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Month: December 2024

The First Indian Space Tourist: Gopi Thotakura

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US based Gopi Thotakura made history as he became the first Indian space tourist! Indian born and commercial pilot Gopichand Thotakura took off on May 19 and reached the edge of space on a Blue Origin spacecraft, along with five other crew members. The whole journey, from take off to landing lasted only about ten minutes, during which the spacecraft attained a maximum height of about 105km from the Earth. 

The passengers got to experience weightlessness for a few minutes and observe the Earth from a height. One of the passengers on this Blue Origin spacecraft made history by becoming the oldest person to travel to space. American citizen, Ed Dwight, who is 90, described the experience as “life changing”.

What is Blue Origin?

Blue Origin is the space tourism project by Amazon owner Jeff Bezos.

Word Check

Space tourism is the term for people paying to go for a trip to space.

Record-Breaking Ocean Temperatures: What’s Behind the Rising Heat?

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On analysing the data published by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the BBC has said that the world’s oceans have suffered a year of record-breaking heat due to climate change. The seas have broken temperature records every single day for the past year. 

 

This has not only caused widespread coral bleaching, but has threatened the habitat for many marine species. For 13 months in a row, the sea surface temperature has been the warmest on record. According to experts, warmer sea temperatures may result in severe hurricanes and these changes could have long term effects on the Earth like rising sea levels. Greenhouse gases and El Niño have warmed the seas. 

World’s Oldest Orangutan Turns 63

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Bella is the world’s oldest living orangutan in captivity. On April 16, Bella celebrated her 63rd birthday. Bella is a Sumatran orangutan and is estimated to be born in 1961. Ever since she was collected from the wild in 1964, she has lived at Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg, Germany. She was given a birthday cake made of soft-boiled rice and various fruits, which she shared with Berani, one of her adopted children.

Did You Know?

Orangutans typically live in the wild up to 35-40 years and normally up to 50 years in captivity.

World’s Oldest Gorilla Turns 67

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According to the Berlin Zoo, Fatou is the world’s oldest gorilla living in captivity and she recently celebrated her 67th birthday on April 13. Her precise age and birthday are not known. 

Fatou, who was born in the wild and has lived in human captivity at the Berlin Zoo since 1959, was given a special early birthday treat of twigs, lettuce, grapes, bananas, and some melon in a basket by zookeepers.

Did You Know?

Gorillas typically live up to 35 years in the wild and normally up to 50 years in human care.

New Delhi Declared World’s Most Polluted Capital City in 2023

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According to ‘World Air Quality Report 2023’ (“Report”) by IQAir, which tracks air quality worldwide, India was ranked as the third most polluted country in the world after Bangladesh and Pakistan. Delhi was the most polluted capital city in the world in 2023.

The Report further stated that in 2023 almost all 100 cities in the world with the worst air pollution were in Asia. Infact, 83 of the 100 cities were in India and they all exceeded the World Health Organization’s air quality guidelines by more than 10 times. 

Other Key Findings of the Report:

  • The top 5 most polluted countries in the world in 2023 are Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan, and Burkina Faso.
  • Of the top ten most polluted cities in the world, 9 belong to India.
  • Only 10 countries and territories had “healthy” air quality: Finland, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, and French Polynesia.
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