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General

Home General What Color is Khaki?

If you’re interested in fashion or someone who has been in the military or scouting, perhaps you may have taken a liking to khaki clothing. Or maybe you’ve come to associate the color with explorers, expeditions, and safaris in Kenya and elsewhere.

What is Khaki Anyway?

First, let us define what is khaki. Khaki is a color that has sometimes been described as a shade of gray, a shade of green, or a shade of brown. Of all of these, “shade of brown” is probably the most accurate. In fact, historically, the color khaki is defined to be a shade of tan, and tan is a kind of light brown. This refers to the color itself, but as we will discover later, the word has evolved to have a wider meaning.

What Does Khaki Mean?

Khaki is a loanword from West Asian languages. Specifically, it comes from Urdu and in that language, it means “dust-colored”. The Urdu word itself is believed to have come from a Persian (or Farsi) word meaning “dust”.

The association with dust is probably not surprising. After all, khaki clothes have been associated with outdoor exploration and militaries for generations. Why is the color so popular in these kinds of activities? One reason is camouflage. You see, the color became popular among the militaries of countries with large desert areas. Having khaki clothes allowed them to blend in easily with predominantly brown desert environments. Over time, this military association also trickled down into other outdoor activities such as safaris and hiking. This makes sense considering they involve very similar conditions.

Is Khaki Considered Green?

It depends on who you ask. Strictly speaking, when referring to the color, the term “khaki” refers to specific shades of brown. That means that “khaki” in this sense cannot be used to describe shades of green.

However, as with all things, styles and definitions evolve. Today, khaki is not only used to refer to a specific color but also a style of clothing. You may have heard of khaki pants, khaki shirts, khaki shorts, khaki socks, and so on. You may have also noticed that they aren’t always brownish. Instead, they may be a shade of green. Khaki is now applied to a style of clothing, one that has a wider definition, color-wise. Even shades of green have been referred to as “khaki” as long as they are meant to fit outdoor activities and fashion.

Is Khaki Considered Brown?

As mentioned earlier, khaki the color is considered to be a shade of tan. That means, if you are talking about the color khaki itself, then yes it is considered to be brown. Indeed, the term “khaki” itself, as stated, comes from words that mean “dust”. This is not surprising considering the color’s popularity in outdoor clothing.

We have already mentioned that khaki is a shade of brown, but this does not stop there from being other shades of khaki. Khaki hues can range from light colors to dark ones. Many people assume that “khaki” only refers to the light brown color. And indeed, this was its original meaning. These days, however, even darker shades of the original tan color are often referred to as “khaki”. As mentioned in the previous section, depending on who you ask, khaki can be a color or a fashion style.

Is Khaki a Color or a Material?

Although khaki originally referred to a specific type of brownish color, its meaning has now been expanded. Thus, you will often find clothing and other garments that are called “khaki” despite being other shades of brown or even green. “Khaki” also now refers to a particular style of clothing, one that is associated with the outdoors. A stereotypical safari adventurer or simply a hiker has clothes that are described as “khaki”.

Now that you know better about khaki, the next time you shop for your hike or climbing activity, you’ll know what to ask for and get. And with the added knowledge about khaki clothing, you might feel more like Indiana Jones, more than ready to search for treasures in the unknown!

General

Who Invented Walking?

There’s an activity that we take for granted even though we do it every day. It may seem like a simple activity, but without it, our lives would be completely different. That activity is walking; specifically, walking on two legs (also known as bipedalism). It’s a distinctive feature of humans, and while humans aren’t the only ones to do so, we would not be who we are without it.

Nevertheless, if you have the burning question in your head as to who invented walking: good news. This article has the answers to your question. While it will briefly discuss other forms of walking early on, it will largely focus on walking on two legs.

