Africa is home to two species of rhinoceros – the hook-lipped or black rhinoceros and square-lipped or white rhinoceros. The white rhino is the largest existing species of rhinoceros and the second largest animal after the elephant. An adult male rhino can weigh as much as 3.6 tonnes. Female rhinos are comparatively less heavier, but can still weigh up to 1.7 tonnes….
American geologist Bruce Heezer and oceanic cartographer Marie Tharp were researchers at the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, New York. In the 1950s, they expedited with a crew across the Atlantic to gather data about the ocean floor from the ocean surface. The observations proved that there was in fact a chain of mountains, as high as halfway till the surface, under the…
Polar bears are clad with thick, waterproof fur and their feet are partly-webbed. It is these features that make them strong swimmers. Their fur and feet help them to swim long distances through the icy waters of the Arctic.
The Tonlé Sap River is attached to a freshwater lake also known as the Tonlé Sap Lake. It connects the lake with the Mekong River, which is the world’s twelfth longest river. It flows north from November to May feeding the Mekong River with water from the lake. However, with the arrival of the monsoon…
Scientists have partially reversed the ageing process in mice using genetic engineering. These mice showed signs of new growth of the brain and testes, improved fertility, and the return of a lost cognitive function. Scientists from Harvard and the University of New South Wales are working on the various aspects of the study. They are…
We can taste food because the salivary glands in the mouth secrete saliva that mix with the food. Without saliva, we would not know the taste of any kind of food. The chemoreceptors or taste buds need a liquid medium that makes flavours bind into the receptor molecules. For example, if a pinch of salt…
