My Science School

94-year-old natural historian and broadcaster, Sir David Attenborough said he's joined Instagram because "saving our planet is now a communications challenge. We know what to do, we just need the will." Attenborough reached a million Instagram followers in a record-breaking time: 4 hours 44 minutes. He currently has over 4.8 million followers.

"I'm making this move and exploring this new way of communication to me, because as we all know, the world is in trouble. Continents are on fire. Glaciers are melting. Coral reefs are dying. Fish are disappearing from our oceans. The list goes on and on and on," added Attenborough. Attenborough will be using Instagram to share messages explaining the problems our planet is facing, and possible solutions for tackling those issues. To follow Sir David on Instagram, go to @David Attenborough.

 

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Video calling apps like Zoom call it 'sharing but Google Meet likes to call it 'presenting'. That's why you won't find the share button in Meet. Instead, click on the 'Present now button at the bottom of the screen to reveal sharing options. You can present your entire screen, a window or just a Chrome browser tab. Clicking on the window option will allow you to select any open window on your computer. That could be an open folder, file or an app The rest will stay hidden.

Since video conferences are no longer limited to desktops and laptops, both Google Meet and Zoom are available for mobile devices based on Android and iOS. Google Meet is also accessible directly through Chrome and other modern browsers and doesn't require any additional plugins. You just need to visit meet.google.com to host a meeting. Similarly, you can participate in a scheduled meeting by visiting its link in your eligible browser. This isn't the case with Zoom as it doesn't allow you to host a meeting through a browser. Nevertheless, you can join a meeting via your browser. There are also plugins for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox that you can use to schedule your meeting.

Zoom is popular for its Gallery view that displays up to 49 participants on a single screen. However, Google Meet recently mimicked that interface by enabling an expanded tiled layout that simultaneously shows up to 16 participants at once. Google also recently added a low-light mode that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to adjust video on the basis of lighting conditions. The feature is initially limited to mobile users, though.

 

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Getting enough sleep is an essential part of our health but sometimes it's hard to turn your mind off at night. Restflix is designed to help users fall asleep faster and stay asleep through the night. It uses a technology called binaural beats' to harness the brain's responsiveness to sound and help create a restful state. The sleep streaming service offers over 20+ channels filled with hundreds of hours of soothing bedtime stories, music, meditations and dark screen videos that aim to ease anxiety OS and stress and fall into a peaceful slumber. Fall asleep to ocean sounds, o rainstorms and the chirp of nature, along with visual aids. Even if you're not having trouble sleeping, Restflix is a helpful tool for relaxation. The app is compatible with iOS, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Roku and Android.

Even if you're not having trouble sleeping, Restflix can be a valuable tool to help you relax and develop a healing meditation practice.

The good news is that the reviews back up what it claims to do, too. Restflix has earned perfect 5-star ratings on both the Google Play Store and App Store because it really works. You don't have to struggle to sleep each night and drag through each day. Get the best sleep of your life with Restflix. Right now, you can save big. Get 40 percent off a one-year subscription at just $29.99, 50 percent off a two-year subscription at $49.99, or 59 percent off a three-year subscription at $59.99.

 

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Maskfone is a "hands-free" smart mask that allows wearers to take calls, listen to music, and access their virtual assistant without removing their protective barrier. It has medical-grade, replaceable PM 2.5 and N95 filters, IPX5 water resistance, adjustable neoprene rubber ear hooks, a cable clip and the fabric used is washable too. An internal microphone provides access to clearer voice calls thanks to background noise isolation, while a wireless Bluetooth headset offers 8-12 hours of playtime/listening, whether it be to music, podcasts, audio books or phone calls. It even allows the user to use voice projection while speaking to someone in person powered by Hubble M HASKFON connect app. Masfone is compatible with voice assistants like Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant, so users will be able to use it to control smart home appliances as well.

 

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Only great apes (including humans), a single Asiatic elephant, bottlenose dolphins, orca whales, the Eurasian magpie and the cleaner wrasse fish have been found to recognize themselves in the mirror. This test is known as the Mirror Test, a behavioural technique developed in 1970 by American psychologist Gordon Gallup Jr. as an attempt to determine whether an animal possesses the ability of visual self-recognition.