No One Invented Walking

It may be important to get this out of the way: walking wasn’t invented. Not by anyone or anything. Walking is an innate thing that has existed since animals began living on land hundreds of millions of years ago. Scientists believe that arthropods were the first creatures to walk on land. Specifically, millipedes are currently the oldest known land animals. They first appeared around Even before the first vertebrates to walk on land appeared, other groups such as insects, arachnids, and many other forms of life already walked on land. It should be worth noting that since most adult insects have legs, they tend to go around by flying. Still, they have legs, so they have to count as walkers, right?

The First Vertebrates to Walk on Land Evolved From Fish

Invertebrates walked (or crawled) on land for millions of years before vertebrates emerged from the waters. The first land vertebrates are believed to have evolved from a class of fish called Sarcopterygii, which actually still exist today. If you’re a fan of Animal Crossing and are familiar with one of the game’s rarest fish, the coelacanth, well you’ve seen a member of Sarcopterygii!

Scientists believe a group called Ichthyostega was one of the first if not the first vertebrate group to walk on land. It looks like a cross between Sarcopterygii and an amphibian. While some scientists believe that they may have been amphibious, they do not consider them to be true members of Amphibia. Nevertheless, amphibians would come to dominate terrestrial Earth until reptiles emerged and took their throne.

Reptiles Were the First to Walk on Two Legs

When people today think of reptiles that walk on two legs, the first group that comes to mind is probably the dinosaurs. After all, velociraptors and T-rex are ingrained in our pop culture! However, bipedalism actually emerged long before there were even dinosaurs.

The earliest known bipedal animal was a reptile called Eudibamus. There is actually some dispute as to whether or not it was fully bipedal. Nevertheless, due to its anatomy, scientists consider the Eudibamus an important figure in the evolution of bipedalism.

As for dinosaurs, both of the main kinds (Saurischia and Ornithischia) had many bipedal members, although it is worth noting that T-rex and velociraptors were both members of Saurischia. Indeed, dinosaurs didn’t actually fully go extinct when that asteroid hit. While most dinosaur groups died out 66 million years ago, one group of saurischians survived up to the present day.

Birds Became Dominant Bipeds

That’s right: dinosaurs are still very much with us even today in the form of birds. And you may have noticed something about birds: all of them are bipedal! That is because birds specifically descend from a group of dinosaurs called Theropoda. Members of this group, known as theropods, were largely bipedal. If you’ve ever seen or imagined an ostrich running and it reminded you of dinosaurs, well this is the reason.

Before Primates, There Were Others

Today, people largely think of primates as the main mammal bipedal group (even though not all primates are pure bipedal). However, primates are far from the first mammal group to have bipedal members. For example, kangaroos (which are marsupials and not primates) are bipedal. After all, they jump around on just two legs. Many rodents, such as squirrels, can either walk on two legs when needed or can stand on two legs. However, not all of these rodents are exclusively bipedal.

But Primates Are The Ones Known For Walking

Despite the association, not all primates are fully bipedal. Most, if not all, primates are capable of walking on only two legs. In practice, this is not always the case and many bipedal primates still move around using their front limbs. Many of our cousins in the family Hominidae, such as gorillas and chimpanzees, are like this.

As for humans, Homo sapiens (that’s us in taxonomy speak) isn’t the first human to walk on two legs. It isn’t even Homo erectus or Homo habilis. Instead, scientists believe that a species called Ardipithecus ramidus has this honor. Ardipithecus lived 4 million years ago in what is now Ethiopia.

Fun Fact: The famous skeleton Lucy got its name because the team that discovered her played the song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” by The Beatles the day she was discovered.

So Who Invented Walking?

If you’ve watched the Pixar film, Luca, you may recall this question being asked. Perhaps you were even inspired by that line to search for the answer. If you wanted to know who invented walking: it wasn’t invented. Instead, animals evolved the ability to walk after emerging from the seas long before we were alive.

General

20 Rare Colors Youve Never Heard Of

Amaranth

The color amaranth takes its name from the plants of the same name. It is a shade of red.

Incidentally, sources don’t seem to agree on what exact hue is considered amaranth. One source claims that the name refers to a shade of pink that’s actually the stereotypical color of bubblegum. Others suggest that the name refers to a darker shade that’s more similar to the eponymous plant. Whatever the case, the name and the color are definitely unique.

