Why are Cancer and AIDS so feared? Cancer and AIDS are two of the most dreaded diseases. They are not highly infectious diseases like the plagues of centuries past, so that people who are with sufferers are not necessarily at risk. But they can be difficult to treat, and there is little hope for patients who have either disease in …
Read More »Why do we eat turkey for Thanksgiving?
Why do we eat turkey for Thanksgiving? Although juicy and tender butterball turkeys are the main cuisine of today’s Thanksgiving celebrations, these birds were NOT the most popular centerpieces on the first Thanksgiving tables. In 1621 when the Plymouth* colonists and Wampanoag Indians celebrated the first Thanksgiving, they were gobbling up many more foods than just turkey. Since lobster, goose, …
Read More »What is the pasteurized milk?
What is the pasteurized milk? Milk is pasteurized by heating it to a temperature of about 62 Centigrade (about 143 Fahrenheit) and maintaining that temperature for half an hour. The treatment kills most of the bacteria, which cause milk to go sour quickly, or many produce disease in human beings. This temperature is chosen it is the lowest temperature that …
Read More »What is the cause of the earth’s magnetic field?
Originally, it was thought that the centre of the earth has magnetized iron deposits, which caused it to act like a huge permanent bar magnet. However, the theory failed to explain how the magnetic field had sustained itself for long, because even if there was magnetized iron in the core earlier, the core of the earth is so hot that …
Read More »When is the earth nearest to the sun?
It is nearest to the sun on about the second or third day in January. The distance varies because it spins round the sun in an elliptical orbit or path. The time when the earth is closest to the sun is called the perihelion. The time when it is farthest away the aphelion comes six months later on the first …
Read More »What was the first life on the Earth?
Until quite recently it was thought that there were no abundant life forms on this planet until about 600 million years ago. When we remember that the Earth itself is at least 4500 million years old, it does seem to have taken a very long time before any animals or plants appeared. Then, geologically speaking, they must have developed very …
Read More »When will Oceans of the Earth Overflow?
When will the Oceans of the Earth Overflow? Try this out. Plug the sink and leave the water running. It will lead to a flood in the bathroom and a scolding for letting the water overflow. Since the sink could not hold an unlimited amount of water, it let the water spill out. But even the oceans are enormous bodies …
Read More »What does cold blooded mean?
What does cold blooded mean? Creatures such as mammals have a body temperature which stays roughly the same whatever surroundings they are in. This temperature varies from creature to creature, for example the body temperature of any healthy human is 98.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Some creatures are cold blooded, which means that the body temperature varies according to the animals surrounding. …
Read More »What is terminated seed technology-based bollygard seeds?
The bollygard cotton seed is suspected to have the ‘terminator seed’ technology which involves introduction of a gene that terminates the germination of the seeds after onetime usage. ‘Terminator’ is actually a name coined by the Canadian non-governmental organisation Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) for a technology that essentially controls the expression of certain genes, causing the plant to turn …
Read More »What is Mission Shakti? Name the Missile & satellite used in it?
What was the test? On March 27, 2019 India conducted Mission Shakti, an anti-satellite missile test, from the Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Island launch complex. This was a technological mission carried out by DRDO. The satellite used in the mission was one of India’s existing satellites operating in lower orbit. The test was fully successful and achieved all …
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