Explanation of reasons

Vicky and Vrinda

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Explanation of reasons Vicky and Vrinda...............................................................1 TABLE OF CONTENTS...............................................................................................1 GK Why?........................................................................................................................2 Do you know why we are humans?............................................................................2 Do you know why global warming is the greatest threat to tropical species?...........3 Do you know why does the wind blow?....................................................................4 Do you know why sea water is salty?........................................................................5 Do you know why trees shed leaves?.........................................................................5 Do you know why lightning happens?.......................................................................6 Do you know why flame is multicolored?.................................................................7 Do you know why stars twinkle?...............................................................................7 Do you know why the sky is blue?.............................................................................8 Do you know why we see a mirage?..........................................................................9 Do you know why onions make us cry?...................................................................10 Health Why?.................................................................................................................10 Do you know why does hair turn grey?...................................................................10 Do you know why mosquito bites itch?...................................................................11 Do you know why mosquitoes bite certain people?.................................................12 Do you know why it does not pain cutting our nails?..............................................13 Do you know why people go bald?..........................................................................14 Do you know why siestas are good?........................................................................15 Do you know why we have eyebrows?....................................................................16 Do you know why yawning is infectious?...............................................................16 Do you know why we laugh?...................................................................................17 Animal Why?...............................................................................................................18 Do you know why lizards lose their tails?...............................................................18 Do you know why chimpanzees hug and kiss?........................................................19 Do you know why bats hang upside down?.............................................................20 Do you know why camels survive without water?...................................................22 History Why?...............................................................................................................22 Do you know why Eiffel Tower was built?.............................................................22 Do you know why Taj Mahal was built?.................................................................23 Do you know why the Great Wall of China was built?............................................24 Technology Why?........................................................................................................25 Do you know why banking online is unsafe?...........................................................25 Do you know why Googles Gmail is perfectly customizable?...............................27

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GK Why?
Do you know why we are humans?

This heading, why we are humans may sound weird, unless explained. There are so many different species living on earth, some, even being gigantic and physically immense powerful, but we, humans rule the planet Earth, in spite of being so tiny little beings! We have either tamed all the fierce and threatening species or put them in enclosures according to our whishes and requirements. And only we study them through various researches and its not the other way round. All these prove that we are the most powerful of the species. What makes us supreme? Its sheer intelligence! But why and how are we humans more intelligent than others? Researches have proved time and again, that its all in the brain. We humans have more advanced and bigger brain. When comparing different species, brain size does present a correlation with intelligence. For example the ratio of brain weight to body weight for fish is 1:5000; for reptiles its about 1:1500; for birds, 1:220; for most mammals, 1:180, and for humans, its 1:50. Modern studies among people, using brain scans have shown that brain size shows a rough correlation with IQ among adults of the same sex. The brain is also a metabolically expensive organ, and consumes about 25% of the body's energy. Recently, scientists have identified a gene that controls the size of the brain, a finding that will give an insight into what it means to be human. The research team in Edinburgh has found that when the newly identified gene is faulty, the brain and body shrink as a result. Dr. Andrew Jackson and colleagues at the MRC Genome Damage and Stablity Centre studied families who have members with Seckel syndrome that retards growth in the womb, leading to short stature and a markedly reduced brain size (microcephaly). The study noted that small brain size is linked to faults in a gene called PCNT. This gene works with another gene linked to the condition called ATR, which is again involved in DNA repair. The PCNT gene is responsible for the manufacture of a 10/7/2013 Page 2 of 29

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protein in the body called pericentrin, a component of the centrosome that is essential for the process of cell division that underpins growth. Other genes involved in the working of the centrosome have previously been found to be mutated in different forms of microcephaly, suggesting that it is essential for determining brain size. <!-[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--> <!--[endif]--> So, its the size of the brain which is controlled by gene that makes us human, as larger brains and not bodies are associated with higher intelligence.

Do you know why global warming is the greatest threat to tropical species?

Global warming is the ultimate concern in todays world, if you care! Nearly every other day, news headlines are flooded with the topic of global warming, although most of us are probably ignorant about the consequences that global warming can actually cause to living beings. The latest research on global warming says that while global warming is expected to be strongest at the poles, it may be an even greater threat to species living in the tropics. Tropical species are accustomed to living in a small temperature range and thus may be unable to cope with changes of even a few degrees, according to an analysis in the last weeks edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research was led by Tewksbury, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Washington and Curtis A. Deutsch, an assistant professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles. "There's a strong relationship between your physiology and the climate you live in. In the tropics many species appear to be living at or near their thermal optimum, a temperature that lets them thrive. But once temperature gets above the thermal 10/7/2013 Page 3 of 29

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optimum, fitness levels most likely decline quickly and there may not be much they can do about it," Joshua J. Tewksbury said in a statement. Concern over global warming has largely focused on arctic species like the polar bear. But such animals may be accustomed to living in a wide range of temperatures, while there tends to be little change in the tropics, so there has been no need for species there to adapt. "The direct effects of climate change on the organisms we studied appear to depend a lot more on the organisms' flexibility than on the amount of warming predicted for where they live," Tewksbury said. "The tropical species in our data were mostly thermal specialists, meaning that their current climate is nearly ideal and any temperature increases will spell trouble for them."

Do you know why does the wind blow?

