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December, 2023 at 02:23:43 pm ISTSubject: [iyer123] CULTURAL QA 12-2023-01
 
CULTURAL QA 12-2023-01

Allthe BELOW    QA are from Quora DIGEST tome  on   01-12-2023.

QUORA ANSWERS NEED NOT BE 100%CORRECT ANSWERS.

Compiled and posted by R. Gopala Krishnan, 80,  on 01-12-2023.

Q1         Why are there no insects in the oceans?

A1         Gary Meaney, author of Zoology'sGreatest Mystery (2022) Jul 17

Scientists have described over one million distinctspecies of insect thus far, 
and it’s estimated there may be as many as tenmillion species

 Insects likelyrepresent 90% of the animal life on this planet. They can 
survive the blazingheat of the Sahara desert and the infamous Dry Valleys of 
Antarctica. 

Despite all this, thereis only one type of insect capable of inhabiting the 
Earth’s mostabundant habitat: the open ocean.

The insects in question? Sea skaters.

Sea skatersrepresent one genus, Halobates, which contains some forty-odd 
species. Of these, the vast majority dwell on the coasts.However, there are 
five species which somehow eke out an existenceoffshore, on the open oceans, 
and they are the only truly “marine” insects. Despite being theEarth’s largest 
habitat, the pelagic zone is effectively a desert. Whatnutrients there are 
quickly sink to the abyss, so this ocean is one of the mostextreme and 
unforgiving environments in the world.

Thankfully, our insect friends are amazingly well-adaptedto deal with all the 
challenges of life on the waves. For the most part, they do not swim; rather, 
they walk atop the surface of theocean! This gravity-defying feat is made 
possible by a variety of enigmaticfeatures. The two rear pairs of legs are 
exceptionally long, spreading the seaskater’s minuscule weight (about 0.005 
grams) across a wide area, so as not tobreak the surface tension. Snowshoes use 
the same principle.

Furthermore, sea skaters are extremely hydrophobic - they repelwater, that is. 
This is crucial for preventing drowning. Each insect’s body is coated in a 
specialdouble-layered system of hydrophobic hairs. When we study the short 
forelegs ofa sea skater, we notice these tiny claws. These actually function as 
groomingstructures, used to spreada kind of wax secreted by the abdomen all 
over the body, to keep the hairs atthe correct angle!

This groomingbehaviour is what’s going in the photos below. You can see the 
skater strokingits body all over with its limbs.

Sea skaters don’t make a habit of venturingunderwater, but when theydo, they 
are equipped with the tools to make it back to the surface alive. Theinnermost 
layer of the coat I mentioned above is composed of short, 
densely-packed,mushroom-shaped hairs, termed microtrichia. They’re just about 
close enough tobe watertight, but also far apart enough to allow a layer of air 
to be entrapped around the sea skater’sbody.

This bubble of air is known as a plastron. Should an unfortunate sea skater 
besubmerged beneath the waves, the plastron forms and functions as an 
oxygentank, giving it enough time to breathe as it uses its powerful hind legs 
topropel itself back up to the surface. This same strategy is used by the 
greatdiving beetle, a much more well-known aquatic insect that inhabits 
freshwaterrivers and lakes.

Another thing toconsider is that, when you’re less than four millimetres long, 
the oceanbecomes a much more hazardous and turbulent environment than it might 
seem tous giants. At this scale, even a single raindrop is a hurtling meteor 
thatmight engulf and drown you. A wave a moving mountain. What’s more, there 
isabsolutely nowhere to hide from predators. Due to all this, sea skaters have 
to beincredibly agile. They have no wings (which would be redundant oncewet), 
but they do have extremely strong and muscular hind legs.

To evade incoming hazards, they jump. And boy can they jump, thanks to an 
ingenioustechnique. Before takeoff, a sea skater will press its bodyweight down 
onto thewater, bending the surface downwards. Then, they release, and the 
surfacebecomes a supercharged trampoline, launching the bug to impressive 
heights witha staggering acceleration of 400 metres per second squared!

