Why ocean animals are big in size ??

 It comes down to physics, food and other limits.

1.  Water supports weight

                    On land , we have gravity.  An animal's skeleton and muscles have to hold it up 24*7 against gravity.

                      But in water, buoyancy cancels most of this out.

                      A blue whale weighs 200 tons, but in water it feels almost weightless   !!!

                       This allows sea animals to grow bigger without breaking their bones.

2.  More food, more space

                     In oceans, there is huge uninterrupted food chains. There is nothing to stop a predator from roaming to find it.

3.  Heat management is easier 

                      Big bodies heat up and cool down slowly. In water, heat dissipate faster .

                       So giant marine animals don't overheat  !!!

4.  Less predation pressure 

                        In open ocean, size itself is the best defense.  For big marine animals, there is nothing that can kill them !!!

Why salt and pepper are widely used to season food ???

  Salt and pepper are the standard foundation of seasoning.

They work together to chemically enhance anf physically transform the taste and aroma of food.

People often lump them together !!!!

But they serve completely different at molecular level.

 

CULINARY SCIENCE OF SALT

Salt is not technically a spice !!!

It is an essential mineral required for human survival. 

Salt enhances the flavor which are already present in the food.  Salt

1.  Suppessees bitterness 

2.  Amplifies sweetness.

3.  Salt draws out moisture from food.

4.  Salt softens the rigid cell wall of vegetables.

CULINARY SCIENCE OF PEPPER 

Unlike salt, black pepper is a spice that adds entirely new taste and sensation to dish.

Pepper gives   -----

1.  Layered flavour experience.

2.  It releases complex aromas.

The reason these two specific seasonings sit on dining table is largely due to French royal court cuisine which is the global standard for fine dining.

Which is the only country to cover all the food groups ???

 This is the only country that could feed its entire population healthy balanced diet.

It is fully self sufficient in all the food groups !!!

The 7 essential food groups are   ------

1.   Fruits 

2.  Vegetables 

3.  Grains 

4.  Legumes, nuts and seeds

5.  Dairy 

6.  Meat

7.  Fish

This country is the " global outlier ".

Reasons are abundant natural resources, low population density and strategic investment.

Country              GUYANA    !!!!

World's highest railway station

  Tangulla railway station at Tibet is the highest railway station in the world standing tall at 5068 meters above the sea level.

Tangulla railway station iw unlike any other  ..  Here there is no staff  and no passenger service  !!!

It exists as technical stop never meant for boarding or exit   !!!

No crowd, no noise only fresh breath of nature.

Passengers can not step into its platform.  

To ease the journey ,  oxygen is supplied within carriages.

Which one is better for eyes ?? Yellow or the white light ??

 Both light types feel normal   !!!

But they affect and comfort the eyes differently.

The right choice depends on what we are watching.

White light or daylight tone keeps the brain alert and improves concentration.

It is better for studying, working and reading.

 

Staring at bright white light for long hours can lead to headache, digital fatigue and dry eyes at night.

Yellow light feels gentler on eyes. It reduces strain and creates calm environment.

It helps brain to wind  down and supports better sleep.

SO WHICH IS BETTER  ??

Neither of colours are universally better !!!

It depends on use.

White light for focus and task.

Yellow light for comfort and rest  !!!

Bheja Fry Question

  Question 

A sleeper bus caught fire because of collision with container truck.  There were 31 passengers and 1 driver on the bus.

If the time for each passenger to get down is 30 secs, in how many minutes did the bus get engulfed in flames ??

​

​Answer 

We add the passengers and the driver together:

​Passengers: 31

​Driver: 1

​Total People : 31 + 1 = 32

​

If each person takes 30 seconds to exit, we multiply the total number of people by the time per person:

Time  =  32  ×    30  =  960 seconds. 

A minute has 60 seconds. 

==>>  Time  =  960/60 

==>>  Time  =  16  minutes

So it takes total  16 minutes to passengers to come out of the bus one by one   !!! 

Bus got engulfed in fire in nearly 16 minutes......

Vulture bees

 Vulture bees also known as carrion bees are stingless bees.

They are native to central and south America.

They DON'T FEED ON NECTAR AND POLLEN.

They feed on ROTTING MEAT  !!!!

They have  strong and powerful mandibles.

They have evolved an extra tooth, allowing them to efficiently tear off chunks of meat.

