Trivia Time 11 *Different Eye Colours*

Greetings to you my trivia buddies! Welcome back to another post! Today we will be exploring the mystery behind the different colours of eyes among people. So lets straight off dive into the mysteries behind the different colours of human eyes!...

Different Eye Colours

When we go out on the streets, in India, we would see that almost everyone (or even literally - everyone!) has black eyes. But is it really possible to have purely black eyes? Firstly, white light (or simply light) is comprised of seven colours - the spectrum of light - VIBGYOR - Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red. 

You should know that an object appears to be of the colour white when it reflects all the colours of light back and absorbs none. But, an object appears black when it absorbs all the colours and reflects none. Whereas, when an object absorbs all the colours of light except one that is reflected, we perceive the object to be of that colour. For example - yellow. (see below image)

So now answer my question. Is it really possible to have completely black eyes? That's the first trivia question for you! Do comment your answers. 

Also, you should know that one part of everyone's eyes is always purely black in colour. That part is the Pupil! That's because all the light passes through the pupil into the eye (i.e. all light is absorbed and none is reflected). Pupil is a hole between the iris through which light passes and enters the interior of the eye.

Okay, but do you know which part of the eye governs the colour of your eye. Its the iris which is responsible of the colour of your eye! Also, the iris controls the size of the pupil and the amount of light entering your eye.

Now lets get into the main topic. Why do people have different coloured irises? A pigment called 'melanin' determines the colour of the iris of the eye. The more the amount of pigment is present, the darker the iris will be. Light blue coloured eyes have the least melanin while dark brown coloured eyes have the most melanin. By far, the most common eye colour is brown, with over 55% of the population falling into this category. Your eye colour also depends on the place you are born. People born near the equator have darker eyes which protects them from the strong bright rays of sunlight.

Ok, there's one more thing! Do you know, upto 10,000 years ago, all humans had brown eyes only!? Give me the reason in the comments section! So, this is your second trivia question of the day! Let me give you a hint, it is a bit connected to last week's post!

Lets carry on now! Do you know, some people can have two different eye colours!? What is this condition called? This the third trivia question for you!

This condition arises due to variations in the concentration and distribution of melanin in the eyes.

So, here is the list of all of today's trivia questions together... Do comment your answers! And as always, I'll be posting the answers on Wednesday (9th June).

All the best!

1. Is it possible to have completely black eyes?

2. Upto 10,000 years ago, humans had only brown eyes. State the reason why.

 

3. What is the condition called in which people have two different eye colours?

Answers:

1. No. True black eyes do not exist. Some people with a lot of melanin in their eyes might appear to have black eyes depending on the lighting conditions. This is not truly black, however, but simply a very dark brown. 

Reasons why we do not have black eyes:

a. Our genes just won’t allow it. There are about 16 different genes that are responsible for the colour of our eyes. 2 of these genes fine-tune our eye colour through the amount of melanin present in our irises.

b. We’d probably end up crying all the time. Objects that are black absorb more light in order to appear really black. The excess light and energy it absorbs are converted into heat energy. That could mean that if our genes have somehow enabled us to have true black eyes, our eyes might need lots of tears to keep them from overheating and drying out.

c. Our eyes wouldn’t be safe against harmful light. The sun’s light rays contain ultraviolet or UV light, and black objects tend to absorb more UV light than other colours. Prolonged exposure to UV light can deteriorate our eye health and lead to problems, like cataracts or skin cancer. Thanks to our genetic makeup though, the melanin that provides colour in our irises protects us from ultraviolet light. Studies show that melanin can annihilate over 99.9% of the UV radiation that it absorbs, protecting our eyes from damage due to being exposed to the sun.

2. Upto a couple thousand years ago, the human species was found only in Africa. (remember? it was in my last week's post - https://funfactswithyashvi.blogspot.com/2021/05/trivia-time-10-evolution-of-humans.html)

Also, people born near the equator have darker eyes which protects them from the strong bright rays of light. Hence, more proportion of people of Asia and Africa usually have brown eyes while this proportion is less among Europeans and Northern Americans.

