Genetic test for unborn baby!

Our world's bright future depends on the health of children born already and also on that of children unborn. Children born with Genetic disorders suffer with disabilities life long. If the genetic disorders are diagnosed in the unborn baby, we we could either prevent or treat them.

Scary Brahminy blind snake

My parents, sisters and brothers were cautious in my childhood and safeguarded me in every aspect, as I had been born as a precious child to my parents, then:). They used to point to everything that might harm me and warned me about it, so that I could avoid it and hence its harm to me, by its identification in future! One such a thing was a 'worm' that is seen on the floor of the house.

The smallest bird, the Bee Hummingbird!

Earlier I had wondered and boasted about the presence of a tiniest bird in my garden. But it was not a bird and it turned out to be a moth. Now we see here the real smallest living bird found in this world. It is the Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae). Its size is only 5cm. It is just like an insect. It can hover on a spot as a helicopter does in midair.

Sweetish sour wonder in Tamarind tree!

Nowadays, whenever I look at a particular tree species my mouth waters - the past experience with tasting of its fruits influences me like this! But in my childhood days I used to look at these trees with fear - as the elders had told stories about ghosts that hang upside down on them! This tree is nothing but our Tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica, 'Pulia maram' in Tamil). Though it is native to Africa it is found in many countries from Asia to America. Here in Tamil Nadu, India, it is found as avenue trees and all along the state roadways.

Day and night cycles on Earth

We live on Earth depending mostly on daylight. After sunset we stop our main activities, take rest and go to sleep at night. This refreshes, repairs or rejuvenates us for the next day activities. These daily activities prolong our life on Earth. How these day and night are formed in a day's time?

Being alert about Honey Bee!

At my younger age, as a honey bee came near me with its buzzing sound, I withdrew back my head and shoulders fearing its stinging. But I haven't been stung by any of its species - when I remained calm without extending arm to push it away. Bees are always busy with their allotted work and ignore us unless irritated. Then my peer group alerted that when a bee stings, it leaves its stinger on the victim's skin and it dies next; to abate the harm done by this stinging one should apply slaked lime on the spot. Are these true? Yes, I find it to be true for the Honey Bee ('Theanee' in Tamil, Apis mellifera); but not for other species!

Breeding-tie in dogs

Frequently we see dogs move in groups, as they too are social as we are. But sometimes, especially during the monsoon season, when dogs are seen standing as a pair they are shouted at and driven away. We do not like their such pairing on the streets and dislike it. But anxious people have a quick look at them and turn their heads away. These dogs after their pairing or mating cannot separate themselves from each other. Most of the people move away pitying on them, but also with a puzzling question in their mind's corner, 'Poor things, why they cannot separate themselves now?'

Liquid metal - the element Mercury!

When I was a school student, I applied a drop of (metal) mercury on the (metal) lead found on the joint of a divider instrument of my geometry box. A greyish white material resembling holy ash kept on coming out from it like in a magic show; even when I wiped it off it continued its coming out! This is the Amalgam that is formed by such dissolving of Lead element (Pb) in Mercury element (Hg).

The tiniest muscle, Stapedius, protects hearing!

In one of my earlier blog posts I had intimated about the smallest bone in our body. Now we shall see here which one is the smallest skeletal muscle. There are two of it, one in each of our two middle ears. It is the Stapedius muscle. Its length is 1.27 mm only!

Living on the tree; a bird? No, Indian Tree Frog!

Every year I receive a leaping visitor. It alerts us about its visit by scaring us with its repeated landing-on-sounds! This brownish yellow animal is found often in moist bathroom buckets or clinging on to one of ceiling corners. On seeing me approach, it jumps, climbs on slippery walls and falls down; hastens to hide itself by cuddling in a corner. This visitor is our Tree Frog (Common Indian Tree Frog, Chunam Tree Frog, Polypedates maculatus).

Peeping into the fame of Great Hornbill!

In my childhood, I saw only sparrow, crow or mynah. Then whenever I visited a zoo, I wondered much on seeing much larger birds, naturally. One among those larger birds is our Great Hornbill (Great Indian Hornbill, 'Periya iruvayen' in Tamil, Buceros bicornis). It has a massive curved beak like elephants have their trunks.

