Giant Sunflowers
[/caption]Have you ever seen a sunflower that has its own name, like a racehorse, a steamboat, or a factory? In the Chinese province of Hubei, there is such a sunflower.…
[/caption]Have you ever seen a sunflower that has its own name, like a racehorse, a steamboat, or a factory? In the Chinese province of Hubei, there is such a sunflower.…
To transport goods from one country to another, you often have to pay customs duties. However, merchants are reluctant to part with a portion of their earnings for the government.…
To get a good look at it up close, you have to tilt your head back so far that your hat might fall off. Standing at eight meters tall, this…
In the forests of Burma, where valuable teak wood is harvested, elephants take on all the tasks that machines handle in other logging operations. They are busy felling trees and,…
In addition to mobile television installations necessary for sea searches, stationary ones have also been implemented in England. One of these is located at the mouth of the Clyde River…
Rabbit What determines the price of a rabbit—its fur quality, the size of its pelt, or the weight of the meat? If you had asked this question in England fifty…
People: The Masters of the Earth Humans are the masters of the earth. They reshape the planet in their own way—creating new seas, building cities, and, if necessary, like mythical…
In Japan, it’s not uncommon for telegraph communication to be disrupted at sunrise. Telegraph operators tap away at their keys, but the receiving equipment remains silent. What causes this phenomenon?…
Tropical nature has equipped humanity with everything it needs: food, clothing, and light. On the islands of the Pacific Ocean and in certain regions of South America, there are plants…
Chaos in Yokohama Harbor In that moment, laughter echoed throughout the Yokohama harbor. People on all the foreign ships anchored in the bay were laughing until they cried, as were…
First, let’s get acquainted with the sentinel and the location of its watch. The viper is a snake that feeds on little birds, while the pizonia is a shrub that…
When one of the caravels in Christopher Columbus’s fleet, the “Santa Maria,” sank, the crew of another caravel, the “Niña,” refused to obey him. Columbus decided to report this to…
One day, a farmer from Flores Island (part of the Lesser Sunda Islands) returned from the forest with a wriggling bag. The neighborhood kids surrounded him, each eager to see…
Who would have thought that Italy is an underexplored country? Nestled in Europe, it has been traversed by tourists from top to bottom. Yet, it turns out that even in…
History has preserved a statement from an American clergyman. In 1875, he proclaimed that science could not advance any further; it had discovered everything there was to discover. When he…
What is the largest freshwater lake on Earth? Many would immediately answer: Lake Baikal. But just how vast is it? It has been estimated that a single drop of water…
Two Centuries of Change: The Caspian Sea’s Retreat Two hundred years ago, there was a port city on the Caspian Sea known as Guryev. Today, it sits 35 kilometers away…
Did the creators of the tale about Ivanushka and the humpbacked horse know about this lake? Most likely not. They simply imagined a magical water where the brave and kind…
— You can only carve such lines with a diamond cutter! — You’re mistaken, my friend. These slabs were eroded by soil acids, and people simply polished them… — Can’t…
What size can a berry be? When you hear the word “berry,” many might think of strawberries or cherries. But the largest strawberry is about the size of a chicken…
He spent his entire life wandering through the taiga in search of the magical root of life—known as “pancui” in Manchu and “ginseng” in Chinese. He built a little shelter…
Hidden Treasures of Siberia In that distant land, cities are few and far between, but the depths are rich. Layers of ore lie embedded in the mountains, and gold is…
The Stars of the Universe: A Closer Look at Vega and Beyond In the vast cosmos, Vega is not considered a giant among stars. It is merely 15 times larger…
Once, flounder posed a puzzle for specialists. While studying how fish adapt to their surroundings, they placed a flat glass tank on a chessboard. Over time, the fish became so…
“Measure twice, cut once,” goes the old saying. The truth of this wisdom is evident at every turn, especially in our time, when one astonishing discovery follows another, making it…
The working wheel of hydraulic turbines, which are installed at all hydroelectric power plants, is not only a bulky structure but also a highly complex one. The history of its…
Pearls are formed within the shells of marine and freshwater mollusks, and these pearl-producing shells are considered the primary source of pearls. Primary, but not the only source. It turns…
The Fascinating Science of Heavy Water In one science fiction novel, a scenario unfolds where humans discover a way to reduce the volume of water on Earth to melt the…
Birds molt in different ways. Some species undergo a gradual feather change, allowing them to continue flying. Cranes, on the other hand, are particularly skittish during their molting period and…
It is well known that the surface area of the world’s oceans covers 361 million square kilometers. The volume of water in the oceans is ten times greater than the…
— My dear little goats, did you drink or eat? — asks the old farmer as the goats return from the pasture. And they shake their beards and, without batting…
Frost and the Wonders of Liquid Air As we all know, Frost is capable of performing miracles. He can build a bridge over a river without an axe or a…
In spring, the fields turned lush and green. “How is that possible? We didn’t plant anything this spring.” “You didn’t need to plant anything. The mowed field has greened up…
A Curious Phenomenon: Why We Crave More Water in the Summer It’s a strange thing: in the summer, when it’s hot and people are drinking plenty of water, they often…
In the world, there are two plants cultivated by humans that are known for their high sugar content: the well-known sugar beet and sugarcane, which thrives in warmer climates. However,…
People have often marveled at how an elephant, so large and heavy, can walk calmly through swamps where other animals would struggle. It turns out that this is due to…
Understanding Sea Level Variations Typically, the height of land is measured in relation to sea level. For instance, the eastern peak of Mount Elbrus stands at 5,595 meters above sea…
As we know, the sunflower—a decorative flower known as the heliant from Peru—has transformed into a completely different plant after being cultivated by farmers and scientists. The heliant might still…
Testing the sugar content of beet roots is a meticulous and time-consuming process. You need to pull out a root, cut off a piece, and dip it into a solution…
The Voice of the Sea The sea has a voice. If you learn to listen to it, you can anticipate an approaching storm. Step out onto the shore, and apart…
Not long ago, a peculiar package arrived at the manuscript department of the Saltykov-Shchedrin Public Library in Leningrad from Central Asia. It was too small and too heavy to be…
The woman gasped and dropped the knife, which was covered in shimmering scales. The fish thrashed its tail, hit the table, and flopped onto the floor. — Oh, for heaven’s…
The potato tuber is a living organism. It breathes and, importantly, is very sensitive. Potatoes lie in a dark cellar, but as soon as the sun warms up and a…
Steel vs. Synthetic Fibers: A New Era of Strength Steel is one of the most common and durable metals. When people say that even steel couldn’t withstand something, it’s hard…
If long-distance television reception is a happy accident for enthusiasts, specialists can confidently receive images transmitted from distances of up to 1,200 miles (approximately 2,000 kilometers) from time to time.…
In the times of Gogol, the flower believed to indicate buried treasure was the mythical midnight fire flower of the fern. To be fair, ferns don’t actually bloom; they reproduce…
Remember the Russian fairy tale about the crafty peasant and the trusting bear, who ended up with nothing but leaves—worthless tops—and useless roots? The peasant always came out ahead! But…
Was the air on Earth millions of years ago the same as it is today? Only eyewitnesses could answer that question. And, believe it or not, they’ve been found. These…