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.
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!
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).
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).
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.
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?
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).
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:
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:
