Tag: Nature

A 500 metre tall coral reef discovered in over 120 years

venkatarangan

The picture you see on top of this page is me on an under-water walking trip in the Great Barrier Reef, off of the coast of cairns in Australia. This was during my vacation to Australia in June 2002, almost two decades ago! And it was one of the most breathtaking experiences in my life. Below is probably one of the happiest scientific news in this pandemic year. Scientist in Australia have discovered a 500-metre tall coral reef in the Great Barrier Reef, this is the first reef to be…

Chennai is too cold!

venkatarangan

Seeing the sun shining now in Chennai makes me happy. The last few days with the cyclone Nivar making landfall on the 25th, the night temperatures were becoming too cold for us, Chennai’ites to tolerate. For records, the night temperature was only 21-degree celsius, but that will be peak winter for us in Chennai! At this rate of cold, I was expecting Saravana Stores (the Walmart of Tamil Nadu, India) to have a மார்கழி (December) sale of Sweaters!

His Holiness Dalai Lama on Dr Kalam’s 89th Birthday

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I am blessed to have participated in a virtual program where His Holiness Dalai Lama addressed the students from around the world and the members of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation on the event of the 89th Birthday celebrations of the former President of India. His Holiness spoke from his holy abode in Dharamshala, on the topic of “Liveable Planet Earth, Working Together for a Peaceful World”. The event was live broadcasted on YouTube in over fourteen languages. Below are from the notes I took from His Holiness speech. You…

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020)

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Sir David Attenborough, aged 94, is a legendary broadcaster for a long time with the BBC and a natural historian. He is known for his deep voice and his coverage of the animals around the world like no one else. His series like Life on Earth (1979), Life in the Freezer (1993), Blue Planet (2001) and others are remarkable works documenting the seldom seen lives of several species we share this planet with. His latest work: A Life on Our Planet (2020) is in his words “a witness report” of…

What’s your experience with lizards in your house?

venkatarangan

I am fine to share our house with lizards, not known to worry about them**, but I expect them to know their boundaries – they are not welcome on my cot (or the loft above the cot, waiting to fall down any time, they seem to lose their grip on wooden panels), sofa and most importantly my work table and computers. Living room and other areas are fine. For a week I have been observing a lizard (seen in the picture below) in the library area inside my office room.…