Aromatic herbs - Holy Basil & Lime Basil

There are two different varieties of plants in my backyard that grow by themselves and have aromatic leaves in common. Both of them have medicinal properties and are very popular in India. What are they? Holy Basil and American Lime Basil. Yes, they have also some different and distinct properties.

Hide & seek by this wandering star - the Venus!

In my childhood I wondered and was also attracted towards many things. One such thing is today's topic. Before sun rise, I found often a brighter and bigger star shining on the clear dark sky. It enchanted me much. On some other days I found it missing. I wondered again where it had gone. On inquiring elders, I was informed about its name - Morning Star ('Vidi velli' in Tamil). But I could not get its whereabouts.

Worm that walks - the Millipede!

As school students we used to exclaim at 'worms that walked' with their legs that moved in a wavy pattern! We called them 'Train worms' as they resemble a train (Railvandi poochi' in Tamil).


We also poked them with a stick to see them how they coil round themselves and remain dormant! It is the Millipede (Yellow-spotted millipede, 'Maravattai' or ' Railvandi poochi' in Tamil, Harpaphe haydeniana).

Trees with different responses!

In my childhood, I have been shown the plant, ' Touch-me-not' as a wonder, whenever our family visited Courtallam (the hilly and holly tourist centre, The Spa of Southern India). Now I am able to see that the tropical trees too exhibit such response to environmental stimuli! See here how this Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) responds to the touch by rain drops:

Incandescent bulb to light up now!

A round transparent glass that produces light - yes, it is the incandescent bulb that was the wonder in my school days. I even conducted experiments with it by connecting it to a battery cell (1.5v) to get the light from it! Even if a bulb got fused out I never ceased to conduct such experiments on it.

See 'Breaking Dawn' to get Seizures!

Epilepsy is a disorder of the Central Nervous System where seizures (fits) are produced. Yet in most of the cases its causes are not known. But one of the causes has been found out recently as there were fits in viewers seeing a movie! The Twilight's movie, 'Breaking Dawn' - Part One is that movie.

Ice Age plant, Campion, regenerated!

Out of cloning technology we had seen Dolly rise out of its existing species; we had also seen Jurassic Dinosaurs rise out from eggs in a movie. And now we see an extinct flowering plant that was in Ice Age (30000 years back) rise out (regenerated/ resurrected) - from its own fruit tissue preserved in permafrost of Siberia!

Lizard wife of snake - the Skink!

In my childhood days I was warned about a slithering lizard inhabiting wastelands. It is still believed that its presence means that there is also its 'consort' nearby - snake! That lizard has also a warning red line line on its sides extending to its tail end. It is the Common Sun Skink (Mabuya multifasciata, 'Paambu Rani' or 'Paambaranai' in Tamil).

Bird making a booming call - the Crow Pheasant!

When I was a child, elders told me to listen to the sounds coming out from a nearby grove and alerted me about it like this: 'it is the sound given by a snake (cobra) as it is now incubating its eggs; don't enter into the grove' For many years I was made timid by this sound as my peers were also done so - until I found out myself that it is not a snake making that sound but a bird! Yes, it is the Crow Pheasant (Southern Coucal, Centropus parroti, 'Sembotthu' in Tamil).

Rats living in community - Naked mole rats!

We see ants, termites and bees live a social life sharing tasks among themselves. But a mammal too leads such a eusocial life! It is the Naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glabra, Desert mole rat, Sand puppy). It is a burrowing rodent that lives underground in East African countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia). Its adaptation to desert life is surprising.

Merry-go-round, Earth and train are interrelated!

Science teacher at school explained why trees grown along the sides of railway track seem to 'run' back as one travels in a train. But I did not expect at that time that that explanation and my realisation will help me later in life to understand easily a mega event that happens daily! What is it?

A crawling wonder on back!

At school, as boys we used to play on its sandy ground. Then we were often stunned by feeling some creature crawling up between our shirt and the back. As soon as we understood it to be a 'biting ant' we pulled out our shirts and brushed away this ant - to avoid its agonizing bite. Yes, this is a special type of 'ant' that looks like an ant; but it is a different one: a Flightless Wasp! (Eupelmus vesicularis, 'Rail vandi erumbu, Soogai erumbu' in Tamil).

Garden Wonders!

Though some plants are thorny, they bear beautiful flowers and have also medicinal properties; you see a flower of Tack weed (Tribulus terrestris, 'Nerunji' in Tamil).A blue flower with thin petals from a weed that has also tinnier leaves:

Another visual treat from garden!