As they are stingless, they defend their colony by biting aggressors.

They often enter dead animals through eyes, nose or mouth to access the flesh.

The flesh they collect is consumed and then regurgitated upon return to the hive.

They produce an unique, protein rich substance from the processed meat which is known as MEAT HONEY  !!!

They also collect extra floral nectar.

Lesser known facts about horses

  Horses have many surprising and sensitive traits.

They are   -----

1.   Horses start walking soon after birth.

2.   Horse's digestion depends on continuos eating.  They eat little but steady grazing keeps their digestion healthy.

3. Horses remember everything, good or bad !!!

4.   Horses can see almost everything around them.

5.  Horses' body movements say more than sounds.

Metal that is liquid at room temperature

We typically associate metals with being solid, heavy and structurally rigid.

But there is an exception.

Metal that is liquid at room temperature is Mercury,  Hg known as quick silver.

The reason why mercury stays liquid whereas its counterparts like gold and thallium are solids lies in quantum mechanics.

In mercury atoms, electrons move at incredibly high speeds. This causes the electrons to gain mass and pull closer to nucleus.

Outermost electrons are moved so tightly towards the center that they do not bond easily with other mercury atoms.

Because of this, attraction between mercury atoms is so weak that in room temperature also, atoms will be sliding past one another resulting in liquid state.

Mercury don't flow like water though it is a liquid  !!!

It has extreme high surface tension causing it to form silver beads, we are familiar with.

World's most import dependant countries

  These are the countries  ----

1.   Hong Kong

2.  Luxembourg 

3.   San Marino

4.   Singapore 

5.  Djibouti 

6.   Nauru 

7.  Seychelles 

8.  Ireland 

9.  Kiribati 

10.  Malta

11.  Somalia 

12.  Lesotho 

13.   Cyprus 

14.   UAE 

Why sprinkle water before dosa ??

  There is a very practical scientific reason for that quick splash of water !!!

The primary goal is to lower the surface temperature of the tawa quickly.

If the pan is too hot, the batter will cook the moment it touches the surface.  This makes it impossible to spread the batter into a thin circle. Batter just stick  to pan.

The reason behind this is as the water evaporates, it absorbs a significant amount of heat  from the metal.  It brings the temperature to a point where the batter can glide smoothly before setting.

The water droplets instead of just evaporating instantly, they will be dancing and skittering across the pan !!!

This is Leiden Frost effect.

When a liquid hits a surface significantly hotter than its boiling point, a thin layer of vapour forms between the liquid and the surface.

This vapour layer acts as an insulator, allowing the droplets to hower   !!!

After sprinkling the water, it is  important to wipe it off. Otherwise dosa will steam and become soggy..... 

When batter is applied to pan, batter don't get attached to pan. Also it will help the batter to spread making dosa crispier in the edges and smoother in the middle  !!!

Tallest animals of different species in the world

  Here is the list of tallest animals in the world   ----

1.   African elephant,  tallest in elephants 

2.  Moose,  tallest deer

3.  Ostrich, tallest bird

4.  Whale shark, biggest fish

5.  Brown Bear , tallest bear

6.  Lion's mane jellyfish,  largest jellyfish 

7.  Saltwater crocodile, largest reptile 

8.  Giraffe , tallest land animal 

9.  Blue whale , largest animal ever 

Why do human new born babies have more bones than adults ??

Many of the new born babies " bones " are actually seperate pieces of soft, flexible cartilage that gradually fuse together as they grow.

New born babies born with 270 to 300 " bones ", an adult skeleton has only 206 bones.

Having multiple, seperate skull bones allows the baby's head to compress slightly.  It helps in natural way of pregnancy.

Flexible spots between skull bones provide room for the brain to expand quickly during infancy.

Pliable skeleton helps the infants to absorb the effect of falls and tumbles while they try to learn crawling and walking.

As the person matures, calcium and other minerals harden the soft cartilage to solid bones.

Similar bone segments grow together to form single, larger and stronger structures. 

This is notable in skull, spine and pelvis regions.

Mulla Naseeruddin and coffee

  One day,  Mulla Naseeruddin went to a coffee shop and ordered coffee.

He sipped it and made a face  !!!

He called the waiter.

Naseeruddin asked the waiter,  "  What's wrong with the coffee  ??  "

Waiter  :  It's the same coffee we serve everyone  .....

