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  • How much do people know about the ocean?

    How much do people know about the ocean?

    Many scientists are interested in learning about the ocean floor. Although it is said that only 0.001 percent of the total ocean area has been explored so far. Despite covering most of the Earth, scientists know very little about the deep sea. A recent study published in Science Advances says that humanity has so far known about less than 0.001 percent of the deep sea floor. This area is about the size of Rhode Island, or about one-tenth the size of Belgium. This limited exploration poses a significant challenge in properly understanding and preserving the largest ecosystem on our planet.

    The deep ocean begins at a depth of more than 200 meters, which covers about two-thirds of the Earth’s surface. Despite its vastness, the ocean is the least explored part of the world. The deep ocean is home to a variety of organisms, regulates climate, produces oxygen, and plays an important role in providing valuable resources such as food and medicine. Phytoplankton living on the ocean surface produce about 80 percent of the oxygen on Earth. These organisms collect nutrients from deep ocean currents. Marine life helps absorb a significant amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The ocean contributes significantly to climate stability.

    The ocean directly supports people. Every year, 200 million tons of seafood are supplied from the ocean. The ocean provides employment to about 60 million people worldwide. In addition, marine organisms such as sponges and bacteria play a role in treating various diseases, including HIV, breast cancer and COVID-19. For five decades, scientists have been discovering thousands of new marine compounds for potential treatments.

    Despite the ocean’s great importance, people know little about the deep sea. A team of researchers from the Ocean Discovery League analyzed data from nearly 44,000 deep-sea dives conducted since 1958. Their findings highlight the severe limitations of visible exploration. Katie Croft Bell, president and scientist of the Ocean Discovery League, said, “We need a better understanding of deep-sea ecosystems and processes to make informed decisions about resource management and conservation. Human activities have been negatively impacting the deep-sea environment for centuries. The ocean is under pressure through pollution, resource exploitation and climate change. Researchers predict that the harmful effects of human activities and warming on the ocean will almost double in the future. The ocean has already absorbed about 90 percent of the excess heat and 30 percent of the carbon dioxide from human activities. This has resulted in warmer temperatures, reduced oxygen levels and increased ocean acidity. Such changes are making deep-sea habitats unfit. Disrupting marine life at different depths. Affecting biodiversity and productivity worldwide.

    Source: Science Alert

  • How do you know which diet is right for you?

    How do you know which diet is right for you?

    The foundation of a healthy lifestyle is a healthy diet. Along with this, proper nutrition should also be ensured. To get proper nutrition, six types of food elements, such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water, should be consumed daily, in the right amounts. Not all foods contain all types of nutrients. Therefore, different types of essential elements have to be supplied to the body through different foods. If any element is deficient, it has an adverse effect on health.

    Dietary habits affect our physical and mental well-being, sleep, mood, weight, metabolism, etc. Bad dietary habits are behind various non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, cancer, hormonal problems.

    It is necessary to maintain ideal weight according to height and age. To lose excess weight, one should do diet along with exercise or physical exercise. It is said that diet plays 70 percent role in losing weight and the remaining 30 percent is played by exercise and other lifestyle factors. So, to lose weight, reduce blood sugar or fat levels, and prevent heart disease, you should first control your diet. If you are overweight, you should gradually reduce calories from your daily diet.

    For these reasons, people are aware of diet these days. Therefore, various types of diets and lifestyle advice have become popular. In the age of the Internet, we can easily learn about them and try to apply them in our lives. But remember, although various types of diets are popular, you should follow a diet after understanding who is suitable for whom and who is harmful. Each type of diet has its own benefits. Many people follow it blindly without knowing the diet properly and cause harm to themselves. However, before following any diet, you should seek the advice of a nutritionist. Those who are already thinking about losing weight but do not know which diet to follow can find out about which diets are now popular worldwide.

    Intermittent fasting


    It is quite popular now. Just by hearing the name, it is understood that in this diet you have to fast for some time. This diet is done by following various methods. For example, in the time restricted fasting method, you can eat for a few hours a day and have to fast the rest of the time. In the 16/8 method, you can eat for 8 hours but have to fast for a specific 16 hours. During the fasting period, the body will use up the stored fat and convert it into energy. However, many people have a misconception that you can eat whatever you want during those 8 hours. But that is not the case. During this time, you should eat balanced and moderate nutritious food, and you should not eat excess calorie foods.

    Another method of intermittent fasting is 5: 2. In this, you eat a certain amount of normal food for 5 days a week and reduce calories to 500-600 on the remaining two days. In alternate day fasting, the rule is to fast one day after another. In the ‘Once a Meal’ method, you talk about eating once a day. However, no matter which method you fast, consult a nutritionist or doctor first.

    Keto Diet


    In the keto diet, the amount of sugar is kept very low and the amount of fat is increased to compensate for it. The keto diet gets 70 percent of its daily calories from fat, while a balanced diet does not encourage more than 30 percent fat. The keto diet was originally given to epilepsy patients. But this diet is now quite popular for weight loss. The source of small amounts of sugar in this diet is vegetables and fruits. Sugars like rice, flour, and potatoes are completely prohibited on the keto diet. However, excessive fat intake on the keto diet can cause various side effects, including fatty liver, heart disease, and kidney problems. This diet is not realistic for the long term. The health of hair and skin can be disrupted. You must consult a doctor before starting the keto diet.

