CULTURAL QA 12-2023-12 Allthe BELOW simple and curious QA are from Quora DIGEST to me on 12-12-2023.
SELECTED QUORA ANSWERS BY EXPERTSONLY ARE INCLUDED .STILL THEY NEED NOT BE 100% CORRECT ANSWERS. Compiled and posted by R. Gopala Krishnan, 80, on 112-12-2023. Q1 Doelephants sleep lying down (or standing like horses?) A1 Ethology,Answered by Alice G.Jul 23 This heartBwarming photo captures afamily of elephants in restful repose. Elephants sleep on average two hours anight, the shortest recorded time for a land mammal. Some days they don't sleep at all,staying awake for up to 46 consecutive hours and covering considerabledistances of about 30 kilometers. It seems that elephants only reach the REM phase every three or fourdays, which makes them unique animals. Experts believe this might be due todisturbances caused by the presence of lions or poachers that keep themin a constant state of alert. My note- In the picture elephants are lying on side with thetrunk rolled to mouth level. I am told by a mahout of the local templeelephant that in Kerala side they sleep with trunks rolled to mouth level and like cows suitably folding the legs. Q2 Whattechnology did ancient civilisations have that we still don't understand today? A2 Saravanamuttu Sri Ranjan,11h Turkey's underground city of 20,000 people- More than 85m beneath the famousfairy chimneys of Cappadocia lies a massive subterranean city that was innear-constant use for thousands of years. Theancient city of Elengubu, known today as Derinkuyu, burrows more than 85m below the Earth's surface, encompassing 18 levels of tunnels.The largest excavated underground city in the world, it was innear-constant use for thousands of years, changing hands from the Phrygians to the Persians to theChristians of the Byzantine Era. It was finally abandoned in the 1920s by the CappadocianGreeks when they faced defeat during the Greco-Turkish war and fled abruptly enmasse to Greece. Not only do its cave-like rooms stretch on for hundredsof miles, but it's thought themore than 200 small, separate underground cities that have also been discoveredin the region may be connected to these tunnels, creating a massivesubterranean network. Q3 Whatare some mind-blowing facts about the oceans? A3 Elena,Aug 6 My note- While a few repeats are there,some very good and new information are also there. Henceincluded in this QA The oceans are vast and mysteriousecosystems that cover about 71% of the Earth's surface. Here are somemind-blowing facts about the oceans: 1. Largest habitat: The oceans are the largest habitat on Earth, hosting a vast array of life forms.Around 94% of all living species on the planet are aquatic. 2.Deepest point: The Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean is the deepest known point in the world's oceans,reaching a depth of about 36,070 feet (10,994 meters) at Challenger Deep. 3. Unexplored depths: Despite significantadvancements in oceanography, over 80% of the ocean remains unexplored, and weknow more about the surface of the Moon than the depths of our oceans. 4. Longest mountain range: TheMid-Atlantic Ridge is the longest mountain range on Earth and stretches approximately 40,390 miles (65,000 kilometres) along the Atlantic Ocean floor. 5. Ocean currents: The ocean'scurrents are like a massive conveyor belt,redistributing heat around the globe. The Gulf Stream, for instance, carrieswarm water from the Gulf of Mexico to the North Atlantic, significantlyinfluencing Europe's climate. 6. Blue holes: Blue holes are underwatersinkholes or caves, often found in shallow coastal waters. Some blue holes can be hundreds of feet deep and containunique ecosystems, providing valuable insights for scientific research. 7.Bioluminescence: Many marine organisms, such ascertain species of plankton and deep-sea creatures, can produce their own lightthrough bioluminescence. This phenomenon serves various functions, includingattracting prey and communication. 8. Largest living structure: The GreatBarrier Reef off the coast of Australia is the largest living structure onEarth. It's made up of billions of tiny organisms calledcoral polyps and is visible from space. 9.Salt concentration: The ocean's saltconcentration varies globally, but on average, seawater is about 3.5% salt.Some saltwater bodies, like the Dead Sea, have much higher salinity levels,making them hypersalineenvironments. 10. Ocean pollution: The oceans facesignificant pollution challenges, with an estimated 8 million metrictons of plastic entering the oceans each year. This has severe consequences formarine life and ecosystems. 11.Oxygen production: Phytoplankton in the oceans produce more than half of theworld's oxygen through photosynthesis, making them crucial for supporting lifeon Earth. 12. Underwater volcanoes: There are thousands of underwatervolcanoes, also known as seamounts, scattered across the ocean floor.They play a vital role in the formation of new ocean crust and can host uniquedeep-sea ecosystems. These mind-blowing facts remind us of the oceans' immense scale,biodiversity, and importance for the Earth's climate and life-support systems. As we continue to explore and study the oceans, we gaina deeper understanding of their complexities and the need to protect andpreserve these invaluable ecosystems. Q4 TheRomans were very successful in building an empire. Why did they fail to bringtranquility and peace to Judea? A4 RISohag,15h They didn't fail. It was their way of bringing peace and tranquility. Infact, it was part of awell-developed strategy. The empire was very vast and theRomans simply did not have enough troops to permanently control all corners ofthe empire. That's why they designeda system that was as simple as it was brilliant, where everything was based onspeed and power. For this reason, they had built a network of roads thatallowed the legions to move quickly from one point of the empire to another. In each part of the empire there wererelatively limited garrisons whose job was to sound the alarm in case of anuprising and hold out until the legions arrived. The legions were constantly on themove, moving