Flies can jump backwards during takeoffs. Researchers found out using a high-speed video camera that the fruitfly anticipates the direction of the threat and shuffles its legs to a takeoff position in a matter of a few milliseconds, a manoeuvre that helps them fly away from the threat.
Butterflies are delicate creatures and they are affected by climate change. A large population of butterflies indicates a healthy ecosystem and a dearth of butterflies indicates that the ecosystem is under stress. Butterflies are unable to fly if their body temperatures drop below 30 degrees Celcius.
An average hurricane bringing in 1.5 cm per day of rain, with a circle radius of 665 km, generates a huge amount of energy (6.0 × 1014 Watts or 5.2 × 1019 Joules/ day), which is equivalent of 200 times the electricity-generating capacity of the entire planet in a year. This is equivalent to detonating…
A raindrop falls on the earth with varying speeds depending on its size and weight. The gravity acts on the falling raindrop and the drop picks up speed. But due to air resistance, which is generally proportional to the velocity, the raindrops attain a terminal speed. A larger raindrop would fall much faster at 9…
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…
The rhino looks like it is wearing a coat of armour. Rudyard Kipling, in his story ‘How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin’, tells an interesting tale about how a Parsee called Pestonjee Bomonjee baked a magical cake and a rhinoceros ate it on an uninhabited Island on the Red Sea. When that happened, the rhinoceros…