Hence, around 6,000 to 10,000 years ago, a genetic mutation (only in some people - preferably in those born away from the equator) took place which turned off the ability to produce brown eyes).

3. The condition in which people have two different eye colours is Heterochromia. 

There are three different types of Heterochromia:

a. Complete heterochromia (heterochromia iridis) means one iris is a different colour than the other. For example, you may have one blue eye and one brown eye.

b. Segmental heterochromia (heterochromia iridium) means different parts of one iris are different colours.

c. Central heterochromia is when the outer ring of your iris is a different colour from the rest.

Hi there! Hope you liked my post and learnt why different eye colours exist and various facts related to our eye colour.

And, that's all from me for this week! So, I'll end the with a quote having a link to eyes:

'Sight is what you see with your eyes,

but Vision is what you see with your mind.

So, engage yourself in every learning opportunity you can grab! It will widen your vision and open a whole new horizon for your growth!'

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Trivia Time 10 *Evolution of Humans*

Hello my trivia-buddies! Welcome back to another post exploring the mysteries of the universe! Hope you like diving deep into such mysteries along with me in my posts. And one more thing, considering your suggestions, we will stick to the old method of trivia, where in you guys will share your answers in the comments! So now, without any further ado, let's dive into the evolution of us!- Human beings!...

 Evolution of Human Beings

You might not believe it but, all of us are originally from Africa! Yup, Human beings - the culture-bearing upright-walking species first evolved in Africa about 2 million years ago. Then, as time passed some of our ancestors started migrating to other places. A couple thousand years ago, some of our ancestors left Africa, while others stayed back. The residents spread across Africa and the migrants spread across the planet from Africa to West Asia, Central Asia, Eurasia, South Asia, East Asia, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia and America.

But wait! What is the scientific name of this species that first appeared in Africa and is considered the first member of the human lineage? Well, that's today's first trivia question for you!... Do let me know your answers in the comments!

Let's move further now! Well however, what is evolution? The long term accumulation of variations lead to evolve a new species and the process is called evolution. It is a complex process and occurs over a long period of time. So, human evolution is the process by which human beings developed on Earth from now-extinct primates.

So, What is the scientific name of our (modern-day) human species? That's your second trivia question of the day!

Let's carry on now! You must know that some species share similar features as they evolved from a common ancestor. You might have also heard from people that humans have evolved from chimpanzees. 

Consequently, here's your third trivia question: Did human beings really evolve from chimpanzees? State true or false.

So, here is the list of all of today's trivia questions together... Do comment your answers! And as always, I'll be posting the answers on Wednesday (2nd June).
All the best!

1. What is the scientific name of the species that first appeared in Africa and is considered the first member of the human lineage?

2. What is the scientific name of our (modern-day) human species?

3. Did human beings really evolve from chimpanzees? State true or false.

Answers:

1. The homo genus (humans) diversified from Homo Australopithecus 2 million years ago in Africa.

Then, many species of Homo evolved. Homo erectus reached to West Asia and Central Asia. Then they migrated to Eurasia, South Asia and East Asia.

Homo neanderthalensis got spread to Europe.

Replacing populations of these two species, modern Homo sapiens evolved around 4,00,000 to 2,50,000 years ago.

2. The scientific name of the modern day human species is Homo sapiens.

3. False. 

Human beings have not directly descended from chimpanzees. Rather, both these species have descended from a common very different primate, which is proposed to be the ape and is also called CHLCA - Chimpanzee Human Last Common Ancestor.

Hey there! Hope you liked the post and learned how our modern-day species came into being!

Will now see you guys on Sunday with a new topic...

So, I'll leave you with this quote:
'Learning, just like evolution is a slow process but it definitely brings out good end results!'

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Trivia Time 9 *What are Mirages?*

 

What are Mirages?

You might have seen in movies, that a pond or lake is perceived by the characters in the middle of a desert, but when they actually reach the place, there's no water but just sand! Maybe, in your childhood you might have wondered what kind of magic it is! But let me guarantee you, it is just one of the wonders of nature or more specifically I think I should say, obviously - Science!