What is wind? Why does the wind blow? How is wind different from air? Did any of these questions ever struck your mind? - If yes, just read on. Wind is moving air and is caused by differences in air pressure within our atmosphere. Air, under high pressure, moves to the areas of low pressure. The greater the difference in pressure, the faster the air flows, and the stronger is the wind of that place. Thats the simple explanation. The atmosphere is composed of air which, is made up of tiny particles of different gases like nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, etc. The Sun shines on our atmosphere all the time. But, it heats the surface of the Earth unevenly. As a result, its warm in some places, while cold in other places. When air gets warmer, its particles spread out. This makes the air lighter, or less dense. So it rises. When air cools, it becomes heavier, or denser, and sinks. As warm air rises, air from cooler areas flows in to take the place of the heated air. This process is called convection and causes air to move. The differential heating of the Earth's surface and the resulting convection is what causes wind on this planet. Have you ever wondered, how a hot air balloon floats in the air? Well, it applies the same science as that of the wind. Air is heated by a gas flame below the balloon. The 10/7/2013 Page 4 of 29

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air inside becomes hot and lighter or less dense than the cooler air outside the balloon. As the hot air rises, it carries the balloon upward. When the gas flame is turned down, the air cools and the balloon sinks back to the ground. Wind also plays an important role in determining weather conditions.

Do you know why sea water is salty?

Why and how is the sea water salty? Well, to put it simple, - rivers erode minerals from rocks and soil throughout their journey and finally deposit them into seas. These elements include sodium and chlorides, which, when combined, become salt. For a bigger picture, the sea water is salty because of the gradual concentration of dissolved chemicals eroded from the Earth's crust is dumped into the sea. Furthermore, solid and gaseous ejections from volcanoes under the sea, suspended particles that are swept to the ocean from the land by onshore winds, and materials dissolved from sediments deposited on the ocean floor also contribute to its saltiness. Salinity is increased by evaporation or by freezing of sea ice and it is decreased as a result of rainfall, runoff, or the melting of ice.

Do you know why trees shed leaves?

Like people, the leaves of trees also age, but do so much more rapidly. Each spring the young leaves develop from buds and then rapidly mature to full size to carry on 10/7/2013 Page 5 of 29

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photosynthesis (the process that provides food needed for the tree to grow and maintain itself). By autumn, the leaves of many hardwood trees reach old age and do not function well. At this time a tree must also prepare for the harsher weather conditions of winter. Signals to the tree indicating it is time to prepare for winter include shorter days, less intense sunlight and cooler temperatures. Prior to the leaves falling, nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus move from the leaf into the adjacent stem to be reused during the next growing season. The following spring a new crop of leaves are produced and the cycle is repeated. To sum up, in early autumn, in response to the shortening days and declining intensity of sunlight, leaves begin the processes leading up to their fall. The veins that carry fluids into and out of the leaf gradually close off, as a layer of cells forms at the base of each leaf. Once this separation layer is complete and the connecting tissues are sealed off, the leaf is ready to fall. Thus while trees can live for decades and even centuries, some parts of the tree like the leaves, live for only a few months or years (in certain varieties of trees).

Do you know why lightning happens?

In one line, lightning is a bright flash of electricity that is produced by a thunderstorm. Within a thundercloud way up in the sky, many small bits of ice (frozen raindrops) bump into each other as they move around in the air. All of these collisions create an electric charge. After a while, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges. The positive charges or protons form at the top of the cloud and the negative charges or electrons form at the bottom of the cloud. Lightning results from the buildup and discharge of this electrical energy between positively and negatively charged areas. Lightning can occur within the cloud or between the cloud and the ground as well. In the second case, this electrical charge strikes around anything that sticks up, such as mountains, people, or single trees. When a lightning bolt travels from the cloud to the ground it actually opens up a little hole in the air, called a channel. Once the light is gone, the air collapses back in and creates a sound wave that we hear as thunder. The reason we see lightning before we hear thunder is because light travels faster than sound!

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Remember, lightning is approximately six times hotter than the surface of the sun! So, dont play around during lightning and always look for a safer place or stay indoors.

Do you know why flame is multicolored?

Flame color depends on several factors, mainly oxygen supply, generated heat, carbon particles and the burning material with the movement of electrons in the metal ions. Thus all flame colors are not the same and different flames have different colors, like the flame color of a candle is different from the flame colors of a burning wood or a gas burner. Each flame is multicolored, being mostly blue at the bottom, then orange or yellow and finally black at the top. The blue color signifies the hottest temperature zone of any flame. Since fire needs oxygen to burn, and as the bottom of the flame does not get much oxygen, it is the hottest spot in the flame and is blue in color. The flame gradually cools and changes color as it moves away from its source, because it is exposed to more oxygen. The temperature change causes the color of the flame to turn from blue at the hottest lower portion, to the typical bright yellowish-orange or bright orange color at the upper part. The shade of orange at the upper portion of the flame (where the flame is the coolest) depends upon the material being burned. The product of the burnt carbon, when it has cooled, is black soot, and comprises the top part of the flame. Now, if we get into a little bit of physics, we will understand the scientific reasoning behind the color of a flame. When a material is heated, the electrons gain energy and jump to a higher level. However, they jump back to their initial level to maintain the stability. For this, each of these electrons releases the excess energy. Each jump involves a specific amount of energy being released as light energy, and each corresponds to a particular color. As a result of all these jumps, a spectrum of colored lines is formed. The color you see is the combination of all these individual colors. The exact sizes of the possible jumps in terms of energy vary from one metal ion to another. This means each ion will have a different pattern of spectral lines, and thus a different flame color.

Do you know why stars twinkle?

