Category Fun Facts

How does howrah bridge stands without any support of pillars?

Howrah Bridge is a long and heavy bridge but it has no support in the centre. Rabindra Setu, popularly known as Howrah Bridge, links the cities of Howrah and Kolkata. It is a 705-metre long cantilever bridge. A cantilever is a structure that juts out way beyond its base. The branch of a tree is a natural cantilever, a beam of metal jutting out from a wall to support a balcony is a cantilever, the diving board of a swimming pool may be a cantilever. In all these examples, the support exists only at one end. In a cantilever bridge, the cantilever juts out over the river from a supporting structure known as a pier. A similar cantilever juts out from a supporting structure on the opposite side of the river. The two arms meet to form the spanof the bridge. The piers at either end of the bridge support the load that a cantilever bridge has to carry so there is no need for a support in the centre.

Picture Credit : Google 

Can peacocks fly with their tails?

Peacocks can fly, despite their long trains (tail feathers) which make up 60% of their body. The average peacock spends only 2% of its time in flight. Flight serves primarily as a defence mechanism; peacocks launch themselves vertically into the air to escape into the canopies of trees to evade predators and to nest safely during the evenings. If a predator grabs the train, the long feathers pull out easily, so that the peacock can fly away. This national bird of India is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

When you look at the long tail flowing behind a flying peacock, you might be perplexed as to how they manage to lift themselves off the ground. Technically, their actual tail has only about 20 feathers. However the “train” that is made up of the elongated feathers that drape over the tail can have more than 200 feathers and is about 5-6 feet long!

Surely this mass of 200 extra long feathers trailing behind them must hinder their flight ability. However, scientists believe it actually has no significant effects. In a study carried out by Dr. Askew of the University of Leads, peacock tails were clipped to confirm its effect on their flight.

Surprisingly, peacocks with clipped tails still struggled to take off from the ground, and their flight was similar to when they had full tails. This has lead researchers to believe that the gigantic plumage has little effect on a peacocks ability to fly.

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What is Lumosity Brain Training game?

Lumosity Mobile is a fun, interactive way to train your brain and learn how your mind works. The app’s 50+ games and daily workouts test your cognitive skills and adapt as you improve. Categories for the games include: memory, attention, problem-solving, logic, math, words, flexibility and speed. Begin with a Fit Test to obtain your baseline, complete daily workouts and track your performance. The app gives you an analysis about your game strengths and weaknesses to see where you need improvement and monitor your progress. The app has been created by a team of scientists and university researchers on a mission to advance the understanding of human learning and understanding. Free for iOS and Android.

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DID YOU KNOW THAT BONDAGE HAD ITS BEGINNINGS IN AMERICAN EARLE DICKSON’S KITCHEN?

When American Earle Dickson married in 1917, he discovered that his new bride Josephine was so clumsy in the kitchen that she cut herself umpteen times a day. Being a solicitous husband, Dickson I would rush to her aid with gauze and sticking tape. Soon, Dickson thought of a better idea. He placed small strips of gauze in the centre of the pieces of sticking tape and then lined the tape with crinoline (a stiff fabric) so that it wouldn’t stick to itself. He re-rolled the tape so that Josephine could unwind and cut off whatever she needed. Dickson worked at Johnson & Johnson, which produced cotton and gauze bandages for hospitals and the military. They were impressed with his idea, but the first versions of the bandage they made did not sell very well because they were too big.

Eventually Band-Aid was popularised by distributing them free to Boy Scouts. The company also began machine-cutting them in different sizes in 1924. By 1939, Band-Aid was sterilised, and in 1958, a completely waterproof version was in the market. Today, the company sells millions of dollars worth of the little sticking plasters every year.

Picture Credit : Google 

WHAT ARE THE FUN FACTS ABOUT MAMMALS?

Mammals are vertebrates – animals that have a backbone. This means that all mammals have a bony skeleton inside their bodies, which gives them a strong frame. They usually have two pairs of limbs, and organs such as a heart, lungs, stomach and intestine. They come in all shapes and sizes and live in a huge variety of places, from the frozen Arctic wasres to the hottest deserts on Earth.

Of all the different types of animals, mammals are the ones that humans can relate most closely to. This is because humans are just one of the many species of mammals. So what are their characteristics? How are they alike and what are their differences?

They Produce Milk

All mammals have mammary glands, which are used to provide milk for their young. Mammary glands are made up of glandular tissue and ducts and develop from the sweat glands. While many have nipples that allow their young to nurse, one family of mammals, known as monotremes, secrete milk through ducts rather than nipples.

In nearly all mammals, the female is the only one who feeds the young. This means that the nipples of the male, while present, are underdeveloped. In a few species of mammals, such as the Bismarck masked flying fox and Dayak fruit bat, both the male and female are capable of producing milk and both will help care for the young.

They Are Warm-Blooded

A warm-blooded animal is better able to regulate its internal temperature, making it more resilient to outside threats. While a cold-blooded reptile requires a certain external temperature to function, warm-blooded mammals can maintain their body temperature through diet and other methods.

They Have a Four-Chambered Heart

One characteristic of mammals that you cannot see is their four-chambered heart. Reptiles and amphibians have three-chambered hearts, while fish have hearts with two chambers. Birds and mammals are the two classifications of vertebrates that have four chambers.

With a four-chambered heart, the body can easily keep the deoxygenated blood heading to the lungs separate from the oxygen-rich blood heading away from the lungs. This means the animal has fully oxygenated blood available at all times. By having constant access to a well-oxygenated supply of blood, mammals are able to physically exert themselves more fully and without the need for frequent breaks.

Most Replace Their Teeth Once Over Their Lifetime

With the exception of a few mammals, such as kangaroos and manatees, mammals replace their teeth once over their lifetime. Born with deciduous teeth, these fall out to make room for the primary teeth. If they lose a primary tooth, it doesn’t grow back. This contrasts with animals such as alligators and sharks, that can replace teeth throughout their life.

Their Lower Jaw is Made of a Single Bone

In other classes of vertebrates, the lower jaw is made up of several bones and is not attached to the skull. The mammal’s jaw is made of a single bone, attached to the skull. This solid structure gives the mammal’s jaw tremendous power.

They are Protected by Hair

All mammals have some form of hair or fur during some period of their life. Some, like dogs and cats, are covered in fur throughout their life. Others, such as dolphins, have a light covering of hair early in development.

Hair can provide camouflage, protection from the weather, and aid in exploring their environment.

Credit : A-Z Animals 

Picture Credit : Google

WHY DO SOME PEOPLE WRITE WITH THEIR LEFT HAND?

Most of us are right-handed, a few are left-handed, and a small number is ambidextrous – that is, they can use both hands with equal ease.

What causes left-handedness? There are many theories. Some say it is inherited; others, that it is a result of habit, education, and environment. Most scientists, however, believe that left-handedness has a biological basis. It is known that the left hemisphere of the brain controls the right half of the body and the right hemisphere, the left. Most of us are right-handed because in most of us, it is the left hemisphere that is dominant. In those who are left-handed, it is the right hemisphere of the brain that is dominant. If there is no dominance of either hemisphere over the other, then the person might become ambidextrous.

American psychiatrist Camilla Benbow has found that many students who are exceptionally good at mathematics are left-handed. She says this is due to the dominance of the right hemisphere of the brain, which is the seat of mathematical reasoning ability.

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