Australien

Australien is such an obscure color that it doesn’t even have a Wikipedia article. In fact, if you search for “Australien” online, you’re more likely to find hits about Australia. That’s because “Australien” is actually the German name for Australia.

As for the color, the 1897 fashion guide House Decoration gave the hue its name. The guide stated that the colors of the Outback inspired the name. The Outback, as you may know, is the large desert that makes up much of Australia’s territory. Like many deserts, the Outback has a brownish hue. However, the Outback’s brown is also somewhat reddish.

According to the aforementioned guide, the color was apparently quite popular in Victorian England. Many women’s dresses had the color.

Banan

Banan may be one of the rare colors on this list, but it’s probably the most delicious. As you can probably tell, it takes its name from the banana. Interestingly enough, it also has a very fun alternative name: “Banan-appeal”. Yup: you read that as “banana peel”! Incidentally, sources state that this shade is similar to the color you find within the banana peel, hence the name.

Oh, and by the way, the name “banana” itself may have come from an Arabic word meaning “finger”. Maybe this entry will make you crave a banana sooner rather than later.

Burlywood

Burlywood is one of those rare colors that have an exotic origin. It’s a shade of brown that gets its name from a tree native to India. In particular, the hue refers to the shade of brown seen in wood made from that tree. The tree in question, Butea frondosa, can also be found in the rest of South and Southeast Asia.

Celadon

If you’ve played Pokémon Red and Blue or their remakes and sequels, you may be familiar with this color. That’s because Celadon City is one of the cities in the games.

Celadon is a light shade of green that experts believe first originated in China. This is because celadon is the color of the most familiar form of jade. Indeed, if you think of things made from jade, they would typically have a celadon color.

Jade is not the only thing that can come in celadon, however. Many Korean porcelain ceramics also had this color. Indeed, “celadon” became a general term for Korean ceramics even if they came in other colors. That association was that strong.

Drake’s-Neck

No, this color is not named after the Canadian rapper or his neck. No, it has nothing to do with either the Toronto Raptors or the Hotline Bling meme. It does have to do with dinosaurs… sort of. We’ll explain why in a bit.

Drake’s-Neck is a pretty interesting name for a shade of blue. What does it have to do with dinosaurs? It does so in the most tenuous way possible. The color is named after a duck. Specifically, a male duck. A drake is a male duck, and many drakes have a dark blue color somewhere on their bodies. Those blue areas are what gave the color its name. And where do dinosaurs come in? Well, ducks are birds, and as you may have learned in school, birds descended from dinosaurs. In fact, many biologists say that birds are dinosaurs. So maybe you could say the color is named after a raptor, after all.

Lifestyle

Seven Dwarfs Names

Doc

It is perhaps appropriate to start this list with the leader of the Seven Dwarfs. Doc is distinguished by his glasses and large white beard. And despite being the leader of the Dwarfs, he can be a bit uncoordinated. This is evident by how he looks fidgety all the time and how he muddles his words. Doc’s job is to judge the authenticity of precious gems, as seen in some scenes in the movie where he checks diamonds.

Happy

As his name suggests, Happy is the jolliest among the Seven Dwarfs. Like Doc, Happy is plump and has a large white beard, but unlike Doc, he does not wear glasses. As expected of such a jovial character, he is fond of partying, eating, and cheering everyone up.

Grumpy

If Happy is the happiest dwarf, Grumpy is, well, the grumpiest. True to his name, he is easily angered, as seen by his outbursts in the movie. Despite his personality, Grumpy cares for his loved ones. This is most apparent when he ends up leading the Dwarfs in saving Snow White. You can also distinguish Grumpy from the rest as he has the biggest nose.

As his name suggests, Sleepy falls asleep all the time. Sleepy, however, is not lazy. In fact, he is very hardworking when necessary. Due to his personality, many fans relate to him, making him one of the more popular Dwarfs.

