Ask Me

What are some key facts and characteristics of different deserts? 🔴 Subtropical Deserts are the hottest of all deserts. Temperature: Reaches above 50°C during the day, which decreases very sharply during the night, owing to low humidity. Yearly rainfall: Quite scarce, as the weather could be so extreme that raindrops evaporate before reaching the ground. Inland areas of Sahara receive less than 1.5 cm rainfall, which is one of the driest places on the planet. Soil type: Coarse-textured and rocky with no subsurface water. Plants that grow here: Mainly shrubs and small trees which are adapted to prevent loss of moisture; examples include creosote bush, mesquite tree, yuccas, ocotillo, sotol, ephedras, and agaves. Animals found here: Nocturnal, and mainly carnivorous, animals here hide during hot daytime hours, becoming active during the night-time when it gets colder. Examples include mammals, insects, reptiles, arachnids. Examples of subtropical deserts: Sahara desert in Africa is the largest of all subtropical deserts. Some other deserts of this group include the Kalahari Desert of Southern Africa, and the Tanami Desert of Northern Australia. 🟡 Coastal Deserts are characterized by cold winters and relatively long and warm summers. Temperature: Between 13-24°C during summer, with maximum range being about 35°C. During winter, it stays around 5°C or lower. Annual rainfall: About 8-13 centimeters, which is more, compared to both the subtropical and coastal deserts. Soil type: Fine-textured with a high content of salt and other nutrients. Plants that grow here: Those growing here have roots that are close to the surface to absorb rainwater. Examples include saltbush, buckwheat bush, little leaf horsebrush, black sage, and Chrysothamnus. Animals found here: Mammals, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and insects. Examples of coastal deserts: The Atacama Desert in South America (driest place in the planet), the Namib Desert, and The Western Sahara desert of Africa. 🟣 Cold Winter/Semi-arid Deserts are characterized by long dry summer and mild, wet winters. Temperature: Between 21-27°C in summer, which can go up to 38°C; evenings are cooler by about 10 degrees. During winter, the temperature ranges between 2-4°C, which can go down to 40°C. Annual rainfall: Between 2-4 cm in average. Soil type: Sandy, fine-textured with loose rock fragments and low salt content Plants that grow here: Mainly, cactus, as well as creosote bush, bur sage, whitethorn, mesquite, lyceums, and jujube. The leaves of cacti are transformed into spines to reduce loss of water. Animals found here: Mammals, insects, reptiles and birds. During day time, these animals hide in the shadows of shrubs or in the burrows to protect themselves from intense heat. Examples of cold winter deserts: Gobi desert in Central Asia, Patagonian desert in Southern America. ⚪️ Polar Deserts are characterized by long cold winters and short warm summers. Winter witnesses relatively higher rainfall than summer. Temperature: Ranges between 21-26°C (during summer), and between 2-4°C in winter. Yearly rainfall: Between 15-26 cm in average Soil type: Salty and contains silt. Soil is porous, where the alluvial fan is found. Plants that grow here: Mostly algae, lichens, and some fungi. Short grasses, birches, willows, and mosses might grow in moist areas. Animals found here: Mammals, birdsJackrabbits, kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice, grasshopper mice, antelope, and ground squirrels. Examples of Polar deserts: The Antarctic, which covers 14.2 million square kilometers (5.5 million square miles), is the world’s largest polar desert and the world's largest desert. The second-largest polar desert is the Arctic. ℹ️ Deserts are arid ecosystems that receive fewer than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of precipitation a year. ℹ️ Deserts cover about one-fifth of the total land area on earth. ℹ️ Gobi desert can be also classified as a rain shadow and an inland desert. Subscribe- t.me/askmenow

What are the different types of deserts? 🏜 Based on their geographical positions, and dominant weather patterns, desert ecosystems can be divided into six types. 🔴 Subtropical Deserts are found between 15-30 degrees both to the north and south of the equator along the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, respectively. 🟡 Coastal Deserts are located on the coasts of the continents found between 20-30-degree latitude, and cold ocean currents contribute to their formation. 🟣 Cold Winter/Semi-arid Deserts are located near the edges of other deserts and in the continental dry areas. 🟠 Rain Shadow Deserts exist near the leeward slopes of some mountain ranges. Leeward slopes face away from prevailing winds. 🟤 Interior/Inland Deserts are found in the heart of continents and exist because no moisture-laden winds reach them. ⚪️ Polar Deserts are located in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, and most of their water is locked in glaciers and ice sheets year-round. Subscribe- t.me/askmenow