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On a clear, dark night, our eyes can see about 6,000 or so stars in the sky. They seem to twinkle, or change their brightness, all the time. The scientific name for this twinkling of stars is stellar scintillation or astronomical scintillation. Stars seem to twinkle when we see them from the Earth's surface, because we are viewing them through thick layers of turbulent (moving) air in the Earths atmosphere. The Earth's atmosphere comprises of layers of gases surrounding the Earth. Its composed of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, 0.03% carbon dioxide, and other gases. These gaseous layers insulate the Earth from extreme temperatures and block the Earth from much of the Suns incoming ultraviolet radiation. As light of a star travels through these layers of the Earth's atmosphere, it is bent or refracted many times and in random directions (it happens whenever it hits a change in density - like a pocket of cold air or hot air). This random refraction results in the star appear to our eyes as twinkling. Stars would not appear to twinkle if viewed from outer space or from a planet that doesn't have an atmosphere.

Do you know why the sky is blue?

The atoms of nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere separate the suns white light into its many colors and scatter them throughout the atmosphere. The wavelength of the blue light scatters better than the rest, predominating over other colors in the light spectrum. This makes the sky appear blue to us on a clear day. 10/7/2013 Page 8 of 29

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The scientific name for this phenomenon is Tyndall Effect, more commonly known as Rayleigh Scattering. This phenomenon describes the way in which light physically scatters, when it passes through particles in the earths atmosphere that are 1/10th in diameter of the color of light. The light spectrum ranges in wavelength from red to violet and since the wavelength of the blue light passes through the particles with greater ease than the wavelengths of other colors of light, the sky appears blue to the naked eye. The human eye has three types of light receptors, known as cones, located in the retina. The cones are either considered to be red or blue or green, based upon their strong response to light at these wavelengths. As light stimulates these receptors, our vision translates the signals into the colors we see. The skylight stimulates the red and green cones almost equally, while stimulating the blue cones more strongly, resulting in the blue colour of the sky.

Do you know why we see a mirage?

A mirage is an optical illusion that occurs due to atmospheric conditions by which reflected images of distant objects are seen. In other words, its a refraction phenomena in which the image of some objects appear displaced from its true position. Mirages form when light rays emitted from a source or reflected off an object are bent, as the path of the light ray crosses air layers of different densities. Common examples of a mirage are the appearance of water some distance down the highway on a hot summer day and seeing a lake in the desert. Oasis or viewing a lake in the desert happens when light passes through two layers of air with different temperatures. The desert sun heats up the sand, which in turn heats up the air just above it. The hot air then bends light rays and reflects the sky. So when you see it from a distance, the different air masses colliding with each other act like a mirror. And the desert ahead seems to have become a lake which is actually a reflection of the sky above. Mirages can be seen almost anywhere those shimmering heat hazes that appear on the road ahead of you on sunny days, but disappear as you approach are mirages. 10/7/2013 Page 9 of 29

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Again, in the countryside you may seem to see a small lake or a pond near trees or in a field, which is also created by the same concept, i.e. differences in temperature between the ground temperature and the air just above the ground level.

Do you know why onions make us cry?

It is not the strong odor of the onion, but the gas that the onion releases when we peel off this member of the lily family, makes us cry. The onion itself contains oil, which contains sulfur, an irritant to both our noses and to our eyes. Cutting an onion arouses a gas contained within the onion, propanethiol Soxide, which then couples with the enzymes in the onion to emit a passive sulfur compound. When this upwardly mobile gas encounters the water produced by the tear ducts in our eyelids, it produces sulfuric acid. In response to the caustic acid, our eyes automatically blink due to irritation and produce tears to flush out the sulfuric acid. Moreover, to rid the eyes of this foreign substance, we instinctively rub our eyes with our hands, while into the act, which again exacerbates the situation, as our hands are coated with the caustic, sulfuric acid producing oil from cutting the onion. The only remedy to get rid of this pungent, irritating oil of the onion is to boil it, and not to slice it or dice it.

Health Why?
Do you know why does hair turn grey?

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Generally with age, our hair turns grey, although people can get grey hair at any age! Some people go grey at a very young age, whereas others may be in their forties before the first grey strand is seen. And in most of the cases, our genes determine how early we get grey hair. But what is grey hair? How does our hair turn grey? And why at all does our hair turn grey? Lets find out the answers! Melanin is the pigment that is responsible for producing color. To put it simple, - when the cells present at the base of the hair root, stop producing this melanin, the hair shafts turn grey. Melanin is made up of specialized pigment cells called melanocytes. These are found at the openings on the skins surface (follicles) through which hair grows. As the hair is being formed, melanocytes inject melanin pigments into cells containing keratin (a protein that makes up our hair, skin and nails). Throughout the years, melanocytes continue this process, giving the hair their colorful hue of black, brown, blond, etc. But with age comes the reduction in the amount of melanin and the hair gradually turns grey. Well, people who get grey hair in their twenties might not like it, but grey streaks or salt-and-pepper hair at a matured age surely gives one - a distinguished look or so they say!

Do you know why mosquito bites itch?

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Mosquitoes are the familiar flying insects belonging to the family of Culicidae. There are about 2,500 known species of mosquitoes in the whole world. Mosquitoes are particularly dangerous insects since they are known to transmit such serious diseases as yellow fever, malaria, filariasis dengue and Japanese B encephalitis. Mosquitoes generally bite at any time, but prefer the evening. And, do you know that only the female mosquitoes bite? Yes! The male mosquitoes, and sometimes the female mosquitoes, feed on nectar and other plant juices. But in most species the female mosquitoes require a blood meal to acquire protein, needed to produce eggs. Female mosquitoes lay multiple batches of eggs during their lifespan, and a new blood meal is needed to produce every batch. Different mosquito species prefer different host species. Some mosquitoes seek blood meals from birds, while other mosquitoes love mammals. And some are generalists. But why do mosquito bites itch? The female mosquito inserts her needle-like proboscis (a slender, tubular, feeding and sucking organ) into the victim's skin, to draw blood. She sucks until her abdomen is full. But doing that is not easy as blood clots very quickly (on contact with air) to have a drink. So, the mosquito injects her saliva, containing digestive enzymes and anticoagulants that stop the blood from clotting. Our body sees that as an enemy and produces and sends chemical called histamines to the injected area, to ward off infection. And, its the reaction between histamines and the saliva of the mosquito that causes the itching, swelling and redness.