Dopey

No, Dopey’s name doesn’t come from a liking for marijuana. Nor does it come from an association with performance-enhancing substances. Instead, his name comes from his funny, “dopey” antics and being the butt of jokes.

Dopey is arguably the most popular among the Seven Dwarfs. This is even though he never speaks in the film, instead only making grunts and whimpers. He is also the only one among the Dwarfs not to have a beard. Not surprising as Dopey is the youngest of the Seven Dwarfs.

Bashful

Bashful is known as being the shyest of the Dwarfs. Due to his crush on Snow White, he is often seen turning red and giggling behind his beard. These traits made him one of the most loveable dwarfs to fans, with many citing him the cutest when blushing.

The Names We Know and Love Weren’t the Original

While we know the Seven Dwarfs by their personality-based names, they weren’t always known by these. In fact, when “Snow White” was first written by the Brothers Grimm in the early 19th century, the Dwarfs weren’t given names at all.

The first adaptation of the story to give names to the Dwarfs was the 1912 Broadway play. There, the Dwarfs were named Blick, Flick, Glick, Snick, Plick, Whick, and Quee. They also had different personalities compared to their Disney counterparts.

According to a 2016 article in The Guardian, in the popular 1937 adaptation, the writing staff actually considered around 50 names before settling on the ones we know and love today. Incidentally, according to the same article, production art featuring early concepts and names for the Dwarfs sold at an auction for $500,000.

Why Did The Seven Dwarfs Go to Jail?

Incidentally, a popular riddle asks a question about the Seven Dwarfs going to jail, specifically, the reason behind it. The answer to the riddle is “because they sold their gems for hi-hoes!”

It is worth noting that the Dwarfs never went to jail in the movie. They spent most of their time mining gems. Instead, “hi hoes!” (sometimes spelled “high hoes” in other versions) is a reference to the phrase “hi ho”, which was often repeated by the Dwarfs while they were working. “Ho” happens to be a slang term for prostitute, which is probably where the connection came from.

Lifestyle

10 Interesting Facts About Hangovers

Have you ever wanted to call out of work because of a hangover? You’re not alone. A hangover can cost someone around $2000 a year from missing work or not performing well. If you go to work hungover, it can also increase accident risk because your judgment may still be impaired.

Carbonation makes hangovers worse.

If you love bubbly drinks, they may be the reason your hangovers are so bad. The carbonation makes alcohol absorb into your bloodstream quicker, which will increase your blood alcohol content. Your body is going to have to work harder to break it down, which can result in a much worse hangover than you anticipated. If you have important things to take care of the next day, maybe skip the hard seltzers.

Smoking is bad for health and hangover.

When you’ve had a night out and find your cigarette pack empty, you’ve probably got a killer hangover. Cigarettes produce a chemical called acetaldehyde, which is considered one of the culprits in alcohol for hangovers. So, when you smoke while you drink, you’re getting a double dose of it. Smoking may also cause you to drink more to get the feel-good effect of a cigarette.

Dark liquors cause bad hangovers.

Ever heard that drinking red wine will give you a splitting headache the next day? Well, there’s science behind this theory. Darker alcohols such as red wine, whiskey, and rum have higher amounts of congeners, which are responsible for hangover symptoms. Congeners are byproducts of the fermentation process that occurs when alcohol is made. So, if you tend to get horrendous hangovers, swap the bourbon for vodka.

Genetics affect hangovers.

Your grandmother may be to blame when you spend your morning hugging the toilet. Since hangover severity is reliant on how your body metabolizes alcohol, your genes play a role. There are genes that are responsible for breaking down alcohol, and your friend who is never hungover probably has them. For example, many Asians do not produce enough of the needed enzyme, which can result in worse hangovers.

You might be experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Bad hangover symptoms could also be alcohol withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can include shakiness, sweating, light sensitivity, etc.

