What did you give your girlfriend on Valentine's Day?

Hi,

Do you guys remember how I usually start the topic on plant reproduction?

What is the usual gift do boys give to their girlfriends? Colourful, fragrant, large, showy and un-private sex organs - of plants of course!

Below is a good illustration of what I mean.




Happy New Year

C.K. Williams' poetry of youth and age

Hi,

Poet C.K. Williams reads his work at TED2001. As he colors scenes of childhood resentments, college loves, odd neighbors and the literal death of youth, he reminds us of the unique challenges of living.




Cheers

V S Ramachandran on The neurons that shaped civilization

Hi,

Fascinating world of neuroscience.

Neuroscientist Vilayanur Ramachandran outlines the fascinating functions of mirror neurons. Only recently discovered, these neurons allow us to learn complex social behaviours, some of which formed the foundations of human civilization as we know it.



We are all interconnected by our neuron-created consciousness says Dr Ramachandran.

Cheers

Don Norman on 3 ways good design makes you happy

Hi,
In this talk from 2003, design critic Don Norman turns his incisive eye toward beauty, fun, pleasure and emotion, as he looks at design that makes people happy. He names the three emotional cues that a well-designed product must hit to succeed.




Cheers

Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty

Hi,

How do we feel beauty?
What is considered beautiful?

TED collaborates with animator Andrew Park to illustrate Denis Dutton's provocative theory on beauty -- that art, music and other beautiful things, far from being simply "in the eye of the beholder," are a core part of human nature with deep evolutionary origins.



Cheers

Baba Brinkman-Learn about human evolution through rap?

Hi,

Baba Brinkman is a Canadian actor and rap artist and former tree‑planter who has personally planted more than one million trees. Baba has received international acclaim for his rap comedy theatre shows, which cover topics as diverse as evolutionary psychology, the Canterbury Tales, democracy, and civil disobedience. Last year he won the Scotsman Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe for his "Rap Guide to Evolution," which is transferring to New York in 2011. When he is not on tour, Baba resides in his hometown of Vancouver.



"Worst comes to worst" by Dilated People



"Survival of the fittest" by Mobb Deep


Cheers

A child is born

Hi,

Swedish photographer, Lennart Nilsson, spent 12 years of his life taking pictures of the foetus developing in the womb. These incredible photographs were taken with conventional cameras with macro lenses, an endoscope and scanning electron microscope. Nilsson used a magnification of hundreds of thousands and worked right in the womb. His first photo of the human foetus was taken in 1965.

6 months.
There are still 8-10 weeks ahead, so the little human is getting ready to leave the uterus. It turns upside down because it will be easier to be born this way

26 weeks

20 weeks: Approximately 20 cm. Woolly hair, known as lanugo, covers the entire head

19 weeks

8 weeks: Approximately 14 cm. The foetus can now perceive sounds from the outside world

The skeleton consists mainly of flexible cartilage.
A network of blood vessels is visible through the thin skin.

16 weeks.
The foetus uses its hands to explore its own body and its surroundings.

10 weeks.
The eyelids are semi-shut. They will close completely in a few days.

Eight weeks.
The rapidly-growing embryo is well protected in the foetal sac.

40 days.
Embryonic cells form the placenta. This organ connects the embryo to the uterine wall allowing nutrient uptake, waste elimination and gas exchange via the woman's blood supply.

5 weeks: Approximately 9 mm. You can now distinguish the face with holes for eyes, nostrils and mouth.

four and half weeks

four weeks

The brain starts to develop in the human embryo.

8 days.
The human embryo is attached to a wall of the uterus.

5-6 days.
The clump has developed into an embryo, containing many more cells,
and has entered the womb

The winning sperm

The fallopian tube

Will they have a date?

An egg

Sperm in the fallopian tube

The miracle of a baby!

Cheers

Hallelujah Chorus from Alaska

Hi,

This video from the Yupiq Eskimo Village of Quinhagak, Alaska , was a school computer
project intended for the other Yupiq villages in the area. Much to the villagers' shock, over a million people have viewed it.

