Unique Universe

The past, present and the future

The world is a very annoying and weird place, yet we love it to death. We poke on the past and find out histories that amaze us, fascinate us and humor us. Then we get bored on finding these facts of the old times, and we poke what's happening now, where's it happening, why it is happening and again, the news fascinates us, amazes us, and humors us. And when we have nothing more to know about the world, we further poke into things, and we try to find different ways of how the future will be. If only you could sit down under the starry sky and look at the moon, thinking how you got chekafied, or thinking how you have no money to go to that party tomorrow, life would have been so much easier. But no! We humans have to find out a way to complicate life more.

The Past
Cave Arts Music- Tunes of Prehistory
After years of research and whining, we can finally view stone-age art on cave walls, but we can't listen to the stone-age music that would have accompanied many of the pictures. (Yes, they had music, and I am sure their music was better than the music of today's underground bands…) Iegor Reznikoff of the University of Paris reports that the most acoustically resonant place in a cave, where sounds linger or echo the most, was also often the place where the pictures were densest.

Proceeding into the direction of the best resonance (or echo) that answers to vocal sounds, one naturally is lead to panels with pictures. At the very least, in the dark caves, where hand-held light sources fall off in effectiveness, singing (and listening for resonant reactions) proved to be the best sonar-like way of exploring the caves.

The Present
Battle vs. acid and Sea Life- Say goodbye to seafood
University of Chicago scientists have documented that the ocean is growing more acidic faster than previously thought. In addition, they have found that the increasing acidity correlates with increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide!

The increasingly acidic water harms certain sea animals and could reduce the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
The ocean plays a significant role in global carbon cycles. When atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in water it forms carbonic acid, increasing the acidity of the ocean. During the day, carbon dioxide levels in the ocean fall because photosynthesis takes it out of the water, but at night, levels increase again. “Many sea creatures have shells or skeletons made of calcium carbonate, which the acid can dissolve. Therefore, the increased acidity of the ocean could interfere with many critical ocean processes such as coral reef building or shellfish harvesting”, as researchers say. "Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations will continue to increase, and our work points to the urgent need to better understand the ocean pH changes that this is likely to drive as well as how these changes will affect marine life" Plant as many trees and stop deforestation before you die. Please? At least for the dolphins!

The Future
The world taking over aliens- with sugar!
Scientists have detected an organic sugar molecule that is directly linked to the origin of life, in a region of our galaxy where habitable planets could exist. This could be a major discovery and could find what went wrong with us humans.

The international team of researchers, including a researcher at UCL used the IRAM radio telescope in France to detect the molecule in a massive star forming region of space, some 26000 light years from Earth. (1ly=9.46x10^15m)

The molecule glycolaldehyd(lets call it X) has previously only been detected towards the centre of our galaxy where conditions are extreme compared to the rest of the galaxy. This new discovery, in an area far from the galactic centre, also suggests that the production of this key ingredient for life could be common throughout the galaxy. A wide spread of the molecule improves the chances of it existing along side other molecules vital to life and in regions where Earth-like planets may exist, and so the probability of finding aliens is more. X, a simple sugar, can react with the substance propenal to form ribose, a central constituent of Ribonucleic acid (RNA),
thought to be the central molecule in the origin of life.

Professor Keith Mason, Chief Executive of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), said, “The discovery of an organic sugar molecule in a star forming region of space is very exciting and will provide incredibly useful information in our search for alien life. Research like this, combined with the vast array of other astronomical projects involving UK researchers, is continually expanding our knowledge of the Universe and keeping the UK at the forefront of astronomy."

No matter how annoying and weird the Earth is, it can be very exciting at times, and I was right when I said Aliens exist. Till next time, stay indoors, away from diseases and alien abductions…or schemes of abductions.

Reference:
http://www.sciencedaily.com
sciencenow.sciencemag.org

By Raida Kifait Reza

Launching of “Muktijuddher Itihash”

We often come across complains about how our generation is not well informed about the Liberation War of 1971. We often are frustrated when our friends wish us “Happy Independence Day” on 16th December and “Victory Day” on 21st February. We often are embarrassed when half the students from our class don't know the correct dates or duration of our Struggle for Freedom. A common Chinese saying goes: “One can say much, do little and change nothing”. What we need is a change. What we need are adults or war witnesses to write and talk about their experiences and instigate us to know more about our origina.s

Thus, to change things, a booklet titled “Muktijuddher Itihash” has recently been launched. Written by the well famed Dr. Mohammad Zafar Iqbal, the booklet is aimed at children with an understanding to aware them about the '71 struggle. Inaugurated on the morning of 24th December at the Shahid Minar premises, the book hopes to outline the major events of 1971 in a simple language for young readers from all walks of life.

The event began with acknowledged songs from the Liberation War performed by Jagoroni Shilpi Goshthi. Followed shortly was a recital from parts of the booklet in fusion with patriotic music on the backdrop performed by the young writers' group, Brine Pickles.

“I want to clarify that this is a booklet and people should not think that it contains the whole history of our Liberation war of 1971,” Dr. Zafar Iqbal mentioned in his speech as the launching proceeded. “Each of the freedom fighter is the history of the liberation war himself; this booklet is only a step to inform the young generation about the proper history.” The booklet was claimed to be written voluntarily, without taking any remuneration like other NGOs and international organizations in Bangladesh.

The booklet has been published as an initiative from “Pratiti - Ekti Muktir Udyog Proyash” and sold at nominal prices of Tk.10 for each. Around one crore of the booklet is due publishing and is going to be distributed to children all over Bangladesh.

By Sabhanaz Rashid Diya

Laff lines

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves."
--Bill Vaughan

Love of money
A woman confided to her girlfriend, "My ex-husband wants to marry me again."
The friend said, "How flattering."
The woman replied, "Not really. I think he's after the money I married him for."

Changing tactics
"Well I was bullied at school, called all kinds of different names. But one day I turned to my bullies and said - 'Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me', and it worked! From there on it was sticks and stones all the way." --Harry Hill

"What's right is what's left if you do everything wrong."
--Robin Williams

Brief
When she got flowers from her husband on Valentine's Day, my daughter's friend quickly opened the card. All it said was "No." What did that mean?
She called her husband, who said, "I didn't attach any message. The florist asked if I had a message and I said, 'No.'"

Grandfather

I hardly remember, but I still do,
His brown skin that looked like a
shriveled raisin.
The black eyes that glinted with friendly
Humor.
And last of all, that beard. That long thickly beard and the white hair that
poked out from under his cap.
I look back to,
The time we played at hunting.
We hunted the great white whale (a pillow!)
And rode the seas
While rats overran the ship.
I remember as well
The bout of silence,
That cold chilling silence,
When I cried rivers for him,
While he died in front of my own eyes,
So helplessly I watched as they
took him away to bury in the cold, hard and lonely soil.
I watched and cried when,
He was gone,
I was miserable with sadness and despair.

(Rubaba Siddique)