Findings in MSR studies are not always conclusive. Even in chimpanzees, the species most studied and with the most convincing findings, clear-cut evidence of self-recognition is not obtained in all individuals tested. Prevalence is about 75% in young adults and considerably less in young and aging individuals.

Until the 2008 study on magpies, self-recognition was thought to reside in the neocortex area of the brain. However, this brain region is absent in non-mammals. Self-recognition may be a case of convergent evolution, where similar evolutionary pressures result in similar behaviors or traits, although species arrive at them by different routes, and the underlying mechanism may be different.

 

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The oldest, functional grapevine in the world, located in Maribor, Slovenia, still produces grapes and wine, and is more than 450 years old. Each year, a hundred small, 250 ml bottles of wine are made from the 35-55 kgs of grapes produced from the vine. Known as the ‘Old Vine’, it is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. It’s the only plant boasting its own museum – the Old Vine House, and it even has its own anthem!

The Old Vine was protected in 1981 by the special decree of the Municipality of Maribor, and at that time a group of specialists started rescuing the decaying of the Old Vine.

After the revitalization of the Old Vine the yearly pruning has become a resounding event. Each year the city of Maribor gives a graft as a present to another town or community as a sign of friendship and co-operation. The grape harvest has also become a real city festival. Thousands of citizens of Maribor and prominent representatives of the state and of Diplomatic Corps and many others come to watch the grape harvest. On average the Old Vine has yielded 35 to 55 kg of grapes yearly in the last decade.

After fermentation the wine is filled into 2, 5 dcl bottles which Oskar Kogoj artistically designs. Each year up to 100 bottles of wine made from the Old Vine are filled. They are at the mayor's disposal for protocol. A Certificate with a serial number and the vintage year accompanies each bottle. The originality is guaranteed by the Maribor seal from the year 1520 and by the city vinedresser. Among others, pope John Paul II and the American president Bill Clinton were the recipients of the bottle.     

 

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Butterflies don’t eat; that only drink. Though caterpillars constantly eat, once they turn into butterflies, they only drink liquids, primarily nectar from flowers and juices from fruits. Butterflies drink using a proboscis – a tube that works like a straw – because of which they stick to an all-liquid diet.

They do need other nutrients like nitrogen, salts and amino acids. These can be found in tree sap, wet soil and flower pollen. Somewhat less appealing, they can also get these nutrients from rotten fruit or vegetables, faeces, urine, sweat, tears and (the least attractive of all) rotting carcasses!

These nutritional needs stem from the caterpillar’s food. Plants have almost none of the salts that all animals need. Even plant eating mammals like horses and cows need salts – this is also why plants need fertilizers.

 

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Racetrack Playa in Death Valley, California, is home to one of the natural world’s mysteries: rocks that sail across this lakebed, propelled by nothing that anyone can see. Stones of dolomite and syenite, ranging from a few hundred grams to hundreds of kilogrammes, create visible trails as they slide across the playa surface, without human or animal intervention. The trails show that these rocks have rolled and zigzagged across the ground, sometimes for as long as 860 feet. The stones’ mysterious movements are probably caused by a combination of rain, wind, ice and sun all working together.

To see the moving rocks, drive two miles south of the Grandstand parking area. Walk at least a half mile toward the southeast corner of the playa for the best views of rocks and their tracks on the playa. Erosional forces cause rocks from the surrounding mountains to tumble to the surface of the Racetrack. Once on the floor of the playa the rocks move across the level surface leaving trails as records of their movements. Some of the moving rocks are large and have traveled as far as 1,500 feet. Throughout the years many theories have been suggested to explain the mystery of these rock movements. A research project has suggested that a rare combination of rain and wind conditions enable the rocks to move. A rain of about 1/2 inch, will wet the surface of the playa, providing a firm but extremely slippery surface. Strong winds of 50 mph or more, may skid the large boulders along the slick mud.