Considering this video was intended for an audience of about 200 is it worth its while.

UN says to reduce meat consumption to save the planet

Hi,

Man's impact on the planet can be divided into two categories:

1) Energy in the form of fossil fuels and

2) Agriculture, especially the raising of livestock for meat and dairy products.

* Both GHG emissions and land use depends strongly on Diet. Animal Product, both Meat & dairy, in general require more resources and cause higher emissions than plant-based alternatives.
* More than fossil fuels, agricultural activities directly influence ecosystems by occupying large land areas and using huge quantities of water.
* Animal products are important because more than Half of the world's crops are used to feed animals, not people.

The report recommends that :
*Decoupling growth from environmental degradation is the number one challenge facing governments.

"A Substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products."




Cheers

Junk email or priority emails

Hi,

Junk mail will become priority mail. In five years, unsolicited advertisements may feel so personalized and relevant it may seem spam is dead.



Cheers

Mobile phones and global societies

Hi,
The digital divide will cease to exist. In our global society, growth and wealth of economies are decided by the level of access to information. And in five years, the gap between information haves and have-nots will cease to exist due to the advent of mobile technology.



cheers

Mindreading is coming your way within five years

Hi,

Mind reading is no longer science fiction. IBM scientists are researching how to link your brain to your devices, such as a computer or a smartphone, so you just need to think about calling someone and it happens.



Cheers

You will never need to remember a password again

Hi,

You will never need a password again. Your biological makeup is the key to your individual identity, and soon, it will become the key to safeguarding it.




Cheers

Your body will become an energy-generating machine

Hi,

It happens all the time; you forget your cell phone charger at home, and your smartphone battery runs out after hours of email and Angry Birds. But what if you could recharge your cell phone using power you’ve generated simply by walking?



Cheers

Madagascar-a jewel in biodiversity

Hi,

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) drew attention to Madagascar's natural wealth in biodiversity yesterday, 6/6/11. More than 600 new species discovered between 1999 and 2010.
The full article and pictures with the descriptions of their fantastic beauty can be found in the link: madagascar biodiversity:600 species discovered
" We as a species, the human race, we don't understand the complexities of the natural world around us,

yet we people are the one species with the most power to destroy or protect what's there" said Mr Richard Hughes, WWF's Madagascar's regional director.

These beautiful animals and plants which are unique to Madagascar which are already endangered because of deforestation and destruction of their habitats.

The vital nutrients by Leslie Samuel

Hi,

The classes of food such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fibres, water and vitamins are explained by Leslie Samuel. Detailed explanations on their importance in our bodies.

The vital nutrients by Leslie Samuel

Hi,

The classes of food such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fibres, water and vitamins are explained by Leslie Samuel. Detailed explanations on their importance in our bodies.

Following digestion of a meal by Leslie Samuel

Hi,

This video is excellent. Watch the functions of the digestive system and a journey through the digestive system.





Cheers

The skin by Leslie Samuel

Hi,

View this vivid video in which Leslie explains the structure of the skin and how it performs its various functions.




Cheers

Endocrine system by Leslie Samuel

Hi,

Endocrine system and hormones are very clearly explained in this video.



Cheers

Cellular Respiration-energy in a cell, by Leslie Samuel

Hi,

The first part of the video contains a very detailed description of the process. Parts of it are not required in our syllabus for O or N Levels but very interesting anyway.

Aerobic respiration, anaerobic respiration (alcoholic fermentation in yeast cells and lactic acid formation in muscle cells) found in the last one third are very good



Cheers

Photosynthesis- energy in a plant, by Leslie Samuel

Hi,

Watch this video for a very detailed description of the process.



