Sahil Gupta

Evaluating the cognitive abilities of human beings is a fairly simple yet complex process. People are willing to answer questions, and/ or perform tasks that will allow the tester to compartmentalize them into ‘normal’ or ‘mentally challenged’. However, with animals it is difficult to understand whether the animal is naturally shy or just dumb while […]

Most sharks do not like human meat. They have strong preferences for food and will mostly go after seals or fish. Bigger sharks like white sharks enjoy prey with high fat-bone ratio like that of seals. Only the tiger shark is considered dangerous for humans because they do not have meal preferences and will eat

Our nose is one of the most soft and sensitive body-parts. The nasal passage of our nose is connected to our eyes via tear ducts. Normally, this passage allows the lacrimal fluid or our tears to drain through our nose. However, when a person gets hit or punched on the nose, the impact leaves our

A cloud is a visible mass of water (tiny water droplets and/or ice crystals) suspended in the atmosphere at a considerable altitude. When the clouds are soaked with water particles, they do not allow the sunlight to pass through them easily. A significant amount of light is absorbed by the cloud, giving it the dark

A burp is also known as ‘belch’. The extra air from our esophagus, trapped for various reasons there, is released as a burp. Our food, when ingested, goes through the esophagus to our stomach. Our body uses enzymes made out of acids, bacteria and chemicals, to break down food into nutrients. These nutrients provide our

Hydrogen peroxide is an oxidizing agent. It is a clear liquid form. Chemically, it is water with an extra oxygen molecule. It acts as a mild antiseptic to prevent skin infections due to cuts and scrapes and can also be used for relieving minor mouth irritations and mucus. When applied to the affected area, the

Everyone needs sunscreen to protect his/ her skin from damaging UV rays from the sun and sunburn. Using sunscreen products decreases the chances for sunburn and can prevent skin cancer or malignant melanoma. Sunscreen creams can be bought from any regular store and they come in lotions, gels, ointments and sprays. The quality of the

Swimming without goggles can leave us with itchy and irritated eyes. Chlorine can be blamed for causing this discomfort. The pH level of chlorine can cause eye irritation. If there is too much of the chemical, our eyes can itch and sting from over-exposure. Amoeba is another reason; it lives in the water and can

The flowers that grow in the wild need not look good but they need to smell good for procreation, i.e. for creating more flowers. However, the cultivated flowers often have to travel long distances to far-off stores and shops. That is why importance is given more to their toughness rather than to their fragrance. Moreover,

The organic compounds, known as ‘glucosinolates’, lend the cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables their bitterness. These compounds contain sulphur which has a distinctive odour and flavour. Cruciferous plants are notorious for containing these molecules. The more glucosinolates they contain, the more bitter are plants. The bitter flavour is mostly in the liquid inside the cabbage

This is due to the medicine ‘Quinine’ which is given as the treatment for malaria. It is a traditional treatment for the disease and tastes quite bitter. It occurs naturally in tonic water and is taken well diluted with loads of gin and a slice of lemon. Quinine is an anti-malarial drug that comes from

Cucumbers are known for growing in abundance, sometimes to the extreme. The bitterness usually is due to stress on the fruit in the growing season, for example, if temperature is too hot or cold or lack of water during the growing season. Cucumbers contain organic compounds called ‘cucurbitacins’ that can cause them to become bitter

Most homoeopathic medicines taste sweet because they are made of a complex sugar called ‘lactose’. They do not contain glucose which is harmful for diabetic patients. Moreover, homoeopathic medicines do not contain steroids that are bitter in taste. These medicines are made out of natural substances extracted from plants, animals or minerals and that is

The primary reason for this is the human body’s nervous system. The brain and the spinal cord are in the centre and together constitute the Central Nervous System (CNS). All the nerves spreading out from these to innervate the peripheries are called the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS). As soon as we get hurt, our brain

Inside part of our nose is full of nerve endings and has a salt concentration of less than 1%. When water goes in our noses, it shocks our system due to the extreme difference of temperatures between the inside of the nose and the water outside. The blood vessels inside the nose constrict and the