I'm not telling you how mirages are formed, just yet!

Answer the below quiz, and find out all about Mirages! 

Wait a second, have you ever seen a mirage in real life? Let me know about it in the comments section below! And, do also comment on how you feel about this new way I'm starting for the trivia questions! And also, comment your views about mirages...

Answers:

1. Mirages are formed due to refraction of light.

Normally, light waves from the sun travel straight through the atmosphere to your eye. But, light travels at different speeds through hot air and cold air.

Mirages happen when the ground is very hot and the air is cool. The hot ground warms a layer of air just above the ground. When the light moves through the cold air and into the layer of hot air it is refracted (bent).

A layer of very warm air near the ground refracts the light from the sky nearly into a U-shaped bend. Our brain thinks the light has traveled in a straight line.

Our brain doesn’t see the image as bent light from the sky. Instead, our brain thinks the light must have come from something on the ground.

Because of this, we follow the light back to the source, which appears to be the ground. Combining all of this together, refracted light from the sky is interpreted as straight, letting us see an image of the sky on the ground.

This is why many mirages appear as blue water. We think we have stumbled on an oasis when in reality we are seeing a shimmering image of the blue sky. Since our brains don’t recognize the sky as being on the ground, we imagine the image to be shining blue water.

2. Can a mirage be photographed?

-Yes

First thing to know is that mirages are not hallucinations, or inventions of our brain; it is just a misinterpretation of reality. Proof of this is that, unlike ghosts, pink elephants or sasquatchs, mirages can be photographed and even searched. The key is how light travels and how the heat affects the air molecules.

In contrast to a hallucination, a mirage is a real optical phenomenon that can be captured on camera, since light rays are actually refracted to form the false image at the observer's location.

3. Are mirages seen only in deserts?

-No

There’s no need to trek to the desert to see a mirage: they are very common on roadways, airport tarmacs and even on the hot sand at the beach. Mirages can be spotted anywhere where the ground can absorb a lot of heat. 

Here is an image👇 of a mirage viewed on a road...

Hi there! I hope you like viewing my posts and understood the science behind mirages!

'A man who questions the existence of the phenomena around turns out to justify his own existence!'

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Trivia Time 8 *What makes you Unique?*

What makes you Unique?

'God designed you the way you are for a purpose. Everything about you is UNIQUE!'

'You are UNIQUE and beautiful in your own way. Believe it!'

You might heard such quotes several times. They might have helped motivate you to keep going in life and feel better about yourself. Well however, they aren't just limited to that! The UNIQUENESS of each organism can also be proved by our good-old friend - Science!

Entire branches of biology - Genetics and Genomics are dedicated towards research in the uniqueness of individuals - i.e the DNA structure and sequencing. 

Let me give you a brief intro of the topic:

DNA - Deoxyribonucleic Acid is a molecule of the shape of a double helix made of four nitrogenous bases is found in cells of living organisms. It carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of the organism. DNA is known as the blueprint or code of life.

Gene - A gene is the basic unit of heredity (inheritance of characteristics from parents to offspring). It is a segment of DNA that directs the synthesis of a particular protein that controls specific characteristics of the organism like eye colour and height.

Genome - A genome is all the genetic material of an organism. It basically consists of the DNA. 

To make it simpler for you:

'A genome is like a whole cookbook which contains information of all the recipes, ingredients, and how to cook it.

Whereas, the gene is a specific recipe whose information by reading, we can cook a specific dish (protein/characteristic).'

➪It is said that 99.9% of all human beings' DNA are identical. That's the reason why we all share the basic features like each one of us has two hands, two legs, two eyes, one nose etc.

➪However, the 0.1% of the genetic variations among us is all what it takes to make each one of us UNIQUE and give varied traits in terms of appearance and behaviour!

Genomics - It is the study of all the genomes (genetic information) of all the cells of the organism's body.

Genetics - It is the study of the genes of the sex cells of an organism's body that determine the characteristics to be passed on to the next generation.

