My Science School

Asia is the largest continent in the world in terms of land area and is spread across 44.6 million square kilometres. It is also home to 4.6 billion people from the total 7.7 billion population of our planet, making it the most populous continent as well. Apart from these specialities, Asia also has the highest and lowest points on land. Mount Everest, which is 8,848.86 metres above sea level, is the highest point and the Dead Sea depression, which is more than 431 metres below sea level, is the point.

A total of 49 countries form the continent of Asia. India, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and many more big and small countries are part of this continent.

Since the beginning, Asia has been home to the majority of the human population and gave birth to the first civilizations of our world. Even the most popular religions of the world such as Hindu- ism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Confucianism, Taoism, Sikhism, as well as many others were founded here.

Asia has a great variety of ethnic groups, cultures, environments, geographies, economies, historical connections and government systems. Similarly, it also has many different climates across its landscapes. From equatorial climates and hot deserts in the Middle East to temperate regions in the east and continental climate in the centre, Asia has almost all types of climatic zones. It even has subarctic and polar regions in Siberia.

Asia is home to about 2,300 languages, which include some of the widely spoken languages like Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, and Japanese.

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Waterfalls are nature's magnificent creations. Nothing warms the cockles of your heart as watching the waters surging and leaping across mountains. From the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall to the chocolate-coloured waterfall, we bring you the most dazzling sights from across the world.

GRAND FALLS- ARIZONA

Grand falls is a waterfall right in the midst of a desert. The Grand Falls in Arizona are taller than the Niagra Falls. The water falling in many tiers across the cliff is a delight to watch. Its muddy cascade has earned it the name Chocolate Falls.

NIAGARA FALLS- USA/CANADA

Surging forth with a thunderous force, these falls make for a resplendent sight. The name means 'thunder of waters', denoting the loud, roaring sound the waters make as they dive A part of the falls is located in Canada, while another is located in the United States. The former is called the 'Horseshoe Falls' courtesy of its curved shape and the latter 'American Falls'.

ANGEL FALLS- VENEZUELA

Dropping from a height of 3,212 feet, the Angel Falls in Venezuela is the highest waterfall in the world. Pouring out from a flat-topped plateau Auyantepui, the falls are located in Canaima National Park. The falls are about 16 times the height of Niagara Falls. Set against the dense jungle and the green surrounds, the waterfalls are one of the major attractions in Venezuela. Angel Falls is named after Jimmy Angel, an American bush pilot, who crash-landed his four-seater airplane at the Auyantepui.

NOHKALIKAI FALLS, MEGHALAYA, INDIA

Plummeting from a height of 340 m. the Nohkalikai Falls is India's tallest plunge waterfall. Located at Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, India, the waterfall is all about drama and grandeur. There is also a tragic legend that backs the name of the falls. The waterfalls are apparently named after Likai, a Khasi woman. When translated from the local Khasi language. Nohkalikai means Jump of Ka Likai'.

VICTORIA FALLS - ZIMBABWE

This curtain of waterfalls dropping from a height of 108m into the gorge below makes one of Earth's greatest spectacles. Explorer David Livingstone named the falls after the reigning British monarch Victoria. The local name of the waterfall is 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' meaning 'smoke that thunders. It is called so because the sound of the falls can be heard from a long distance.

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Bridges are timeless wonders that reflect the culture of a land. We introduce some of the unique bridges in the world.

Rialto Bridge-Venice, Italy

In the heart of Venice is the centuries-old Rialto Bridge. An engineering marvel designed and built in the 16th century, it is the oldest bridge surviving across the Grand Canal in the city. A peaked Venetian architecture has been given which allows ships to pass beneath the bridge.

Khaju Bridge-Isfahan, Iran

 Built in 1650 during the Safavid dynasty, the Khaju Bridge in Iran is noted for its architecture. The bridge sports 23 arches and also encompasses a dam with locks that regulate water flow.

Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco, California

All cloaked in an orange vermilion colour, the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the iconic structures in the world. Spanning the Golden Gate strait, the bridge opened in 1937 was the tallest and longest suspension bridge in the world then.

Chengyang Bridge China

A bridge constructed without nails, the Chengyang Bridge is a Wind and Rain Bridge. Built in 1912 using cedar and stone, the bridge has five pavilions with covered walkways and the wood is connected by dovetailing.

