How do bats navigate at night?
Ever heard the idiom ‘as blind as a bat’? It is commonly utilised to denote a person with poor eyesight. On the contrary, bats aren’t blind. Most of them can see really well, even in dim light. As an example, most fruit eating bats possess large, bulging eyes that aid them to find their way […]
How do parrots mimic human speech?
If you’re wondering why parrots imitate sounds they hear, it’s because they’re social creatures. They feel a need to be able to interact and fit in with those around them. When kept as pets, these birds see their human owners as their family and want to communicate with them. Since a human owner usually can’t […]
How geodes are formed?
PEOPLE are crazy for geodes right now. A geode may look like a plain, ugly rock from the outside, but when it is broken open, it is filled with beautiful crystals. People use the crystals for decoration and jewellery. But where do they come from? Geodes are born when a cavity develops in a rock. These holes are often formed by […]
How do solar panels work?
THE sun is the ultimate source of all life on earth. It is also an infinitely renewable and 100% pollution free energy source. Therefore, it is not surprising that we should look to solar energy as a great potential energy source. How do we harness energy from the sun? One way is through the use of solar panels. […]
Why do animals remember differently?
WE often say that someone with a strong memory has a memory “like and elephant”, while someone who is forgetful might have a memory “like a goldfish”. But can we really compare our memories to that of animals? A recent study showed that animals don’t have much recollection of specific events at all, but instead, they store away information about what […]
The most influential species of all evolution
EVER wonder what is the most influential (defined as the species that has most changed life on Earth) species in the history of the planet? Homo sapiens? You got it wrong. Though we’d like to think we are the masters of the universe, we don’t even make it in the top five. It is … the earthworm. Yeah, you read that […]
USM Archaeology team confirms prehistoric presence on local shores
BY MAZLAN HANAFI BASHARUDIN SEBERANG PERAI UTARA: The archaeology team from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has unearthed skeletal remains estimated to be at least 5,000 years old at a construction site here. The team from the USM Centre for Global Archaeological Research (CGAR) led by its Director, Professor Dato’ Dr Mohd Mokhtar Saidin, has provided […]
What makes leaves change colour in autumn?
Every autumn we revel in the beauty of the fall colours. The mixture of red, purple, orange and yellow is the result of chemical processes that take place in the tree as the seasons change from summer to winter. During the spring and summer the leaves have served as factories where most of the food […]
Why do we get bored?
Some people never tire of doing the same thing, while others get bored very easily. According to Dr Irving Biederman, a neuroscientist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, this problem involves opioids, a chemical in the brain that gives us pleasure. A new experience will stimulate the release of opioids—a wow. The […]
What causes cats’ eyes to glow?
Your pet cat may appear tame during the day, but its eyes tend to cast an eerie or ghoulish glow by dusk. Ever wondered what causes it? Cats’ eyes are proportionately larger than humans’ eyes and they possess a reflective layer of tissues known as tapetum lucidum. These features enable cats to detect movement and […]