Planet Eureka # 03 - A bird that flew 12,000 kms non-stop
Welcome to another edition of the Planet Eureka newsletter. Please scroll down to the end to find the answer to the last week’s quiz.
This week we cover
A bird that few 12,000 kms non-stop
Evidence of diary production in Indus Valley civilizatio
NASA’s SOFIA telescope, and more
Some news bits
A bit of tragic news. Thousands of seal pups are mysteriously found dead in the coast of Namibia. Though the exact cause is yet to be ascertained, researchers and conservationists suggest loss of food resources or a disease to be the potential reasons
NASA's SOFIA telescope has discovered new sources of water in the sunlit area of the moon. Previous findings of water have been limited to the shadowy parts of the moon. Though this is significantly less than what you can find in the Sahara desert, it is never the less a valuable resource for future explorations and in investigating its source
The SOFIA telescope itself is an engineering marvel. The telescope itself is a flying observatory and is placed within the fuselage of a Boeing 747 airplane.
Researchers in Australia have identified a new coral reef that is approximately 500 m tall. This is first such discovery in nearly 120 years and was discovered when scientists are try to 3D map the ocean floor. (Image source: https://schmidtocean.org/)
Astronomers have discovered an asteroid that is worth $10,000 Quadrillion dollars. Most asteroids are made up of rock and ice. But this one, named Psyche 16 and 225 kms wide, is made up of Iron and Nickel. (Image source: Arizona State University)
Flying 12,000 kms non-stop
Scientists recently tracked a migratory godwit bird that flew 12,000 kms from Alaska to New Zealand non-stop.. OMG…!! The bird started its flight on 16th September and reached its destination 11 days later.
What amazed the scientists is that the bird had a ‘GPS sense’ of where it is in the globe to chart out an accurate path to its destination. Such migratory birds double their size before flight to increase energy and shrink their internal organs to lighten the load during its flight.
The bird was tagged with a 5gm satellite tag rings, so that scientists can track its flight.
Indus Valley and Diary Production
When did humans stopped being nomadic hunters and started to settle down in civilizations? Nobody knows. But it is a common sense to say that humans settled down when protein become abundant. Where did protein come from? Milk and meat of domesticated animals.
A research team led by Mr. Kalyan Sekhar Chakraborty, a researcher from the University of Toronto, has found scientific evidence that the folks from Indus Valley civilization had produced diary in 2500 BCE. Diary production seems trivial now, but is a very very big deal 4500 years ago.
Mr. Kalyan used molecular chemical analysis in the shards of pottery found in the archaeological site of Kotada Bhadli, Gujarat and found milk lipids. They also narrowed down the milk molecules to that of cattle (cows and buffalos) rather than goats and sheep.
Exact moment of supermassive black hole devouring a Sun-sized star captured
Answer to last week’s quiz:
Identify this instrument that is used to predict weather.
Ans: Doppler Radar.
Weekly Quiz # 03
Identify this element that is used in cosmetic industry for centuries to provide a shiny glow.
Please provide your answer in the comments.
Till the next edition, stay home and stay safe
Best
Team Planet Eureka