My Science School

(Pronounced ka luh koh)

Meaning: The noun refers to a plain woven cotton cloth printed with a figured pattern, usually on one side.

Origin: In use since the 16th Century, the word is derived from an alternative form of Calicut (modern Kozhikode), the name of the seaport on the Malabar coast of India where Europeans first obtained the fabric. In the U.S., the use extended to animal colourings suggestive of printed calicos in 1807, originally of horses, and of cats from 1882.

Usage: My grandma's tiny wooden box was wrapped in printed calico.

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(pronounced as buh.reft)

Meaning: The word bereft is used to imply being deprived of or lacking something. When used with a person, it corresponds to being sad and lonely, especially because of someone's death or departure.

Origin: The word has been around since late in the 14th Century. A past-participle adjective, bereft is derived from the verb bereave. Now slightly different in meaning, the past tense forms of bereave- bereaved and bereft - have co-existed since 14th Century.

After sliding down out of favour for over 100 years from around 1800, the word's usage has increased steadily from around 1950s.

Usage: Some desert landscapes are bereft of any human presence.

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(Pronounced hold.aut)

Meaning: A noun, holdout refers to a person, organisation, or country that continues to do something despite others trying to force them not to. It is used to describe someone who refuses to reach an agreement with others in a particular situation. In other words, it is an act of resisting something or refusing to give consent to an agreement.

Origin: The term "holdout" is said to have been attested from 1907 in the sense "keep back, withhold". It's a combination of the verb hold and the adverb out. Meanwhile, the phrase "hold out" meaning "resist pressure" has been in use since the late 16th Century.

Usage: It's time to shame holdouts who resist proposals to limit global warming.

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(Pronounced pre-co-cious)

Meaning: Precocious means having or showing mature qualities at an unusually early age. It can also mean exceptionally early in development or occurrence.

Origin: This word comes from combining the Latin prefix prae-, meaning ‘ahead of’ with the verb coquere, meaning to cook or to ripen. Together, they formed the adjective praecox, which meant early ripening. By the mid-1600s, English speakers had turned praecox into precocious and were using it especially to describe plants that produced blossoms before their leaves came out.

Usage:  She was a precocious child who could read before she started school.

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Meaning: A verb, portend means to give an omen or anticipatory sign of something.

Origin: The word is derived from the Latin word portendere which means to indicate, point out or foretell. The word was first used in the 15th century.

Usage: The gypsy was always welcome in the king's court, because her visions would portend the fate of his kingdom, and more so now than ever, when he was in his darkest hour.

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1. Plant a garden:

It will help you learn about botany and the science of plant growth. You can begin by planting a vegetable or flower sapling or sowing some seeds.

2. Build a simple machine:

Use household items to create a lever, pulley, or other simple machine and demonstrate how they work.

3. Make slime:

Learn about the science of polymers by making slime together in class.

4. Conduct a science experiment:

Choose a simple science experiment, such as growing crystals or making a balloon rocket. Take help from your teachers to conduct it and understand the results.

5. Create a nature Scavenger hunt:

Explore the natural world by creating a scavenger hunt that highlights different plants, animals, and insects.

6. Visit a science museum:

 Take a trip to a science museum (if there is one in your city or town) or planetarium to learn about a wide range of topics.

7. Conduct a star gazing session:

Discover more about astronomy by conducting a star gazing session on a clear night with your friends.

8. Experiment with magnets

Use magnets to explore the concepts of magnetism and electric currents.

9. Make a tornado in a bottle:

Demonstrate the science of air pressure and tornadoes by making a tornado in a bottle. It's simple, look it up online and do it.

10. Create a weather station:

Explore the science of meteorology by creating a simple weather station to measure temperature, precipitation, and wind speed.

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The heat and energy from the sun is what drives life on Earth. That said, humanity is now collectively responsible for so much greenhouse gases that Earth's atmosphere now traps more and more of the sun's energy. This has led to a steady increase in the planet's temperature, and global warming and climate change are causes for concern.

