Smaller birds hop, while larger ones walk by alternating legs. Smaller birds won’t get very far with each baby step, However, there are plenty of exceptions, even within the same taxonomic groups, and some species (ravens, robins and blackbirds) move by both methods.
Read More »Why do laurel and holy trees have shiny waxy leaves?
Laurel and holy trees have developed special kinds of leaves to seal the water inside themLaurel and holy trees have developed special kinds of leaves to seal the water inside them during the winter months. Both trees are evergreen, inside of dropping all their leaves in autumn; they shed old ones and grow new ones through out the year. In …
Read More »Why do food packages carry Kcal when they actually specify calories and not kilo-calories?
Kilocalories are commonly known as calories and abbreviated as kcal. One calorie (Kcal) has the same energy value as 4.186 kilojoules (kJ), while one kilojoule is equivalent to 0.24 calories. One calorie contains the amount of energy that raises the temperature of one litre of water by 1 degree Celsius.
Read More »Why do flowers have sepals?
The sepals of a flowers protect it while it is in bud. The flower is really a kind of shoot, in which the leaves have been altered so that they can take on the task of producing seeds. In a simple flower these leaves are arranged in circles, called whorls. The outermost are five green, leaf-shaped sepals. Inside these are …
Read More »राजा और अँधा
एक रोज सुबह – सुबह राजा वीरभद्र आखेट के लिए निकला। महल लौटने को हुआ तो बहुत ही थका, भूखा और प्यास हो चुका था। तभी, सड़क के किनारे उसने तरबूजों का एक खेत देखा। एक प्यासे व्यक्ति को इससे बढ़कर और क्या चाहिए? उसने अपने सेवकों को कुछ बढ़िया तरबूज लाने का आदेश दिया। जब वे उस तरफ बढ़ …
Read More »बुद्धिमान मेमना
एक घने जंगल की गुफा में एक नन्हा मेमना अपना माँ – बाप के साथ रहता था। बकरी परिवार के खाने के लिए जंगल में बहुत कुछ था – झाड़ियाँ, पत्तियां आदि। तीनों का जीवन आराम से कट जाता, बस शिकारी जानवरों का डर भर न होता। पूरा जंगल बड़े – बड़े बाघों और चालाक, निर्दयी गीदड़ों, से भरा हुआ था। बकरी …
Read More »गोपाल का इलाज
गोपाल भांड नहुत ही बुद्धिमान और मेहनती आदमी था। उसकी बुद्धि और व्यवहार कुशलता के बहुत चर्चे थे। लोगों की हर समस्या का हल वह चुटकियों में करता था। इसलिए उसके पास लोग अपनी – अपनी मुश्किलें लेकर आते ही रहते थे। किस्मत की बात है – उसके पड़ोस में एक निहायत कमअक्ल दम्पति रहता था। उस पर तुर्रा यह …
Read More »Why do flowers have different smells and colours?
The smell in flowers comes form the special oils that are produced in the petals, as the plant grows. When this oil evaporates, which it does very easily, it gives off a fragrance which we can smell. Various combinations of chemicals in the oil of different flowers result in a variety of fragrances. Some are pleasant sweet smells, like those …
Read More »Why do Ears Pop?
Recently I went to the top of a skyscraper in a lift. After I had gone up a few stories, I felt a funny sensation in my ears. My eardrums seemed like they were growing and were about to burst. As I went a little higher, the sensation was worse. My fellow passengers in the lift told me to swallow …
Read More »Why can’t we see in the dark?
The human eye uses light to see. Light bounces off our surroundings and into our eye through our pupil, the black hole at the center. A picture forms on our retina, the lining at the back of the eye. Our brain makes sense out of what we see. Without light, there is nothing to enter our retina and therefore we …
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