My Science School

Saturn is the second largest planet, after Jupiter, and is known as the “Jewel of the Solar System” because of its spectacular rings. It is a gas giant that spins so fast it bulges out in the middle.

Bathtime

Despite its mammoth size, Saturn isn’t very dense. This means that if you could build a gigantic bath, Saturn would float in it!

Lord of rings

Saturn is surrounded by rings that are made up of billions of chunks of rock and ice. The rings can be seen from Earth through a telescope.

Saturn has 53 known moons with an additional 29 moons awaiting confirmation of their discovery—that is a total of 82 moons. Saturn cannot support life as we know it, but some of Saturn's moons have conditions that might support life. About two tons of Saturn’s mass came from Earth—the Cassini spacecraft was intentionally vaporized in Saturn’s atmosphere in 2017.

 

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There are two types of photoreceptors in the human retina, rods and cones.

Rods are responsible for vision at low light levels (scotopic vision). They do not mediate color vision, and have a low spatial acuity. The density of rod cells increases as you move away from the fovea, reaching a peak and declining again towards the periphery. Rod vision provides high sensitivity to light, but with relatively low spatial discrimination and no ability to distinguish different wavelengths of light. This is why they are not capable of detecting different colours.

Cones are active at higher light levels (photopic vision), are capable of color vision and are responsible for high spatial acuity. The central fovea is populated exclusively by cones. There are 3 types of cones which we will refer to as the short-wavelength sensitive cones, the middle-wavelength sensitive cones and the long-wavelength sensitive cones or S-cone, M-cones, and L-cones for short. Cone outer segments are generally shorter than that of rods and, as their name implies, are often conical. As is the case of rod cells, the inner segment of the cone cells has an outer mitochondria-rich part and an inner part containing endoplasmic reticulum.

 

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Their eyes, in comparison to the rest of their body, are absolutely tiny. They’re ranked as one of the most poorly-sighted animals on the planet, up there with bats and moles.

A recent anatomical study of the black rhino’s retina at an Australian university suggests that the human form should be detectable at nearly 200 meters – 10 times the distance previously suspected and in direct conflict with what Nat Geo has stated.

Early 20th-century researcher William Bates has claimed that rhinos can at least improve their dire situation, though. His work, which isn’t universally accepted, suggests that rhinos are able to sharpen their focus by squinting and closing one eye – just like humans do.

In recent years bad news has come thick and fast: the western black rhino and northern white rhinos were declared extinct, only two northern white rhinos remained alive and, just four months ago, Iman, the last Sumatran Rhinoceros in Malaysia, died, Rhinos are far from the only big beast to be endangered by reduced numbers and resultant in-breeding.

 

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Microsleep refers to periods of sleep that last from a few to several seconds. People who experience these episodes may doze off without realizing it. Some may have an episode in the middle of performing an important task.

It can occur anywhere, such as at work, at school, or while watching TV. Episodes of microsleep can also happen while driving or operating machinery, which makes this a dangerous condition.

Microsleep is extremely dangerous when they occur in situations that demand constant alertness, such as driving a motor vehicle or working with heavy machinery. People who experience microsleeps often remain unaware of them, instead believing themselves to have been awake the whole time, or to have temporarily lost focus.

Microsleeps are often tied to diseases. Sleep apnea is by far the most significant disease tied to microsleeps in terms of prevalence, affecting roughly 10–15 million people. Other diseases that may be tied to microsleeps include narcolepsy, hypersomnia, schizophrenia, and other causes of excessive daytime sleepiness. Microsleep episodes are often neglected and are not used as a diagnostic indicator for these diseases. Instead, clinicians use instrumentation like PSG to do a sleep study on patients to assess overall sleep quality in a laboratory setting.

 

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Earthworms have no eyes, but they do have light receptors and can tell when they are in the dark, or in the light. Why is being able to detect light so important to a worm?

Earthworms have no ears, but their bodies can sense the vibrations of animals moving nearby.

Worms breathe air in and carbon dioxide out, just like us, but they don't have lungs. They can't breathe through their mouth, and certainly can't breathe through their nose because they don't even have one! They breathe through their skin. Air dissolves on the mucus of their skin, so they MUST stay moist to breathe. If worms dry out, they suffocate. As fresh air is taken in through the skin, oxygen is drawn into the worm's circulatory system, and the worm's hearts pump the oxygenated blood to the head area. The movements of the worm's body make the blood flow back to the back end of the body, and the hearts pump the blood forward again. Carbon dioxide dissolves out of the blood back to the skin.

 

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Eye donors could be of any age group or sex. People who use spectacles, diabetics, and patients with high blood pressure, asthma patients and those without communicable diseases can donate eyes.

Persons with AIDS, Hepatitis B and C, Rabies, Septicaemia, Acute leukemia (Blood cancer), Tetanus, Cholera, and infectious diseases like Meningitis and Encephalitis cannot donate eyes.

