
09 Jan Diligimus Cognition (We love knowledge) – Issue 8
- This particular structure in the brain of animals was initially thought to have resemblance with the silkworm. In due course of time the structure was named thus owing to its striking similarity with an animal found in the seas which is known for its ‘contrasting’ manner of reproduction as the males in the group are known to become pregnant.
Which structure in the brain?
- The following is believed to be the first picture of something with the origin of the image is uncertain. The top of the image bears the name of a famous chemist who is believed to have made the image. Name the scientist.
- First observed by the British astronomer X, this phenomenon consists of the radial flow of gas across the photospheric surface of the penumbra of sunspots from the inner border with the umbra towards the outer edge. X first observed this phenomenon in 1909 while working at the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory in India. Commemorating the event, the India Post issued a stamp in 2008 which is shown below. What phenomenon was discovered by X which is also named after the astronomer X?
- In the motion picture that featured X, they (X) are described as mindlessly bureaucratic, aggressive, having “as much sex appeal as a road accident” and the writers of “the third worst poetry in the universe”. They are employed as the galactic government’s bureaucrats.
- A particular Hollywood thriller movie failed to receive sizeable box office returns owing to its limited screen releases. However, it garnered a lot of favourable word of mouth reviews which eventually resulted in three sequels to the movie that had the subtitles Lily, The New Seduction and The Secret Society. One of the lead characters in the movie was ranked #6 in a list of bad ladies “Lethal Ladies: 26 Best Big-Screen Bad Girls” published by the Entertainment Weekly. Name the movie which also shares its name with the common name of the plant Toxicodendron radicans.
- A well known component of personal armor such as bullet proof vests, combat helmets etc, Poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide was invented by Polish-American chemist Stephanie Kwolek while she was working for DuPont to find a lightweight strong fibber for use in car tires. How is the compound popular in the business world?
- The following screenshot tells about a landmark judgement in the history of patent suits wherein X challenged Y’s application for the grant of a patent on an organism. The Supreme Court ruled in favour of Y ushering in the first instance of granting a patent for a living form. Give me X and Y.
- Known as an instance of the Marangoni effect in the scientific world, this common phenomenon was first correctly explained by the elder brother of Lord Kelvin, James Thomson. Basically the phenomenon can be explained as follows:
Where the surface of the alcoholic beverage meets the side of the glass, capillary action makes the liquid climb the side of the glass. As it does so, both alcohol and water evaporate from the rising film, but the alcohol evaporates faster, due to its higher vapor pressure. The resulting decrease in the concentration of alcohol causes the surface tension of the liquid to increase, and this causes more liquid to be drawn up from the bulk of the wine, which has a lower surface tension because of its higher alcohol content. The wine moves up the side of the glass and forms droplets that fall back under their own weight.
What is the common term for the phenomenon?
- Connect:
- Identify the mathematician from his bust that was erected in the Red Lion Square, Bloomsbury, London.
Answers:
1. Hippocampus.
2. Erlenmayer (It is the first drawing of the Erlenmayer’s flask).
3. Evershed effect.
4. Vogons (The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy).
5. Poison Ivy.
6. Kevlar.
7. Sidney A. Diamond, (Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks) v. Ananda M. Chakrabarty, et al.
8. Tears of wine.
9. Books by Simon Singh.
(The Code Book, Big Bang, The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets, Fermat’s Last Theorem.)
10. Bertrand Russell.