Ankh

The ankh, which consists of a cross with a loop at the top, is the Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol for eternal life.

This strange symbol frequently appears in Egyptian tomb paintings and art.The presence of ankhs as craftsman’s marks on pottery vessels indicates that even the illiterate commoners were aware of the symbol.

The ankh is always carved in the yellow metal gold as it represents the sun. 

Carbon Sink

It is a natural or man-made reservoir that can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Oceans and forests, which absorb CO2 directly from the atmosphere, are the two main natural sinks. Landfills are an example of man-made carbon sinks.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change promotes the use of carbon sinks to offset CO2 emission.

It allows the release of an additional tons of carbon from fossil fuel for every tonne of carbon stored in a carbon sink.

Marshmallows

Marshmallows are puffy, white candies traditionally made from the root of the marshmallow herb.

The jelly-like confection is made by combining marshmallow root, whipped egg whites, vanilla extract and sugar.

As marshmallow root is difficult to obtain, modern confectioners often use gelatin in place of the root. The finished candy is shaped and cut into small cylindrical pieces. It may be rolled in powdered sugar or cornstarch to give the exterior a dry texture.

Today, this popular sweet is available in various sizes.

The Largest Flower

The flower of the plant Rafflesia armoldi is the largest in the world. The width of the flower is between 71 and 91 cm.

This plant does not have roots or photosynthesizing tissues. Once the flower blooms, it wilts within four days. It has a smell similar to that of rotten flesh. This attracts flies which assist in pollination.

The Rafflesia blooms in a handful of localities on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.

Snakebot

Snakebot – a robot that is capable of moving and changing its shape like a snake.

Unlike the traditional robots, snakebots can easily enter tight spaces, climb stairs or wrap their bodies around tree trunks.

This helps them to gain access to places which humans and other machines cannot reach.

Snakebots are being developed by NASA for space exploration because they can burrow into depths that the ordinary robotic probe cannot reach.

They can also easily navigate difficult terrain where a robot on wheels would get stuck or topple over.

Myths About Kitchen Knives That Can Hurt You

1. The type of cutting board doesn’t matter.

It definitely matters. Wood, bamboo, and plastic are better for your knives than composite boards; harder boards like glass, metal, stone and ceramic will quickly destroy knives, experts say. If you receive one as a present, hang it on the wall, but don’t use it to do your food preparation.

2. Steeling sharpens your knife.

No it doesn’t. Steeling straightens an edge that has folded over. Steeling should be done after 10-50 cuts. True sharpening removes the old edge and reshapes the blade into a strong edge. Your knives need to be professionally sharpened 1-2 times per year. Use the steel in between to straighten the edge.

3. It’s okay to wash knives in the dishwasher.

Never. There are so many things that can get damaged, from the knife itself to the hand of someone reaching in unaware that a knife is in there. Your dishwasher’s plastic lining can also be nicked by knives. Always wash knives carefully by hand.

4. An expensive knife is always better than a cheap knife

No, a sharp knife is always better than a blunt knife. If you rarely sharpen your knives, even your high-quality expensive ones, you open yourself up to injury. Sharpen and hone your knives as described above and take care of them by storing them in a knife block.

Science facts

Babies have around 100 more bones than adults

Babies have about 300 bones at birth, with cartilage between many of them. This extra flexibility helps them pass through the birth canal and also allows for rapid growth. With age, many of the bones fuse, leaving 206 bones that make up an average adult skeleton.

The Eiffel Tower can be 15 cm taller during the summer

When a substance is heated up, its particles move more and it takes up a larger volume – this is known as thermal expansion. Conversely, a drop in temperature causes it to contract again. The mercury level inside a thermometer, for example, rises and falls as the mercury’s volume changes with the ambient temperature. This effect is most dramatic in gases but occurs in liquids and solids such as iron too. For this reason large structures such as bridges are built with expansion joints which allow them some leeway to expand and contract without causing any damage.

20% of Earth’s oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest

Our atmosphere is made up of roughly 78 per cent nitrogen and 21 per cent oxygen, with various other gases present in small amounts. The vast majority of living organisms on Earth need oxygen to survive, converting it into carbon dioxide as they breathe. Thankfully, plants continually replenish our planet’s oxygen levels through photosynthesis. During this process, carbon dioxide and water are converted into energy, releasing oxygen as a by-product. Covering 5.5 million square kilometres (2.1 million square miles), the Amazon rainforest cycles a significant proportion of the Earth’s oxygen, absorbing large quantities of carbon dioxide at the same time.

It takes 8 minutes, 19 seconds for light to travel from the Sun to the Earth

In space, light travels at 300,000 kilometres (186,000 miles) per second. Even at this breakneck speed, covering the 150 million odd kilometres (93 million miles) between us and the Sun takes a considerable time. And eight minutes is still very little compared to the five and a half hours it takes for the Sun’s light to reach Pluto.

Venus is the only planet to spin clockwise

Our Solar System started off as a swirling cloud of dust and gas which eventually collapsed into a spinning disc with the Sun at its centre. Because of this common origin, all the planets move around the Sun in the same direction and on roughly the same plane. They also all spin in the same direction (counterclockwise if observed from ‘above’) – except Uranus and Venus. Uranus spins on its side, while Venus defiantly spins in the complete opposite direction. The most likely cause of these planetary oddballs are gigantic asteroids which knocked them off course in the distant past.