So, to answer your question, there are insects in theocean. The logical 
extension ofthis question is, of course, “why aren’t there more?”. The answer 
is illustrated by everything I’vejust written about: being a marine insect 
requires a vast arsenal ofhighly specialized and sophisticated adaptations, and 
a body plan quite farremoved from that of any typical insect.

Bizarre as theyare, sea skaters may offersome invaluable insights for humanity. 
Their hydrophobic qualities arebeing studied in the hopes that they may inspire 
new water-repellenttechnologies! Doubtless we have much more to learn from 
nature. On that note, Ihope you enjoyed this answer 

Q2         What are the most valuable scientificdiscoveries ever?

A2         Anjali Tomar, Lives in India(1997–present)Nov 5

An Australian man found a strange rock while he waslooking for gold. He took it 
homeand kept it on a shelf for years. He recently discovered that it was a rare 
4.6 billion-year-old meteorite.

David Hole foundthe meteorite in 2015 at Maryborough Regional Park, the site of 
the famousAustralian gold rush in the nineteenth century.

David thought that therock contained a gold nugget and he tried to crack it 
open. When he was unableto open it, he put it up on a shelf for the next six 
years.

 

When David decidedto take it to the Melbourne Museum recently, he had no idea 
what he was goingto discover.

Experts at the MelbourneMuseum told him that the strange rock was something 
that travelled from space -it was a meteorite.

Dermot Henry, ageologist at the museum, said that in his 37 years of working in 
the area, hehad only come across two genuine meteorites.

"It had thissculpted, dimpled look to it. That’s formed when they come through 
theatmosphere, they are melting on the outside, and the atmosphere 
sculptsthem," Dermot told The Sydney Morning Herald.

The rock which isnow known as the Maryborough meteorite weighs 17 kilograms. It 
is quite heavy as it is filled with very denseforms of iron and nickel.

Henry used asuper-hard diamond saw to slice the edge off, revealing a 
cross-section oflittle silver raindrops.

"Meteorites provide the cheapest form of spaceexploration. They transport 
usback in time, providing clues to the age, formation and chemistry of our 
SolarSystem," Henry said.

He added that the lack of weathering on the rock suggeststhat it has been on 
Earth for less than 200 years.

Q3         What are some mind-blowing facts thatsound unreal but are actually 
true?

A3         Mark Coatse, Studied Psychology &History (Graduated 2005) Updated 2y

The crime rate is so low in the Netherlands that they have closed 23 prisons 
since 2004 because they don’thave enough criminals to fill them

Back in the 90’sDenzel Washington paid the fees for a young aspiring actor who 
couldn’t affordto go to Oxford’s summer theatre. That young actor was Chadwick 
Boseman(R.I.P). Chadwick publicly thanked Denzel at the AFI life achievement 
awards in2019

In 1963 a Turkish man was renovating his home. Afterknocking down a wall in his 
basement he found a tunnel. He followed the tunnel and discoveredan ancient 
underground city called Derinkuyu which once had a population of20000 people

****In 2009 an autistic artist named Stephen Wiltshire wasable to draw the New 
York City skyline from memory with a pen after taking ahelicopter ride for just 
20 minutes

Princess Diana was known for ignoring royal protocols. She would often ride the 
tube. At theme parks shewould refuse preferential treatment and make William 
and Harry wait in linelike everybody else

The blue Nelson lake in New Zealand has the clearest body of water known to man 
with visibilityin the lake of up to 260 feet

The record for the biggest car theft of all time was1000 Volvo cars. The cars 
wereordered and delivered then the invoice was ignored and to this day has 
stillnot been paid. The cars were ordered by and delivered to North Korea

In 1963 the Bronxzoo opened an exhibition titled “the most dangerous animal in 
the world,” itwas a mirror

2 muggers in NewYork City once tried to mug former heavyweight champion of the 
world JackDempsey (who was in his 60’s/70’s at the time). It ended as you might 
expectwith both muggers unconscious. The dates and circumstances leading to the 
eventare a bit uncertain although Dempsey did reference the incident in his book

My personal favourite: In 1996 an avid birdwatcher in Devon, England spent a 
whole year hooting at owlsand then recording their responses unaware that it 
was one of his neighbours pretending to be an owl andhooting back

My note- *** I amthrilled by the hidden special abilities of autistic persons. 