So now, as might have understood a bit about these two branches of biology, lets answer some trivia questions on them...

Here are this week's three questions on genetics and genomics. Do not forget to comment your answers! I'll be posting the answers on 19th May (Wednesday).
All the best!👍

1. The DNA in the skin cells of your hand is significantly different from the DNA in your liver cells. True or False?

2. _______________ chromosomes are present in a human somatic cell.

3. _______________ genes are present in the human body.

Answers:

1. False.

All cells of our body apart from the sex cells/gametes (sperm cells and egg cells) are called somatic cells. All somatic cells have two full sets i.e. 23 pairs of chromosomes i.e. in total 46 chromosomes. They are thus called diploid cells. Gametes on the other hand have only one full set i.e. 23 chromosomes making them haploid cells.

So, skin cells and liver cells are also somatic cells. All somatic cells have the same DNA. Hence, the DNA in the skin cells is not significantly different from the DNA in the liver cells.

2. 46 chromosomes are present in a human somatic cell. 

(or it can also be written like 23 pairs of chromosomes are present in a human somatic cell)

3. 20,000 to 25,000 genes are present in the human body.

Hi! I hope you liked my post!

Do remember: 

'It's better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation!

So, always cherish and be proud of your unique personality!'

So, wasn't it fun learning about what makes each one of us unique? Well, that's it from me for this week. I'll be back on Sunday with a new topic and new trivia questions!

Stay tuned...

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COMMENT->

Trivia Time 7 *TECHNOLOGY DAY SPECIAL*

 

HAPPY NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DAY!

(in advance!)

11th May is observed as India's national technology day every year. It marks the anniversary of the successful Pokhran nuclear tests of 1998 and India's technological advancements into space. 

Well, I don't think I need to inform you about the Pokhran nuclear tests as I am quite sure that most of you must have seen the movie 'Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran'. And, if you haven't, what are you waiting for?! Its available on Netflix and is aired several times on Zee Cinema as well.

Still, just for a briefing, the Pokhran nuclear tests were a series of five nuclear bomb test explosions conducted by India at the Indian Army's Pokhran Test Range on 11th May 1998. The tests achieved their main objective of giving India the capability to build fission and thermonuclear weapons with yields up to 200 Kilotons. Later, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared India a nuclear state, making it the sixth country to join the ‘nuclear club’ of nations. Hence, since 1999, May 11 is celebrated as 'National Technology Day'.

However, this wasn't India's first nuclear test. India's first nuclear test was conducted on 18th May 1974. It was said to be a "peaceful nuclear test" in Pokhran and is commonly called "the smiling Buddha".

Well, as we now know about the history behind Technology Day, let's celebrate it by solving trivia questions related to nuclear chemistry! Here are three questions related to nuclear chemistry for you to solve... And as always, do comment your answers! I'll be posting the answers on 12th May (Wednesday).

All the best!👍

1. The source of energy produced by the sun is _____________.

2. The energy produced by splitting of uranium atoms is _______.

3. Which is more stronger/dangerous? Hydrogen bomb or atomic bomb?

“Above all, don't fear difficult moments. The best comes from them.”

Answers

1. The source of energy produced by the sun is nuclear fusion.

➪The sun (and all the stars) is a gigantic ball of hydrogen gas. Also, the centre of the sun experiences the highest amount of gravity. Here, both the conditions required for nuclear fusion are present - High Temperature and High Pressure. Hence, hydrogen gas present in the centre of the sun gets squeezed (due to gravitational force). It gets squeezed together so tightly that hydrogen nuclei separate from their electrons and four hydrogen nuclei combine to form one helium atom. This is called nuclear fusion. In the process, some of the mass of the hydrogen atoms gets converted into energy in the form of light and heat. 

  

Hydrogen Atom                 Helium Atom           

2. The energy produced by splitting of uranium atoms is nuclear energy.

➪The energy contained in the nucleus of atom is called nuclear energy. It is released during nuclear fission. In nuclear fission, a heavy nucleus splits into two or more smaller nuclei. It is bombarded with slow moving neutrons due to which large amount of energy (nuclear energy) is released.