Do you know why mosquitoes bite certain people?

Its strange, but amazingly true that mosquitoes may not bite all the people in the same place. And only a selective set of people may fall prey to these tiny blood suckers that put millions of lives at stake by spreading malaria - the most prevalent life-threatening disease in the world. Scientists have worked out the answers why and how mosquitoes make a beeline for certain people and leave others almost untouched. Specific cells in one of the three organs that make up the mosquitos nose are tuned to identify the different chemicals that make up human body odor. To the mosquito, some peoples sweat simply smells better than others because of the proportions of the carbon dioxide, octenol and other compounds that make up body odor. Its those people who are most likely to be bitten. 10/7/2013 29 Page 12 of

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Mosquitoes use three organs to smell and taste a feathery antenna which can identify a wide range of different chemicals, a proboscis used for short range detection and the maxillary palp for longer range smelling. Scientists have found that maxillary palp contains a series of highly specialized receptor cells used to detect the different components of human body odor. Professors of biological sciences believe, mosquitoes are good transmitters of malaria because they are extremely good at finding people to bite, and maxillary palps serve as the malaria mosquitos long range detection system. So, if you think you are the mosquitos delight, better take care!

Do you know why it does not pain cutting our nails?

In medical dictionary, nail is defined as the horny epidermal derivative covering the dorsal aspect of the terminal phalanx of each finger and toe. Well, in common mans language, by fingernails and toenails, we understand hard scaley transparent structures that grow at the tip of our fingers and toes. Nails are part of our body. But the amazing thing is that it does not hurt when we cut them short, although it does not happen with other body parts (except hair). A nail consists of: Eponychium or cuticle - the fold of skin at the proximal end of the nail. Paronychium - the fold of skin on the sides of the nail. Hyponychium - the attachment between the skin of the finger or toe and the distal end of the nail. Nail plate - the hard and translucent portion composed of keratin. Nail bed - the adherent connective tissue that underlies the nail. Lunula - the crescent shaped whitish area of the nail bed. Nail fold - a fold of hard skin overlapping the base and sides of a fingernail or toenail. 10/7/2013 29 Page 13 of

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But, why it does not pain, cutting our nails? In common usage the word nail usually refers to the nail plate only. Nails are made of a tough protein called keratin and are produced from living skin cells in the fingers and toes. But they do not have nerve endings and pain receptors like the rest of our body. So the pain sensation does not reach our brain and we do not feel pain when they are cut. But we do feel pain when a nail is plucked, because there are sensory nerves underlying the nail bed and pressure on it is transmitted to these nerves, which results in the sensation of pain. So as long as a nail is attached to the nail bed, harming or cutting it, creates pain. Actually it is the nail bed that causes the pain and not the nail. Thus, when we cut the tip of a nail, where it is detached from the nail bed, we are not hurt. Usually, nails grow at an average rate of 0.03 centimeters a day (3 cm every 100 days). Fingernails require 3 to 6 months to re-grow completely. Toenails require 12 to 18 months. Precise growth rate of an individual is dependent on age, season, exercise level, and hereditary factors. And, contrary to popular belief, nails do not continue to grow after death. Actually, the skin shrinks - giving the illusion that the nails grow.

Do you know why people go bald?

Normally, there are about 100,000 to 150,000 hair strands on the human scalp. However many people cannot retain them and eventually go bald. Androgenetic Alopecia, the most common type of baldness otherwise known as male pattern baldness occurs due to a chemical known as Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) that builds up around the follicle and eventually kills the follicle and the hair. In simple terms, the growing cycle becomes shorter. So the hair does not grow as long as it once did. It becomes finer, and eventually the growth cycle is eliminated. A follicles resistance to DHT is genetic which is why some people go bald and others do not. If you have relatives with thin hair or who are bald, you may well develop the same problem. Doctors say that the gene can be inherited from either the mothers or the fathers side of the family and skips generations. 10/7/2013 29 Page 14 of

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In other conditions, such as Alopecia Totalis and Alopecia Universalis, the entire scalp and entire body become completely bald due to a viral condition. Patch baldness, in which hair falls out of the scalp in patches, is caused by stress or poor nutrition or adverse scalp conditions. In this case, the hair usually grow back once the cause has been rectified. While the effects of hair loss can be devastating, there are treatment options from non-surgical techniques to hair transplants that can slow or stop hair loss or even gain the appearance of a full head of hair. So just don't worry too much and be happy!

Do you know why siestas are good?