If we get something unusual we are amazed. You see here the flowers of hybrid Cluster beans that were robust and grew up tall over a meter!

Garden has often winged visitors that it invites with its plants. Here are the pictures of a Locust:

Appealing wonders - Garden pictures!

An unusual colour excites and sticks well to your mind - a Yellow Shoe flower shows itself here:

Delicious fruits that were offered by my tree (that was uprooted by a downburst) - Guava fruits invite you here:

Downburst - a mighty nature of Nature!

On one of the days in June 2010, the Guava tree in my garden was uprooted by the windy rains. That tree yielded delicious fruits twice each year; it gave me the fruits through the window of my house - I plucked them through the window itself! The tree was a wonderful place to both birds and animals that I used to click many pictures and posted them in this blog. It was a tall tree that had grown up for almost eight years then. I was sorrowful about the incident. How could it have been uprooted on a single day?

The admirable marble wonder - Taj Mahal!

My elder brother preserved rare articles that he collected. On demand by me (myself then a school-going boy), he shall take out them carefully and show them to me. He won't give them to me to handle; he will point and show their parts and describe about their beauty; then he will place all of them at the earliest inside his bureau and lock it. So, this bureau remained as a wonder chamber having many wonders within it! One of those articles was a Taj Mahal miniature model.

Protective strip, the Band-Aid!

In my boyhood days I used to spend summer vacations at my brother-in-law's house. Being a pharmacist, he gave me cute medicine boxes from his medical shop. One of those boxes contained samples of medicated bandage strips. I took out one of the them and peeled out the plastic covers from it. It exposed a reddish orange coloured cotton gauze in its centre. The plaster-like outer parts of the strip stuck to my fingers. I wondered how this small pad containing the antiseptic, Mercurochrome 'heals' wounds and abrasions.

Living fossil in evolution - the Lancelet!

The first animal was taught about to me in the first class of my first Science College I studied. I was not able to get a clear idea about it in the lecture. Earlier I had been taught only about fish, frog and rabbit in Pre-University Course. This animal was a different one - it was neither like a worm or a fish! It is the Amphioxus (Bronchiostoma lanceolatum, Lancelet). It is a primitive animal from which vertebrate animals developed by evolution. It is fish-like and of 2 inches length. It has a transparent body without fins. But has no eyes.

A bird hunting on birds - Shikra!

One day at forenoon I heard a bird's call, "tit titee..tit titee." I was curious to locate its source and went on searching for the bird. But I could not. Suddenly I heard the cry of other common birds of the locality accompanied by their helter-skelter flying away. This is to avoid the attacking by a bird of prey. It had perched on the nearby tree - unseen: I saw it fly after a prey from my side! It is the Shikra (Accipiter badius dussumieri, 'Vairee' in Tamil).

Adapting with this animal - the Sloth!

In boyhood days I wondered how the Slender Loris lives with its slow movements. Later on, I viewed an animal that was more sluggish than Slender Loris and is having different and unusual body unlike that of other mammals. Luckily it lives on the tree tops escaping its predators like jaguar and eagles. I refer here only to this animal: Sloth (Bradypus variegatus, Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth).

Playing bright and dark on the sky!

Before 1960s, it was then a routine for the family members of the house to sit on the veranda or steps of the house at dusk and engage in gossips. Elders go on narrating about deeds and stories to the kids. In the midst of it they don't miss to point out at the bright stars shining on the sky. (My mom was then a guide to me apprising me about the 'Belt Stars' of the sky!). Messages about these wonders on the sky were passed on by mouths in such a way. At present also such wonders are shown to the public through daily news papers.

Insect rolling for welfare - Dung beetle!

On walking along the one foot path in rural areas, I often find black beetles moving hurriedly with a small ball of earth. They actually rolled back the ball with their hind legs placed on it; at the same time they also walked back with their fore legs on the ground! These beetles are the Dung beetles (Orthophagus gazella, Scarab beetle, 'Piee vurutti vandu' in Tamil). The ball is nothing but bits of faeces or dung of cattle rolled into a sphere!

Leaf-drinkers in water scarcity!

