Author: M. Özgür Nevres

I am a software developer and a science enthusiast. I was graduated from the Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Computer Engineering. In the past, I worked at the Istanbul Technical University Science Center as a science instructor. I write about the planet Earth and science on this website, ourplnt.com. I am also an animal lover! I take care of stray cats & dogs. This website's all income goes directly to our furry friends. Please consider supporting me on Patreon, so I can help more animals!

Categories
Plants Life on Earth

Why do leaves change color in the fall?

A forest in autumn
A forest in autumn. Image by Chrystal Ferreira from Pixabay

Plants are green because their cells contain chlorophyll (a green pigment, see notes 1) inside little structures called chloroplasts. Chlorophyll is green because it absorbs other wavelengths of light, but reflects the wavelength that we see as green. That’s why most plants are green, including trees and grass. Those wavelengths that the chlorophyll is absorbing? That’s energy! Cyanobacteria, plants, and algae use this energy can later be released to fuel the organism’s activities This process is called photosynthesis. But, why do leaves change color in the fall?

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Animals Life on Earth

Pizzly Bear: 10 Fascinating Facts About Polar-Grizzly Hybrids

A pizzly bear (polar/brown bear hybrid)
A pizzly bear (polar/brown bear hybrid) at Osnabrück Zoo, Germany. Photo by Corradox - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

The Pizzly bear, also known as a grolar bear or nanulak, is a rare hybrid resulting from the mating of polar bears and grizzly bears. While it may seem surprising, these two species can indeed interbreed, producing fertile offspring. This phenomenon has become increasingly relevant as climate change alters habitats, leading to more encounters between the two species. Pizzly bears combine physical characteristics from both parents, often showcasing the white fur of polar bears alongside the darker fur patterns of grizzlies, making them a fascinating subject of study in the animal kingdom.

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Categories
Geography

The largest island-in-a-lake-on-an-island-in-a-lake-on-an-island in the world

Third Order Island map

There’s an island within a lake that is situated on an island located in a lake on an island in the Philippines called Vulcan Points. But, it’s not the largest such island. Vulcan Points is about 50×80 meters in size (about 164×262 feet). “The largest island-in-a-lake-on-an-island-in-a-lake-on-an-island in the world ” title belongs to an island named Third Order Island: it’s about 110×120 meters in size (about 361×394 feet). Third Order Island is located in an unnamed lake that is situated on an unnamed island that is located in an unnamed lake on Victoria Island, Canada.

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Categories
Mars Software Solar System Space Exploration Technology

Will Martian colonists be able to access the Internet?

Astronauts using computer on Mars
Astronauts using computer on Mars

If we can colonize Mars in the coming decades, will Martian colonists be able to access the Internet?

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Categories
Photography Animals Life on Earth

Forced perspective: 10 examples of why you shouldn’t believe everything you see on the Internet

7+ meters crocodile hoax - an example of forced perspective
7+ meters crocodile hoax - an example of forced perspective

Forced perspective, also known as the “trick angle” is a technique that employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger, or smaller than it actually is. It is used primarily in photography, filmmaking, and architecture. It manipulates human visual perception through the use of scaled objects and the correlation between them and the vantage point of the spectator or camera.

The forced perspective technique is also widely used to fool people on the Internet to get shares: giant snakes, impossible big crocodiles or alligators, huge rats, etc. Here are 10 examples of forced perspective and why you shouldn’t believe everything you see on the Internet.

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Categories
Physics

The coldest place in the Universe moves back on Earth

Coldest place in the Universe: ZARM
The experiments were carried out in the drop tower at the Center for Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM).

Scientists from the University of Bremen set a new low-temperature record. They cooled matter in a tower to an extremely low temperature: 38 trillionths of a degree warmer than absolute zero which is -273.15°C (-459.67°F). Nowhere in the universe can be any colder, so the coldest place in the Universe moves back on Earth again.

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Categories
Solar System Moon Landing Space Exploration

Moon samples returned from Chang’e-5 tell of recent volcanism

A spectacular image of the Moon (cropped)
A spectacular image of the Moon (cropped)

Change-5 represents China’s first mission to return moon samples to Earth, hence marks a major step forward for China’s lunar exploration program. Now, recent analysis suggests that the Moon samples returned from Chang’e-5 tell of recent volcanism.

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Categories
Space Exploration

Sputnik 1 was launched on October 4, 1957, and started the “Space Age”

Sputnik 1 technician
This historic image shows a technician putting the finishing touches on Sputnik 1, humanity's first artificial satellite. The pressurized sphere made of aluminum alloy had five primary scientific objectives: Test the method of placing an artificial satellite into Earth orbit; provide information on the density of the atmosphere by calculating its lifetime in orbit; test radio and optical methods of orbital tracking; determine the effects of radio wave propagation through the atmosphere; and, check principles of pressurization used on the satellites.

On October 4, 1957, the first artificial satellite Sputnik 1, was launched by the Soviet Union. Thus, began the space age. It orbited the Earth until January 4, 1958. Sputnik 1 made 1440 orbits and traveled about 70 million kilometers (43 million miles).

The successful launch shocked the world, according to NASA, and gave the former Soviet Union the distinction of putting the first human-made object into space. Its “unanticipated” success precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and triggered the Space Race, a part of the Cold War.

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Categories
Earth from Space Space Exploration

NASA Worldview: Explore Your Dynamic Planet

NASA Worldview tool, screenshot
A screenshot of NASA's Worldview tool.

NASA’s Worldview tool from Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) provides the capability to interactively browse thousands of global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and then download the underlying data.

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Categories
Animals Evolution Life on Earth

Tiger Facts: 20 interesting things about the largest panther in the world

A Siberian tiger (Amur tiger)
The Siberian tiger, also known as the Amur tiger is a population of the tiger subspecies [Panthera tigris tigris] native to the Russian Far East, Northeast China, and possibly North Korea. The Siberian tiger is the largest feline in the world (if we exclude the lion-tiger hybrids [ligers]). Source: Deposit Photos

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is probably one of the most exotic and beautiful animals in the world. It is one of the five species classified in the genus Panthera, the others being the lion, leopard, jaguar, and snow leopard (see notes 1). Here are 20 amazing tiger facts.

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