This section is focused on our earth! Find out planet secrets, from rainforests to sea turtles. Be a science sleuth and track our planet earth — oceans, mountains, places, nature, global warming, pollution, the natural world and much more. Amazing facts and unusual behaviour of reptiles, insects, animals, birds, rainforests… Come in and join our Earth Science for Kids club.
113 items in this section. Displaying page 5 of 12
The Earthworm's Good Turn
Every day, countless dustbins are emptied in dumping grounds. A lot of this garbage ends up polluting the ground water and also the rivers and seas. Actually, a large part of this junk, especially the biodegradable waste (waste that can be decomposed) can be disposed in a more efficient manner, without polluting water bodies. Many countries are now doing it by using a cheap and eco-friendly option – the earthworm. Yes, earthworms have been in the business of decomposing waste and enriching the soil for thousands of years....
Excerpts From 'The world of trees'
This is a remarkable book on trees – trees which are not just ‘described’ to you in words as having branches, leaves and sweet-smelling flowers, but trees which you can actually ‘see’ as you read. Big trees, tall trees, stately trees….all come alive with the cries and activities of the numerous birds and insects living on them, the age old myths associated with them and the author’s personal comments, witty and insightful. Indeed, in many places, especially in villages in India, trees are quite inseparable from the way of life of the people....
Jellyfish: Fragile Creature of the Sea
A sudden influx of jellyfish, in the Gulf of Mexico in the Atlantic Ocean is worrying both scientists and fisher folk alike. The Gulf of Mexico is bordered on the north by the United States, on the east by Cuba, and on the south and west by Mexico. Fragile Creature of the Sea [Illustration by Sudheer Nath] Jellyfishes are invertebrates (animals without a spinal column). Some are also venomous and their sting can cause paralysis....
Storm Petrel: A Bird that Walks on Water
You must have heard of St. Peter, the saint, who is said to have walked on water. Well, there is a bird which is named after the saint, because it looks as if it is walking on water. It is called the stormy petrel. It is not known whether the petrel actually walks on water. But, it somehow manages to stay above water. This gives the impression that it is walking on water. Wilson’s Storm Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus): A bird that seems to walk on water But, if a storm arises, the petrel cannot “walk on water”....
Dropping Trees from the Sky – Hydroseeding
Finally there is a simple solution to the growing problems of deforestation and the greenhouse effect – dropping millions of trees out of an aircraft. Dropping Trees from the Sky [Illustration by Shinod AP] The idea may sound bizarre but it has come from The Lockheed Martin Aerospace Company, USA. The company has proposed to transform equipments installed in huge C-130 military transport planes for laying carpets of landmines across combat zones, to plant trees in barren areas....
Insect which Swims on Its Back
Swimmers, who are in a lazy mood and want to relax, prefer floating on their backs. Did you know that there is a bug that swims on its back? It is called the Backswimmer. It is about 0.13 to 0.63 inches long. Unlike many other insects who use their wings for this purpose, the backswimmers make use of their hind legs to paddle on their backs. Some of them have hair on their legs which help them to swim....
The Cool Firefly
Firefly is just a name. They are actually very cool insects. And they are not even flies, they are beetles. They have a way of sending out light signals every now and then. If you see them at night on a tree, you might think it is a brightly lit Christmas tree. That is the kind of light these fireflies produce. But the light they send out does not have heat, like the bulbs we use....
Killing a Tree Softly
How does a tree die? When it is cut down with an axe. But, sometimes, we may end up hurting or killing a tree without meaning to. It may happen when we carve our names or draw a heart on a tree trunk by cutting away the bark of the tree with a knife. For, along with the bark we also cut away an important tissue called phloem. This tissue carries the food made by the leaves to the other parts of the tree....
Some Animal Fathers are Great Dads too!
Most animals never even see their parents. Many never meet their fathers and some do not meet their mothers either. Some insects, fish, amphibians and reptiles hatch from fertilised eggs and face life on their own. And those animals who are raised by parents, are often reared by their mothers. But we found that there are some animal fathers who are great dads too. Catfish: A male sea catfish keeps the eggs of his young in his mouth until they are ready to hatch....
Beautiful Flowers that Stink!
A blow-fly was looking for an ideal place to lay eggs. Like rotting meat. So that when her little maggots were born, they could feed on the meat. As she turned a corner in the grassland, she smelt something stinking in the air. The smell of rotten meat! With great joy she perched on it and laid her eggs. She was happy that her children would have enough food to eat. The blow-fly did not know she had made a great mistake....