 

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Santa Claus, Indiana

The biggest and probably the best-known Santa Claus of all, this happy burg sits in the state’s southern tip near the Ohio River.  Most residents live in Christmas Lake Village, a 2,500-acre development centered around three lakes: Christmas Lake, Lake Holly, and Lake Noel.  You’ll also want to check out Holiday Village, a subdivision on the north side of town.  And if that weren’t enough, US Highway 231 is now under construction, promising to spur new economic development and improve access to Splashin’ Safari and Holiday World, where you can get free soft drinks all day, every day.

Santa Claus, Georgia

Officially dubbed the “City That Loves Children”, this rural hideaway is located just minutes outside Vidalia—home of the Sweet Vidalia Onion.  Housing inventory is limited to just 67 homes and some apartments, with most located on Candy Cane Road, Rudolph Way, Dancer Street, Prancer Street, and Sleigh Street.  Local attractions include the Santa Claus Minit Mart (“Drinks as Cold as the North Pole!”) and the Santa Claus City Hall, where the decorations never come down.

Santa Claus, Arizona

If you really want to get away from it all, this is your Santa Claus—an uninhabited desert town just south of Grasshopper Junction.  There aren’t any houses, no infrastructure, and the last business shut down in 1995. There are, however, still plenty of vandalized buildings, a wishing well, and the "Old 1225", a derailed, pink children's train tagged with graffiti.  As we like to say in the real estate biz, this place is a real “fixer upper”.

Even if you don’t decide to pack up and move to Santa Claus, we want to wish you and yours a very safe, happy holiday season, and extend our best wishes for a peaceful, prosperous New Year.

 

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Henry Cole sent the first Christmas card in 1843. Sir Henry Cole, a wealthy British businessman, wanted a card he could proudly send to friends and professional acquaintances to wish them a "Merry Christmas."

The card depicted a typical English family enjoying the holiday, and people performing acts of charity. An important part of Victorian Christmas spirit. A thousand copies of the card were printed and sold for one shilling. This is reportedly the first Christmas card to be produced and sold to the public.

Christmas Cards appeared in the United States of America in the late 1840s, but were very expensive and most people couldn't afford them. It 1875, Louis Prang, a printer who was originally from German but who had also worked on early cards in the UK, started mass producing cards so more people could afford to buy them. Mr Prang's first cards featured flowers, plants, and children. In 1915, John C. Hall and two of his brothers created Hallmark Cards, who are still one of the biggest card makers today!

The first known 'personalised' Christmas Card was sent in 1891 by Annie Oakley, the famous sharpshooter and star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. She was in Glasgow, Scotland at Christmas 1891 and sent cards back to her friends and family in the USA featuring a photo of her on it. As she was in Scotland, she's wearing tartan in the photo! Annie reportedly designed the cards herself and they were printed by a local printer.

In the 1910s and 1920s, home made cards became popular. They were often unusual shapes and had things such as foil and ribbon on them. These were usually too delicate to send through the post and were given by hand.

Nowadays, cards have all sorts of pictures on them: jokes, winter pictures, Santa Claus or romantic scenes of life in past times. Charities often sell their own Christmas Cards as a way raising money at Christmas.

 

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In traditional festive legend, Santa Claus's reindeer are said to pull a sleigh through the night sky to help Santa Claus deliver gifts to children on Christmas Eve. The commonly cited names of the eight fictional reindeer are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen, although Donner is sometimes called Donder. They are based on those used in the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (commonly called "The Night Before Christmas") by Clement Clarke Moore, arguably the basis of the reindeers' popularity.

In traditional lore, Santa Claus's sleigh is led by eight reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder (variously spelled Dunder and Donner) and Blitzen (variously spelled Blixen and Blixem). The enduring popularity of the 1949 Christmas song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" has led to Rudolph often joining the list, bringing the number of Santa Claus's reindeer up to nine.

 

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An artificial Christmas tree is an artificial pine or fir tree manufactured for the specific purpose of use as a Christmas tree. The earliest artificial Christmas trees were wooden, tree-shaped pyramids or feather trees, both developed by Germans. 