Naseeruddin   :    Then why is it cold ??

                                  Did someone drink from it already  ??!!

Why letter 'u' always comes after letter 'q' ??

 I listed out some words starting with ' q'.

In all these words, 'q’ is followed by letter 'u' !!!

Queen  

    Quiet       

          Quit   

                 Quick  

                        Question 

                               Quality 

                                    Acqua

In all these words, letter 'q' is followed by letter 'u'  !!!

Q always never hangs out alone  !!!

Why ' qu  '  happens 

1. It came from Latin .  

In Latin,, q is always followed by u

When English borrowed tonnes of Latin words, we kept the spelling.

2.  English was influenced by French too  !!! 

      As French also used same letters, English just     k   e   p  t  it .

 

U  follows   Q  because  Roman and French people did it first..

We just kept the habit  !!!

We don't really use Q alone .  It feels wrong to us.

Q always brings U, thats how we learnt it  !!!

It is just a spelling habit, that we inherited   !!!

Bheja Fry question

  Question 

How many times in a day will the hour hand minute hand exactly coincide with each other ??

Answer 

Although it seems like it should be 24 times in a 24 hour clock, they coincide only 22 times during a 24 hour period   !!!

It's because the minute hand moves faster than the hour hand.

In a 12  hour period, the minute hand completes 12 rounds, while the hour hand completes only one  !!!

This means they overlap only 11 times during those 12 hours.

So, for 24 hours, that makes 22 times !!!

Which island belongs to 2 countries ???

 Some islands are divided between 2 countries. These islands share borders that seperate one nation from another while sharing the same landmass !!!

These are governed by different governments on same island..

One of such island is belongs to 2 countries. It is located in Caribbean sea and is one of the largest island in that region.

Western part of island is occupied by Haiti while eastern part belongs to Dominican Republic. 

Each part has its own government, language and culture even though they are in same island  !!!

Island        HISPANIOLA   .,...

It is the second largest island in Caribbean and largest island shared by 2 countries.

Haitian part of island uses French and Dominican Republic part uses Spanish  !!!

Why we must not use the same cooking oil over and over again ??i

  We Indians have the habit of using the same cooking oil that we used to fry poories in the morning,

Same cooking oil we use to fry papads as the evening snack  !!!!

                            STOP  !!!

Using the same cooking oil repeatedly can be harmful. 

Oil becomes oxidized, leading to free radical formation. This can cause cell damage and inflammation.

Oil could become ruffled with impurities affecting food taste and quality.

Some oils have low smoke points .  They break down when they are reheated.

This can lead to serious health issues.

It is best to use fresh oil for each cooking session.

Kids are always kids !!!

 Yesterday night was the FIFA worldcup final match between Spain and Argentina.

By now, everyone has come to know that Spain has become the champions     !!!!

Yesterday at 7 pm, my nephew Aniruddha had called me.

Me  :  Aniruddha, tonight is the final football match between Spain and Argentina  !!!

Aniruddha  :  Yes  ......

Me  :  Who do you think will win the match  ??

Aniruddha  :  It is going to be Spain   !!!!

Me :  Why Spain ??   Argentina are also the hot favourites.....

Aniruddha  :  Argentina were the last time champion.  So this time, its Spain  !!!!!

Me : What's this logic ??!!  

          If a team plays well, that team would be champions for second time also.

          Messi would cast his magic this time.

           Argentina would be champions this time  !!!

Aniruddha  :   Stats say, only two teams have won back to back worldcup.

                           That too, long back.....

                            Italy in 1934 and  1938     and  Brazil in 1958 and 1962.

                            Then no one has won back to back worldcups.

Me  :   Stats are there to break !!!

            This time, Argentina would break the jinx

Aniruddha :   By tomorrow morning, we would come to know the result 

                         I strongly believe Spain are going to be champions  !!!

Me  :  Let's wait and watch .....

Aniruddha and stats were right !!!

Argentina lost and Spain have become new champions    !!!

Countries with militarized economics

  Militarized economy  usually means a country where defense is a large share of GDP.

In other words, defense industry is a core part of national economy.

Military burden  --  %ge of GDP 

1.  Ukraine      -----    40% of GDP

2.  Israel           -----    8.8%

3.   Algeria         -----    8.0%

4.  Saudi Arabia   ---  7.3%

5.  Russia           ------        7.1%

6.   Poland        ----        4.9%