from one hotspot to another. Once they arrived, they had to strikequickly and very powerfully. Quickly to prevent the uprising from spreading andto ensure that they could be deployed elsewhere. Powerful to prevent the revoltfrom resuming after their departure and especially to show other peoples thatit was a very bad idea to rebel against Rome. The treatment therefore had to be exemplary. Those who resisted werekilled, the others (including women and children) were soldinto slavery. Every nation in the Roman Empire needed to know what happened tothose who tried to overthrow Roman power. The Jews experienced this to their detriment. Moreover, they had had the bad idea of massacring the Roman garrison ofCaesarea, which set a very bad example for the other peoples. The Romans couldnot simply let this pass and the punishment had to be proportionate to thecrime. They decided toput an end to the Jewish presence in the country, even changing the nameto "Palestine", derived from the Philistines, traditionally theformer enemies of the Jews. The Romans had nothing against theJews in particular. It was simply part and parcel oftheir strategy to keep the empire under control. Q5 Dobig predators like lions, tigers, etc. ever show fear towards hyenas? A5 K.Fletcher, Master's Degree in Psychology, Harvard University (Graduated 2011)8h Whydo people underestimate hyenas so terribly?? Hyenas are the 2nd largest, most powerful predator In Africa. And they live in huge clans to boot. Not to mentionthey're close to chimpanzees in intelligence. So, yes, most every animal in Africaexperiences fear towards hyenas at some point.They're strategic and tactical in their approach to lions. Not attacking orshowing aggression until they have called in for backup/assessed the situation.They use their“laughter" & other sounds as a form of psychological warfare. Itworks. Lionsare frequently overwhelmed & overpowered by hyenas, having their kills stolen from them regularly. Insufficient numbers, lionsget so fearful they climb up trees, refusing to come down until SUN RISE.Hyenas can kill lion and do. (Of course it goes both ways-they are eternal enemies) But for adult male lions, this wouldoccur far more frequently in areas where hyenas have high numbers. (Clans inexcess of 40-70) They're the neutralizer in the war against the two species. Hyena & lion recognizeindividuals & know who they can and cannot take advantage of aseasily. Tigers don't exist with hyenas sothey don't. Other big predators would beleopards, cheetah and wild dog. And they most definitely do fear them. &should as hyena are farlarger. (140lbs) You don't have to like hyenas to atleast acknowledge their strengths/abilities. Q6 Whowas the smartest Mughal? A6 T.M.Gautham, Lives in India6y NoorJahan! “I have sold my kingdom to my beloved queen for a cup ofwine and a dish of soup.”- Jahangir about his wife Noor Jahan. It is not an exaggeration to say thatNoor Jahan was more powerful in the empire than theEmperor Jahangir himself. Jahangir was addicted to alcohol, opium, whatnot? But, he was lucky enough to have a smart wife who could execute his dutiesin a way better than him. Jahangirwas also smart enough give the power into Noor Jahan’s hands. HowSmart was Noor Jahan? Sheadministered the empire. She played the role of herhusband. She was able to convince her husband to leave the administration toher. She made the nobles to stand in frontof her and obey her commands. She gother name engraved in the coins very shortly after marriage. Note that she was20th wife of Jahangir. Whenever Jahangir arranged ‘Jharoka’ to listen the sufferings of commonpeople, Noor Jahan accompanied him. A good empress would know hersubjects’ pains. She was a great hunter. She knew to use a pistol. She has a record of killing four tigers with six bullets. Sheinvented the famous perfume Attar. Sir Thomas Roe visited India and metJahangir. No one knows the reason, but Noor Jahan never permitted Sir ThomasRoe to meet her. In Roe’s autobiography, he had expressedhis disappointment of not able to meet the Queen. Shewas known for being kind to women and common people, through which shegained their love and affection. Clever enough to accept defeats. WhenJahangir died, she declared her son-in-law Shahryar as her successor. But Shah Jahan managed to grab thepower in next three months. She didn’t create any drama. She knew her time was over and happily accepted the pension given byShah Jahan and spent next 18 years peacefully without power. Q7 Whatare some interesting facts about water? A7 Deepaktopzone,Dec 6 Thereare two kinds of water: salt water and fresh water. Salt water contains—youguessed it—large quantities of salt, while fresh water has a dissolvedsalt concentration of less than 1%. Only fresh water can be used as drinking water. Americans use five times the amountof water that Europeans use. A small drip from a faucet can wasteas much as 75 litres of water a day. Frozen water is 9% lighter than water, which explains why ice floats. Water is the only substance on earththat is found naturally in three forms: liquid, solid and gas. A trillion tons of water isevaporated every day by the sun! Ifyou ever catch a fever, be sure to drink lots of water—it regulates your bodytemperature. In Canada, there is more waterunderground than on the surface. Most of the water found on theearth's surface is permanently frozen or salty. Less than 1% of the water supply onearth can be used as drinking water. More than 90% of the world's supplyof fresh water is located in Antarctica. The earth is a closed system thatrarely loses or gains extra matter. Essentially, this means that thesame water that existed on earth millions of years ago is still present today. Pure water has no smell and no taste.It also has a pH level of around 7. Canada is home to 25% of the world'swetlands. In fact, it's the largest wetland area in the world. Our bodies are 60-70% water; our brainsare 75% water; our lungs are nearly 90% water; and our blood is about 82%water. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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