Double Decker Bridge- Meghalaya, India

Deep in the forests of Meghalaya, these bridges are being made by weaving and folding together the roots of ficus trees. These are the ancient, living bridges that grow stronger with time. A creation of both man and nature, the double-decker root bridge in Nongriat village is an architectural wonder. Many such natural bridges are being made by the villagers.

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The Poison Garden at England's Alnwick Garden is home to around 100 toxic plants. Entry to this space is allowed only through guided tours.

A stroll through a garden is highly refreshing. But do you dare to visit the Poison Garden in England wherein the visitors are explicitly told not to touch, taste or smell the flowers? The sign on the black iron gate says: These plants can kill, and is emblazoned with a skull and crossbones warming.

The deadliest garden was established in 2005 by Jane Percy, Duchess of Northumberland, who decided to have a poison garden instead of a herb garden. She established the garden intending to educate students about the hazards of hazardous and illegal substances specifically the kinds of compounds these plants produce The Poison Garden at the Alnwick Garden in Northumberland is home to around 100 toxic, intoxicating and narcotic plants. Some of these plants are grown in cages. One of the dangerous plants cultivated here is monkshood, or wolf's bane, which contains aconitine, a neurotoxin, and cardiotoxin. However, this is not the worst one. The ganten also has ricin, better known as castor bean or castor oil plant, which according to Guinness World Records is the world's most poisonous plant. Surprisingly, many poisonous plants grown in the garden are quite common such as rhododendrons whose leaves contain grayanotoxin which will attack a person's nervous system if eaten.

Entry to the garden is allowed only through guided tours. Before the visitors are allowed to enter, they are given a safety briefing, warning them against touching, tasting, or smelling anything.

Despite all precautions, the visitors have fainted occasionally from inhaling the toxic fumes of the poisonous plants, the garden website notes. The staff at the Poison Garden is mandated by law to meticulously monitor, count, and file reports on their plants.

The authorities also have to submit proof that they've destroyed them at the end of every season.

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You might have heard about the longest flight. But what about the shortest flight? It could very well take you longer to read this story than to complete a ride on the world's shortest passenger flight.

Scottish regional airline - Loganair flight LM711 - holds the title of being the world's shortest regular commercial flight connecting two of the Orkney Islands of Scotland. Covering a distance of 1.7 miles in less than two minutes, it is a regular commercial flight connecting two of the Orkney Islands of Scotland.

 According to Guinness World Records, the little aircraft covers a total distance of 1.7 miles, which is almost the same length as the runway at Edinburgh Airport, in about 90 seconds. However, it can take less than 53 seconds on a good day. It is flown by a single pilot and has seating for eight passengers. There are no in-flight facilities so if you need the toilet you have to control the urge.

The flight has been operating since 1967. In 2016, it honoured its millionth flier - Anne Randall, a Royal Bank of Scotland banker.

Every day, the flight makes two to three trips from Westray, an island on the edge of the Orkney archipelago, to a smaller remote island of Papa Westray.

The two-minute flight is the lifeline for residents of the four-square-mile island. Besides, it is also popular with travellers as every year during summer tourists throng the island to discover Papa Westray and experience the plane ride.

For the two-minute ride, you need to reach Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney, and take about a quarter-hour-long flight to Westray. The cost of a one-way ticket is around $22. The alternative to the shortest flight is a rocky boat ride that can take around 20 minutes. There are no in-flight facilities in this 90-second flight for eight passengers flown by a single pilot.

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Howrah Bridge is a long and heavy bridge but it has no support in the centre. Rabindra Setu, popularly known as Howrah Bridge, links the cities of Howrah and Kolkata. It is a 705-metre long cantilever bridge. A cantilever is a structure that juts out way beyond its base. The branch of a tree is a natural cantilever, a beam of metal jutting out from a wall to support a balcony is a cantilever, the diving board of a swimming pool may be a cantilever. In all these examples, the support exists only at one end. In a cantilever bridge, the cantilever juts out over the river from a supporting structure known as a pier. A similar cantilever juts out from a supporting structure on the opposite side of the river. The two arms meet to form the spanof the bridge. The piers at either end of the bridge support the load that a cantilever bridge has to carry so there is no need for a support in the centre.

