My Science School

Gender norms and roles are notions about how each person should behave and what each one should do, based entirely on their gender. This could force individuals into doing what they are not equipped to or what they do not enjoy while stopping them from doing what they have a natural flair for or would love to. Being forced into doing what one does not have the ability to can lead to failure and dejection, and stopping an individual's healthy pursuit can lead to unhappiness. When people expect others also to follow such norms and roles, the cycle continues.

What studies show

"The Global Early Adolescent Study is a worldwide investigation into how gender norms evolve and inform a spectrum of health outcomes in adolescence", and is a collaborative effort between the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the World Health Organisation. The first phase of study launched in 2014 was held in 15 cities globally, and it included a city in India too - New Delhi. The qualitative research involved children (aged 10 to 14) as well as their parents through in-depth interviews. And, "researchers were surprised to find that when it comes to gender expectations, there are more global similarities than differences. The study discovered that children were under the impression that soon after they hit adolescence girls need "protection" while boys "become independent".

Such thoughts, created and reinforced by the media, elders, and peer groups, can become dangerous. Here's an example. When girls are constantly told that they need to be protected", it could push them into imagining they are weak and dependent and that could strip them of their confidence, leading them to fear boys. And boys could misuse this sanction of liberty to act recklessly, and misunderstand they are somehow superior to girls, leading them to view girls as meek. When girls and boys are disallowed to interact with each other, it also denies them a chance to develop social skills, healthy friendships, and learn from each other. As for those who identify with neither of these genders - our world invariably discusses only the binary of male and female - it could leave them feeling invisible and alienated. Such segregation, restrictions, and exclusion can affect individuals physically, emotionally and psychologically.

Good to know

• When you are making friends, ask them about their interests, rather than assuming they would like or dislike something because of their gender.


• When you're working / playing as a group, and if you have to assign each one a task, do it based on individual interest and capacity, and not because of their gender.


• Never tease other children for the gender they are.

 

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Covering an area of nearly six lakh sq.km., and spanning many regions, including India. Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet, the Himalayas is one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world. Home to the world’s highest peak Mount Everest, it hosts several other high peaks too. Due to the different altitudes and climatic conditions within the vast expanse of the region, the vegetation is varied too. It spans everything from deciduous forests and alpine forests to meadows and scrubland. Many rivers and glaciers in the Himalayas too have a major influence in the shaping of the landscape.

Wildlife

The diversity in the flora of the Himalayas also means it nurtures a wide variety of birds, animals, reptiles, and amphibians. Red panda, snow leopard, clouded leopard, Himalayan tahr, Himalayan black bear, Himalayan marmot, Himalayan yak, and langur, are among the animals that can be spotted in the region. Birds that can be found here include bulbuls, barbets, finches, kingfishers, flycatchers, buntings, cuckoos, thrushes, owls, pigeons, flowerpeckers, quails, woodpeckers, warblers, tits, larks and eagles. The Himalayan monal is one of the most colourful birds of the region.

Lifeline

The Himalayas has been closely tied to the lives of people in Asia, and the mountain range is revered in several cultures. It is home to millions of people, and supports the livelihood of many more. Due to the altitude and location, the region plays an important role in the climate of many countries, including India. Several important rivers such as the Indus, the Ganges, and the Brahmaputra originate in the Himalayas. Melting snow, glaciers, and rainfall feed many of these perennial rivers, taking care of the water needs of millions of people across many countries. These rivers leave their nutrient-rich deposits as they flow, giving rise to fertile soil - just perfect for cultivation - across many regions. The forests of the mountain range not just host many types of wildlife but also ably support the growth of medicinal plants and timber, offer grazing grounds for cattle, in addition to several forest produce. The Himalayas is also an important place for tourists and pilgrims.

Threats

Climate change: Even though some of the areas in the Himalayas are remote, they are being affected by climate change too. Cold temperatures in most regions in the range have warmed up faster than in many parts of the world. As a result, glaciers and permafrost are melting faster. Even weather patterns have fluctuated wildly, triggering more natural disasters. This could mean dry spells, especially when farmers need water or unprecedented floods. These events affect landscapes, livelihoods, and lives too.

Human presence: While mountaineering can boost tourism in any country, it can bring with it several disadvantages too. Mount Everest in Nepal is a classic example of this. Already hit by climate change the peak is packed with mountaineers during the climbing season. Which means there's mounds of rubbish and garbage strewn around the place. Oxygen cylinders, cans, tom tents and ropes, and human waste make a bulk of the rubbish. Sadly, due to the expenses that could be incurred, sometimes the bodies of some dead climbers are left behind too. While there have been many calls to control the number of people climbing it and what they leave behind a lasting and concrete solution to the problem has remained elusive.