Q4         How many Humans existed on the entireearth 60,000 years ago?

A4         Barry McGuinness, B.Sc., M.Sc. UpdatedNov 25

Perhaps 100,000 inAfrica, plus a few thousand elsewhere, which is surprisingly 
small. This is based on our DNA. Unlike our chimpanzeecousins, all humans today 
havevirtually identical DNA. In fact, a population of chimps can have 
moregenetic diversity than all 8 billion humans.

Our minusculegenetic diversity, especially among non-Africans, indicates that 
at some stage,around 60-70,000 yearsago, the breeding population outside Africa 
dwindled to a very low level —maybe 2,000. This is known as a population 
bottleneck, and it has aneffect on genetic diversity going forward.

This bottleneck occurred as a wave of modern humans hadbegun migrating out of 
Africa. Those migrantsbecame the ancestors of all non-African populations today.

But while the Africanpopulation remained steady, it looks like the 
out-of-Africa migrants came closeto being wiped out at least once. So it was a 
verysmall number that gradually populated the rest of the world, taking a 
muchreduced gene-pool with them.[1]

As a consequence, the genetic diversity found innon-Africans represents only a 
subset of that found in Africa.[2]

Why the migrations?

It has beensuggested that a dramatic change to the environment had been caused 
by the Tobasupervolcano eruption74,000 years ago, the biggest eruption in 2 
million years, which leftentire regions devastated by ash and a hypothetical 
‘volcanic winter’.[3]

Computersimulation of ash deposit thickness (cm)[4]

New evidence, though, suggests that East Africa appears tohave been relatively 
unaffected [5]

and populations in Southern Africa survived wellenough.[6]

Q5         What are the health benefits of gingertea?

A5         Teamedical, Experienced Medical Team Sep2

Ginger tea is one of theworld's most popular beverages, enjoyed for centuries 
in many cultures andoften prescribed as a medicinal cure. From aiding 
indigestion to relieving nausea to reducing inflammation, ginger tea offers 
awide range of health benefits.

One of the most widely accepted benefits of ginger tea isits ability to aid 
digestion. Ginger helpspromote the production of stomach acids, which is 
important in breaking downfood and absorbing nutrients. It also helps to soothe 
an upset stomach and canreduce or eliminate bloating, gas, and cramping.

Ginger tea can also help to reduce inflammation, which inturn helps with a 
whole array of health benefits. This is due to its high levels of 
anti-inflammatorycompounds, such as gingerols and shaogals. The combined action 
of thesecompounds helps reduce inflammation in the body, which can assist in 
relievingthe symptoms of conditions like arthritis and joint pain.

Ginger tea is also known for its ability to reduce nauseaand vomiting. It is 
especiallybeneficial for those suffering from morning sickness or 
chemotherapy-inducednausea. The active compounds in ginger act on the digestive 
system to reducenausea by calming the stomach muscles and inducing fluid 
secretion in theintestines.

Finally, ginger tea can help to boost the immune systemand reduce the risk of 
illness. Ginger is richin antioxidants, which help to protect the body from 
free-radical damage andboost the immune system. It is also loaded with powerful 
anti-viral andantibacterial properties, which can help to reduce the risk of 
infection.

Ginger tea is adelicious and versatile beverage with a wide range of health 
benefits. Itsability to aid digestion, reduce inflammation, reduce nausea, and 
boost theimmune system make it an excellent choice for those looking to improve 
theiroverall health. Give it a trytoday and experience the many health benefits 
of ginger tea for yourself!


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