​What is Earth’s third pole and why is it vital to 20% of Earth’s population ● How ordinary broccoli can help us discover life on other planets ● Parents support children who lie at the expense of those who tell the truth ● The moon is the perfect place for the most important reserve of humanity

What is the third pole of the Earth and why is it vital for 20% of the Earth’s population

The Tibetan Plateau is the largest solid water reservoir after the Arctic and Antarctica. That is why it was called “the third pole of the Earth”. In fact, of the more than 5 million square kilometers that the plateau covers, more than 100,000 are covered by glaciers.

Glaciers that constantly feed the large watercourses of South Asia and have a great impact on the existence of more than 2 billion people in countries such as China, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Tajikistan and others.

Given the extremely harsh conditions and altitude of more than 4,000 meters, on which the Tibetan Plateau is located, the first research in this area was not carried out until the 70s at the initiative of China. The problem is that in recent years the plateau has been dramatically affected by climate change, including accelerated melting of glaciers. And this will have a major impact on the population and socio-economic conditions of the countries mentioned, an impact that will be strongly felt at the global level.

At present, there is no definitive data to demonstrate the severity of the impact of global warming on the plateau and, as a result, the consequences that the melting of Tibetan glaciers may have. This is also the reason why the Chinese Academy of Sciences launched The Third Pole Environment (TPE) program, through which it tries to attract not only funds, but also researchers from all over the world to actively participate in field research.

He said, the situation is dire, if even the Chinese decided to ask for international help.

How ordinary broccoli will help us discover life on other planets

Don’t get me wrong, we’re going to look for kale, cauliflower, or broccoli on other planets! In no case. In any case, the chances of finding it like this on other planets are zero. But this does not mean that there cannot be plants that exhibit similar behavior. Let me explain.

It has been observed that broccoli, as well as other plants and even microorganisms, emit gases that allow them to get rid of toxins. To make it easier to understand, they bond one carbon atom and three hydrogen atoms to an unwanted chemical element. This process is called methylation. For animals, respectively for men, he calls them differently, but we have not space here to say how.

Well, these gases reach the atmosphere and can be detected with a high-powered telescope. In particular, bromomethane, also called methyl bromide, will be relatively easy to identify in the planet’s atmosphere when a new generation of space telescopes becomes operational later this decade.

Experts also say that the probability that bromomethane is the result of the activity of some organisms, and not some geological processes, is huge. This is so common on Earth that you can’t help but think that it isn’t the case on other planets where life forms live. Cases are solved!

Parents support children who lie because of those who tell the truth

Raising a child is not an easy task. Everyone who already has children or who has closely watched the efforts of other parents has been convinced of this. For example, you went to the park with your child, you sit down on a bench next to another person, and that child starts saying that the aunt next to him is ugly with branches. In a big mouth, as if your heart is leaving you there. Or, even simpler, you give him or her a gift that the younger one immediately classifies as odious. What to do in this case?

You are blushing at this moment. Then they hunted. And after the struggle passes your eyes, you tell the child that it’s unpleasant… what? Frankly? Maybe this aunt really is a forest mother and the socks you bought him for his birthday aren’t really his childhood dream. This problem was analyzed by several researchers from the University of Texas in a study published in the Journal of Moral Education.

They analyzed the behavior of 267 adults who were shown various videos of children aged 6 to 15 years. In some of them, apparently, the children said everything they thought and felt. In others, some of them lied, but it is a lie, not something serious. For example, one withheld the truth about his sister who had committed a crime to protect her. Another lied so as not to hurt another person’s feelings.

The adults were then asked to indicate, in addition to the personality traits they observed in the respective children, how they would punish or reward them for telling the truth or lying. It turned out that the majority of respondents would treat honest children more strictly, and liars – mostly leniently.

Experts say that given the conflicting nuances they perceive from early childhood in relation to honesty and lying, children early develop the ability to give vague answers or mask the truth. But look, these Texans aren’t done either.

The next step, or the next study, is to find out how these ideas from childhood affect the development of the future adult. That’s it, we’re still waiting. In the American way, when you loved the world, they say… to be continued.

The moon is an ideal place for humanity’s most important reserve

After realizing just how vulnerable humanity could be in the event of a global pandemic, and with madmen threatening the world with all sorts of nuclear disasters, you can’t help but think of a back-up plan in case…

This is exactly what some researchers from Harvard and Cornell universities, both in the US, have done.

That is, they thought about how to save something from a planetary catastrophe. And the conclusion was unanimous. Accordingly, the Moon is an ideal place to store the data needed to bring life back to Earth, at least as we know it today.

Thus, after the first permanent lunar base was created, it was imperative that among the first things stored was the genetic information of all life forms, as well as a database of all the knowledge accumulated by mankind from the beginning to the present day. This means books, music, photos of artwork, online content, and more. It’s like storing information from a computer on an external hard drive. Your whole computer is broken, at least you have the necessary information saved somewhere until you get the car back on its feet. So it is with the planet.

Now, say the relevant researchers, there is no need to panic. It’s not like something is happening. It’s more of a precautionary measure, as I said, in case… On the other hand, you can’t help but notice how everyone has been rushing to Mars and the Moon lately. Chinese, American, Indian, Japanese, private companies, etc. But despite this, we also advise you not to worry. You are stressing in vain. You still won’t be saved.

Photo source: dreamstime.com