The first artificial Christmas trees were developed in Germany during the 19th century, though earlier examples exist. These "trees" were made using goose feathers that were dyed green. The German feather trees were one response by Germans to continued deforestation in Germany. Developed in the 1880s, the feather trees became increasingly popular during the early part of the 20th century. The German feather trees eventually made their way to the United States where they became rather popular as well. In fact, the use of natural Christmas trees in the United States was pre-dated by a type of artificial tree. These first trees were wooden, tree-shaped pyramids lit by candles, they were developed in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, by the German Moravian Church in 1747.

Feather Christmas trees, originally of German origin, became popular in the United States as well. Feather trees were initially made of green-dyed goose feathers which were attached to wire branches. These wire branches were then wrapped around a central dowel which acted as the trunk Feather Christmas trees ranged widely in size, from a small 2 inch tree to a large 98 inch tree sold in department stores during the 1920s. Often, the tree branches were tipped with artificial red berries which acted as candle holders. The branches were widely spaced to keep the candles from starting a fire, which allowed ample space for ornamentation. Other benefits touted for feather trees included the elimination of a trip to the tree lot and the lack of shed needles.

 

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Gingivitis is a form of gum disease that happens when plaque, a naturally-occurring sticky film containing bacteria, builds up on teeth and causes the inflammation of the surrounding gum tissue. Plaque produces toxins that irritate the gums. This can cause the gums to become inflamed, making them red or puffy, or causing them to bleed. This harmful plaque bacteria can even lead to issues beyond gingivitis like weakened tooth enamel. Even with regular brushing, it's important to make sure you’re taking care of your gum line, because a healthy mouth starts there.

There are two main categories of gingival diseases:

Dental plaque-induced gingival disease: This can be caused by plaque, systemic factors, medications, or malnutrition.

Non-plaque induced gingival lesions: This can be caused by a specific bacterium, virus, or fungus. It might also be caused by genetic factors, systemic conditions (including allergic reactions and certain illnesses), wounds, or reactions to foreign bodies, such as dentures. Sometimes, there is no specific cause.

The most common cause of gingivitis is the accumulation of bacterial plaque between and around the teeth. The plaque triggers an immune response, which, in turn, can eventually lead to the destruction of gingival, or gum, tissue. It may also, eventually, lead to further complications, including the loss of teeth.

Dental plaque is a biofilm that accumulates naturally on the teeth. It is usually formed by colonizing bacteria that are trying to stick to the smooth surface of a tooth.

 

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A cavity, also called tooth decay, is a hole that forms in your tooth. Cavities start small and gradually become bigger when they’re left untreated. Because many cavities don’t cause pain in the beginning, it can be hard to realize that a problem exists. Regular dental appointments can detect tooth decay early.

Cavities and tooth decay are among the world's most common health problems. They're especially common in children, teenagers and older adults. But anyone who has teeth can get cavities, including infants.

If cavities aren't treated, they get larger and affect deeper layers of your teeth. They can lead to a severe toothache, infection and tooth loss. Regular dental visits and good brushing and flossing habits are your best protection against cavities and tooth decay.

The signs and symptoms of cavities vary, depending on their extent and location. When a cavity is just beginning, you may not have any symptoms at all. As the decay gets larger, it may cause signs and symptoms such as:

• Toothache, spontaneous pain or pain that occurs without any apparent cause


• Tooth sensitivity


• Mild to sharp pain when eating or drinking something sweet, hot or cold


• Visible holes or pits in your teeth


• Brown, black or white staining on any surface of a tooth


• Pain when you bite down

 

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Wisdom teeth are the third set of molars located in the very back of the mouth. They are the last teeth to grow in, usually between the ages of 17 and 21.

In many people, wisdom teeth are unable to grow in normally. The teeth either become stuck under the gum or are only able to partially break through the gum.

Dentists call these teeth impacted. Wisdom teeth usually become impacted because the jaw doesn't have enough space for all the teeth that are growing in, or because the tooth comes in at the wrong angle and bumps into the tooth in front of it.

Impacted wisdom teeth are fairly common. Although some people never have any trouble with them, impacted wisdom teeth can cause problems. An impacted wisdom tooth can sometimes trap food, plaque, and other debris in the soft tissue around it, leading to swelling, gum tenderness, cavities, and bad breath.

Because they may damage other teeth — or cause pain or infection — dentists or oral surgeons often remove impacted wisdom teeth.

 

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