Why doesn’t it get dark when you blink?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWHEN you first read the title above, you will blink your eyes automatically. Is it right? So, why doesn’t it get dark when you blink? About every five seconds we close our eyes and blink to moisten them. During this brief moment no light falls on our retina yet it is not constantly dark and […]
Why do we have an appendix?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe appendix is a finger-shaped pouch connected to the large intestine. At best, people may see the appendix as a useless organ with no apparent function. At worst, the appendix may be seen as a ticking time bomb for appendicitis or a life-threatening rupture if the appendix becomes blocked. So, why do we have them? […]
Who pioneered the cycle-of-life?
Reading Time: < 1 minute“Circle of Life” is the powerful opening song of the movie The Lion King. Many would remember the movie’s iconic opening sequence, with the song set against the awe-inspiring backdrop of a red rising sun and the African savannah. The song title has roots in ecology and earth science. The “cycle-of-life” concept was pioneered by […]
Cancer
Reading Time: 4 minutesBY MATAKA BANDA (KEELE UNIVERSITY, UK) & DR CHERN EIN OON (UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA What is cancer? THE word cancer originates from the Greek physician Hippocrates, who used the terms carcinos and carcinoma to describe tumours. In Greek, these terms describe a crab, and they were used because a tumour resembles the shape of a […]
How do touchscreens work?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIt is no question that touchscreens are now a part of our everyday life. We swipe away without a second thought on how they actually work. There are many ways in which touchscreens function. Two common technologies are resistive and capacitive touchscreens. Resistive touchscreens rely on applied pressure to work. [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ] Generally, […]
Odd and Strange Plant Relatives
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What is a kilogram?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWe think we know what a kilogram is, but do we really? While it seems to be a simple question, the definition of a kilogram has changed multiple times since its invention in the late 1700s. The kilogram is a base unit of mass in the metric system. Therefore, there must be no confusion as […]
What is a paraben and how do they work?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAmong the ingredients that frequently turn up on labels of products ranging from toothpaste to deodorant are parabens. Parabens are identified by a wide array of names, such as propylparaben and parahydroxybenzoate. Despite the occasionally tongue-twisting names, parabens of any name are simply preservatives. They are colourless and odourless. They have no taste, do not discolour and […]
How do magicians trick your mind?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteMagicians, have studied, understood and thus exploited human cognitive responses and illusions for as long as history permits our vision. The human mind’s response to stimuli, is exploited by the magician. A phenomenon called lateral inhibition, where the activation of a neuron by a stimulus, inhibits the activation of neighbouring neurons which prevent the brain from responding […]
What is Pangaea?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAbout 250 million years ago just before the days of the dinosaurs, the Earth’s seven continents were all grouped together into a supercontinent called Pangaea before breaking up into present-day continents. The intense heat in the Earth’s core causes molten rocks which eventually move the tectonic plates very slowly. They move at only 1.3 to […]