Usually it is said by doctors that six to eight hours of sleep at night is ideal for most people, though what is more important is the quality of sleep. But recent studies say that, also 40 winks, better known as catnap or siesta in the middle of the day is good to health and can protect you from a heart attack. A recent large UK study of around 23,000 people in Greece reported that those who catnapped for at least 30 minutes in the afternoon, three times or more a week had a 37 percent lower risk of death due to heart attacks compared to those who did not. People who occasionally took a siesta had a 12 percent lower risk. In the study, a siesta was defined as typically short naps or rest periods of no more than an hour that are taken in the afternoon. Cardiologists say siestas help people relax, reduce their stress levels and benefit heart function by lowering blood pressure. Blood pressure and heart rate decrease while sleeping. Lowered blood pressure reduces strain on the heart and decreases the risk of a fatal heart attack. While earlier studies on siestas have linked it to a slight increase in heart attack risk, newer and more controlled studies have shown that afternoon naps or siestas reduce the risk of fatal heart attacks. Taking a long afternoon nap, however, can lead to heightened heart risk by making people inactive and overweight, - warn cardiologists. Care should also be taken that, siestas do not lead to reduced overall physical activities.

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Do you know why we have eyebrows?

People have always wondered why humans have eyebrows! They definitely played an important role in our culture though, in terms of beauty, since long time. We pluck, pierce, color or tattoo our eyebrows to make fashion statements. However, they don't seem to serve any other logical function apart from enhancing beauty - or do they? Well! The answer is yes, though their purpose has lost significance over time as humans evolved. Eyebrows act as umbrellas for the eyes. The arch-shaped eyebrows help keep our vision clear by diverting rain and sweat away from the eyes to the sides of the face leaving our eyes fairly dry. By doing so, our eyebrows not only allow us to see more clearly, but also keep salty sweat from burning or irritating our eyes. Eyebrows have other roles too. Recent researches support these theories of the fact why we did not lose our eyebrows with evolution. As one of our most expressive facial features, eyebrows help us determine how people are feeling without ever really asking them. In fact, eyebrows help with human communications. Often, you can tell how a person is reacting to something just by looking at the way he moves his eyebrows. High eyebrows usually denote emotions like surprise or happiness, whereas low furled brows usually denote anger or unhappiness. In short, eyebrows are a form of non-verbal communication. Eyebrows also play a major part in identification. Eyebrows help us to identify and recognize individuals. You can test this theory yourself, by hiding the brows from a known persons picture of the face you will notice how difficult it becomes in recognizing the person.

Do you know why yawning is infectious?

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Why is yawning infectious? First lets see how we define a yawn. Yawning can be defined as a sudden, deep inhalation of air accompanied by an open mouth, tightened cheek muscles, eye closure, and tearing. Everybody yawns -from unborn babies to the oldest human being. Animals do it, too. And before you finish reading this, it's likely that you will end up yawning at least once, if not more. Why? I will come to that later. But, why exactly do people and animals yawn? Science and researches havent yet reached a conclusion. But there are several theories or ideas about why people yawn. Here are the few most common theories. One theory says that our bodies induce yawning to draw in more oxygen or remove a build-up of carbon dioxide. According to another theory, which is also the most popular one, yawning is said to be caused by boredom, fatigue or drowsiness. Again theres a theory which believes, yawning is a protective reflex to redistribute the oil-like substance called surfactant that helps in keeping lungs lubricated inside, saving them from collapsing. According to the evolution theory - yawning is something that began with our ancestors, who used yawning to show their teeth to intimidate others. An offshoot of this theory is the idea that yawning developed from early man, was a signal for others to change their activities. But there is one idea about yawning that everyone knows to be true -yawning is contagious by nature. If you yawn in a meeting, you'll probably notice a few other people have started yawning, too. Even thinking about yawning can get you yawning. Scientists explain the "contagious" nature of yawning as, the power of suggestion, that is, when one person's yawn triggers another nearby to yawn. How many times have you yawned while reading this article? Have I provoked a yawn out of you yet? If I have, its by the power of suggestion! Just as seeing or hearing someone else yawn makes you yawn, reading about yawning may also make you yawn. Honestly, even I have yawned a few times while writing this such is the infectious nature of yawn!

Do you know why we laugh?

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The reasons we laugh, including contagious laughter, may be products of evolution. Natural laughter is a two-part, spontaneous, response to humor, that has physiological, psychological, and physical benefits. Most agree that we laugh when we find something to be humorous, though different reasons exist for what we find to be humorous. Additionally, different things are humorous to us at different stages of life. Laughter, a physiological response to humor, can be broken down into two parts. The first is a set of gestures, and the second is the production of sound. The brain forces to conduct both responses simultaneously. From a physiological standpoint, a sensor in the brain responds to laughter by triggering other neural circuits in the brain, which, in turn, generate more laughter. Oddly enough, laughter is an orderly response, and almost occurs spontaneously during pauses at the end of phrases, earning it the name the punctuation effect. Human beings are the only species capable of laughter, and an average adult does so approximately 17 times per day. Scientists say that laughing is a great exercise and estimates that laughing 100 times is equivalent to a 10-minute workout on a rowing machine, or 15 minutes on a stationary exercise bike.

Animal Why?
Do you know why lizards lose their tails?

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Lizards can lose their tails, but not all lizards can grow them back, though. Lizards that lose their tails also lose an important source of energy because they store fats at the base of their tails. In lizards, the tail bones have central regions that break away easily when the tail is pulled. The muscles of the tail pull apart and the blood vessels constrict to stop the wounded tail from bleeding. So, if a predator attacks a lizard, the tail is designed such that it separates from the body allowing the lizard to escape while the predator gets the tail. Lizards that lose their tails grow them back but the replacement tail is never as long or as colorful as the original one. Replacement tails grow back in as little as three months or as long as two years. <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--> <!-[endif]--> In short, in order to defend it in a threatening situation, the lizard chooses to detach its tail by contracting a special muscle near a weakness in its vertebrae. In lizards, especially big ones like Iguanas and Komodo Dragons, the tail bones are not designed to break easily and the tail muscles are also not designed to pull apart smoothly. These lizards however can also lose their tails, but it takes a much stronger pull to make this happen. With these types of lizards, the wound heals like othersthough, but the tail does not grow back.