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The Mughal Gardens at Rashtrapati Bhavan has more than 159 celebrated varieties of roses, making it one of the best rose gardens in the world. The roses blossom primarily in February and March. Some are named after famous personalities and places like Mother Teresa, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Abraham Lincoln, John E Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth, Jawaharlal Nehru, Christian Dior, Arjun and Bhim, Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, Oklahoma (black rose), among others. The garden also hosts roses with interesting names such as American Heritage, First Prize, Kiss of Fire, Black Lady, Paradise, Blue Moon, Lady X, Scentimental, Double Delight, Ice Berg, Summer Snow and Rose Sharbat.

Sir Edwin Lutyens had finalized the designs of the Mughal Gardens as early as 1917, however, it was only during the year 1928-1929 that plantings were done. His collaborator for the gardens was Director of Horticulture, William Mustoe. Like the building of Rashtrapati Bhavan have two different styles of architecture, Indian and western, similarly, Sir Lutyens brought together two different horticulture traditions together for the gardens, the Mughal style and the English flower garden. Mughal canals, terraces and flowering shrubs are beautifully blended with European flowerbeds, lawns and private hedges.

In Christopher Hussey’s The Life of Sir Edwin Lutyens, Sir Lutyens’ wife has written that the garden was a “paradise.” She added, “…flowers are set in such masses, producing a riot of colour and scents, that, when, with the fountains playing continually, there is not the least sense of stiffness. The round garden beyond beats everything for sheer beauty and is beyond words."

The Mughal Gardens had up till now been opened for the public only during the annual festival, Udyanotsav, held in the months of February-March but Mughal Gardens, which forms the third Circuit of Rashtrapati Bhavan tour, will now be open for the public from August till March.The prime attractions of Udyanostav 2016 were Tulips and Primulas.

Rose remains a key feature of the Mughal Gardens even today. The Gardens boasts of growing 159 celebrated varieties of roses which blossom primarily in the month of February and March. They include, Adora, Mrinalini, Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower, Modern Art, Scentimental, Oklahoma (also called black rose), Belami, Black Lady, Paradise, Blue Moon and Lady X. The Mughal Gardens also include roses named after people of national and international fame such as Mother Teresa, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Mr. Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Jawahar, Queen Elizabeth, Christian Dior amongst others. Arjun and Bhim, from the Mahabharata, also find place in the presidential palace.

Apart from roses, tulips, Asiatic lilies, daffodils, hyacinth and other seasonal flowers beautify the gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan. There are more than seventy varieties of seasonal flowers including exotic bulbous and winter flowering plants. The garden also grows 60 of the 101 known types of bougainvilleas. Edging and flowering of flower beds is done with alyssum, daisy, pansy etc. The grass that covers the garden is the doob grass, which was originally brought from Calcutta (now Kolkata) when the Mughal Gardens was being planted. The Gardens has almost 50 varieties of trees, shrubs and vines including Moulsiri tree, Golden Rain tree, flower bearing Torch Tree and many more. At present over three hundred permanent and casual employees are deployed for the development and maintenance of the gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The vast grounds of the President’s Estate are not only used for leisure and recreation. Its occupants have ensured that the open space of the Estate is utilized in an efficient manner. Starting from C. Rajagopalachari, who was the first Indian resident of Rashtrapati Bhavan, each resident of the Rashtrapati Bhavan has contributed to the vast Estate in their own manner. During the time of C. Rajagopalachari, a portion of the grounds was used to cultivate wheat, as a gesture to address the problem of shortage of food in the country. President Kalam had contributed by making Herbal Gardens, Tactile Gardens for the visually handicapped, Musical gardens, Bio-Fuel Park, Spiritual and Nutrition garden and more. The Bonsai Garden and nature trails in Rashtrapati Bhavan were President Pratibha Patil’s contribution along with Project Roshini which aimed at making the President’s House an environment friendly habitat by efficient use of resources and use of renewable energy sources. Rainwater harvesting for recharging groundwater in the presidential estate was done by President K.R. Narayanan in collaboration with the Centre for Science and Environment.

