Category Environtal Studies

What are ways to reduce pollution in school?

New research suggests that simple measure that can be implemented in many schools has a telling influence on air quality. Schools form an integral part of childhood. Worldwide, an estimated 10 million students spend 30% of their daily lives at schools. Out of their duration at school, 70% of the time is spent indoors. Low air quality in such environments leave the children vulnerable to many respiratory diseases, behavioural problems, affect lung and brain health, and even lead to an increased risk of cancer.

Poor air quality

Many schools in our country breach the limits set by the World Health Organisation for air quality. In such a climate, enhancing the surroundings in whatever little way helps in the overall scheme of things. There’s good news, however, as new research suggests that simple measures that can be implemented in many schools has a telling influence on air quality.

In a paper titled “Investigation of air pollution mitigation measures, ventilation, and indoor air quality at 5 three schools in London”, researchers from the University of Surrey listed their findings. The paper, published in the journal Atmospheric Environment, is available online and will be part of the 1 ? issue dated November 15, 2022.

Simple initiatives

Researchers investigated if putting up a green screen along the perimeter of the school, installing air purifiers in classrooms, and organising street initiatives during drop-off and pick-up hours had an effect in classrooms and playgrounds. They did this by working with a select number of London schools.

Installation of air purifiers in classrooms reduced indoor pollution concentrations by up to 57%. The street initiatives, which forces motor vehicles to not ply on roads with schools at the start and end of school days, reduced the particle concentrations by up to 36%.

Based on wind conditions, green screens at school boundaries were also effective. In the best case, they were able to reduce some of the most dangerous outdoor particle levels from the roads by up to 44%.

As ensuring that schools have green perimeters, lesser vehicular traffic during pick-up and drop-off, and installing air purifiers in classrooms are simple and affordable techniques, these can be replicated everywhere. While their effectiveness would have to be studied further, methods like these will eventually ensure that schools remain safe spaces to learn.

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Why do we study fossils?

An important insight that fossil study could throw up is how plants and animals of different eras adapted to their changing environment. This is particularly crucial for us now as we battle climate change.

During scientific expeditions in 2017 and 2019, a team of scientists discovered something incredibly exciting – Africa’s oldest known dinosaur fossil. The reptile “roamed the earth around 230 million years ago”. What is even more unique about the discovery is that such “remains from the same era had previously been found only in South America and India”. The findings were published recently. Do fossils have any use? Yes, actually much more than one can imagine! Come, let’s delve deeper into this.

Fossils could be anything from skeletal remains to leaf impressions. Studying fossils give us a better understanding of an animal or plant that existed ages ago. That’s not all. Something as tiny as a mosquito trapped in amber is likely to offer us a peek into how evolution works. Or, even a glimpse of the history of our planet. For instance, this dinosaur fossil in Africa “broadens the range that we knew the very first dinosaurs lived in”. But it also does something very significant – the reptile “is remarkably similar to some dinosaurs of the same age found in Brazil and Argentina,  reinforcing that South America and Africa were part of continuous landmass during the Late Triassic. Apart from showing us that the now-separated continents were once connected, fossils also help us learn where humans came from, how life forms existed, and how our environment has changed through millions of years.

Another insight that fossil study could throw up is how plants and animals of different eras adapted to their changing environment. This is particularly crucial for us now as we battle dimate change. Understanding revolutionary changes and survival methods may help us equip ourselves better to tackle what is threatening to be a great challenge in the not-so-distant future.

So, do fossil fuels have anything to do with fossils? Without a doubt. But that’s a story for another day!

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ACCORDING TO INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE ,WHICH WILDLIFE SPECIES IS FACING EXTINCTION IN INDIA?

The International Union for Conservation of Nature says these wildlife species found in India are facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

FEW LEFT: The Gundia frog (Indirana gundia) is a resident of a patch of forest in the Western Ghats. As forests are cut down to make way for construction, this frog is slowly losing its home.

DOWNWARD SPIRAL: The population of red-headed vultures has decreased by over 90% in just 10 years. Most of the birds died after feeding on the carcasses of livestock treated with diclofenac, a non-steroid painkiller used by farmers and veterinarians.

POSITIVE NOTE: The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) was once found across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. It currently survives in several severely fragmented populations in India and Nepal. Conservation programmes in India are slowly improving numbers.

DEEP TROUBLE: The Indian swellshark (Cephaloscyllium silasi) is found in the western Indian Ocean. Their numbers are falling due to overfishing.

LOST RODENT: Sightings of the Large Rock Rat, also known as the Elvira Rat, are so rare that there are few photographs of them. This is an illustration of the species (Cremnomys elvira) by the Zoological Survey of India.

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DO CROCODILES LAY EGGS?

Yes, and they look after them very carefully. Female crocodiles scoop out a pit in the ground then lay 30 or more eggs there, covering them up with earth or sand. The female will stay nearby, guarding the nest for about three months while the eggs become ready to hatch.

Crocodiles stayed within the egg-laying branch of the family along with alligators, caiman, and gharials who all lay hard-shelled eggs. Sexually mature females over the age of 10 years who have reached a certain trigger weight will lay a clutch of eggs into the soft, cool earth and build up a shallow mound on top of it.

Their eggs are very dependent on the temperature of the ground and so different crocodiles lay their eggs at different times and different places depending on this as a key factor. Unlike birds, crocodile eggs are born unsexed – the sex of the young isn’t predetermined by their chromosomes. It is the temperature that determines whether they grow up male or female. Mother crocs will sometimes build up or shallow out a nest if the temperature varies too much from ideal. It is a delicate business in the wild – but a very useful tool for captive-bred individuals.