Some suggest that a hangover is a mild type of alcohol withdrawal. Your body is working hard to get the toxins out and return you to your natural state. It’s also important to remember that if you’re experiencing these symptoms you should not continue drinking to make them go away. The hair of the dog method is a temporary bandaid that can make everything worse later on!

Women may have worse hangovers.

When it comes to hangovers, women may have it worse than men. This is due to the water content in our bodies. We’ve all heard that the human body is around 80% water, but it’s different between men and women. Women typically have less water in the body and more fat. Women also tend to weigh less than men, so they become intoxicated more easily. Ladies, make sure to pace yourself with the drinks!

Supplements may help.

It may be possible to relieve hangover symptoms with supplements. It’s important to keep in mind that there is limited research on this, but some studies have shown that certain supplements may help.

Prickly Pear

Prickly pear is a cactus that’s native to Latin America. It’s high in antioxidants, fiber, and carotenoids. Research shows that since prickly pear has anti-inflammatory properties, it may help with a hangover.

Ginseng 

Research has also shown that ginseng may help alleviate hangover symptoms. The active ingredient in ginseng, ginsenosides, has anti-inflammatory properties that could help with hangovers, as well. A study showed that taking red ginseng may increase alcohol metabolism and alleviate the symptoms of a hangover. There are lots of hangover pills on the market that contain both of these ingredients and more.

Hangovers and inflammation go hand in hand.

Something many people don’t think about when it comes to hangovers is inflammation. Alcohol releases cytokines, which are inflammatory molecules that can wreak havoc on the liver. Cytokines are responsible for making you feel sick during a hangover. When you consume a large amount of alcohol, you may experience inflammation.

Your headache is because your brain is thirsty.

It’s no news that hangovers cause dehydration. What may be news is that drinking alcohol dehydrates your brain. Alcohol can suppress the hormone that helps your body retain water. Without it, you lose more water, mostly from your brain. This is why you typically wake up with a splitting headache after a night of one too many.

Final Thoughts

The bottom line is that hangovers are never fun. Taking some time to understand the how and why of them may make your life easier the next day. Or, you and your headache will at least have a mutual understanding. Have fun, and drink responsibly!

Lifestyle

What Is The Rarest MM Color

Perhaps at some point, you may have wondered about the proportion of colors found in a pack of M&M’s. Maybe you’ve wanted to find out what is the rarest M&M color. The answer to this question and more will be explained in this article, and the answers may surprise you!

Rick Wilkin’s Quest to Find the Rarest M&M’s Color

Statistician Rick Wilkin, who worked for the SAS Institute (a big M&M’s client), decided to do his statistical study after noticing that the Mars’s website, which previously listed various proportions, no longer did so. He also wanted to test if the proportions that used to be listed on the website were accurate or not. He noted that Mars produces M&M’s at two factories in the United States: one in Cleveland and one in New Jersey.

After inquiring with the company, he was able to get two separate proportions of data from both factories. He learned that the two factories did not have the same proportions. Following this, he decided to do his experiment.

The Rarest M&M’s Color? It’s Brown

In the end, he discovered that these findings did not match what was originally listed on Mars’s website. In his samples, he found out that only around 13.48% of all M&M’s are brown. The next rarest color was yellow, with a proportion of only 14.47%. By contrast, green was the most common color, with a proportion of 19.52%.

While Mars’s website listed blue as the most common color (24%), Wilkin instead found that green was more common. However, the website did mention that the three rarest colors were yellow, red, and brown respectively, and this matched Wilkin’s findings. He also noted that his findings that brown being the rarest color also matched the data he received regarding the two factories. However, the factories’ data claimed that orange was the most common color, which did not match his findings.

Incidentally, Wilkin noted that the proportion may have changed over the years. For example, around 1997, Mars’s website listed brown as the most common color and blue as the least common. He also notes that his findings only refer to plain M&M; he admits that proportions for other varieties such as peanuts may be different, although he did not include other variants in his study.

M&M’s Colors Have Changed Over The Years

As mentioned earlier, while Wilkin found that brown was the least common M&M’s color, this may have not always been the case. Indeed, M&M’s didn’t always have the current combination of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and brown.