The most remarkable expression of democracy has been opening up of the gardens and grounds for the public. Circuit three of the tour takes us through the pristine Mughal Gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan that have been designed as three successive terraces. It is said that the large geometrical designs of the garden can only be appreciated from the first story of the building. First being the Rectangular Garden, followed by Long Garden and finally the Circular Garden.

Credit : Rashtrapatisachivalaya 

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The Bharat Mata Mandir in Varanasi has a large topographical map of the Indian subcontinent as its deity. Located in Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith campus, the temple, built by the university's founder and freedom fighter Babu Shiv Prasad Gupta, is dedicated to Bharat Mata. Completed in 1924, the temple was inaugurated in 1936 by Mahatma Gandhi. Carved in Makrana marble, the map lies at the centre of the temple and depicts Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Its detailed layout features 450 mountain ranges and peaks. plains, water bodies, rivers, oceans and plateaus among other geographical bodies, in a vertical scale. On Republic Day and Independence Day, the oceans surrounding the landmass are filled with water and the land areas decorated with flowers.

Visitors walk in to the sight of a massive topographical map of the undivided Indian subcontinent, built in marble on the floor of the hall. Marigolds spell out the word "Bharat" in Hindi on the relief map. Mountains, rivers and seas are intricately outlined but there are no manmade boundary lines. A picture of the archetypal, all-enduring maternal figure of Bharat Mata hangs on the walls alongside rare maps. With no prescribed rituals to follow, the temple invites the visitor to contemplate the idea of India for themselves. On Republic Day and Independence Day, the map is immersed in water to make its water features more lifelike. You're pretty much left to your own devices though there is a caretaker. It's peaceful, no fanfare, no code of conduct. In the most literal sense, to be Indian is to belong to this piece of earth.

Credit : C.N Traveller

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Ever been curios to find out about the origins of Tom Sawyer, Faust and more? Here’s peek into the past that will take you where it all began.

THE ANNE FRANK HOUSE, AMSTERDAM: Located on a canal called the Prinsengracht, close to the Westerkerk, in central Amsterdam in the Netherlands, this is the house where Anne Frank hid alongside her family and four others, and later became a biographical museum. The house also became famous as the Secret Annex. While Anne did not survive the war, her wartime diary was published in 1947. Ten years later, the Anne Frank Foundation was established to protect the property from developers who wanted to demolish the block.

MARK TWAIN'S HOUSE CONNECTICUT: The Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford. Connecticut, was the home Mark Twain and his family from 1874 to 1891. Some of his best-known works, while living there  including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper, Life on the Mississippi Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. A Tramp Abroad were written here. It was named one of the Ten Best Historic Homes in the world in The Ten Best of Everything, a National Geographic Books publication.

YASNAYA POLYANA, TULA, RUSSIA: A house which has seen the genesis of world classics such as War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Yasnaya Polyana was the house were Leo Tolstoy was born. Tolstoy referred to it as his inaccessible literary stronghold. In June 1921, the estate was nationalised and formally became his memorial museum, which contains the author's personal artefacts. as well as his library of 22,000 volumes.

THE BRONTE PARSONAGE MUSEUM, WEST YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND: Built between 1778 and 1779, The Brontë Parsonage Museum, also known as Hawthorn Parsonage, was the former home of the Bronte family. This was where the renowned Bronte sisters-Charlotte, Emily and Anne- lived for most of their lives, and penned their famous novels. Listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England, the house, now also a museum is maintained by the Bronte Society.  

THE GOETHE HOUSE, GERMANY: It is the birthplace of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and the place where he penned his famous works including Faust, Götz von Berlichingen, and The Sorrows of Young Weather. It was destroyed during the Allied bombing of Frankfurt on May 22, 1944, but was restored after the war between 1947 and 1951, as closely as possible to its original condition.

RK NARAYAN'S HOUSE AND MUSEUM, YADAVAGIRI, MYSURU: The creator of Malgudi lived in this house for nearly two decades before moving to Chennai, in the early 1990s, where he lived until his death. The house is full of memorabilia-oh his family, friends. mentors like Graham Greene, and his study, which has his collections, among others. After his death in 2001, the house fell into complete disarray and a builder wanted to raze it down to build a multi-storey complex. The city's people protested, and in mid-2016, the municipal corporation stepped in, the house was repaired, and made into a museum.