How Many Eggs Does A Crocodile Lay?

The crocodiles go for the ‘more is best’ approach to young – laying up to 60+ eggs in one clutch. Some larger/older crocodiles can lay many more and younger/smaller females often many less. Regardless of the number, the nest-building process remains the same – with the same digging technique and locations. All the eggs are hard-shelled although they are translucent when first laid, only becoming solid white just before hatching.

Crocodile eggs are about the same size as a large chicken egg but are a different shape. Reptile eggs don’t have one end larger than the other and are certainly not pointed at the end. They are more capsule-like and symmetrical at each end. They are also considerably heavier at around 85g (3oz) – where a large chicken egg only weighs around 57g (2oz).

Where Do Crocodiles Lay Their Eggs?

If you were thinking of going out and finding yourself a haul of crocodile eggs for a feast – the American Alligator is listed as ‘threatened’ by the IUCN – so poaching their eggs without the right permit will be illegal, unethical, and also highly dangerous.

They tend to lay their eggs in March or April and the soft sedimentary or clay soils are easy for mum to dig. A large flat area of earth found in an otherwise leaf and twig-covered woodland area is almost certainly a crocodile nest – but take care – mum is always close by. Predation of crocodile eggs is quite common – with the raccoon being the most likely thief. Other predators might be bears, birds and even other reptiles – so mum is usually watching out for any disturbance.

She has to listen out for the young to start chirping just before they hatch – so if she can hear a newborn crocodile that is buried underground – she will certainly hear you!

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HOW DO CROCODILES HUNT?

They usually lie and wait in shallow water until animals come to drink. Then they make a sudden lunge, grab the victim with their massive, snapping jaws, drag it into the water and drown it.  Many species are able to kill and eat large mammals such as zebras, wildebeests and humans. Once it has caught its prey, a crocodile will then drag it into the water and drown it. It eats its prey by biting off large chunks of meat and swallows them whole. Other species, such as the Chinese alligator and gharial, feed primarily on fish or invertebrates.

Observing crocodile hunting behaviour is very tricky. These animals hunt by ambush, they eat infrequently because their metabolism is slow, and nearly all hunting occurs at night and/or in muddy waters. Vladimir Dinets, a researcher working at the University of Tennessee, took a new approach. Beyond more than 3000 hours of his own observations, he utilised Facebook and other social media to collect the findings of nature lovers and crocodile researchers, and also reports of spontaneous encounters with crocodiles. Dinets also searched the old notebooks of other scientists. Although this search yielded just a few handfuls of observations, some of which went back as far as the 19th century, all of the observations described the coordination and collaboration between crocodiles for hunting purposes. As numerous people on different continents all described this behaviour in the same way, Dinets found the information dependable. For instance, the crocodiles swam together to drive a school of fish into a tight group, and then took turns grabbing fish from this ‘bait ball’. Another observation involved a large saltwater crocodile that scared a pig, causing it to run into a lagoon where two smaller crocs were hiding and waiting. It is assumed that the large crocodile knew about the two others, even though they were not visible.

All in all, Dinets concludes that crocodiles are – perhaps right behind humans – some of the most expert hunters. At the same time, the scientist admits that we still have much to learn about their behaviour.

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WHAT IS A TAIPAN?

The taipan is a poisonous snake from Australia. It can grow up to three metres long, which is huge for a venomous snake. It belongs to the same family as the cobra, and has venom in its front fangs.

Where do Taipans Live?

Two of the three taipan species are endemic to Australia, specifically in northern and eastern coastal and central Australia. The coastal taipan, however, also occurs in southern Papua New Guinea. They primarily live in deserts, floodplains, grasslands, oil palm plantations, cane fields, dry forests, and savanna woodlands.

There are three species of taipans: (1) the inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus); (2) the coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) or Papua New Guinean taipan; and (3) the western desert taipan (Oxyuranus temporalis). Table 1 below shows the general characteristics and behavior of each taipan species.

What do Taipans Eat?

Taipan snakes’ diet is primarily composed of mammals such as mice, rats, and bandicoots, with minor variations between inland and coastal taipans. Their hunting strategy also varies. The western desert taipan, however, is not yet fully understood and experts have limited data on its hunting behavior.

Inland taipans feed exclusively on mammals such as long-haired rats and house mice. Those in captivity have been observed to eat one-day-old chicks. When hunting, inland taipans corner their prey in narrow crevices such as soil cracks, then bite them several times in quick succession. Their venom’s high potency allows them to hold their prey while waiting for it to die. This strategy is challenging for some snakes because the prey may retaliate while the venom takes its effect.

Coastal taipans feed on small mammals such as rodents, bandicoots, and quolls. There are also instances where they take birds as food. They begin their hunt by scanning their surroundings for prey using their well-developed sight. Once they have seen their target, they “freeze” for a while, launch forward, then administer their bites once or several times. After the attack, they release their prey and allow it to move away while the venom takes its effect, avoiding any lethal retaliation. The coastal taipan then tracks its dying prey using its tongue.

How Dangerous are Taipans?

The venom of taipans, specifically that of the inland taipan, is the most potent among the snake venoms based on laboratory studies on mice. The inland taipan can produce enough venom to kill 250,000 mice in one bite. However, there has been no record of human fatality related to inland taipan, which can be attributed to its shy and placid nature. In contrast, the coastal taipan has been associated with fatal bites in Australia and Torres Strait in New Guinea.

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