It's AumSum Time.
Snake Versus Mongoose: Who wins?
I, me and myself.
Alright.
A snake, especially, a cobra is a tasty meal for the mongoose.
So, it fights to kill, while the cobra fights to defend itself.
When the cobra strikes, the mongoose's lightning speed helps it dodge the strikes.
Causing the cobra to miss repeatedly.
But what if the cobra succeeds in striking?
Toxins in the snake's venom attach to the acetylcholine receptors.
Blocking communication between nerves and muscles, ultimately causing death.
However, in mongoose, these receptors are mutated or shaped differently.
The toxin cannot attach to the receptors, making venom ineffective.
Eventually, when the cobra gets exhausted, the mongoose snaps with its sharp teeth.
Killing the cobra and winning the battle.
Mostly, between the cobra and mongoose, mongoose wins.
However, if the snake is a viper or Boa constrictor, then the mongoose can be killed.
Why do we breathe through one nostril?
No idea.
Our nostrils have specialized tissues.
At a given time, these tissues are swollen in one nostril.
While they are shrunk in the other.
Hence, when we breathe.
Air passes easily through the nostril in which the tissues are shrunk.
However, due to swelling, very less amount of air slowly passes through other nostril.
Thus, it seems as if we are breathing through one nostril only.
However, after sometime, the swelling and shrinking in the nostrils reverses.
This breathing pattern is called nasal cycle.
Nasal cycle is beneficial for us.
But how?
Some odors are detected better in fast moving air, while others in slow moving air.
Thus, with fast moving air in one nostril and slow moving air in the other.
Our nose can detect a greater range of smells.
Besides this, our nostrils are moist.
Continuous breathing can make them dry.
Hence, when we breathe through one nostril.
The other nostril gets time to become moist again.
Why do we see only one side of the moon?
Because the other side is shy.
No.
Our moon takes about 27 days to rotate around its own axis.
And 27.3 days to revolve around the earth.
This means moon rotates around its axis.
At almost same rate or speed as it revolves around earth.
Hence, the same side of the moon is constantly facing the earth.
Making us see only one or same side of the moon.
However, if moon did not rotate on its axis, then we could see the other side of moon.
We would also see the other side, if the moon rotated in 13.5 days.
That is, it made two rotations in one revolution.
But this is not the case.
However, an interesting fact is that due to the elliptical orbit of the moon.
We can see almost 59% of the moon's surface.
Why does February have 28 days?
Many centuries back.
A Roman King called Numa made a calendar according to 12 lunar cycles.
Which approximately take 354 days.
But as even numbers were considered unlucky, Numa rounded off days to 355.
He also made each month odd numbered, leaving one month.
That is, Februaries with 28 days to reach the total of 355.
But as the earth takes 365.24 days to travel around the sun.
Seasons and weather conditions started mismatching with the 355 day calendar.
Then came Julius Caesar who decided to follow the solar calendar of the Egyptians.
That had Januarius and Februaries in the beginning.
He made the calendar into 365 days by adding days in each month except February.
As still 0.24 days were pending each year.
After every 4 years, he added 1 day to February, making it a leap year.
Thus, February has 28 days except during leap year.