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It is an interactive museum of news and journalism situated in Washington DC, the U.S. It is dedicated to the history and evolution of newsgathering. Spread across seven floors with 15 theatres, an interactive newsroom, and two broadcast studios, it is massive.

History on the go

Established in 1997, The Newsuem showcases all forms of news-from the earliest newspapers to today's digital ones complemented by audio-visuals. Its archive section has 35,000 front pages of newspapers, dating back to about 500 years. The front pages of over 800 newspapers from around the world are displayed daily in the Newseum and also on its website.

The Newseum displays some moving exhibits such as the laptop of Wall Street Journal's correspondent Daniel Pearl who was killed by terrorists in Pakistan, several sections of the Berlin Wall, and the twisted remains of the broadcast antenna from atop the World Trade Center tower that collapsed on September 11, 2001.

When treatment goes electronic

Telemedicine refers to the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients using modern telecommunication tools such as the Internet, video conferencing, telephone, fax, and so on. Telemedicine enables the sharing of medical information about a patient electronically. The process of information sharing can happen in real-time, or the data can be forwarded and analysed later.

It has proved to be a boon for patients in smaller towns and remote villages where up-to-date medical facilities may not be readily available. Doctors from rural hospitals can electronically share patients' data pathological, x-ray and ECG reports and clinical findings - with their counterparts from sophisticated urban hospitals and arrive at a proper diagnosis and line of treatment.

In advanced countries, telemedicine, has been used effectively to handle life-threatening emergencies. Indeed, doctors sitting thousands of kilometres away. have moved the arms and fingers of a surgical robot to carry out surgeries.

Telemedicine has already gained wide acceptance in India. Many major hospitals offer telemedicine services to its patients in remote locations.

Small change, huge consequence

At a scientific conference in 1972, Lorenz presented a paper titled Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set a Tomado in Texas? He explained that a minuscule change in atmospheric pressure (even as miniscule as a butterfly's flapping wing) had the potential to bring about an overwhelming unforeseen change in the weather. He opined that long-term prediction of weather was impossible as changes in the initial conditions could result in vastly different weather.

Closer home, the 2008 Kamal Hassan-starrer, Dasavatharam, talks about the butterfly effect and chaos theory-in the film, biotechnologist and business tycoon Govindarajan Ramaswamy explains the concept, stringing together a series of incidents from 12th century in Chidambaram, to the present times, that effectively elucidate the concept

The butterfly effect laid the foundation for chaos theory, a branch of Maths that studies dynamical systems. It revolutionised scientific theory because it overturned the previous belief that an approximate idea about the initial conditions could lead to an approximate outcome.

While the butterfly effect is mainly concerned with weather and environment, it is also applied in Quantum Physics, economy, share markets, and business.

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Bakeys is a Hyderabad-based edible cutlery company founded by Narayana Peesapaty. He wanted to use a raw material that wouldn't consume too much water during manufacture. Hence, he opted to make his brand of single-use cutlery from a mix of sorghum (jowar), rice and wheat flours. Sorghum grows well in semi-arid areas and doesn't become soggy quickly when dipped in liquids.

At a time when the world over, people are trying to reduce plastic waste, several innovations have emerged over the years, to aid the cause. A leap in this direction are handy, delectable, consumable cutlery. Yes, you heard right. It is exactly what it sounds like cutlery that you can chomp down, along with the food that comes in it Disposable plastic cutlery, straws, cups, and containers generate large amounts of plastic waste. Hence, researchers have been coming out with new innovations in containers used to hold and package food to try and reduce plastic waste. The container holding the food is itself good enough to eat, and the packaging is either edible or compostable

The flour is kneaded with hot water, shaped and baked hard without using any artificial additive or preservative. Since it is dehydrated, it can last for up to two years if stored in an air-tight container in a cool dry, insect-free place. It should not be wiped, washed or reused.

The spoons, that taste like a dry cracker, come in varied flavours including sugar, ginger-cinnamon, cumin, mint-ginger and carrot-beetroot. The portion dipped in hot food softens, absorbing the dish's flavours.

Uneaten spoons can be disposed in mud or put in a potted plant, because, unlike com-based biodegradable plastic they don't need special composting to break down.

