SOLUTION FOR
THE SNIFFLES
A recent study revealed that South Africans consider rooibos
tea as one of their top three cold- and flu-busting remedies.
This isn’t very surprising considering that this tea, which
is particular to South Africa, is packed with polyphenols
(micronutrients and antioxidants). That means it can help boost
immunity and protect your body against diseases.
If you have a cold, try this recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
A cup of strong rooibos
1 teaspoon lemon
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon fresh ginger
A pinch of cayenne pepper
WHAT TO DO:
Pour boiling water into a cup or mug, add one rooibos teabag
and let it steep for at least five to six minutes. Add the rest of
the ingredients.
If you prefer something cold, make your own herbal ice lollies or
ice chips using the same rooibos tea combination as above.
GLIDING DINOSAUR
A new species of flying dinosaur was recently discovered in China,
and it may provide the link in working out how dinosaurs evolved into
birds. Called Ambopteryx longibrachium, the creature is unique in that
he has both forelimbs and membraneous wings, kind of like a bat’s.
At just around 32cm and 300g, he is tiny and his lack of breastbone
means that he is not likely to have flapped his wings, but probably
glided. The site where the fossil was found seems to have been a
place where many dinosaurs died at the same time – likely because
of massive volcanic eruptions. Unlucky for the dinos but lucky for us,
because it means that their fossils are well preserved.
[Source: edition.cnn.com]
AIR-CLEANING
CYCLE
Three students from the Thang Long
Gifted High School in Vietnam have invented
a device that can be attached to the
handlebars of a bicycle and filter air as you
ride. The friends were tired of wearing anti-
pollution masks on their ride to and from
school and decided the time had come to
make a plan. The device has an air filter
with three layers of cotton and activated
carbon fabric, which captures up to 86% of
dust and 63% of nitrogen oxide from the air.
The three won second prize at the national
science competition for high school
students and are dedicated to improving the
design so that it works even better. In fact,
they have their sights set on creating these
filters for electric bikes too.
[Source: BBC.com]
571
The number of plant species that have become extinct
over the past 250 years, according to a recent study by
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Stockholm University.
The same study revealed that plants are disappearing 500
times faster than they would without human intervention.
Quickies