Evolution of the Man

How does life come on the Earth in such variety. A scientist called Charles Darwin developed the Theory of Evolution, that states that Life evolved on Earth very slowly and by Natural Selection of species.

Scientists agree that human beings evolved from Apes some 5-7 million years ago (mya). Infact, Humans and Chimpanzees have the same ancestoral lineage, but followed different evolutionary paths. Our DNA is 98.4% similar to that of a chimpanzee!!

All human type of species are called Homo. There are many types of Homo creatures discovered, of which all but Homo Sapiens are now extinct. That means every human being on Earth today is a Homo Sapien. Let us follow the path of Evolution and see where we came from!

The human evolution started in Africa, and it is from there that humans spread around the world.

The earliest ancestor of Human is known to be Australopithecus – a creature half ape, half human. Full of hair, he did not know how to make any tools, but used sticks and bones as tools. Australopithecus is looks more Ape like than a human, and is not included in the Homo genre.

Around 2 mya, Homo Habilis (man with abilities) was evolved. Homo habilis could make some basic stone tools like axe-head and spears. He is also known as the Handy-Man. He lived in caves, and hunted animals. Using and making complex tools is an important sign of intelligence.

Around 1,5 million years ago, Homo Eretus evolved. Homo erectus means the man who can walk upright. The evidence was first found in Java, Indonesia, and so it is also often called as the Java Man.

Homo Neanderthalensis was the first human being in Europe. Its’ bones were found in the Neander Valley, Germany. Short, Stout and a lot like modern humans, the Neander Man probably knew the use of fire and used hide to cover themselves in the Cold.

Homo Neanderthalensis and all other species of humanoids were eventually replaced by Homo Sapiens, the man who can think. Homo Sapien evolved around 120,000 years ago. A woman skeleton found in Afria is often touted as the mother of the mankind, and is named Lucy.

The development of human brain , that consumes 20% of all enery produced in the body played a huge role in our evolution, away from the rest of the animals. The hairless body (to aid sweating) , the invention of simple tools, the control of Fire, domestication of animals and eventually Agriculture led to the modern human race.

MUSIC

Types of Music
Jazz can usually be described as smooth. Most jazzy music has a lot of brass to create that smooth, vibrating sound.
Rock is the most popular form of music. A real heavy drum beat and awesome guitar lines usually make up the best rock music.
Classical music is composed by some of the most brilliant minds in the world. Everyone knows that classical music is some of the most difficult music to perform, requiring great speed and accuracy.
Country music is easily distinguishable from other genres because of its use of the steel guitar. It also focuses on how the artist sings the tune.
The blues are so named because they are supposed to have a depressed or saddened feeling. The whole idea of playing the blues is to let other people know how the musician feels (which, if you're playing the blues, usually means you're saddened).
Reggae is one of the most unique forms out there. It uses a lot of steel drum but usually has a "happy sound".

Types of Instruments
There are a very large number of musical instruments, each with its own unique sound and quality. These musical instruments can be divided into 4 basic categories:
· String Instruments : All string instruments have one thing in common, their sound is made by a vibrating string. Strings can be made of metal, synthetic or natural materials. There are 3 basic types of string instruments, based on how you get the string to vibrate. Strings can be plucked, like on the guitar. The violin is a string instrument that uses a bow to make the strings vibrate. A piano may not look like a string instrument from the outside. The musician actually presses keys. The keys of a piano activate hammers, which strike the strings, to make a sound.
· Wind Instruments : The sound from wind instrument is made by air vibrating in a pipe or tube. The musician blows in one end, and the music comes out the other end. To change the pitch of the sound, some instruments such as the flute have holes in the tube. The musician covers the holes with her fingers. Some instruments have valves instead of the holes.
· Brass Instruments : Brass instruments, such as the trumpet, make sound as a result of a musician blowing into them. They are called brass instruments because they are made of the metal brass. Here too, the pitch of the sound is related to the size of the air chamber.
· Percussion Instruments : Percussion instruments are played by being hit or shaken. Although most people probably think of the drum, there are lots of different percussion instruments. A percussion instrument's sound is made by it vibrating, once hit or shaken. Different types of materials, such as metal, wood or vibrating membrane like on the drum, make different types of sounds. A different thickness or size of material can also make different sounds.

Rains

Meteorology - The science that deals with the phenomena of the atmosphere, especially weather and weather conditions.

