My Science School

               From time immemorial, the question of how this Universe came to be has haunted Man’s mind. While ancient Man chose to believe in the easiest answer that everything came into existence-through an act of God, modern science persisted with rational enquiries that proved otherwise. Have you ever wondered what it must have been like millions and millions of years ago, when the earth first came into existence? Were there plants and animals then?

               When the earth was first formed, there was no life on it. Its surface was extremely hot and had giant volcanoes that threw fiery rocks, dust, and gases into the air. Scientists estimate that the first life forms on Earth were primitive, single-celled organisms. They must have appeared about three billion years ago in the oceans. They had no bones or shells, so they looked more like worms and jellyfish. These one-celled organisms gradually became multi-cellular organisms. As time passed, more complex forms of life began to fill up oceans. One of the first forms of life was a very simple plant called algae. Different types of plants came later on. And so, yes, animal life appeared only after the appearance of plant life.

            You must have observed huge trees in your own backyard that have been staying in the same place for years, without any explicit signs of movement. Unlike animals, trees cannot move about, eat through the mouth, express emotions and communicate their needs. Plants and animals are as different from each other as a rose is from a rabbit!

            Generally, plants, with a few exceptions like the swimming algae, cannot move about from place to place, while animals can move freely. One of the most distinguishing features of plants is that they can make their own food with the help of their green colouring, which is called chlorophyll. On the other hand, animals must rely on plants for their food, or hunt other animals. Animals have a nervous system, which makes them sensitive to touch, heat, cold, pain, and other stimuli. Plants lack such a nervous system. However, as you must have observed, some plants such as the touch-me-not, do fold their leaves when touched. Others sense that a support is near, and twine themselves around it.

            The cell structure of plants and animals is different too. Most plants have rigid cell walls and contain cellulose. Animal cells do not have cellulose. The development of animals and plants is different too. While animals stop growing when they reach maturity, plants do not stop growing until they die!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

              Do you know that looking intently at the lush green of trees when your eyes are sore will soothe them? Green is the colour of life, renewal, growth, harmony and freshness. Trees and plants are essential for life on earth. We should make a combined effort to grow more and more trees on earth.

              Trees are the best supporters of life. They form the primary component of all food chains. All living organisms depend on plants in one way or the other. Their destruction affects food chains and ecological balance. Trees are the natural habitat of many living things. Hence, it is our duty to protect trees and plants.

              Cutting trees is often done for timber, paper and clearing land for construction. However, cutting of trees robs wildlife off their natural habitats. Hence, we should stop cutting trees and plants as far as possible.

 

What are the opportunities in the field of Zoology and Botany?

Botany and zoology are research subjects and can help you secure teaching jobs such as that of a lecturer in a university or a teacher in school. But there are allied areas of botany and chemistry for which opportunities are galore. Biotechnology is today’s buzzword and a graduation in botany or zoology is the route to a master’s programme in biotechnology.

With a background in botany you could make a mark for yourself in the fields of agriculture, forestry, dairy farming and even marine sciences. Anthropology is another area you could pursue after having studied zoology.

 

Picture Credit : Google

 

 

                      Greenhouses function as a protective cover to plants. A greenhouse is a house made of glass. People grow plants inside them because a greenhouse stays warm inside. Sunlight shines in and warms the plants and air inside. However, the heat is trapped by the glass as it does not allow it to escape.

                      The earth’s atmosphere is similar to a greenhouse. Gases in the atmosphere such as carbondioxide do what the roof of a greenhouse does. Like the glass roof of the green house, these gases prevent heat from escaping Earth’s atmosphere.

 

   

                  During the day, when the sun shines, the atmosphere warms up. At night, it cools releasing the heat back into the air. However, the greenhouse gases trap some of the heat in the atmosphere. In this fashion, the atmosphere keeps the earth warm.

                     However, if the greenhouse effect is too strong, it can be dangerous. In that case, the earth gets warmer and warmer, as is happening now. Too much greenhouse gases in the air can make the greenhouse effect very strong. This, in turn, can cause climate changes.