When M&M’s was first launched in 1941, the original colors were red, brown, yellow, green, and purple. Purple M&M’s proved to be short-lived as they were replaced with tan by the end of the decade.

During the 1970’s, a food scare occurred due to fears that red dyes were carcinogenic. Specifically, studies on rats showed that a dye called “Red Dye #2” could cause cancer. Mars did not use this specific dye to color their M&M’s red. In addition, the FDA raised concerns about the reliability of the study. However, the scare was strong enough that the company decided to replace red with orange.

The decision proved to be unpopular among M&M’s fans. In the 1980s, Paul Hetmon, a University of Tennessee student, launched a joke group called the Society for the Restoration and Preservation of Red M&Ms, complete with paid membership dues and letters. The group gained so much traction that Mars eventually decided to bring back red M&M’s. To this day, red continues to co-exist with its original replacement orange.

While red M&M’s had a cult following, the same could not be said for tan M&M’s. In fact, tan M&M’s were so unpopular that in 1995, Mars held a public vote on a color to choose one that would replace tan. Ultimately, blue won out over purple and pink.

Other Colors of M&M’s Also Exist

While red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and brown are the current standard colors of M&M’s packages, other colors also exist. Some of these colors were limited-edition items used in promotions.

Image from Adobe Stock

For example, in the 1990s, M&M’s held a contest where the winning prize was a pack of gray M&M’s. Due to the gray M&M’s rareness, they have become a bit of a legend among M&M’s fans. Another limited-time promotion in 2012 led to purple, aqua, and pink M&M’s being offered in packages called “You Picked The New Color Mix!” The special colors, along with red, blue, and green, were picked by fans through a Facebook poll.

Some candy stores, such as M&M’s World, also feature non-standard colors such as black, white, pink, and purple.

Science

40 Interesting Physics Facts for Curious Minds Factsnet

We only see it that way because the sun’s wavelengths react with the difference in the atmosphere.

Gelatin doesn’t break if you tap it because of surface tension.

The outer gelatin layer serves as an elastic membrane, which is why it only bounces and jiggles.

Water slows down light.

Each water molecule has individual surface tension, which distorts the image you see. This is why your face would look cartoonish behind a glass of water.

Sound creates heat.

Sound waves generate heat when they travel and are absorbed by materials.

You can yell at your soup to warm it.

However, sound waves carry minimal energy, so the effect would not be noticeable. You’re better off with a stove or a microwave.

Time goes faster at the top of the building than at the bottom.

According to Einstein’s theory of Relativity, the farther an object is from the Earth’s surface, the faster time passes.

Transparent objects are visible because they reflect light.

This is why we can still see glasses and ice.

The gyroscopic effect keeps a bike balanced.

The principle is that a spinning wheel tends to stay aligned in its original direction.

You can’t sink in the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea has a very high density because of its salt content, which would make it impossible for you to sink.

Dead people float because of gasses.

When a person drowns, their lungs fill with water, which makes them sink. They float back up because the human body releases gas when it dies – making them lighter than the water.

A typical smartphone would not detect touches from fingernails, rubber, or certain fabrics because they lack the ions needed for the interaction.

Water tension holds sandcastles together.

Sandcastles can stand on their own because of the water tension between sand and water molecules. This is why, if you add too little or too much water, it won’t hold.

Inertia keeps you from falling out of a rollercoaster.

Your mass resists the acceleration of a particularly gnarly loop and keeps you on your seat.

Pi is an irrational number.

Irrational numbers are numbers that cannot be expressed as fractions. Pi is an infinitely long and non-repeating number. The closest fractional estimate of pi is 22/7.

Space is restless.

I think we’ve all established space is pretty weird, but this is one of the weirder physics facts: particles are constantly popping in and out of existence in space. Picture a glass of soda with the carbon bubbles rising up. Scientists call this phenomenon “quantum foam.”