Cheers

Organisms and their environment by Leslie Samuel

Hi,

Part 1 Levels of organisation,


Part 2 Ecology and ecosystem



Cheers

Nutrition, food chains and energy flow

Hi,

Part 1
Types of nutrition in organisms, energy flow:



Part 2
Flow of energy in the food chain and material cycles in nature:



Cheers

Methods in Biology by Leislie Samuel

Hi,

Watch the two videos below by Leslie Samuel teach characteristics of living things:
1-organisation
2-reproduction
3-growth and development
4-adjusting to the environment
5-adaptation and evolution




Part 2, Methods in biology:



cheers

Water and life processes by Leslie Samuel

Hi,

Water is important to life processes. View the entertaining video.



Cheers

Biological molecules with Leslie Samuel

Hi,

Biological molecules and their structutes.  





Cheers

The unit of life, by Leslie Samuel

Hi,

A very good introduction to cells, the units of life. A very warm and funny teacher presents the topic.


Cheers

How the eye works by Leslie Samuel

Hi,
Watch this vivid and clear explantion of how the eye works.

How Blood Flows Through the Heart , by Leslie Samuel

This is a vivid video on how blood flows through the heart.





Cheers

The Cardiac Cycle by Leslie Samuel

Watch this very good video on the cardiac cycle.



cheers

Nuclear energy is safe?

This article is about depending on nuclear power and the dangers that goes with production and distribution of the energy.

The accident at an earthquake-stricken Japanese nuclear plant in March made many countries review their plans to build and operate nuclear plants.The people are asking the authorities to reconsider the ethics in having nuclear plants. They are also clamouring to review the present safety measures especially if the plants are old.

Nuclear plants cost a fortune to build, but not much to run. So despite a steep tax on nuclear fuel, they are a cheap and reliable source of power that emits almost no greenhouse gases.

Cheers

Forests are not to be treated as infinite

Hi,

This is a very good article on valuing the rainforests that we still have with us.

Cheers

Useful bacteria are important in sewage treatment plants

Hi,

Sewage treatment plants and how they work is important in our syllabus.


Another treatment plant



Cheers

Euthrophication a form of water pollution

Hi,

Euthrophication occurs in water bodies such as rivers, lakes and ponds. It results in smelly water bodies which have bacteria growing in large numbers in it and it is devoid of fish, and other aquatic animals and also submerged plants such as hydrilla.

Excess fertiliser usage by farmers and runoff from animal farms and raw sewage from human settlements cause euthrophication.




Respect for ecological systems is of utmost importance in us leading eco-sensitive lifestyles.

Bio-accumulation or biological magnification

Hi,

Bio-nondegradable substances in water bodies accumulate in the bodies of organisms along the food chains. The top predators will end up with the highest levels and usually lethal concentrations of these poisonous chemicals.






Water pollution is disastrous for fauna and flora that live in rivers, lakes and ponds.

Lets respect the habitats of all fellow earthlings.
Cheers

The story of DDT

Hi,
DDT was one of the most used chemical pesticides used by man. It is now banned in most countries for use on crop plants.

When it was first invented, it was thought to be safe and it was used on crops, people, on walls and cupboards to kill ants and household pests and mosquitoes.

In the book "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson raised the alarm at the abandon with with people were using the pesticide as it was already noticed that all insects, including the useful ones, as well as birds were dying in large numbers.




DDT which is now banned was even sprayed on children.


Respect of all living things, flora and fauna, will stand us in good stead.

Cheers

Bophal Industrial disaster, 1984

Hi,

Bophal Industrial disaster in 1984 is yet another ecological catastrophe which changed the world. Union Carbide, an American pesticide company tried to cut production cost by reducing number of qualified employees. The poorly trained employees could not run the pesticide company and a huge explosion in the middle of the night caused thousands of deaths.



Not feeling cheerful even today, 26 years later,

Chernobyl nuclear powerstation disaster 1986

Hi,

Nuclear energy and nuclear power-stations became popular in the 1970s.
In 1986, a power-station in Soviet Russia at a place called Chernobyl was once of the 10 worst ecological disasters that change the world.

A colourless, odourless and highly radioactive gas and dust was produced at the nuclear power-station station which rose high up into the air and within 1 month, one-third of the people who worked and lived in the vicinity had died of radiation sickness.

