November 28, 2023 - MillionDollar Ideas Ltd

Facts

Facts – The Great Banyan

The Great Banyan is a banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) located in Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Shibpur, Howrah, near Kolkata, India. The great banyan tree draws more visitors to the garden than its collection of exotic plants from five continents. Its main trunk became infected by fungi after it was struck by two cyclones, so in 1925 the main trunk of the tree was amputated to keep the remainder healthy. A 330-metre-long (1,080 ft) road was built around its circumference, but the tree continues to spread beyond it. Full expanse of Great Banyan It was recorded to be the largest tree specimen in the world in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1989. The Great Banyan tree is believed to be at least 250 years old, and has been referenced in many travel books, going back to at least the nineteenth century. Early travel writers found it to be noteworthy due to its large size and its unusually high number of prop-trunks. It has survived three great cyclones in 1864, 1867, and 2020 when some of its main branches were broken. With its large number of aerial roots, which grow from the branches and run vertically to the ground, The Great Banyan is said to appear more like a dense forest than as an individual tree. The tree survives without its main trunk, which decayed and had to be removed in 1925. A monument has been erected to the dead trunk near the tree’s center, but the marker is hardly accessible to visitors, who seldom venture within the tree’s thick inner tangle of roots and branches. Visitors generally prefer to access only the perimeter of the tree. The area occupied by the tree is about 18,918 square metres (about 1.89 hectares or 4.67 acres). The present crown of the tree has a circumference of 486 m. and the highest branch rises to 24.5 m; it has at present 3772 aerial roots reaching down to the ground as a prop root. Its height is almost equivalent to the Gateway of India. The tree lost several prop roots when Cyclone Amphan passed through West Bengal on 20 May, 2020.

November 28, 2023 No Comments

Facts

Facts – The Secretary Bird

The Secretary Bird is a large bird of prey that is native to Africa. It is known for its distinctive appearance, with long legs and a crest of feathers on its head that resembles the quill pen behind the ear of a 19th-century office worker, hence the name “Secretary Bird”. The bird is also known for its unique hunting style, which involves stomping on its prey with its powerful legs until it is dead. The Secretary Bird is the national emblem of Sudan and appears on the country’s coat of arms. These raptors of sub-Saharan Africa’s savannas, grasslands, and shrub lands stand at nearly four feet tall—and standing is often how you’ll find them, because they primarily move around on foot. They fly only when necessary, such as to reach their nest in the trees and for courtship displays. The secretary bird is distinguished by its long legs and a dramatic black crest of feathers on the back of its head. ts body is covered in whitish-gray feathers, with two long, black-tipped tail feathers. Its bare face is usually yellow, orange or red. The top half of its long legs has black feathers, so it looks a bit like it’s wearing bicycle shorts. The lower half is covered with scales and has barely visible feathers. While it’s not known for certain where the name “secretary bird” comes from, one explanation is that they’re named after 19th lawyer’s clerks, or secretaries. Secretaries typically wore gray coats and knee-length black pants, and they would tuck quill pens behind their ears, similar to the bird’s coloring and head feather Another theory is that “secretary bird” is an English-language corruption of saqr et-tair—roughly meaning “hunter bird” in Arabic— a phrase one traveler claims to have heard Arabic-speaking people in Sudan call it. That explanation, however, has been called into doubt by some experts.

November 28, 2023 No Comments

Facts

Facts – Green Chilli, Antidote for Lungs Cancer

Green chillies contain phytonutrients that relax the respiratory passage and reduce the chances of lung cancer along with prevention of problems associated with lungs such as Asthma, Cough and cold . However, a study found that capsaicin, the pungent compound in chili peppers, can successfully stop lung cancer metastasis . It is important to note that these are not definitive treatments for lung cancer A new study finds that capsaicin, the pungent compound in chili peppers, can successfully stop lung cancer metastasis. According to the American Cancer SocietyTrusted Source, lung cancer is “by far the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women” in the United States. The Society also estimate that 228,150 people will develop lung cancer and 142,670 people will die from the condition in 2019. Most deaths occur as a result of the cancer metastasizing, or spreading, to distant parts of the body. New research suggests that there may be a nutritional compound that can hinder this process of metastasis. Capsaicin, which is the chemical compound that gives chili peppers their pungent flavor, stopped lung cancer metastasis in rodents and cultured human cell lines. Piyali Dasgupta, Ph.D., from the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine in Huntington, WV, is the senior investigator of the new study. Jamie Friedman, a doctoral researcher in Dasgupta’s lab, is the first author of the paper. Green Chilli An Indian Meal is incomplete without Green Chilies as it is the main ingredient in any Indian recipe. You only need to slice, chop, slit or dice and mix it with the other ingredients or even garnish your food with this hot chili. Famous for its bitterness and heats it produces, after having a stalk of chilly is quite a known fact. There are mainly majorly three kinds of chilies available which are Black Pearl pepper, Bishop’s crown pepper, and black Hungarian pepper. Green Chillies has many health benefits and is also rich in a number of vitamins and minerals. Capsaicin is a chemical present in chilies, which helps the body in many ways which are listed below. Interestingly, India is the largest consumer, producer, and exporter of the green chilies in the world. Let us find out benefits of eating green chilies daily more about this hot and steamy food condiment.

November 28, 2023 No Comments