Science

40 Overfishing Facts That You Need to Know About Today

Overfishing simply means catching so much fish in a given body of water that those left behind can’t reproduce enough to replace those who have been caught. This can take place in both freshwater and marine environments, with underpopulation as its first effect. Other effects of overfishing include resource depletion, reduced growth, and low biomass. While fish can recover from overfishing, it would also depend on whether the ecosystem can support their recovery or not.

Overfishing can result in what scientists call an ecosystem shift.

Ecosystem shifts involve abrupt, large-scale, and long-lasting changes in an ecosystem. Scientists also call it a regime shift, with a regime referring to the way an ecosystem’s built, as well as how it works. Usually, the loss of one or more parts of an ecosystem will cause changes in the rest. It may also cause it to collapse, but it’s also possible for another species or factor to simply replace the lost part of the ecosystem. This replacement could then completely change how the ecosystem works, resulting in a regime shift.

An example of this involves the overfishing of trout, which may allow carp to replace them as the dominant fish species in a given environment. More than that, the carp become so dominant that trout simply can’t recover from overfishing, or even maintain a breeding population at all.

Bycatch also contributes to overfishing.

Bycatch refers to unintentionally catching other fish and aquatic species with commercial species when fishing. As bycatch typically has no commercial value, fishermen usually just dump it back into the sea. In theory, doing so lets them live back in the sea, but in practice, bycatch usually die from injury or shock from getting caught in the first place. On average, bycatch makes up to 25% of all fish caught, and in some cases, can go even higher. For example, bycatch in shrimp fishing actually accounts for up to five times the commercial catch. This means many fish and other species die for no reason, further adding to the effect overfishing has on the environment.

People have tried to find ways to reduce bycatch.

One way of doing so involves banning fishing in areas where bycatch tends to become high from how so many species live there. Another way involves the use of Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRDs), though, this can become expensive. That said, they do work, with BRDs noted as having reduced bycatch by 30% to 40%.

Governments have also banned longline fishing, as this method can cause very high bycatch rates. Other governments have also banned the practice of throwing away bycatch at all. By forcing fishermen to keep everything they catch, this also forces them to care about bycatch. This, in turn, gives incentive to avoid or reduce bycatch from how they can’t profit off of it.

Bycatch doesn’t always get thrown away, though.

In some countries, usually in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, bycatch may get sold at the market. They usually sell for lower prices, marketed as assorted seafood or even as a seafood medley. In other cases, bycatch gets ground up, usually for making organic fertilizer, but also as fish meal or even as food for fish farms. Asian countries, in particular, use bycatch as an ingredient in producing fish sauce. Bycatch also gets used as an ingredient in making fish paste or fish cakes, either for domestic use or export.

Science

Invention of WiFi Origin of Probably the Best Invention Ever

WiFi is probably something the world can never live without. Some technology facts have shown that there are 3.8 billion Internet users and approximately 8 billion gadgets are being connected to the Internet each day. It is undeniable that WiFi is and will continue to be ubiquitous in our lives. We can even personalize our own WiFi nowadays. But, the invention of WiFi and how it works are equally important to know as well.

One can say that the invention of WiFi was a team effort by different people and with a stroke of luck.

The first group of people involved was Australian radio astronomer John O’Sullivan and a group of scientists. Back in the 1900s, they wanted to prove that Stephen Hawking’s theory on evaporating black holes and their radio waves are true. Their research showed that these little waves and their subsequent signals could travel over large distances. But it was difficult to differentiate these little waves from stronger ones. Thus, Sullivan and the researchers worked on creating a tool that could help identify the black hole’s radio waves. Unfortunately, they failed.

The next notable person, also known as the “father of WiFi”, is Vic Hayes. He was one of the founders of the 802.11 standards, a set of standards that ensures wireless communication work in reality. Before the public even understand the concept of wireless communication, Hayes was already thinking of ways to make WiFi standards achievable. But, he needed a patent. And as you can guess, this key patent came from Sullivan and his failed tool. In 1992, John Sullivan, Terence Percival, Graham Daniels, Diethelem Ostry, John Deane who were working in the company, CSIRO, went back to Sullivan’s failed experiment and eventually created a chip that could pick up the weakest radio signals. Poof! WiFi was invented in 1997! Guess we can say the invention of WiFi is unexpected but greatly appreciated.