Territorial disputes: Since the mountain range spans many countries, "territorial disputes" can affect ongoing projects that study the region. Among these are international collaborations on research related to climate change in the mountain range. Diplomacy issues can last for a short period or extend into years, and both do affect precious work taken up to analyse the region.

 

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Imagine a world wrecked by a natural disaster, devastated by nuclear war, or destroyed by a pandemic. While this may sound all too familiar because of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, apocalypse fiction is a literary genre that has existed for many years. A subset of science fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, also known as doomsday fiction, imagines what life will be like at the end of the world.

How it began

An apocalypse is an event that results in mass destruction and change. Although apocalyptic themes exist in many religious texts, the 20th and 21st centuries have given rise to this genre. The aftermath of World War I, World War II, and the nuclear arms race proved to be fertile ground for writers and filmmakers to conjure up a world plagued by zombies, murderous robots, climate change and even a nuclear holocaust

Apocalyptic vs Post- Apocalyptic

Apocalyptic and post apocalyptic literature is set in a time period where the earth as we know it is coming to an end. An apocalyptic novel or film tells the story of the end of the world, unfolding during the timeline of the story. For example, the 2004 film, "The Day After Tomorrow shows what happens when a sudden worldwide storm plunges the entire planet into a new ice age. On the other hand, post-apocalyptic works portray life in the wake of a cataclysmic event. They focus on how the characters deal with the consequences of a disaster. A 2007 film "1 am Legend" starring Will Smith, is a good example. It follows Robert Neville, a scientist who is the last human survivor of a plague in the whole of New York, as he attempts to find a way to reverse the effects of the human-made virus.

Popular examples

Books written under this genre can be broadly classified (based on their themes) into post-disaster wastelands zombie apocalypse, nature gone wrong, machines taking over the world, and dystopian worlds. Here are a few examples.

Post-disaster wastelands

• "The Stand" by Stephen King


• "The Mad Max" film series by James McCausland and George Miller

Zombie Apocalypse

• World War Z by Max Brooks


• "The Walking Dead", a graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard

Dystopian worlds

• "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins


• "Divergent" by Veronica Roth

Machines taking over

• "The Maze Runner by James Dashner


• The Big Melt" by Ned Tillman

 

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It is a misunderstanding that humans evolved from chimpanzees, we do share a common ancestor, though. And, sharing a common ancestor means sharing a lot of traits too. Come, let's find out more about these similarities and how they helped debunk a certain myth.

A common ancestor

Chimpanzees and humans are primates, and as mentioned earlier, share a common ancestor. One group of this ancestor evolved to become modern chimpanzees (a great ape) while another evolved to become early humans, finally leading to Homo sapiens modem humans. Which perhaps explains why chimpanzees are our closest relatives today. It is said that chimpanzees share about 99% of our DNA. For humans, this is a percentage much higher than what we share with other great apes or even other primates such as monkeys.

Many similarities

The most significant contributions towards establishing the similarities between chimps and humans, and debunking the myth that certain traits were uniquely human came from pioneering English primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall.

Having spent most part of her f adult life studying chimpanzees in the wild, she noticed a chimp using a twig to fish out termites from a nest. This was about six decades ago, when it was commonly accepted that only humans could create and use tools.

When the primatologist informed her boss back then about what she had seen, he's believed to have famously joked:

"Now we must redefine man redefine tools, or accept chimpanzees as humans." Trailblazing Jane Goodall made a few other "epic discoveries" too that highlight the similarities between chimps and humans. These are hunting: engaging in war against rival groups" and killing "members of their own species"; strong bonds between mothers and young ones, and among siblings and compassion - as first witnessed when one chimp comforted a mourning chimp, and through the adoption of an orphaned chimp.

 

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Allergic reactions can happen around the year, but people who are prone to pollen allergy experience severe bouts of it during spring and summer, when trees, plants grasses, and weeds release tiny pollen particles into the air to fertilize other plants. And this particular time of the year is often referred to as the 'allergy season.

A new research from Germany suggests that climate change is causing allergy season to last longer, as rising temperatures are causing plants to bloom earlier, and pollen from early blooming locations are travelling to later blooming locations. This means more days of itchy eyes and runny noses for people with pollen allergy.

Researchers found that certain species, such as hazel shrubs and alder trees, advanced the start of their season by up to 2 days per year, over a period of 30 years (between 1987 and 2017). Other species, which tend to bloom later in the year, such as birch and ash trees, advanced their season by 0.5 days on average each year.

