Research shows that the curvature of a hair strand depends on the nature of its follicle. When a follicle is asymmetrical, the hair that it produces is oval in shape and tends to curl. When it’s symmetrical, the strand that emerges grows round and straight. A research team based in Clichy, France, used electron microscopy to compare curly and straight hair fibres. The former had a concave cross section with an uneven distribution of keratin (the primary component of hair) accumulated near its inside edge, beneath the curve. The latter were circular in cross section and symmetrical in structure with evenly distributed keratin, so that they grew straight.
Beach-goers in Western Australia (the area in the world with the greatest amount of yearly great white shark attacks) now know in real time when sharks are close to the shoreline. How? The sharks tweet their presence! Scientists have tagged about 320 sharks, including great whites, with acoustic transmitters whose signals are picked up by satellite-connected buoys close to the beach. When tagged sharks gets within a kilometre of the beach, information, including the size, breed and distance of the shark from the shore, are all read and automatically tweeted by the Surf Life Saving Western Australia Twitter account.
Picture Credit : Google