Weather changes all the time. But what brings about the weather changes in our Earth? Earth gets it weather from Sun and Wind.
The earth is slightly tilted on its axis. As the sun shines on the earth, it shines more directly on the northern hemisphere in June, and more directly on the southern hemisphere in December. That's why the seasons are different in each hemisphere. In the spring and fall, the sun shines fairly straight on the equator, giving both hemispheres equal warming.
The uneven heating of Earth by Sun produces warm air in some places, and colder in others. Warm air rises up, and Cold air moves in to fill the place left by the warm air. This causes Wind. And it is the wind (and ocean currents) that move the weather all around the Earth.
Water on the Earth: Triple Waters. Water comes in three forms. As a liquid, we see it in the lakes and oceans, we see it falling as rain, and we see it come into our home for drinking or washing. As a solid, we see water as ice and snow. As a gas, water vapor is always floating in the air. Water changes from liquid to solid by freezing. It changes from liquid to gas by evaporation. It changes from gas to liquid by condensation.

Air is full of Water. You can't see it, but the air contains a lot of water. Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air. When air gets cold, the water vapor condenses into clouds. And when warm air holds a lot of water vapor, the air can feel sticky and damp. The amount of water in the air is called humidity.
Water Cycle : The rain that falls from the sky today has been around for thousands of years. The molecules of water in today's rainfall might have been in yesterday's cloud or last week's dew, or in a lake or ocean. Although water takes three basic forms (liquid, solid and gas) we see in many forms of it, such as frost, snow, rain, and clouds. The cycle of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation never ends.

What are clouds?A cloud is a large collection of very tiny droplets of water or ice crystals. The droplets are so small and light that they can float in the air.

Basic Cloud Types:

What causes lightning?Lightning is an electric current. Within a thundercloud way up in the sky, many small bits of ice (frozen raindrops) bump into each other as they move around in the air. All of those collisions create an electric charge. After a while, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges. Lightning bolts are extremely hot, with temperatures of 30,000 to 50,000 degrees F. That's hotter than the surface of the sun! When the bolt suddenly heats the air around it to such an extreme, the air instantly expands, sending out a vibration or shock wave we hear as an explosion of sound. This is thunder.
Next time you see a storm, count the number of seconds between when you see the lightning and hear the thunder. Take the number of seconds and divide by 5 and that will tell you how far away the storm is in miles.

MAPS

What’s a Map?
A map is something that shows the whole or a part of some area. Maps are often flat, but globes are maps that show the whole earth. There are many types of maps. Maps can also show what's out in space, or what is inside a space as small as a cell in our bodies. In their simplest form, maps show how things relate to each other in a space. People have been making maps for thousands of years. People who make Maps are called Cartographers.

Orientation of maps
The term orientation refers to the relationship between directions on a map and compass directions. Most Maps are drawn with North on the Top.

Types of Maps.
Maps of the world or large areas are often either 'political' or 'physical'. The purpose of the political map is to show territorial borders; the purpose of the physical is to show features of geography such as mountains, soil type or land use. Maps can be thematic too, to show rainfall for example.
An atlas is a collection of maps, typically of Earth or a region of Earth,

Location on Earth
The earth is effectively a sphere, so how do we describe where a point is on its surface?
The most common way to locate points on the surface of the Earth is by standard, geographic coordinates called latitude and longitude. These coordinates values are measured in degrees, minutes and seconds.

Latitude, and the Equator
We can imagine the Earth as a sphere, with an axis around which it spins. The ends of the axis are the North and South Poles. The Equator is a line around the earth, an equal distance from both poles. The Equator is also the latitude line given the value of 0 degrees.
A line connecting all the points with the same latitude value is called a line of latitude. lines of latitude are parallel to the Equator, and they are sometimes also referred to as parallels. Parallels are equally spaced. There are 90 degrees of latitude going north from the Equator, and the North Pole is at 90 degrees N. There are 90 degrees to the south of the Equator, and the South Pole is at 90 degrees S.

Longitudes, and the Prime Meridian
Lines of longitude, called meridians, run perpendicular to lines of latitude, and all pass through both poles. Each longitude line is part of a great circle. There is no obvious 0-degree point for longitude, as there is for latitude. Throughout history many different starting points have been used to measure longitude. By international agreement, the meridian line through Greenwich, England, is currently given the value of 0 degrees of longitude; this meridian is referred to as the Prime Meridian. Longitude values indicate the distance between the Prime Meridian and points east or west of it on the surface of the Earth.


Do You Know?
All places on the same meridian would experience noon (or any other time of th day) at the same time. When we want to say the time is 10:00 in the morning, we say 10:00 am. What does am (and pm) stand for?? am means ante-meridian (before noon) and pm means post-meridian (after noon).