Do you know why chimpanzees hug and kiss?

In humans, a nice hug and some sympathy can normally help a bit after we get pushed around. Now, its known that chimpanzees also use hugs and kisses the same way. And it works! Researchers studying human's closest genetic relatives, the chimpanzees, found that stress was reduced in chimpanzees who were victims of aggression if a third chimpanzee stepped in to offer consolation. The findings were reported recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research was done by Dr. Orlaith N. Fraser of the Research Center in Evolutionary Anthropology and Paleoecology at Liverpool John Moores University in England; and colleagues. They studied chimpanzees at the Chester Zoo in England 10/7/2013 29 Page 19 of

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from January 2005 to September 2006, recording instances of aggression such as a bite, hit, rush, trample, chase or threat. Dr. Fraser said that the research showed, "consolation usually took the form of a kiss or embrace", which is particularly interesting because this behavior is rarely seen other than after a conflict. "If a kiss was used, the consoler would press his or her open mouth against the recipient's body, usually on the top of the head or their back. An embrace consisted of the consoler wrapping one or both arms around the recipient." The result was a reduction of stress behavior among the chimpanzees, such as scratching or self-grooming by the victim of aggression, reported Dr. Fraser and colleagues. Dr. Frans de Waal of the Yerkes Primate Center at Emory University in Atlanta, who was not part of Fraser's research team, said, the study is important because it shows the relationship between consolation and stress reduction in the chimpanzees. "This study removes doubt that consolation really does what the term suggests: provide relief to distressed parties after conflict. The evidence is compelling and makes it likely that consolation behavior is an expression of empathy," Dr. Waal said. Dr. Waal suggested that this evidence of empathy in chimpanzees is "perhaps equivalent to what in human children is called 'sympathetic concern.'" That behavior in children includes touching and hugging of distressed family members and "is in fact identical to that of apes, and so the comparison is not farfetched," he said. But, while chimpanzees show this empathy, monkeys do not, he added. Previous research on conflict among chimpanzees concentrated on cases where there were reconciliation between victim and aggressor, with little attention to intervention by a third party. The latest research result shows that chimpanzees calm distressed recipients of aggression by consoling them with a friendly gesture. But, consolation is most likely to occur, that is by hugs and kisses, between chimpanzees who already have valuable relationships, concludes chief researcher Dr. Orlaith N. Fraser.

Do you know why bats hang upside down?

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There are nearly 1,000 species of bats, worldwide. They range from the tiny bumblebee bats of Thailand, to the vulture size Fox bats. Their wingspans range from as short as 6 inches to as long as 6 feet in length. Their diet consists primarily of insects, though some species eat nectar and fruits. But, the vampire bats drink blood of other animals. And, remember for your general knowledge -bats are the only mammals that can fly. The most amazing fact about the bats is that they spend most of their time by hanging upside down! Bats have special kind of feet joints that let them lock their feet in a tightly clasped position (without the use of any muscle), with the weight of the body keeping the foot locked. Bats roost this way by their hind feet. And special valves in their circulatory system keep blood from rushing to their heads as they hang upside down. But why do the bats hang upside down? There are a few different reasons why bats roost this way. Bats have the ability to go into a form of hibernation at will. This is called torpor. When cold weather reduces feeding opportunities, the bats opt to sleep through the cold by hanging upside down. When a bat is in torpor, it uses little energy to maximize the use of its body fat for surviving through the cold period. Again, hanging upside down is also a great way to hide from danger. During the day time when predators like birds of prey are active, bats huddle up at such secluded spots, like the roof of a cave, the underside of a bridge, the inside of a hollowed-out tree, etc, where enemies wouldnt think to look or reach.. This allows them safety, until the night. Another reason for hanging upside down is that it puts them in an ideal position for takeoff. Unlike birds, bats can't fly into the air from the ground. Their wings don't produce enough lift to take off from a dead stop, and their hind legs are so small and underdeveloped that they can't run to build up the necessary takeoff speed. So, they use their front claws to climb to a high spot, and then fall into a flight. By sleeping upside down in a high location, they stay ready to launch, if they need to escape the roost.

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Do you know why camels survive without water?

The humps on a camel's back are actually huge heaps of fat and flesh that can weigh as much as 80 pounds in a healthy camel. These humps help camels survive for weeks without food and water. When water and food become scarce in the deserts where camels roam, the fatty humps serve as stored food and are used for nourishment. As the camel's body metabolizes or uses up the humps' stored fat, the hump becomes smaller and flabbier. So the longer the camel goes without eating, the smaller its hump gets. The size of a camel's hump helps determine a camel's health, food sources, and overall well-being. These humps, or reserves of fat, are the reason why camels can go for days without water and food. While humans are supposed to drink 8 glasses of water a day, camels can go without water for nearly 2 weeks!

History Why?
Do you know why Eiffel Tower was built?

