BBC Knowledge Asia Edition2

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PHOTOS: ISTOCK X11, ALAMY X2, GETTY, ESO

TOP 10

Smartest Dog Breeds

1. Border collie
   Bred for: herding sheep
   No wins


2. Poodle
   Bred for: duck hunting
   Six wins


3. German shepherd
   Bred for: herding sheep
   Three wins


4. Golden retriever
   Bred for: retrieving waterfowl
   No wins


5. Doberman pinscher
   Bred for: guarding
   No wins


6. Shetland sheepdog
   Bred for: herding
   No wins


7. L ab r ado r r e t r ieve r
   Bred for: retrieving waterfowl
   Three wins


8. Papillon
   Bred for: companionship
   No wins


9. Rottweiler
   Bred for: driving cattle
   and guarding
   No wins


10. Australian
    cattle dog
    Bred for: driving cattle
    No wins

And their ‘best in show’ wins at Crufts

Is it possible to delete a sent email?

Lab measurements show that water does have a colour: pale

blue. Given the blue colour of the sea, that may come as little

surprise. But according to Dr Martin Chaplin, an expert on the

properties of water, its colour has a specific cause. Its origins

lie in the way the H20 molecule interacts with incoming light.

The molecule’s two hydrogen atoms sit at the ends of two

spring-like ‘legs’ joined midway by the oxygen atom. The

resulting V-shaped combination can vibrate in various ways,

mopping up different wavelengths of light. But it’s particularly

effective at absorbing longer, redder wavelengths, while

leaving shorter, bluer wavelengths fairly untouched. The

result is a pale blue colour. According to Chaplin, while this

absorption contributes to the sea’s colour, there’s scattering

at work too. Water scatters shorter wavelengths more

effectively, leading to more of the blue component of sunlight

reaching our eyes. RM

Source: The Intelligence Of Dogs by Dr Stanley Coren

Why is water

colourless?

Sadly not. Once sent, the message is out

of your control. Although some email

software may have a recall or undo, these

functions are not doing what you think.

Recall will only work if the receiver uses

the same email software as you –

otherwise the receiver just receives the

email followed by a second rather

embarrassing email saying ‘the sender

wishes to recall the previous message’.

Undo usually works by delaying the

sending of your email for a few seconds,

giving you a chance to change your mind

before it is sent. There’s a Chinese saying:

once spoken, even the fastest horse

cannot catch your words. The same

applies to emails – so be careful what you

send. PB