The fission of an atom of uranium produces 10 million times the energy produced by the combustion of an atom of carbon from coal. Also, in all fission reactions, a small quantity of matter gets lost to get converted to energy. The amount of energy produced during nuclear fission is given by Einstein's famous equation :

*where E is the energy produced

m is the mass of matter lost

c is the velocity of light = 3 x 10^8 m/s

Uranium is used to produce nuclear energy as its atoms easily split apart.

3. A hydrogen bomb has the potential to be 1000 times more powerful than an atomic bomb.

➪No hydrogen bombs have ever been used in war till now. If used, it has the power to wipe out entire cities and kill significantly more people than the atom bomb did in 1945 on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Only two atomic bombs have been used in war till now, both the times by the United States of America in the Second World War on Japan. 

Hydrogen bombs are based on nuclear fusion while atomic bombs are based on nuclear fission. Nuclear fusion is said to be more powerful (i.e. generates more energy) as it is the source of energy in all the stars which produce significant amount of energy.

As a hydrogen bomb is based on nuclear fusion, it requires high temperature to explode. So, a nuclear bomb based on fission of uranium or plutonium is placed at the core of the hydrogen bomb first. So, when the bomb based on fission detonates, the temperature of the hydrogen bomb (based on fusion) raises to 10^7 K in just a few microseconds. As a result, nuclear fusion takes place and a devastating amount of energy is released.

Remember, 'Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere!'

So that's it from me for this week! See ya'll on Sunday!

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Trivia Time 6

 

 “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.”

– Anthony J. D’Angelo

Learning is not just about passing a test. Learning is the process from birth to death which ultimately uplifts the understanding of all the things around of mankind as a whole!

So I welcome back you all back to my blog, hoping that together You and I - would too be able to contribute to the understanding of mankind. Here are today's trivia questions for you... Do comment the answers! I'll be uploading the answers on 5th May (Wednesday). 

All the best!👍

And remember, if you want the world to progress and change for the better, the change always starts with you!

1. What would happen if you fell into a black hole?

2. Which organ in your body uses the most chemical energy?

3. What is the hardest substance in the human body?

Answers:

1. A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing - not even electromagnetic waves (RMIVUXG - Radio, Microwave, Infrared, Visible, Ultraviolet, Xrays, Gamma) can escape from it.

➪Also, gravitational force is directly proportional to the mass of a body (product of the masses of the two bodies) and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

                                               

*where F is the Gravitational Force

G is the Universal Gravitational Constant

m1 and m2 are the masses of the two bodies

d is the distance between the two bodies

➪So if we even go near a black hole, we would experience a lot of gravitational pull, as the black hole is very very dense! The black hole of a size of a city packs 3 times more mass than the sun inside it!

➪So, when near a black hole, our feet would experience stronger gravitational force than our head as our feet would be closer to the black hole.

➪So, according to theory, a process called 'spaghettification' would take place! Because of different magnitudes of forces acting on our body, we would stretch until shredded and would become looking something like - spaghetti until ripped off and would die!

➪However, good news! We might not die! We might just stretch a bit and pass into the black hole! (according to another theory) However, bad news! We would not be able to escape from the black hole nor report our experience! And, then we might just die in the black hole out of hunger or thirst or what not! Who even knows what a black hole leads to! According to some theories black holes lead to nowhere and to some, black holes are portals to another universe!

-So, which theory do you like? Do let me know in the comments below...

2. Our brain uses the most chemical energy. Our brain uses about 20% of the chemical energy produced in our body and 2/3rd of it is utilised in firing and receiving signals through the neurons and nerves. 

➪The nerve cells (or neurons) convert this chemical energy to electrical energy. The electrical impulses are transmitted from one neuron to another through the synapse region. (Synapse region is the bright spots you can see in the picture below. It is the region between two nerve cells)

3. The tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body! The tooth enamel has more minerals (especially calcium) than even our bones which makes it the hardest substance of our body!

Hope you learned something new! Do view my blog again on Sunday!

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