How many words for space explorers? 👨‍🚀👩‍🚀 Today, there a few terms defining space explorers/pilots, astronaut and cosmonaut being the most popular. Cosmonaut 👨‍🚀🚀🌌 When the Soviet Union announced the first human’s space flight of Yuri Gagarin, the whole world got to know the word cosmonaut, which was used to differentiate him from American astronauts. The term cosmonaut (космонавт in Russian) is derived from two Greek words: “kosmos,” meaning universe, and “nautes,” meaning sailor. A cosmonaut is therefore effectively an individual who sails the universe. According to experts, in the 1930s this word was introduced by Ary Sternfeld (1905-1980), a Soviet space exploration pioneer of Jewish and Polish origin, who also invented the word cosmonautics. Cosmonaut was first used in literature in a science fiction novel “The new Planet” by a Soviet Russian writer Victor Saparin (1905-1970). Astronaut 👨‍🚀🚀🌠 The word astronaut is similar to cosmonaut and is in fact older. While both incorporate the word “nautes” for sailor, astronaut contains “astron,” meaning star. Thus, astronauts are known as star sailors. It was the British writer Percy Greg (1837-1889) who coined the word in 1880. Inspired by the stories of the mythical Argonauts, in his novel Across the Zodiac: The Story of a Wrecked Record he named a spaceship the Astronaut. The novel introduces the concept of apergy, an anti-gravitational energy that powers the spacecraft. In the book, the Astronaut flies to Mars with a real astronaut on board. 👽 Another interesting fact is that the Greg's book contains what was probably the first alien language in any work of fiction. So it also provides the first the first translation from and into an alien language. ❗️ Astronaut and cosmonaut are job titles and achievements. Taikonaut 👨‍🚀🚀🇨🇳 As China emerged as a significant economic and military power in Asia, it started its own space program. The Chinese space explorers are known as ‘Taikonauts’. ‘Taiko’ in Chinese means space and the literal meaning of the word ‘taikonaut’ is space sailor. Vyomanaut 👨‍🚀🚀🇮🇳 India is another country with an impressive up-and-coming space program. A person who travels in space for the Indian space program is called vyomanaut. The Greek word "nautes" for sailor is combined with the Sanskrit word for sky. Spationaute 👨‍🚀🚀🇫🇷 France also sends people into space and chooses to use the French word spationaute for their title. This word is a French take on the Latin word “spatium” for space and the Greek “naut” for sailor. ℹ️ The word astronautics was coined by Robert Esnault-Pelterie (1881-1957), a French aircraft designer and spaceflight theorist. 👏🌐 American or Russian, Astronaut or Cosmonaut, these brave man and women have been a key part in pushing the human race further into space. Many of the experiments they have conducted are contributing to learning more about space, our place in the universe and our future in the solar system. Subscribe- t.me/askmenow

Who was the first human in space? Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (1934-1968) ⬆️ was a Soviet Russia pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human in space. 🚀🌐 On April 12, 1961, he orbited Earth aboard the Vostok 1 space capsule, the first-ever crewed spacecraft. "Vostok" means "East" in Russian, as opposed to the Western world, signifying the mission's importance in the Cold War-era space race between the USA and the USSR. The crewed part of the capsule was spherical, with an inside diameter of about 2 m (7 ft). The spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. In response to a statement from ground control that everything seemed to be working fine, Gagarin famously replied "Poyekhali!" — an informal phrase meaning "Off we go!" in Russian. As a result, he became an international celebrity and received many awards, both within and outside the Soviet Union. Gagarin was known not only for his accomplishments but also for his charismatic personality and smile ⬆️. Subscribe- t.me/askmenow

Why is Science and Technology Day celebrated on April 10? 🗓 👨🏻‍🔬🇦🇷 Since 1982, every April 10, the Day of Science and Technology is celebrated in honor of the Argentine scientist Bernardo Houssay (1887-1971) for his discoveries in Physiology and Medicine, particularly in the role of the pituitary gland in the regulation of the amount of sugar in the blood, through the metabolism of carbohydrates. This date was established by Unesco in honor of the birth of the Argentine scientist born on April 10, 1887. Bernardo Houssay was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1947, being the first Latin American to receive the Nobel Prize in Science. Today, Houssay’s discoveries continue to be an example for researchers around the world to continue working on the advancement of science as a means to improve the quality of life of all human beings, since technology undoubtedly plays a fundamental role in all our societies. Subscribe- t.me/askmenow

