DID YOU KNOW

DID YOU KNOW?

- Switzerland is the “most green” country, with a performance index of 95.5

- Ethanol is one of the best tools we have to fight air pollution from vehicles. Ethanol contains 35% oxygen. Adding oxygen to fuel results in more complete fuel combustion, thus reducing harmful tailpipe emissions. Ethanol also displaces the use of toxic gasoline components such as benzene, a carcinogen. Ethanol is non-toxic, water soluble and quickly biodegradable.

- Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celcius) around the world since 1880, much of this in the recent decades, according to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

- Each year, humankind adds six to eight billion tons of carbon to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels and destroying forest, pumping up the concentration of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming - an effect that could raise temperatures by three to ten degrees by the year 2050

- There are about 500 million cars on the planet and by 2030 it is expected to double to 1 billion cars ... It is believed that current fuel supplies peaked in 2006. 

- Worldwide, rainforests are disappearing at a rate of one and a half football fields per second

-  The World Health Organization estimates that 25 percent of all deaths in the developing world are directly attributable to environmental factor. Some researchers estimate that exposure to pollution causes 40 percent of deaths annually.

- Glass takes up to 4000 years to decompose in a landfill yet can be recycled indefinitely

- The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic litter floating in every square mile of ocean

- Greenpeace says that at least 267 marine species are known to have suffered from getting entangled in or ingesting marine debris. Nearly 90% of that debris is plastic.

- Flamingos are grey. They get their pink and orange tones from the shrimp and plankton they eat.

- The technical term for a cat’s hairball is “bezoar”.

- The oldest known animal in the world was 'Ming' the 405 year old clam, discovered in 2007.

- As we all know, mice are the most tested for scientific and psychological experiments. To one’s surprise, mice and rats are very quick learners. A recent study in 2007 revealed that they possess metacognition (a mental knack) which has only been documented to be present in humans and a few primates. Mice are ideal in detecting landmines and bombs due to their optimal sense of smell. Their sense of smell is so terrific that they can even identify human sputum samples infected with tuberculosis.

                                                                                        

                                                                Compiled by  - Samten Norbu Bhutia

                                                                                        St. Stephen's College, Delhi