Nature Uses Screws and Nuts

 A musculoskeletal system so far unknown in the animal world was recently discovered in weevils. The hip ofTrigonopterus oblongus does not consist of the usual hinges, but of joints based on a screw-and-nut system. This first biological screw thread is about half a millimeter in size and was studied in detail using synchrotron radiation. The discovery is reported by the current issue of the Science magazine.

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Best Waterfalls of the World

Igauza Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River located on the border of the Brazilian State of Paraná and the Argentine Province of Misiones. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. The Iguazu River originates near the city of Curitiba. It flows through Brazil for most of its course. Below its confluence with the San Antonio River, the Iguazu River forms the boundary between Brazil and Argentina.Its brink spans a distance of an incredible 2km in its average flow of 1.3 million liters per second. The falls actually consists of some 275 individual waterfalls and cascades. Catwalks make it easy to get closeup and intimate views and the rainforest surroundings make the scenery feel right for a natural attraction.

Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls is the largest singular waterfall in the world spanning a width of 1.7km, a height of 108m, and an average flow of 1 million liters per second! It’s no wonder this ‘smoke that thunders’ is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya (the Smoke that Thunders) is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Niagara Falls
Easily the most famous waterfall in North America, this powerful waterfall also ranks as the biggest one by volume with a whopping average of about 750,000 gallons per second (2.8 million Liters per second)! In addition to its raw power, the falls is easily one of the easiest to access and view from all sorts of angles.

Plitvice Falls
When it comes to the overall waterfalling experience, it’s hard to beat this world famous attraction of croatia. This one is really a network of countless waterfalls (some of which are impressive enough to stand out on their own). The waterfalls themselves segregate the many clear and colorful lakes that bring life to this lush and protected ecosystem.

Angel Falls
Plunging uninterrupted for 807m (with total drop of 979m) from a mystical tabletop mountain (tepuy) deep in a Venezuelan equatorial rainforest, it is widely acknowledged as the tallest permanent waterfall in the world. Its existence defies logic as its source is nothing but the soggy cloud forest on the plateau of the tepuy.

Angel Falls (Spanish: Salto Ángel; Pemon language: Kerepakupai vena, meaning “waterfall of the deepest place”, or Parakupa-vena, meaning “the fall from the highest point”) is  in Venezuela.

It is the world’s highest waterfall, with a height of 979 m (3,212 ft) and a plunge of 807 m (2,648 ft). The waterfall drops over the edge of the Auyantepui mountain in the Canaima National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Canaima), a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Gran Sabana region of Bolívar State.The base of the falls feeds into the Kerep River (alternatively known as the Río Gauya), which flows into the Churun River, a tributary of the Carrao River.Before reaching the ground, much of the water is dissipated as mist.

The height figure 979 m (3,212 ft) mostly consists of the main plunge but also includes about 400 m (0.25 mi) of sloped cascades and rapids below the drop and a 30 m (98 ft) high plunge downstream of the talus rapids. While the main plunge is undoubtedly the highest single drop in the world, some feel that including the lower cascades stretches the criteria for the measurement of waterfalls somewhat, although there are no universally recognized standards of the subject.

Links and Sources: Indiatimes , Wikipedia

Formation of Waterfalls

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SMS and GPS used for Attendance in Patan District Panchayat in Gujrat

With an intention of keeping 1038 district employees connected and ensuring their timely presence at job place, north Gujarat’s Patan district has come up with ‘Present please project’.

For this novel project, a private company has manufactured a software which will cover cug handsets of 1038 employees of the Patan District Panchayat. Every person will be given one number and if the person is transferred, then too the numbers would not change. When employees reach the place of their work, they will have to SMS the District Panchayat, this is an  SMS  based attendance verification system powered by Global Positioning System(GPS),  so it can show the location of the officer.This can help in confirming the presence of the employees. The cost of this will be only Rs 50 per officer.

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University of Salzburg launches Digital Earth project

 University of Salzburg, Austria unveiled digital-earth.eu project, a unique collaboration with a wide range of organisations from across Europe. The project involves experts in the use of geographical media in education, including specialists in teacher training and education. The goal is to connect these experts through a European Centre of Excellence in order to share innovative practices. A network of accredited national and regional experts, endorsed by European associations, will act as multipliers, working with teachers and educators in their own countries.

The reality in Europe is that geoinformation literacy has so far been ignored as a core competence necessary in education. The reality remains that most teachers do not have the digital competences needed, nor are they aware of the opportunities offered by geo-media. Furthermore the working conditions at school do not yet support the integration of these ideas, tools and competences. Over the last 18 months Salzburg University has worked to develop the concept of the digital-earth.eu network with more than 60 partners. The proposal to the EC was approved in late 2010 and the first full meeting of partners will take place in July 2011 in Salzburg, Austria.

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