One suggested strategy to reverse this trend is to try and intercept a small fraction of sunlight before it reaches Earth. Scientists, for decades, have considered the possibility of using screens, objects or dust particles to block 1-2% of the sun's radiation and thus mitigate the effects of global warming.

Dust to block sunlight

A study led by the University of Utah explored the idea of using dust to block a bit of sunlight. Different properties of dust particles, quantities of dust and the orbits that would work best for shading Earth were studied. The results were published on February 8, 2023 in the journal PLOS Climate.

Launching dust from Earth to a station at the Lagrange Point between Earth and the sun (L1) would prove to be most effective. The prohibitive costs and efforts involved here, however, might necessitate an alternative, which is to launch lunar dust from the moon.

These two scenarios were arrived at after studying a shield's overall effectiveness, which depends on its ability to sustain an orbit that casts a shadow on Earth. In computer simulations, a space platform was placed at the L1 Lagrange Point (point between Earth and the sun where gravitational forces are balanced) and test particles were shot along the L1 orbit.

While a precise launch was able to create an effective shield for a while, the dust would be blown off by solar winds, radiation, and gravity within the solar system. This would mean that such a system would require an endless supply of dust to blast from L1, making the cost and effort involved astronomical.

Moondust might work

 The second scenario of shooting moondust towards the sun might prove to be more realistic as the inherent properties of lunar dust allow it to work as a sun shield. After studying simulations of lunar dust scattered along different courses, an ideal trajectory that aimed towards L1 was realised.

The authors were clear in stating that their study only looks at the possible impact of such a strategy and do not evaluate the logical feasibility of these methods. If it works, this could be an option in the fight against climate change as it would allow us to buy more time.

Picture Credit : Google 

When we think of very fast land animals, the first one that comes to our mind is perhaps the cheetah. Why not? It is the fastest land animal! Do you know which one is the second fastest? The pronghorn. And, the theory behind how it developed such. speed is fascinating. Let's find out more about the animal and its sprinting capacity.

A hoofed mammal, the pronghorn is native to North America, and does not have any close relative anywhere in the world. Healthy populations of the animals exist in their range and are listed under 'Least Concern' in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Though it looks a lot like an antelope, the herbivore belongs to its own taxonomic family called Antilocapridae. Pronghorns get their name from the forward-facing projection - the prong on their horns. Interestingly, their ‘horns’ exhibit characteristics of both a horn and an antler. The sheath of its horn is made of keratin, the substance horns are made of. But, these horns are forked and shed every year-just like antlers are! While much can be written about what else is unusual about the pronghorn, its most unique characteristic is its speed.

Running at more than 80 kmph, the pronghorn is the fastest land mammal in its entire natural range- from Canada through the US to Mexico in one aspect, it even gets better than the African cheetah-it can maintain a fast speed for a longer period of time than those carnivores. But the pronghom has no natural predator to match this speed, and so scientists had been stumped by the need for this speed. This is where the science of evolution comes in.

According to a study published recently, during the Ice Age, North America was home to several mammals that no longer exist today. Some of them are well-known today - woolly mammoths, giant sloths, and saber-toothed cats. There were lesser-known ones too, such as ‘Miracinongs’ a cheetah-like cat. The skeletal remains of ‘Miracinonyx’ show that “this now-extinct cat shares the morphological characteristics that indicate high speed capabilities with its African counterpart, the cheetah (Acinony)”. It is a close relative of the puma and the African cheetah. Both puma and ‘Miracinonyx’ are native to North America. Results provide support to "the hypothesis that ‘Miracinonyx’ preyed upon Antilocapra, but not exclusively”. Though it is not seen as conclusive evidence and more study is required, scientists say this "may provide an explanation for why pronghorns are so fast. Maybe they were chased by cheetahs after all".

Picture Crdit : Google