also wearing a hat helps.

The ozone layer in the upper part(Stratosphere) of the atmosphere absorbs UV radiation and thus prevents most of the harmful rays to reach the earth's surface. And hence ozone layer is very important. The depletion of ozone layer is a great matter of concern. 

Why Do We Feel Itchy

Our skin is the largest organ that we have, and we put it through several potential irritants knowingly or rather unknowingly. It just happens! With so many pollutants, toxins and irritants in the air, our skin comes in contact with daily. No wonder we are bound to itch. Itch is also known as Pruritus. Itching is a built-in mechanism of our body which alerts us about a potential threat that is bothering us or being harmful to us.

 At times, itching could be nothing much severe, but this won't be the case most of the times. Some type of external stimuli which could include a bug, dust, a clothing fiber or even a hair can trigger itching. Moreover an allergy to certain thing or food or smell can trigger itching. So when external objects such as dust, mosquito or bug land on our skin, they bother it somehow and result into itching. It does not have to start immediately, but the rubbing or an allergy could trigger out itching.

And then there is food allergies which can trigger itching and redness of your skin. A person who is allergic to a particular food, or dust particles can experience severe itching. Once the dust layer scratches your skin area the receptors of the skin will become irritated. These receptors send signal through fibers into the skin to your spinal cord and then to your brain - the result you start itching.

Why do we scratch a itch is really a wonder. Scratching the itch makes us feel better, and that is our first response to the itch. Once we scratch the itch with our finger nails we feel much better and get some relief. Very often scratching helps relieving itch by removing the irritant as soon as possible. When the itching is triggered due to an allergy, we need certain medications to help us solve the problem.

Why Vultures are Not Affected By Eating Rotten Carcasses

If humans were made to consume rotten food, we would definitely fall sick. Even if our food loses some of it's freshness, we could get digestion problems. Most of us suffer problems of food poisoning by eating stale foods, or foods left open for a long time. Not just humans but many animal fall prey to food poisoning. On the other hand, vultures are seen striving on decaying meat and rotten carcasses. And this is what we wonder - how can vultures eat rotten carcasses and still remain unaffected?

First of all, as we know a vulture is a scavenger and eats dead and rotten meat. They contribute tremendously to maintain the balance in the ecosystem by playing this role. It is said that they have this super ability of smelling a rotten carcass from far distances. And they can survive feeding on dead meat. The stomach acid of the vulture is significantly stronger and corrosive - to an extent that it can burn away almost anything. Even the harmful bacteria and other dangerous microbes present inside the rotting meat could be easily destroyed by the stronger stomach of a vulture. Hence even if a vulture feeds on a rotting carcasses which has been badly infected with these dangerous bacteria, the stomach acid would make it a point to kill the bacteria and make the meat safe enough for the vultures to survive on. 

What is Curium?

One of the rare metals, curium is radioactive in nature. It is hard, brittle and silvery. It's occurrence is not in nature and hence is a synthetic element. It has to be made in a nuclear reactor. The process of making curium in a nuclear reactor is by neutron capture reactions from plutonium and americium isotopes.

Curium glowing in the dark

Curium was discovered by American Chemist Glenn T. Seaborg, Ralph A. James and Albert Ghiorso in 1944 in USA. The metal was named after chemist and physicist Marie Curie and her husband Pierre Curie, who are known to be the pioneers of radioactivity.

One of the property of Curium is that, it tarnishes slowly in dry air at room temperature. Most of it's compounds are faintly yellow. Curium is highly radioactive and glows red in dark. Curium is considered to be dangerous. If curium enters the body it gets accumulated in the bone marrow and with it's radiation starts destroying the marrow and further stops red blood cell formation.

What is Curium used for?

Presently curium is used only for basic scientific research. Curium 244 is a power source in radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). It is also used in the Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (AXPS) which is used in measuring the abundance of chemical elements and soils on Mars.

How to Make a pH Indicator at Home

As summer vacation nears, parents wonder how to keep kids busy at home. The best way to keep children busy during vacations at home is by allowing them to conduct kid-friendly experiments that not only allow them to pass time, but also teach them new things. Science for kids is an enjoyable and great learning experience. Science can be well-learned not just by reading textbooks but by experimental method. pH Indicator can be made at home with material easily available. With parent's supervision and help, a child can enjoy this scientific experiment at home and have fun.

Materials for making pH Indicator

Filter paper
Beetroot - 1
Mineral water
Strainer
Paint brush

Method for making pH Indicator

1

Peel the beetroot and grate it. Place the grated beetroot in a vessel half filled with water. Boil the water and simmer for 20 minutes on a low flame. Allow it to cool.

2

Filter the beetroot water with the help of a strainer. Collect the water in a tray and throw away the beetroot remains.

3

Take filter paper strips and dip in the beetroot water tray. Allow it to soak till uniformly colored.

4

Your pH Indicator is ready.

Take the Test

You can take the pH Indicator and start testing on various kind of liquids such as lemon juice, sour milk, milk, or even vinegar. To carry on the test, take the paint brush and dip in the liquid of your choice. Now with that brush dip paint on the pH indicator. The color on the pH indicator would change depending on whether the given liquid is an alkaline or acidic.

Tip

You can be innovative with various solutions instead of beet root for making pH indicator. Some other liquids include grape juice or even turmeric solution.