What is WiFi?

Did you know that WiFi is just a meaningless acronym? Some may say that WiFi stands for Wireless Fidelity. But Phil Belanger, one of the founding members of WiFi Alliance (which owns the WiFi logo), dismissed this. He stated that WiFi is simply an acronym with no meaning. Although WiFi began in 1997, it was not known as ‘WiFi’ until 1999.

How does WiFi work?

WiFi is essentially a superb networking technology. It uses a radio frequency signal (the WiFi logo on your gadgets) to send information. This information then helps to connect smart gadgets like smartphones, laptops and many others together that are within a local area, like your home. When a connection is made, communication between these gadgets can happen. Picture a radio tuning into a radio station by picking up signals. Similarly, your devices can pick up such high-frequency signals to connect to the Internet. And those high-frequency signals are WiFi! WiFi runs on two main frequencies: 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. 2.4GHz bands cover a wider distance and WiFi can be picked up through thicker walls. 5GHz bands have a faster connection speed over smaller distances. But it generally experiences more interference.

WiFi does not magically appear out of thin air. Which is why you need a wireless router for your gadgets to connect to the Internet. A wireless router is a piece of equipment that physically connects to the Internet via an ethernet cable or modem. The router broadcasts the WiFi signal that connects and carries information to and fro from the Internet. While carrying this information, your router is hard at work decoding this information. The adapter in whatever device you are using then picks up this broadcasted signal, receives the decoded information, and sends it back to your router so that it goes onto the Internet. Essentially, your router is like a middleman, or a dispatcher between your devices and the Internet.

Is WiFi The Same As The Internet?

This also means that WiFi is NOT the same as the Internet. We often conflate these two terms together but really, they are two very different and separate things. WiFi is the frequency signal that allows us to connect to the Internet. The Internet, also known as Wide Area Network (WAN), is a massive network of networks. It connects various local networks together via many routers and forms a global connection.

 A quick fun fact that not many know is that the Internet actually originated from California!

How has WiFi changed over the years?

WiFi became very popular in the early 2000s and ever since, many have worked on bringing more exciting enhancements to the original standards. One can say that the invention of WiFi is a miraculous event that has helped us push past unthinkable technological boundaries and frontiers.

Getting Faster

The original 802.11 started out with 2 Mbit/s (megabyte per second) link speed, and over the years it has grown faster to 11 Mbit/s (802.11b, 1999), 54 Mbit/s (802.11a, 2012), all the way to 568.9 Mbit/s in the 2014 version. As of 2020, WiFi 6 (802.11ax) runs on 9.6 Gbps. Currently, cities in these countries have the fastest Internet connection.

Growing Stronger

WiFi also became stronger throughout the years. Initially, WiFi routers used the 2.4GHz band in 1999, before the 5GHz band was introduced in 2012. In 2003, the 802.11g standards were developed to improve both connectivity speed and signal range. Router technologies also began to enhance to have higher power and coverage than its predecessors. One notable router technology is the introduction of dual-band routers to help solve the issue of slow connectivity speed, out-of-range and interference issues. Devices in range would automatically connect to the more efficient 5GHz frequency. Even if devices are further away or behind walls/doors, our WiFi routers can use the 2.4GHz band to actively maintain connectivity.

Becoming Smarter — 2012 and beyond

In 2012, we welcomed a new era of WiFi. In the past, the various 802.11 versions focused on signal coverage and large data transmission. However, in 2012, a new concept called the beamforming concept is developed. Instead of focusing on broadcasting WiFi signals in all directions hoping to reach the targeted devices, it focuses on concentrating the signal towards a specific device. This ensures a faster and more stable connection. Currently, many of us use WiFi routers that use this beamforming concept.