When you hear the word “waterfall”, you may think of a mountain water stream creating a beautiful cascade as it drops down from a cliff, right? But how about a waterfall in the frozen Antarctica, with crimson-colored water, looking like blood flowing off a glacier? Strange, isn’t it? But such a thing exists, and it’s…
The ability of some lifeforms to survive in the harshest, most unfavorable environments is amazing. Rose of Jericho, a plant capable of thriving in arid deserts, is a good example. In this post, you will learn so many interesting things about this plant, including a very unusual characteristic that truly sets it apart. Characteristics of…
Have you ever gone into a forest and looked up to see that the branches of different trees don’t touch one another, leaving gaps in the canopy? That’s called crown shyness, and scientists have not fully understood yet why it happens. In this post, you will learn the possible causes and theories for this phenomenon,…
You know that all living organisms evolve, with subtle differences in traits helping some individuals thrive better in their environment, and these helpful traits being more common while less helpful ones fading away over generations. Some organisms don’t change much over millions of years but manage to continue to survive, looking much the same as…
What if I told you there’s a tree that grows in harsh, arid environments quite resiliently, has a strange, alien-like appearance, and oozes red-colored sap when its bark is cut as if it’s bleeding? That’s the Socotra Dragon’s Blood Tree, and there are more intriguing facts about it. Let me take you on a journey…
Imagine an island with very alien-looking yet beautiful landscapes, with equally strange-looking plants, with such high endemism among its plant and animal communities. That about sums up Socotra Island, a biodiversity hotspot of unique beauty hidden away in the Indian Ocean. In this post, I will take you on a journey exploring the beauty and…
Imagine a national park in the frozen arctic, with a meteorite crater filled with purest fresh water, and some lifeforms somehow managing to survive the unfavorable conditions. That is the Pingualuit National Park. In this post, I will take you on an exploratory journey through this ecosystem with such extreme conditions. Geology & Geography of…
What’s the smallest monkey species that you have seen or know? In this post, I’m going to introduce the Pygmy Marmoset, the smallest monkey in the world. You will get to know its native range and habitat, physical characteristics, diet, behavior, and conservation status, as well as the pros and cons of keeping it as…
Have you ever seen those rings on a tree stump? You may know that they can be used to predict the age of a tree. But those tree rings can tell us much more than that. There’s a whole science dedicated to the analysis of the tree rings and using that information to learn about…
Which has hotter temperatures in general, the city or the countryside? The city, right? If I ask you why, you’d say, “Because there are more buildings and fewer trees in the city.” You are right, but this phenomenon has more depth to it, and it’s called The Urban Heat Island Effect. In this post, I…