Feeling ‘stressurised’ means the feeling of “being under pressure and stress” at the same time.

The fragrance in flowers, fruits and spices is due to the evaporation of certain volatile chemicals into the air. Flowers produce a scent which is a complex mixture of low molecular weight, with volatile compounds such as esters, is emitted into the atmosphere. No two floral scents are exactly the same because of these compounds. Plants pollinated by bees and …

From the moment we put a piece of meat into our mouth, until it has been used up by the body, this mouthful of food has a very strange journey. The meat is gripped by the lips, ground by the teeth, pounded by the tongue, mixed with saliva and then swallowed. Three pathways meet at the back of the throat: …

The mystery of the Mary Celeste has occupied men’s minds for a hundred years. She was a ship of 282 tons and she sailed from New York on 7 November 1872 bound for Genoa, with a cargo of alcohol. Her master was Benjamin Briggs, and with him sailed his wife, their two-year old daughter, and five seamen. On 5 December, …

At sunrise and sunset, we see the sun through a greater thickness of air because it is low in the sky. Therefore, we are looking at it across the earth’s surface rather than directly up into the sky. At these times, the sky often turns orange-red because the photons of red and orange light are scattered through the atmosphere around …

Oil tankers, the biggest ships, are so large that their decks could accommodate a hundred tennis courts each with four players.

Did you that the sea horse is the only true fish which swims in a standing up position, and not lying down as other fish do?

A majority of dye pigments are derived from metals. Red dye comprises mercury sulphide, cinnabar and vermilion, yellow dye uses cadmium, while blue dye is made from cobalt salts. Other colours are made from chromium, manganese, ferric oxide or zinc oxide. Black dye is non-metallic and is made from carbon, black ink or logwood. Most of the metallic dyes are …

Zumba is a cardio-fitness regime based on Latin rhythms developed by a former aerobics instructor Alberto Perez from Colombia. A Zumba class would span several Latin dance styles including Mambo, Salsa, Cumbia and Merengue. Another unique feature of a Zumba class is its party atmosphere unlike a typical aerobics class.

Wood becomes waterlogged when all its calls are filled with water. It can absorb water only up to about 30 per cent of its own weight. As it does so, the wood swells until it reaches “fibre saturation point” or its maximum volume. If further water is added, it will penetrate to the cavities of the cells, but no further …