Radioactive particles in the air will get distributed far and wide by the wind and will finally settle down when the rain washes the air. Once on the ground, it will be absorbed by the plants and it will pass through the food chain. It will end up in vegetables, fruits, milk and meat.

Radioactive iodine is particularly harmful as it gets concentrated very quickly in the thyroid glands. These glands are very active in babies and children as the hormone, thyroxine controls metabolic rates and growth. Thyroid cancer will cause death in children exposed to radioactive iodine.

Even up to now, 25 years later, the place is still out of bounds and uninhabitable.

Oil tanker disasters caused great damage to coastal life

Hi,

Oil tankers wrecks have caused great damage to coastal life. Here is Torrey Canyon Disaster which occured in 1967.



We have to learn to take care of our oceans, seashores and other ecosystems.

Hi,

Minamata disease is caused by mercury poisoning. It occurred in Japan in 1952 to 1960.

In 1952, a company involved in making plastic products dumped its waste water into the Minamata River. Buy the time they were stopped in 1966, 400 tons of mercury was was dumped.

Minamata disease caused nerve problem and involuntary nervous twitches and loss of balance when walking. Severe birth defects was seen in children born to mothers who consumed tainted fish and other seafood from the region. Even small amounts bio-non degradable substances get concentrated into lethal concentrations due to bioaccumulation.



Cheers

Designer Babies

Hi,

Will parents be able to pre-determine and design the perfect baby for themselves?

Attributes such as the colour of eyes and skin, IQ, EQ, height and absence of known genetic diseases be chosen by the parents.



Cheers

Witricity is electricity without wires and cables

Hi,

Nikola Tesla dreamed of this technology one hundred years ago. He built coils and towers to demonstrate this, ie transfer of electricity without cables. However, the public and the government were not ready for his discoveries. Now we have Eric Giler taking it up again.



You may want to view my other post on Nicola Tesla at http://asal-sakti.blogspot.com/2009/11/nikola-tesla-inventer-extraordinary.html

Thank you Eric Giler.

Cheers


Cheers

Why can't we look at the sun?

Hi,

We have been told since young not to look directly at the sun, especially during solar eclipses. Discovery News explains why.



Cheers

Why is the sky blue?

Hi,

All children ask this question sometime in their lives.
The sky is blue as more of the blue colour in the light spectrum is scattered by the atmospheric gases.
Why is leaf green? Why is the sea blue?
Get the explanations from this Discovery News video.



Cheers

Can sound waves move your hair?

Hi
We learn in elementary physics that sound waves are vibrating air molecules and wind is air molecules in motion.

This fantastic video which demonstrates these two concepts.



Cheers

Double rainbows explained

Hi,



Cheers

Hi,

(Photo Sarath Eraminigammana)

A very sad picture of a baby elephant found dead stuck atop a tree was captured at Habarana, Sri Lank on Thursday 13 Jan.

It had been swept away by the floods at Hathareskotuwa. Villagers say that its mother was seen roaming the area looking for her baby.

The recent heavy floods, massive landslides and heavy snowstorms in Sri Lanka, Australia, North America and Brazil is blamed on La Nina. Hope she will be spent out soon.

May peace return.

Videos on health worth watching

Hi,

videos worth watching:

1) High blood pressure, ignore it at your own risk. No symptoms but it can be lethal if lifestyle is not changed accordingly.
 
I just shared a video with you from http://www.chicagotribune.com
Here is the Link: http://www.chicagotribune.com/vid

2)Loose weight eating "resistance starch". This is carbohydrate that does not breakdown into sugar and hence it acts like fibre. It makes you feel full after a meal, happy AND loose belly fat.
 

3)Watch out for the new universal flu vaccine. A single vaccine can protect you from all strains of flu, H1N1, Bird Flu, common flu, permanently. But we have to wait about 5 more years before it will be available at the GPs.
 

Happy Ponggal,

Cheers