Location of DELHI, INDIA 28 40 N 77 14 E

The Fun Quiz in pictures

Animal Homes

Animals live in a variety of different kinds of homes from holes in the ground, to caves, nests and trees. Some animals use natural habitat for their homes. Other animals build their own home. Some animals even live in other animal's homes. Let’s explore where some animals make their home.

ROCK CAVES
Many animals like the protection and shelter of rock caves for homes. A cave can provide shelter from the sun on hot days. It can also provide shelter from the wind and cold. Some caves can even provide protection from larger predators. Tigers are the largest member of the cat family. There are many types of tigers mostly living in southern continents such as Asia. They like to live in mountainous regions where caves provide shelter from the heat. Some bears, like the brown bear, like to live in mountainous areas where caves provide a good shelter. Many sea animals also like to live in caves. Animals such as the crab and sea urchin bury themselves among the rocks. The morey eel likes to live in small holes or crevices in a coral reef. They hide in these holes, and quickly emerge to grab a passing fish for food. Bats are the only mammals that can fly. Bats sleep during the day, and come out at night in search of food. Bats use echolocation, the ability to listen to sounds bouncing off objects, to help guide them in the dark and to find food. Many bats live in caves where they are sheltered from light during the day. They hang upside down hooking their feet into cracks in the roof of a cave or in a hollow tree.

Some Animals Live in the Ground Many animals dig burrows in the ground for a home and shelter. A burrow in the ground can provide shelter from the sun on hot days. It can also provide shelter from the wind and cold. A burrow can even provide protection from larger predators. Small rodents like the gopher, ground squirrel, mole, and rabbit dig burrows in the ground, or under logs and rocks, to provide shelter. Many of these animals, like the gopher, create very extensive underground burrow systems. They connect together many entrance and exit holes with tunnels, allowing them to travel underground. Other animals including the earthworm and ants also live in the ground. The earthworm's long, slender body helps it move through moist soil. The earthworm eats and digests the soil as it moves through it. The main food of an earthworm is decomposing plants and leaves. An Earthworm is very beneficial to us as it makes the soil fertile and its’ underground passages allow rain and air to go deep in the soil.


Some Animals Live in Trees. Many animals live in trees as a safe place away from predators on the ground. It is probably not surprising that some animals, such as birds, live in trees. Other animals that live in trees are less common than birds. Although you don't see a snake in a tree very often, some snakes live in trees. Animals often make homes in old hollowed out trees. The tree provides both shelter and protection from other animals and predators. The tree is home to many rodents such as the squirrel. The squirrel lives in many areas of the world. It is easily recognized by its bushy tail. Although some squirrels live in burrows underground, the tree squirrel makes its home in trees. Squirrels are great tree climbers. They can make leaps of 10 to 15 feet from branch to branch. In addition to being a safe place away from predators, the squirrel can collect nuts, berries and fruit for food, and store them in the tree. Owls are large birds of prey who are best known for their hooting calls. Most owls prefer to live in wooded areas, although some owls will find a home in old church steeples or old buildings. Monkeys and chimpanzees are mammals which along with humans are port of the primate family. They have the ability to use tools, such as sticks, to help them catch bugs or to crack open nuts for food. They build their nests from branches and vines in trees. Some snakes, such as the Green Mamba of Africa, live in trees. In trees they can catch lizards, bird's eggs and small rodents for food. Nests are built by birds and other animals, as a home for themselves and especially for their eggs. Most nests are bowl-shaped and built in tree branches, on the ground, or even in buildings. They are made of twigs, leaves, and grass held together with mud or saliva.

Some Animals Live in Hives. The honeybee and bumblebee are very social insects. They live and work in large colonies, and build large nests or hives. These hives are the home for many bees. Inside the hive, the bees build a honeycomb-shaped frame with multiple cells. The cells of the honeycomb are used to store food, such as honey and pollen, or to hold eggs, larvae and pupae. Bees live in colonies, often with several hundred bees sharing the same hive or nest. The hive is usually built in the ground, in trees, or even buildings.
Worker bees collect pollen and nectar from flowers which are used to create wax to build the hive. The queen bee creates the wax in her abdomen, which she uses to build chambers or cells where she lays her eggs. The hexagonal honeycomb is one of the most sturdy and economical structures in the world.



Some Animals Live in Barns. Many domestic animals live on farms. Their home is usually a barn or some form of pen. Most animals raised on farms are used to provide milk or food, but some of them like the horse, can also be used to help with farm work. Come explore some animals that live on a farm, and that live in a barn.