Eiffel Tower or La Tour Eiffel in French, situated in the city of Paris in France is one of the few greatest engineering amazements that the world has seen till date. Its a beauty to watch the Eiffel Tower at night when its all illuminated with its lighting effects. 10/7/2013 29 Page 22 of

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With a height of 324.00m (height with antenna) from the ground and 125m x 125m at the base, Eiffel Tower weighs about 10,000 tons (metal framework weight: 7,300 tons) in total. So what is this Eiffel Tower made up of and how was the foundation laid? Well, the foundation was constituted in stonework and is made of puddle iron. And, how much did it cost to build the Eiffel Tower? A whopping 7,800,000 gold francs, way back in 1889. The tower was built by Gustave Eiffel, -the man behind the company Gustave Eiffel & Cie that got the contract. Now lets see, why was this huge structure which is one of the most desired touristspot in the world, was created! Eiffel Tower was built as the theme structure of the Universal Exposition of 1889, which was held in Paris. It was a huge international fair intended to show off Frances achievements to the world. There were dozens of other sculptures and buildings created also, but the Eiffel Tower was the only one to remain because the military discovered that it was a great antenna for the newly (then) invented technology of radio. Today, the Eiffel Tower is one of the world's most recognized landmark and stands as an important symbol of Paris, of France, and of travel and exotic destinations in general.

Do you know why Taj Mahal was built?

Taj Mahal -the spectacular mausoleum, located on the right bank of river Yamuna in Agra, India, is one of the "new seven wonders of the world". Built entirely of white marble, Taj Mahal, is said to be the eternal symbol of love, the world has ever seen! Historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed. It appears pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening and golden when the moon shines. These changes, people say, depict different moods of a woman. Different people may have different views of the Taj Mahal, but it is best appreciated when the architecture and its adornments are linked to the passion that inspired it -"love"! Perhaps, there is no better and grand monument built ever, in the history of human civilization, dedicated to love! But, why was the Taj Mahal built? In all, Taj Mahal covers an area of more than 60 acres. It took more than 20,000 workers, comprising of masons, stonecutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome-builders and other artisans from India, Central Asia and Iran, for about 17 years (1631 1648) to complete this spectacular work of 10/7/2013 29 Page 23 of

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art. Yes! So was the love of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife that he built this grand piece of history to make their love, immortal! The opulent, domed mausoleum is regarded as the finest example of Mughal art and architecture. So exquisite is the workmanship that the Taj Mahal has been described as "having been designed by giants and finished by jewelers". The Taj Mahal rises on a high red sandstone base topped by a huge white marble terrace on which rests the famous dome flanked by four minarets, each more than 13 stories tall. Within the dome lies the jewel-inlaid cenotaph of the queen. Arjumand Bano Begum (later known as Mumtaz Mahal) was the woman in whose memory the Taj Mahal was built. Shah Jahan married Arjumand Bano when she was 14 years of age, and the imperial city of Agra was already agog with the stories of her beauty. She became the third wife of Shah Jahan and remained his inseparable companion. As a symbol of her faith and love she bore Shah Jahan 14 children. She breathed her last after delivering their 14th child in 1631 at the age of 38. It is said that it was Mumtaz Mahal who on her deathbed asked Shah Jahan to create a symbol of their love for posterity. Though many historians believe that it was the griefstricken emperor himself, who decided to build the worlds most memorable symbol of love, Taj Mahal, in the loving memory of his dearest wife. In Shah Jahans later years, he was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb. He spent his days in confinement, by staring at the Taj Mahal from his prison cell window, till he died after eight years in captivity at the age of 74. Later, his grave was also added to the Taj Mahal.

Do you know why the Great Wall of China was built?

The Great Wall of China is probably the China's best-known monument and one of its most popular tourist destinations. In 1987 it was designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and in 2007 it was elected one of the New 7 Wonders of the world. Wonder! It certainly is, stretching so many miles. But, contrary to the popular belief, the Great Wall of China is not a single, continuous structure. Rather, it consists of a network of walls with watch-towers at intervals that leave the frontier open in places. Estimates of the total length of the monument vary, depending on which sections are included and how they are measured. According to conservative estimates, the Great 10/7/2013 29 Page 24 of

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Wall of China is about 2,400 km long. While, other estimates cite a length of 6,400 km or even longer. From Hebei Province on the gulf of Bo Hai (a gulf of the Yellow Sea) in the east, the Great Wall of China stretches to Jiayuguan in Gansu Province in the west. The top of the walls have space, designed for soldiers to march. The Wall, at its most impressive site around Beijing, measures at least 7.6 m in height and up to 9 m in width, tapering from the base to the top. However, these dimensions vary greatly at other points. But why was the Great Wall of China built? The natural answer that passes our mind at the first thought is protection or safe-guard from invaders and enemies. Well, thats true! The Great Wall of China was the greatest manmade military defense structure in ancient China. The Great Wall was built mainly to protect Chinas northern border from the Mongolians and other invaders. But the Great Wall of China was not built at one time. It took several dynasties to complete the work. Based on the technology available at different dynasties, the Great Wall was usually built with local materials, mostly earth and stones. Natural terrain such as mountain ridges was often taken advantage of to form part of the wall. There were two major periods of construction of the Great Wall, one during the Qin dynasty, and the second during the Ming dynasty. The construction first started more than 3000 years ago during the Warring States period, before China was unified. In 221 B.C., under the first emperor of China, Qin Shihuangdi, sections of earlier fortifications were joined together to form a united defense system against invasions from the north. It was called the Chang Cheng (long wall) of Shihuangdi. From then on, all successive Chinese dynasties had a hand in repairing, re-building, lengthening, modifying and preserving the Great Wall. The construction continued up to the Ming dynasty (13681644), when the Great Wall became the world's largest military structure. Most of the Great Wall that we see today was built in the Ming Dynasty. There is a long-standing myth about the Great Wall of China that it is visible from outer space. But, actually, it is not visible with the naked eye from outer space. The astronauts have confirmed this. However, some of the wall is recognizable in special radar images, taken by satellites.

Technology Why?
Do you know why banking online is unsafe?