    Mediterranean Diet


    One of the most popular, most beneficial, and long-term diet plans is the Mediterranean diet. It emphasizes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and fish. Whole grains are used as a source of sugar. Fish, beans or seeds rich in beneficial fats Omega-3 are the characteristics of the Mediterranean diet. Good fats are found in this diet with moderate amounts of nuts and olive oil. Sugary foods and red meat are kept very limited. Doctors around the world consider the Mediterranean diet to be the ideal diet for maintaining a healthy heart.

    Vegan Diet


    Vegan diet is becoming increasingly popular with the new generation. Nowadays, many people, including environmentalists, are leaning towards this type of diet. Not only fish, meat, eggs, but also any dairy products are not in this diet. This means that it is free from animal sources. A vegan diet keeps the body healthy and controls weight. But there are some problems with this type of diet. It is important to know them before starting a vegan diet. For example, vegetable foods contain protein, but it is not enough to meet the protein deficiency in the body. Fish, meat, eggs, and milk have the highest amount of protein and these are first-class proteins. Therefore, if you do not eat animal protein for a long time, the body may become protein deficient. Apart from this, not eating milk and dairy products can reduce immunity and digestion due to the lack of probiotic ingredients. To meet the protein requirement, you should eat soy, pulses, seeds, nuts, etc.

    Omad Diet


    Omad Diet can also be called another method of intermittent fasting. In this diet, you can eat only one meal. You have to eat for one hour in 24 hours and not eat for the remaining 23 hours. Various studies have shown that if you want, you can eat any of your own food for one meal.

  • What a Chinese student said at Harvard’s convocation, drawing praise and criticism

    What a Chinese student said at Harvard’s convocation, drawing praise and criticism

    Chinese student Yurong Luana Jiang. She gave a speech at Harvard University’s convocation on May 29, which has been the focus of both praise and controversy.

    Yurong Luana’s speech came at a time when the United States has announced that it will “soon” cancel visas for Chinese students.

    Yurong Luana said, “We do not rise by proving each other wrong. Rather, we rise without denying each other.”

    Luana’s statement went viral in China. Many said her statement made them teary-eyed. But others felt that her aristocratic background did not reflect the true image of Chinese students.

    Some in the United States have claimed that Luana and her family are related to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

    Many have accused Trump administration officials of tying Harvard to the CCP while trying to tighten the admissions rules for foreign students at Harvard.

    Luana, who studied international development at Harvard, is the first Chinese woman to give a speech at Harvard’s convocation.

    In her speech, Luana praised Harvard’s international education system and values, saying, “We have learned to share our joys and thoughts through each other’s traditions, and to shoulder the burden of each other’s world.”

    The Chinese student also said, “If we still believe in a shared future, we should remember that those we label as enemies are also human beings. When we see them as human beings, we also find our humanity.”

    Luana studied at Cardiff Sixth Form College in Wales for two years and graduated from Duke University in the United States.

    A conservative X (formerly Twitter) account alleged that Jiang is a representative of a CCP-affiliated organization. Her father works for an NGO that plays a diplomatic role for the CCP.

    This conservative account campaigned for Donald Trump. The account has 639,000 followers. It has previously posted controversial and sexually explicit content.

    However, some Chinese social media outlets have claimed that Luana’s father’s organization is actually funded by various US companies and foundations.

    The BBC has not been able to independently verify the claims from either side.

    “This is why he went to the UK on a scholarship after school and then got a chance at Harvard,” wrote one user on China’s popular social media Weibo.

    Another sarcastically wrote, “Such a talent should stay in the US. He shines abroad, stay away from us.”

    However, many have taken Luana’s call for humanity seriously. One wrote, “She spoke about the hearts of Chinese students on an international stage, it brought tears to my eyes.”

    Another user wrote, “You may not have been able to change them, but they listened to you. If more people like you keep speaking up, change will come one day.

    There are currently about 6,800 foreign students at Harvard, which is more than 27 percent of the total enrollment last year.

    About a third of these foreign students are from China, and more than 700 students are from India.

  • Crocodile swimming in the swimming pool

    Crocodile swimming in the swimming pool

    If you go swimming in a swimming pool and see an alligator swimming happily or lying on the edge of the pool with your eyes closed and soaking up the sun, how would you feel? You would definitely turn around and run in fear. Residents of a residential area in Florida, USA, had to face such an experience.

    The Florida Sheriff’s Office said that their officers removed two alligators from two residential swimming pools in one day. They were assisted in this work by a local man who catches alligators.

    A video of the incident was posted on social media by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. The video shows two police officers, Don Ferris and Crystal Nash, along with professional ‘trapper’ Matt Hines, removing a seven-foot-long alligator from the swimming pool of a home in the Pinecrest Lakes area of ​​Jensen Beach.

    The video was posted and written that the ‘unwanted guest’ was not at all unfazed by the presence of his unexpected visitors.

    The post also said, “As incredible as it may seem, this is the second time an alligator has been spotted sunbathing in a swimming pool in our residential area.”

    The sheriff’s office also said that it is the breeding season for alligators. That is why they may be leaving their habitat. The sheriff’s office has therefore advised residents to be vigilant during this time.

    Officials said that alligators become more active during this time and can go to places where they are not usually seen. Such as in places like this house. Where the entire yard is surrounded by a fence. It is believed that the alligator may have climbed over the fence or somehow found its way under.