Some Animals live in Webs. A spider's web is very easy to recognize. In addition to be home, the web helps the spider catch food and protect it from some predators. Spiders have the ability to produce silk from an organ in their abdomen called the spinneret. The spider's web has many purposes in addition to being a place to live.
Spiders use their web to trap insects for food. Once an insect is caught, they may also use their web to tie up their victim. Spiders also lay a line of silk as they move around. They anchor the line to a surface, and use the line just like a mountain climber uses their safety rope.

Some Animals Live in Water. About two-thirds of the Earth is covered with water. This is home for many of the Earth's creatures. Many different kinds of animals live in water. A wide variety of fish live in the sea. Many types of fish live in fresh water like rivers and lakes. Other types of fish live in the salt water of the oceans and seas. The water is not only the fishes' home, but it also provides them with the food and oxygen they need to live. Although whales and dolphins live in water, they are mammals. They cannot breathe under water. They must come to the surface to breathe air. They breathe through a blowhole, or nostrils, on the top of their head. Babies are born under water, but must be pushed to the surface by the mother so the baby can take a breath.
The circulatory and respiratory systems have adapted to living in water. Whales and dolphins can dive deep in the water on a single breath.

Some Animals Live in Houses as Pets.

The Beaver

The most prolific civil engineer and Architect among animals is the Beaver!!

Beavers are famously busy, and they turn their talents to reengineering the landscape as few other animals can. When sites are available, beavers burrow in the banks of rivers and lakes. But they also transform less suitable habitats by building dams. Felling and gnawing trees with their strong teeth and powerful jaws, they create massive log, branch, and mud structures to block streams and turn fields and forests into the large ponds that beavers love.
Domelike beaver homes, called lodges, are also constructed of branches and mud. They are often strategically located in the middle of ponds and can only be reached by underwater entrances. These dwellings are home to extended families of monogamous parents, young kits, and the yearlings born the previous spring.
Beavers are among the largest of rodents. They are herbivores and prefer to eat leaves, bark, twigs, roots, and aquatic plants.
These animals are active all winter, swimming and foraging in their ponds even when a layer of ice covers the surface.

Suggested viewing: How does a spider spins its’ web at http://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/spider5.htm

How does a beaver work at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na2HYq11yuM

Great Rivers

Anatomy of a river

Rivers are the lifelines of our civilizations. A river usually stars from a glacier atop a mountain. Many streams join together to make a river. Smaller rivers, called Tributaries, join the main river. The sides of a river are called River banks. A river Bed is the soil under the river. Drainage Basin is the area whose rain water is collected by the river. A good way to understand what a drainage basin is to think of the area as a shallow dish, or saucer. Whenever rain falls and lands anywhere in the river basin it all runs into the lowest place in the pan, which is the river. Floodplains are the plains around the river which are flooded during rainy seasons.

Rivers usually meet the sea, at a place called the Mouth. They deposit huge amounts of eroded soils there, forming Deltas. Erosion also creates River gorges and canyons.

Great River – The Amazon.
Amazon is the greatest river in the world by a number of measures. It carries the largest amount of water – At places it is so wide that it is called the River Sea, The Amazon is the second longest river in the world. It begins as hundreds of tiny little streams high in the Andes Mountains. It is joined by over two hundred tributaries which flow into the main river. The Amazon carries more water than any of the world's rivers. Each second, between 34 and 121 million litres of water are carried into the Atlantic Ocean. This is because rain falls on more than 200 days every year.
Amazon is so big because it is situated right on the equator, where it rains almost every day. Its’ drainage basin covers the entire northern half of the continent of South America. On its course to the sea, the Amazon flows through the biggest rainforest in the world. More then a third of all species in the world live in the Amazon. It is home to a great number of Parrots, toucans, jaguars, monkeys, fish, snakes and insects.
Boto – or the River Dolphin, the deadly Piranha and the huge Anaconda all share Amazon as their home.

Our Great River- the Ganges.
The Ganges is the main river system in India. Its source is found 3000 metres high in the Himalayas, the world's highest mountains. The Ganges gets its water from the snow melting in the spring and summer months. The course of the Ganges takes it across northern India before it finally reaches its mouth in the Bay of Bengal. The mouth of the Ganges is a delta (it is the World's largest delta).
The Ganges has two main tributaries: the Jumna and the Brahmaputra. The Jumna is 1358 kilometres in length and joins the Ganges at the city of Allahabad. The Brahmaputra is 2900 kilometres long and joins the Ganges in its delta.