The effects of climate change on the pollen season have been studied at length. It has been established that greenhouse gas emissions and weather variables, mainly air temperature, sunlight and rainfall, are affecting plant phenology - the timing of plant life-cycle events, such as flowering, fruiting and pollen production.

Pollen travels

Climate change has had a negative impact on the movement of pollen and atmospheric pollen concentration. The changing weather patterns and atmospheric circulation may spread pollen to new areas and expose people to different allergens their immune systems are unprepared for. Such pollen movement can also introduce invasive species into new environments.

 

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The flash flood caused by a glacial burst last month in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, killed over 70 people, trapped workers in tunnels, and swept away hydropower projects and a lone bridge that served as a vital link to many border villages. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) along with other agencies quickly swung into rescue and relief operations. It was reported that the BRO was building a 200-ft Bailey bridge (a temporary bridge which can be erected faster by assembling prefabricated steel components) in Chamoli to restore connectivity. But what is BRO and what are its functions? Let's find out.

Building strategic roads

Border roads are critical for a country's security. The BRO is responsible for constructing and maintaining strategically important roads in India's border areas and friendly neighbouring nations. It is also entrusted with developing infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels, airfields, and causeways in farflung, challenging border areas to provide connectivity. Currently headed by Director General Border Roads Lt. Gen. Rajeev Chaudhary, the BRO is made up of personnel from the Border Roads Engineering Service (BRES), the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) and those drawn from the Army Corps of Engineers. It also engages local labour wherever needed.

Formed in 1960

The brainchild of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, the BRO was formed in 1960 with the objective of developing road network and infrastructure in the remote areas of north and northeast, situated close to the borders. Initially under the Ministry of Surface Transport, the BRO has been functioning under the Ministry of Defence since 2015.

In times of peace and war The BRO is committed towards meeting the strategic needs of the country's armed forces in times of peace and war. During peace, the BRO contributes to the socio-economic development of the border regions and takes care of roads that serve the logistical needs of the Army. Besides, in the event of a calamity or natural disaster, the BRO undertakes rescue, rehabilitation and reconstruction work, like what it has done in the flood-ravaged Chamoli. It helps improve the lives of people by ensuring connectivity and accessibility - it has built Bailey bridges in case of landslides, cloudburst or flash floods. During war, it develops / maintains the roads in original and re-deployed sectors to facilitate smooth troop movement and performs any other task assigned by the Government.

QUICK FACTS

• The BRO functions in over 20 States of the country and also serves friendly neighbours such as Afghanistan, Bhutan and Nepal.


• The BRO Raising Day is celebrated every year on May 7, marking the day of its formation in 1960.


• One of the recent achievements of the BRO is the construction of the longest highway tunnel called the Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh.

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Trojan asteroids are asteroids that share an orbit with a planet and are located at the leading (L4) and trailing (L5) Lagrangian points of the planet’s orbit. Lagrangian points or Lagrange points are locations in space where the combined gravitational forces of two large bodies, such as the Earth and Sun, equals the centripetal force required for a small object to move with them. Thus, if a spacecraft is to be parked at this point, the fuel consumption required to keep it in place can be reduced. There are five Lagrangian points in total, of which three are unstable (L1, L2, L3) and two are stable (L4 and L5). L4 leads the orbit of the planet and L5 follows.

How were they discovered?

On February 22, 1906, German astrophotographer Max Wolf discovered an asteroid with an unusual orbit. This asteroid remained ahead of Jupiter as the planet moved. To him, it seemed as though the asteroid was trapped in Jupiter’s orbit around the Sun. Meanwhile, German astronomer Adolf Berberich observed that the asteroid was nearly 60 degrees in front of Jupiter. This reminded Swedish astronomer Carl Charlier of a behaviour predicted nearly a century earlier by Italian-French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange. Lagrange had stated that if a small space body such as an asteroid were to be placed at one of two stable points in a planet’s orbit around the Sun, the asteroid would remain stationary from the planet’s perspective.

This is when Charlier realised that the asteroid discovered by Wolf was caught in Jupiter’s L4 Lagrange point. Until this discovery, Lagrange’s prediction was only a mathematical exercise, but now there was photographic proof that Lagrange was right.

How did they get their name?

About eight months after Wolf’s discovery, one of his students, August Kopff discovered an asteroid in Jupiter’s L5. And then again a few months later, he discovered another asteroid caught in Jupiter’s L4. Once these discoveries were made, astronomers started wondering what to call these asteroids. While most asteroids at this point in time were named after women from Roman and Greek mythology, Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa suggested the names Achilles, Patroclus, and Hektor after characters from The Iliad (a Greek poem set during the Trojan War), due to the strange orbit of these asteroids.

 

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