A principios de septiembre, mientras se buscaban asteroides cercanos a la Tierra, se detectó un objeto del que después se pensó que era la fase superior del cohete Atlas-Centauro que lanzó a la nave Surveyor 2, una misión frustrada de los años sesenta….
Pulled from the Australian desert.
Forget the scientific vs creative stereotypes.
A hypodermic needle is a medical instrument made up of a hollow needle normally used with a syringe to inject substances into the body. And that's exactly what this bird's beak looks like.
It is the longest beak in relation to the total length of the body and belongs to the sword-billed hummingbird.
He sword-billed hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) is a species of hummingbird that lives in the Andes (from Venezuela to Bolivia), presenting a beak and a long tongue as an adaptation to its diet based on the nectar of certain types of flowers.
It has a beak of 10.2 centimeters, that is, it is longer than its body (if the tail is excluded).
More than 25 centimeters from the end of its tail to the tip of its prodigious beak, we are also facing the longest hummingbird.
It is tan-green on the head, more metallic on the rest of the body, with a somewhat long and forked tail. The female similarly unmistakable, with whiter ventral parts, with green spots towards the sides. It weighs 12 g.
When it perches to maintain its balance, its beak is raised, pointing towards the sky.
–
The news
This bird's beak is so long that it looks like a hypodermic needle.
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.
There are animals with soft fur, and then there is the chirú, which has the finest hair in nature.
He chiru either tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) exhibits strands of hair 7 to 10 micrometers (one-thousandth of a millimeter) in diameter, one-tenth the thickness of a human hair.
The chirú is a species of medium-sized artiodactyl mammal of the subfamily Antilopinae native to the Tibetan Plateau, northern India and certain regions of Nepal and central China.
However, the trade in the wool of this mountain animal, known as shahtoosh, has caused a drastic decrease in its population.
Shahtoosh Shawl
Shahtoosh (also spelled Shatush), a Persian word meaning "Pleasure of Kings", is the name given to a particular type of shawl, woven using the strands of the fur of the Tibetan antelope or chirú, by the weavers of Kashmir. Several chiru must be sacrificed to obtain the amount of material needed to make a Shahtoosh shawl.
–
The news
This animal's hair is ten times finer than human hair.
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.
The city with the highest air pollution by PM2.5 is Kanpur, India, according to a report published in 2018 by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Specifically, the peak was recorded in 2016, with an average of 173 μg of PM.25 per cubic meter, 17 times the recommended maximum.
Kanpur is located on the banks of the Ganges River and is an important industrial center. It covers an area of more than 1,000 km² and has a population of around 2.7 million inhabitants according to the 1991 census.
Industrial and vehicle emissions contribute decisively to polluting Kanpur's air with particulate matter PM2.5.
They are particles that have a diameter less than 2.5 microns (μm is one millionth of a meter), such as fine soot; while the PM10 They include contaminants up to 10 microns in diameter, such as dust or pollen.
Many factories continue to burn coal to obtain the energy required for their production processes and the increase in logistics activity translates into a greater number of vehicles traveling on unpaved roads, with the consequent rise of dust and the constant emission of toxic gases.
Every year, dozens of its cities appear on the most polluted list, but little or no effort is made to improve air quality. In the latest report, Delhi marginally improved its ranking to sixth place, compared to the most polluted city in 2014.
–
The news
The city with the highest air pollution in the world exceeds the maximum recommended by the WHO by more than 17 times
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.
Millions and millions.
Four mountains. One big caldera?
