What Is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a procedure in which fine needles are inserted into acupuncture points that are areas on the body that are designated for their sensitivity.  The insertion of these fine needles stimulates various sensory receptors. These sensory receptors consequently stimulate nerves that send out signals to the hypothalamic-pituitary system that is located at the base of the brain. This system is responsible for releasing the chemical compounds endorphins (natural pain killers) and neurotransmitters all through the body.
A few of the effects of acupuncture are pain relief, reduced inflammation and increased blood circulation.

Why Does The Sunflowwer Always Face The Sun?

Some flowers like the sunflower are attracted to the sun because of a phenomenon known as "phototropism" which is a growth related response of a plant to stimulation by light. There is an hormone known as "auxin" that is present in the stem which stimulates the response. Auxins also encourage the lengthwise growth of plants.

How Do Wells In A Beach Give Good Drinking Water?

Beaches are made up of sand which has a high permeability and porosity. As such, when there is rainfall, the rain water percolates into the ground through this porous medium. It saturates the sand. Fresh water has a lower density when compared to sea (saline) water and so fresh water remains on the top. Hence the fresh water in wells in beaches.

How Are Rainbows Formed?

Rainbows are arc shaped and can be seen in that part of the sky opposite the sun. A rainbow is made up of 7 colors - violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red but most of the time these colors are blended together and as such we normally see only 4 or 5 of them clearly. Rainbows are caused by refraction (bending) and reflection of the rays of the sun as it falls on the raindrops. The tiny drop of water acts as a prism and as the rays of the sun pass through these drops of rain they are refracted and are separated into different colors and as the rays of the sun strikes the inner surface of the raindrops, they are further refracted and this causes the rainbow. At times when the rainfall is heavy, the rainbow may be spread in such a way that its ends seem to meet the earth at the horizon.

Why The Peculiar Smell After A Rainfall?

Certain volatile chemical compounds that are released by bacteria called streptomycetes inhabiting the soil are the reason for the smell after rainfall. These bacteria, grouped as actinomycetes thrive in warm soil, up to a million of them in a gram of soil. When wetted by rain after a long dry period, they release chemical compounds like 2 methyl isoborneol and geosmin. These compounds are the reason for the earthy smell that can be smelt only after the first rainfall of the season.

What Is Ball Lighting?

Ball lighting is one of the most mysterious forms of lighting and is a comparatively rare phenomenon. It is also known as globe lighting and occurs during periods of intense electrical activity in the atmosphere. It can penetrate closed glass windows, is usually accompanied by a hissing sound but is not destructive. They are said to be plasma which is a totally ionized state of matter, is at a very high temperature and in which both positive and negative ions move about in a random manner. The behavior of these balls of lighting have not been satisfactorily explained so far as they have not been reproduced in a laboratory so far.

How Are Ocean Depths Measured?

Depths of oceans are measured using a technique known as Ultrasound measurements. A transmitter is mounted at the bottom of a ocean going vessel which is capable of transmitting ultrasonic waves. These ultrasonic waves are reflected from the floor of the ocean and a sensor receives and records them. since the speed of these ultrasonic waves in water is known, the time taken by these waves to travel to the bottom of the ocean and back gives the depth of the ocean at the point where the measurements was taken. By taking different measurements at various points of the ocean floor, the surface of the ocean bottom can be accurately measured and mapped.

How Do CFCs Damage The Ozone Layer?

One of the everyday activities that we indulge in is the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that damage the environment especially the ozone layer that protects us from the harmful effects of the cosmic rays emitted by the sun and other celestial bodies and maintains the radioactive balance of the atmosphere. CFCs are used in a variety of ways such as refrigerants, coolants, insulants propellants in aerosol sprays cleaning agents etc.

Ozone (O3) is a blue gas that is very unstable and lies roughly 10 to 50 Kms. above the earths atmosphere with a maximum concentration between 20 to 25 Kms and is a very unstable form of oxygen and is split up into free oxygen (O) and O2 (the Oxygen that we breathe) when ultraviolet (UV) radiation hits its molecules. The energy of the UV radiation, on the splitting of the ozone molecule is converted into harmless heat and never reaches the earth. The O and the O2 recombine into new molecules of ozone (O3).

The CFCs that we release can remain as CFCs for up to a hundred years. As it is, it is harmless but the trouble starts when it slowly drifts upwards to the ozone layer where it is split apart by the UV radiation into molecules of chlorine etc. This chlorine combines with the free O in the ozone layer forming chlorine monoxide; thus effectively stopping the reformation of the ozone molecules depleting the already scarce ozone, causing a hole in the ozone layer.

The resulting passing of UV radiation into the atmosphere reaches the earth causing increase in eye cataract, skin cancer and other harmful effects to both flora and fauna of the earth.

Why Holes In The Ozone Layer?

There is a drastic depletion of the ozone layer especially over the Antarctic. Why? Why only over the poles? This has been noticed since the eighties. Is this a natural climatic variation or a chemical decomposition? Is it due to the activities of humans? The actual still reason remains a mystery.
The reason has been proved scientifically that it is the reaction between chlorine and bromine emitted from industrially manufactured gases. But it is difficult to explain the depletion over the Antarctic due to these reasons since the emission of chlorine and bromine takes far away from the Antarctic.
It seems that the depletion of ozone over the Antarctic can be attributed to climatic changes that is occurring over the earth. Especially because of the lowering of temperatures across the earth. This, of course, is directly due to the effects of the gases produced by humans.
As such, we - the present generation - have to be particularly careful in the materials that we use so that we can leave a good legacy for our children. I would, in fact, say that we are living in the time that we have borrowed from our children.