The surgical removal of the eye tissue is performed soon after death, ensuring the tissue is in the best possible condition for transplant. This also makes sure that the funeral arrangements are not delayed in any way. Because the removal causes no disfiguration, an open casket is still an option for the donor family. Eyes must be removed within 4 - 6 hours after death.

The most important action a person can take is to tell his/her family and legal representative. Most states now require that families be offered the option of donation when a loved one dies. Families may give consent for donation. It is most helpful if they know in advance that s/he would like to donate his/her eyes. A donor card can serve as an indication to the family / legal representative and hospitals of one's intention to be an eye donor.

 

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Any discussion about India’s greatest ever cricket captain is incomplete without the name Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi being mentioned.

Known famously as Tiger Pataudi, he became captain of the Indian team when he was just 21 years old and in many ways revolutionised his team’s approach towards the game. He instilled a winning mentality in his teammates and led India to their first overseas Test victory in 1967.

Long after his playing days were over, Pataudi appeared for an interview on a show called Anmol Ratan. The video of the interview, shared by a YouTube channel called Broadcast Imaging, shows the legendary cricketer opening up on an array of topics, including how he got the Indian team’s captaincy at such a young age and the accident that damaged his eye.

Pataudi was arrested in October 2005 over poaching of a blackbuck and two hares . He was subsequently released on bail. The case went on for 9 years, and in January 2015, six people were convicted. Mr. Pataudi had died in August 2011 and was thus not part of the accused anymore. Note that this is unrelated to the other blackbuck poaching case of Salman Khan that his son Saif Ali Khan Pataudi was involved in.

 

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Jaundice is a condition in which the skin, sclera (whites of the eyes) and mucous membranes turn yellow. This yellow color is caused by a high level of bilirubin, a yellow-orange bile pigment. Bile is fluid secreted by the liver. Bilirubin is formed from the breakdown of red blood cells.

Sometimes, the person may not have symptoms of jaundice, and the condition may be found accidentally. The severity of symptoms depends on the underlying causes and how quickly or slowly the disease develops.

Jaundice is related to liver function. It is essential that people maintain the health of this vital organ by eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and not consuming more than the recommended amounts of alcohol.

The itching that accompanies jaundice can sometimes be so intense that patients have been known to scratch their skin raw, experience insomnia, or, in extreme cases, even have thoughts of suicide.

When complications happen, this is usually because of the underlying problem, not the jaundice itself.

 

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Camels have not one, not two, but three eyelids. Called a nictitating membrane, the transparent lid helps keep out sand and dust; it can even improve vision, like a contact lens. Many animals, including dogs, cats, sharks, and some birds and amphibians, also have third eyelids.  Animals with a third eyelid use the thin, protective membrane to blink away debris, sharpen vision and enable themselves to see clearly underwater.

Some of our most popular pets sport third eyelids, though you may not have noticed. Dogs and cats generally hide their third eyelids. If you happen to see an opaque film covering your buddy’s eye, that’s his nictitating membrane. Some dogs and cats let their third eyelids down, so to speak, when they’re totally relaxed or falling asleep; however, they generally retract them when alerted or awoken. If you notice your dog or cat’s third eyelid for a prolonged period, this may indicate a medical problem. Cherry eye is one of the most common problems associated with the third eyelid. This ailment presents itself as a reddened bulge in the inside corner of your pet’s eye. 

 

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"The Country of the Blind" is a short story written by H. G. Wells. It was first published in the April 1904 issue of The Strand Magazine and included in a 1911 collection of Wells's short stories, The Country of the Blind and Other Stories. It is one of Wells's best known short stories, and features prominently in literature dealing with blindness.

Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer. Prolific in many genres, he wrote dozens of novels, short stories, and works of social commentary, history, satire, biography and autobiography. His work also included two books on recreational war games. Wells is now best remembered for his science fiction novels and is often called the "father of science fiction", along with Jules Verne and the publisher Hugo Gernsback.

One of the ways that Wells expressed himself was through his drawings and sketches. One common location for these was the endpapers and title pages of his own diaries, and they covered a wide variety of topics, from political commentary to his feelings toward his literary contemporaries and his current romantic interests. During his marriage to Amy Catherine, whom he nicknamed Jane, he drew a considerable number of pictures, many of them being overt comments on their marriage. During this period, he called these pictures "picshuas". These picshuas have been the topic of study by Wells scholars for many years, and in 2006, a book was published on the subject.

 

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Surdas was a 16th-century blind Hindu devotional poet and singer, who was known for his lyrics written in praise of Krishna. The book Sur Sagar (Sur's Ocean) is traditionally attributed to Surdas. However, many of the poems in the book seem to be written by later poets in Sur's name. The Sur Sagar in its present form focuses on descriptions of Krishna as a lovable child, written from the gopis' perspective. Surdas was a great religious singer.