The company has been making such spoons since 2010 in a facility which employs only women. Successful crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter and Ketto enabled it to expand, and now, they are sold globally.

Bite size perfection

In 2012, David Edwards, the founder of WikiFoods, launched WikiCells, an edible packaging for foods and liquids.

The WikiCell has two layers. The outer biodegradable layer, which can be peeled off and thrown away, much like a fruit peel, is made of tapioca or sugarcane bagasse, the dry pulpy residue left after sugar has been extracted. It is gelatinous and soft, like a translucent cell. The inner layer is an edible shell made of a hardened composite such as chocolate or isomalt, a sugar substitute.

Incredible Foods, co-founded by Edwards, manufactures and markets WikiCells in the U.S. as Perfectly Free bites in non-dairy ice-cream form and as frozen fruit bites.

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Standing tall as proof of a glorious past and skilled craftsmanship, here are some majestic forts that are steeped in historical and architectural importance.

AMER FORT, RAJASTHAN: Located in Amber, 11 kilometres north-east of Jaipur, the Amer or Amber Fort was the capital of the Kachhawa Rajputs before Jaipur was built. Built by Raja Man Singh sometime in the 17th Century, the most beautiful palace within the Fort is the Sheesh Mahal or the Palace of Mirrors.

AGRA FORT, UTTAR PRADESH: Constructed during 1565-1573 for Mughal Emperor Akbar, this magnificent fort was also known as the "Lal-Qila", "Fort Rouge" or "Qila-i-Akbari". It is among the first sites to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

GWALIOR FORT, MADHYA PRADESH: One of India's oldest, it is located atop the hilltop in Gwalior. During the Mughal rule, it was used as a prison and was continuously occupied by one ruler or the other until the British rule. A stone inscription found inside the temple is proof of the second oldest record of the numeric zero (0) symbol.

KANGRA FORT, HIMACHAL PRADESH: Nestled in the hills of Kangra, around 20 kilometres from Dharamshala, in Himachal Pradesh, this fort was built by the Kangra State's Rajput family. The Fort, which has stood witness to many rulers, including the British, was destroyed by an earthquake in 1905. However, it still remains a popular tourist destination.

CHITRADURGA FORT, KARNATAKA:  It was built in stages between the 11th and 13th centuries by rulers, including the Chalukyas and Hoysalas, and later, the Nayakas of Chitradurga of the Vijayanagar Empire. It was taken by Hyder Ali in 1779, captured by British forces, only to be later reclaimed by Hyder Ali's son, Tipu Sultan.

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Scientists have discovered the world's largest plant off the Australia coast- a seagrass meadow that has grown by repeatedly cloning itself. Genetic analysis has revealed that the underwater fields of waving green seagrass are a single organism covering 180 sq.km. through making copies of itself over 4,500 years.

Scientists confirmed that the underwater meadow was a single organism by sampling and comparing the DNA of seagrass shoots across the bed, wrote Jane Edgeloe, a study co-author and marine biologist at the University of Western Australia.

A variety of plants and some animals can reproduce asexually. There are disadvantages to being clones of a single organism. such as increased susceptibility to diseases- but "the process can create hopeful monsters" by enabling rapid growth, the researchers wrote.

The scientists call the meadow of Poseidon's ribbon weed "the most widespread known clone on Earth", covering an area larger than Washington, the US.

Though the seagrass meadow is immense, it's vulnerable. A decade ago, the seagrass covered an additional seven square miles, but cyclones and rising ocean temperatures linked to climate change have recently killed almost a 10th of the ancient seagrass bed.

Did you know?

• The species is commonly found along parts of Australia's coast, and grows "like a lawn" up to 35 cm a year, Which is how they arrived at this plant's age.
• This specific plant is believed to have spread from a single seed.
• The plant is hardy, growing in different types of conditions within its present location - from a variety of temperatures and salinities to extreme high light conditions, all of which would have been very stressful to most other plants.
• A place in the Guinness World Records

The Poseidon's ribbon weed has entered the Guinness World Records as the "largest single living organism based on area". The weed has claimed its title from a honey mushroom, which is spread over 2,385 acres in the U.S. The mushroom is still "the world's largest fungus".

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