How James Webb’s discovery questioned the Big Bang Theory? 🌠 In 2023, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) discovered more than 700 ancient galaxies that could be between 370 million and 650 million years old, according to scientists, who studied the captured data. 93% of the newfound galaxies ⬆️ had never been seen before. ❗️ If the conclusion about the age of these galaxies is correct, this discovery questions and revolutionizes the Big Bang Theory and modern cosmology saying that galaxies need much more time to grow from “nothing”. ℹ️ Some experts believe that the model of a cyclic oscillating universe may provide answers to these new questions. The main thermodynamic argument against this model has been that entropy, contained in black holes, should accumulate from cycle to cycle. But recent studies demonstrate that the continuous accumulation of entropy from cycle to cycle pertains to the surface of the big black hole without violating the second law of thermodynamics. Subscribe- t.me/askmenow

Is it possible that the Big Bang never happened? There some alternatives to the Big Bang Theory. ☑️ The Steady State universe posits the continuous creation of matter throughout the universe to explain its apparent expansion. This type of universe would be infinite, with no beginning or end. ☑️ The Eternal Inflation theory says that after the Big Bang, the universe expanded rapidly during a brief period called inflation that never stopped. A vast complex of all universes that could have different physical laws is called the multiverse. ☑️ The Oscillating model of the universe involved an endless series of Big Bangs, followed by Big Crunches. The modern cyclic model involves colliding "branes" (a "membrane" within a higher-dimensional volume called the "bulk"). ☑️ Implications found in quantum gravity and string theory suggest a universe may be a flat hologram projected onto the surface of a sphere, or a completely digital simulation running on a vast computer. Subscribe- t.me/askmenow

What is the leading explanation for how the universe began? 💥The Big Bang Theory is the leading explanation for how the universe began. 💥It is the idea that the universe began as just a single point, then expanded and stretched to grow as large as it is right now—and it is still stretching. 💥This idea belongs to a Belgian astronomer Georges Lemaître (1894-1966). 💥⚛️🌠☄️This theory says that at the very beginning the universe was just hot, tiny particles mixed with light and energy. As everything expanded and took up more space, it cooled down. The tiny particles formed atoms, which over lots of time came together to form stars and galaxies. The first stars created bigger atoms and groups of atoms. That led to more stars being born. At the same time, galaxies were crashing and grouping together. As new stars were being born and dying, then things like asteroids, comets, planets, and black holes formed. 💥According to the theory, the universe could be 13.8 billion years old. Subscribe- t.me/askmenow

How does a desert plant pull moisture from the air? 🔸 When it comes to eking out a living without much water, some desert plants can grow deep-reaching roots to get a drink from far underground. 🔸 But one dry-adapted plant turns to another source to gain moisture: the air. 🔸 Spindly shrubs called athel tamarisks (Tamarix aphylla) draw salty water from the soil and excrete the salt from their leaves ⬆️. Then, at night, these crystals allow them to collect water from the air. 🔸 Researchers found that this salt contained at least ten different materials, which together allowed it to pull water from the air at low humidities. One of these components was lithium sulfate, which could gather water at the lowest humidities. 🔸 These natural salts are likely to be environmentally safe, and identifying them could help engineers improve practices for pulling moisture from the air in water-strapped regions. ℹ️ This finding is considered one of the most promising discoveries in 2023. Subscribe- t.me/askmenow

Why do plants have different leaves? 🍃 Everything about a leaf — from the size, the thickness, the smoothness to its vein structure and segmentation — is part of its function. Each of these characteristics is an adaptation or optimization that helps leaves fulfill its main purpose, which is photosynthesis, as well as absorb sunlight, distribute water, regulate heat loss, avoid pests, etc. 🍀 Scientists say that the two major factors that influence leaf shape are evolutionary history and environment. 🌱 Plants from the same species can have very different-looking leaves in different climates. 🌿🌐 Researchers have found correlations such as latitude and shape (closer to the equator=simpler leaves), temperature and teeth (colder climate=more teeth), and moisture and size (wetter environment=larger leaves). ☘️🧬 Scientists have also identified a genetic mechanism responsible for leaf diversity that may offer new tools to help plants withstand different climate conditions. Subscribe- t.me/askmenow