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Banking online may prove out to be time-saving and hassle-free, but have you ever thought about how unsafe it is? Many of you may argue to differ! But, actually banking online is riskier than assumed! Even a recent study by University of Michigan researchers confirmed this. The researchers found design flaws in 76 percent of the 214 U.S. financial institution websites that include top banks. In fact, many banks make their online customers take risks with their passwords and other sensitive account information, leaving them open to internet frauds. The result is that even the most security-conscious Web surfers could also find themselves as victims of identity theft because they have been made habituated to ignore potential clues about whether the banking site they are visiting is real or a fake site served up by hackers. Also, there are many banks that redirect users to third-party sites, where pop-ups like secure login boxes crop up on insecure Web pages. Moreover, the banks improperly use Social Security numbers or e-mail addresses which an outsider that is an efficient hacker can figure out as default user names. All of these banking practices put online banking customers at serious risk. But actually, there are no basic problems with the bank websites' coding that could allow hackers to break in. Instead, its the design flaws of the bank sites that guide online banking customers to bad surfing habits. One of the biggest problems is that even if the login boxes on banks' pages are properly secured (meaning they send and receive encrypted data through a technology known as Secure Sockets Layer or in short, SSL), the full page itself, in some cases, is usually not protected with the same technology so it becomes more difficult to tell whether the site is real or fake. [SSL-equipped sites show a padlock icon in the address bar which ensure the secured encryption technology and assure that the site's owner is legitimate.] Again, when users are not notified that they are being taken to another site (when a bank uses a partner site for online bill payments) then it becomes hard to determine if the new site is trustworthy, because the online registration certificate carries a different company's name. 10/7/2013 29 Page 26 of

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So even the most tech savvy of the online banking customers could fall victim to phishing scams because they are supposed to enter personal information into the site that is not their bank's and has not been clearly certified by the bank. Here, the hackers could easily take advantage by sending them fake pages, dressed up like the bank's website. That site would then redirect to another site under the hacker's control, and users might not question the redirection. Thus it is nearly quite impossible for the online banking customers to play safe. However, whatever little they can do is not click on the links sent in e-mails. At least, this way they can reduce the risks to an extent, if not completely avoid the hacking possibilities when doing online banking transactions.

Do you know why Googles Gmail is perfectly customizable?

Googles Gmail is one of the best free email available in todays date. Although at times you may encounter some minor hiccups in the newer version, Gmail can be customized according to your needs. And Google is dedicatedly working for further improvements even when most of you are oblivious of its fantastic features. You can actually make Googles Gmail perfectly customizable. Now why do I say Gmail is perfectly customizable? Because Gmail has wonderful flexible features that can be exploited to suit different needs. Lets check out some of these outstanding but little-known features to see how you can perfectly customize Googles Gmail. You can customize Gmail inbox with Labels: This is a great way to filter your incoming messages. Click on Settings and then on Filter. At the bottom you will find Create a new Filter. Say, you want all your myspace messages to be organized outside your Inbox. So, under From put in myspace and go to the next step. Tick Skip the Inbox (Archive it). Next, tick Apply Label and create a new label called myspace. Finally, click on Create Filter and apply it to all the previous emails you have received from myspace. The next time you open your inbox, you will find all your messages from myspace under Labels.

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Labels is a very useful way to quickly get to mails that you regularly receive from certain friends or networks. You can find the Labels tab under Settings. You can customize Gmail to manage multiple email accounts: Did you know you could use Gmail to send messages from your other email addresses? You do not have to leave Gmail and go to Yahoo mail, for instance, to send a message from there. You can do it from Gmail itself. This feature makes it easier to manage multiple accounts from the Gmail interface. Click Settings along the top of any page, and open the Accounts tab. Under Send mail as, click Add another email address. In the Name field, enter your full name. In the Email address field, enter the mail address you would like to send from. When someone replies to your message using a custom From: address, the reply will be delivered to the From: address rather than your Gmail address. If you want replies to be delivered to Gmail or a third account, you will need to enter a reply-to address. To do this, click Specify a different reply-to address and enter the desired email address. Click Next Step and then click Send Verification. Gmail will send a verification message to your other email address to confirm that you own it. Open your other account and either click the link in the message Gmail sent you or enter the confirmation code in the Accounts section of your Gmail settings. You can customize Gmail to setup POP3: To be able to receive your mails from Gmail in Outlook or Outlook Express, you will have to enable this by going to Settings and clicking on Forwarding POP/IMAP. Enable the relevant parts. You will find the Outlook and Outlook Express configuration instructions on this page too. You can customize Gmail with new features from Lab: What is in the Lab? When you log in to your Gmail account, you can find a blue icon. Click on it. Among the new features introduced are:

A quick-link tool that lets you bookmark specific Gmail messages. It adds a box to the left column that gives you one-click access to anything that you have bookmarked in Gmail. You can also use it for saving searches and important messages. You could always put a star on a mail, but now you can insert Superstars, by successive clicks of the mouse. The e-mail addict tool that lets you lock yourself out of your email account for 15 minutes. A fixed-width font option view adds a dropdown menu that lets you view a message in a fixed width font. Mouse gestures that let you take actions based on mouse movements. However, this works best in Windows. Dont try it on a Mac. A Signature tweak and a Quoted signature. The first lets you put a signature above the quoted reply and the second puts quotations at random. However, you cannot use both at the same time Page 28 of

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The option to upload your picture so that people can see who they are chatting with.

Now, do you know why I say Googles Gmail is perfectly customizable? But as Gmail is still in its Beta, you may come across some errors at times, if you are using the New version. When you face any problems like this, you can always switch over to Older version (on the top right corner), which is flawless.

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