In its 16th-century form, however, the S?rs?gar gravitates much more to descriptions of Krishna and R?dh? as beautiful, youthful lovers; the pining (viraha) of R?dh? and the gop?s for Krishna when he is absent—and sometimes vice versa; and a set of poems in which the gop?s lambast Krishna’s messenger ?dho (Sanskrit: Uddhava) for trying to satisfy them with his spiritual presence once he has finally left their midst. They will have nothing less than the real, physical thing. In addition, poems of S?r’s own personal bhakti are prominent, whether as celebration or longing, and episodes from the R?m?ya?a and Mah?bh?rata also appear.

 

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Jupiter’s four largest moons were the first moons to be discovered orbiting another planet. They are incredible worlds of volcanoes, craters and hidden oceans that have barely been explored. Some could be home to alien life!

Io

Io is similar in size to the Earth’s moon. Chemicals from volcanic eruptions have turned its surface yellow-orange. Io is the most volcanically active world in our Solar System. Hundreds of volcanoes spew lava thousands of metres into the air.

Europa

Europa is the smallest of Jupiter’s four largest moons. On the surface there is water ice and underneath scientists believe there is an ocean! Gigantic jets of water are thought to spout from geysers on Europa’s icy surface. These fountains may be up to 20 times higher than Mount Everest!

Ganymede

The largest moon in our Solar System, Ganymede is even bigger than the planet Mercury! It is made of rock and ice.

Callisto

This battered moon has more craters than any other object in the whole Solar System!

In the night sky

If you look at Jupiter through a telescope you might see bright lights hovering next to the planet. These are actually its four largest moons!

Jupiter’s four largest moons are known as the Galilean moons, after the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei, who discovered them in 1610.

In orbit

With at least 67 moons, Jupiter is almost like its own mini Solar System. Io is the closest of the four largest moons and takes 42 hours to orbit around the planet. Callisto, the furthest away, takes around seventeen days to complete its orbit.

 

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Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with thick bands of brown, yellow, and white clouds. Its atmosphere is made up of hydrogen and helium gas, just like our Sun, and if it was much more massive, it could become a star!

Giant planet

Jupiter is the king of the Solar System. It is an amazing 143,000 km (89,000 miles) wide. Jupiter is so large that all of the other planets could fir inside it!

Juno mission

NASA’s Juno spacecraft is helping scientists to understand how Jupiter formed. It is orbiting closer to the gas giant than any spacecraft has before.

Jupiter’s rings

Jupiter has three thin rings, called the Jovian Rings. They are mostly made of dust and can only be seen when viewed from behind Jupiter, when they are lit up by the Sun.

Beneath the clouds

Any spacecraft that passed through Jupiter’s clouds would be crushed and melted by the huge pressure. Scientists believe that beneath the clouds there is a giant ocean made of liquid metal.

Great Red Spot

One of Jupiter’s most famous features is the Great Red Spot. It is a huge storm, more than three times the size of Earth, that has been raging for hundreds of years!

 

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Between the planets Mars and Jupiter lies the asteroid belt. It is home to tens of thousands of asteroids. These rocky objects are leftovers from the early Solar System, and are too small to be considered planets. They come in different shapes and sizes with the smallest being less than 1 km (0.6 miles) wide. Some asteroids have moons and one even has rings!

Asteroid orbits

Not all of the asteroids in our Solar System are found in the asteroid belt. Some asteroids pass near other planets, including Earth. Asteroids that come close to Earth are called Near Earth Objects. The planet Jupiter even shares its orbit around the Sun with two groups of asteroids, which are called Trojans.

Craters

These craters are nicknamed “Snowman” because they look just like a snowman! They are on Vesta, one of the largest asteroids in the asteroid belt.

Ceres

By far the largest object in the asteroid belt is Ceres. Made mostly of rock and ice, it was the first asteroid ever discovered. It has since been classed as a Dwarf Planet, because it is more like a planet than its neighbours in the main asteroid belt.

 

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Scientists have always longed to explore Mars. They believe that in the past the Red Planet could have been far warmer and wetter than it is now. There may once have even been life on Mars, and tiny life forms, such as bacteria, could live on the planet today. Many spacecraft have already visited Mars and in the future humans will too.

Water on Mars

In 2015, NASA found the strongest evidence yet that liquid water exists on Mars. This was a hugely exciting discovery because scientists looking for life in our Solar System think that where there is liquid water, there could be life.

Curiosity Rover

The six-wheeled, car sized robot lives and works on the planet, operated by a team of scientists back on Earth. Their instructions take about 15 minutes to reach Mars!

Curiosity has 17 cameras on board. As well as taking photos, this camera can fire a laser to clean away dust from Martian rocks!

Curiosity’s robotic arm holds tools for examining the surface. Wide, grippy wheels help the rover travel over bumpy terrain.

 Human exploration

One day people will walk on Mars. Astronauts will see the landscape with their own eyes and become the first humans to walk on another planet. Even if no life is found, reaching Mars will be a crucial step on the way to exploring the wider Solar System.

 

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