How it Works

The pigment present in the beetroot, known as Anthocyanin acts as the pH indicator and changes it's color according to the presence of alkaline or acidic nature of the liquids tested.

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Don't we wonder why working for long hours on computer give us numb or painful wrists. Same thing happens when we play video games for a long time. The reason our wrists undergo severe pain, numbness or a tingling sensation at times is due to a certain condition called Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, commonly called CTS is a condition which occurs when the tunnel of bones and wrist's ligaments become narrow. This narrowed tunnel is responsible for the tingling sensation or numbness in our hand, as the narrowed tunnel pinches the nerve. This numbness and tingling sensation caused by the carpal tunnel syndrome can be felt on an individual's hand, especially around the thumb and first three fingers.

What Causes Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The tunnel that gets affected due to the carpal tunnel syndrome is located under the skin of our wrist and is known as the carpal tunnel. The bottom and insides of the tunnel are formed by the wrist bones. The top of the carpal tunnel is covered with ligament. Nine tendons, that join a muscle with some other part of the body, and one median nerve passes through this carpal tunnel from our forearm to the hand. These tendons connect muscles to our bones  and thus help our hand to efficient maneuvering of the fingers and thumb. The median nerve passes through the tunnel and reaches the hand. There is very little space for the nine tendons and the median nerve to pass through. Repetitive movement such as typing or continuous movement of the wrist may result in swelling of wrist. This swelling pinches the nerve resulting in numbness or tingling sensation. One may even experience severe pain. This is the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Thus the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include numbness, severe pain and tingling sensation in your wrist.

How is Bone Marrow Formed

Bone marow

Bone marrow is a flexible, spongy tissue located within the bone interiors. This semi-solid tissue is in a jelly form and helps to produce blood cells and also protect the innermost core of the bone. The average weight of bone marrow is 4% of the individual's body weight. This gelatinous tissue fills the cavity of the bone. The bone marrow is found in the spine, hip and the shoulder bones of an adult.The richest source of bone marrow cell can be found in spine as well as hip of an individual.

Bone marrow consists of two type of cells - the Hematopoietic stem cells, which produce the blood cells and the Stromal stem cells, which can produce the cartilage, fat and the bone. Hemopoiesis is the process in which the the blood cell is produced. There are two types of bone marrow, one is the red marrow which contains the hematopoietic stem cells. The red blood cells, platelets as well as most of the white blood cells arise in red bone marrow. The red marrow mainly exists in flat bones of an individual's body such as hip bone, skull, ribs, vertebrae  and also in shoulder blades. Similarly the other type of bone marrow is the yellow marrow which houses the stroma stem cells.The presence of higher amount of fat cells give the yellow marrow it's colour. Some of the white blood cells are also developed in yellow marrow.

The formation of bone marrow in an individual takes place even before his birth. It's formation is similar to that of the formation of other organ's or tissue in one's body. Usually during birth the bone marrow is red which gets converted into yellow as one ages. Bone marrow is considered as an life saving agent for patients with severe blood loss, because the body has the tendency to convert the yellow marrow into red marrow in order to increase the blood cell production. 

How Are Valleys Formed?

Valleys are the low lying areas present between two hills or two mountains. Valleys are usually formed near water bodies such as rivers and hence they are dense with vegetation and have great soil fertility. When water bodies such as rivers flow through mountains or hills they wear out the rock and the soil thus creating grooves within. These grooves over a period of time get deeper and deeper causing big dents within the mountain. These grooves are usually V-shaped or U-shaped and the curve deepens over a period of time to form valleys.

U-shaped Valley

The formation of valleys usually depend upon the speed of the flow of the water. Faster the flow, deeper and wider the valley. When glaciers form valleys they are called glacial valleys. The shape of glacial valley is U-shape. However when a valley is formed due to soil erosion it is usually V-shaped and these valleys are know as rift valleys. Due to it's rich soil fertility and dense vegetation, valleys can cater to civilizations. The valleys also tend to offer a favorable climate for living. And hence many such civilizations had known to flourish in the valleys. One such known civilization of valley is the Indus Valley Civilization on the Indus River. The world's deepest valley is the Kali Gandaki River in Nepal. It is known to lie between two Himalayan Peaks namely, Dhaulagiri and Annapurna which are 8000 meter high respectively.

Why Do We Have Different Skin Color?

We often wonder why we and all around us differ so much when it comes to skin color. The color of the human skin varies almost from light translucent to almost black. All these wide varied colors that we human being have come from a particular pigment known as melanin. The type and amount of melanin present in an individual's body defines his or her color.

The color of every individual is more or less affected by the presence of four pigments in the body - melanin, oxygenated hemoglobin, reduced hemoglobin and carotene. However melanin stands out as the most powerful of all and gives us the color that we have. Melanin pigment are produced by special cells known as melanocytes which are found in the epidermis of our skin. Genes control the production of melanin cells in an individual body. The melanin producing cells in every adult ranges from 60,000 in each square inch of the skin. Few melanocytes mean less pigment which means lighter skin. Hence we have different skin color depending upon the production of melanin.

Besides melanin one more factor that affects one's skin color is haemoglobin. Haemoglobin combines with oxygen to produce the rosy complexion which is often referred as a sign of good health. Reduced haemoglobin causes anemia which makes a person appear pale.