In school class room it was taught that transpiration is one of the plant's physiological functions. But do we know that 'reverse transpiration' is also a physiological function? Yes, it is so - in certain plants! In them leaf takes in water and sends it to the stem - reverse of what we learnt and expect - root takes in water and sends it to leaves via stem. These plants are described as 'Leaf - drinkers,' as their leaves are 'drinking' water.

Rolling back with Roll Films!

My childhood excitements were much as my sisters and brothers showed me all the wonders in this world. My eldest brother used to enter into darkened room whenever there was a family function. When I tried to peep into the room he shouted at me to close the door. Later he explained me after coming out of the room thus: he was loading his camera with a Roll film that would have been spoiled if it was done outdoors in daylight!

A Mini Liver for saving lives!

We live, and are alive as we have our body organ, the Liver. Liver does many functions for our body. In its own illnesses such as Cirrhosis and Hepatitis C, it functions lesser than normal. Here this it has to be replaced with a donor liver by transplantation. But lo, donors are not readily available.

Explicit mother care of Surinam Toad

I have seen tribal women carry their children on their back in pouches of cloth. I was reminded of this when I was informed about a different kind of frog (toad) that carries its young ones on its back! It is the Surinam toad (Pipa pipa, Star-fingered toad). It is also remarkable that it carries young ones from their embryo stage itself!

Mind stirring Nightjar!

At dusk we see birds that fly fast to their nests. But there are certain birds that hunt only in night's darkness and sleep at daytime. One such bird is the Nightjar (Caprimulgus asiaticus, Goatsucker, Common Indian Nightjar, 'Pakki' in Tamil).

The munificent tree - Palmyrah Tree!

Each year in summer we expect the arrival of a delicacy in the market. It takes the heat off our head and cools down the whole body. In my childhood I had also relished on a sweet drink related to that delicacy. These two products are from our Palmyrah tree (Borassus flabellifer, Double palm, Lontar palm, 'Panai maram' in Tamil). The tree has multiple uses from making huts to making palm sugar and what else not? Its black fruits contain the soft, jelly-like delicacy (that I mentioned earlier here) called 'Nuongu' in Tamil (Ice-apple).

Flying dracula - the Mosquito!

Mosquitoes have been made villains to me. As young, I heard a musical ringing sound over my ear when I retired to bed. That sound quickly shifted to the other ear! It is produced by nobody but by our mighty mosquito flying around. Though its name in Tamil language, 'Kosu' is used also to mean an easier work or a small sized person, the mosquito still remains the strongest giving nuisance and causing diseases such as Dengue, Chikungunya and Malaria. In 2006, when there was Chikungunya epidemic in India, the electric mosquito killing bat (zapper) was introduced to us by the increased population of these mosquitoes.

Winter spit? Wonder Nymph!

As I rose one day early in a winter morning and walked through the meadow, I found the indecent behaviour of somebody spiting out on the grass. There was the spittle on the leaf blade of the grass clasping it around. I was irritated about it and walked carefully avoiding it. Later I wondered to know from an article in a daily that it is an act by an insect's nymph and not by a human!

Reproducing Larva - the Axolotl!

We usually see that from egg caterpillar comes out, butterfly grows out of it and fly away. But in a type of Salamander (an Amphibian) its growth into an adult is hindered and it is stopped in its larval stage itself. This larva starts also to reproduce! This animal is Axolotl (Ambystroma mexicana, Mole Salamander, 'Mexican walking fish,' 'Waterdog').

Tunneling bird, the Kingfisher!

If you go near a tree and a blue bird flies out with a high pitched sound startling you, it might be a Kingfisher. Here in urban South India we frequently spot this tree kingfisher, called as White-breasted Kingfisher (Halcyon fusca, 'Meenkotthi' in Tamil).

A wonder herb, called Banana!

I had wondered in my younger days that how banana leaves are seen coming out of wayside dunes. In closer view I found out that they grew out of corms that were disposed off from the nearby plantations. This Banana tree (Musa paradisiaca, Sweet banana, Dessert banana, 'Vazhlaippazhlam' in Tamil) yields the fruits that we, the humans, apes, elephants and many other animals relish on. It is not a tree but a herbaceous plant!

The courtship wonder in Dragonflies!

I had often seen Dragonflies fly low over ponds touching the water surface now and then with their ends. And I have also seen them flying in pairs one behind the other, and wondered about them. These are the reproductive displays by virtue of their nature. We shall see about this interesting displays here.