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Most of our abbreviations for units of measurement are pretty straightforward. They are made up of letters from the words they stand for. So how do we get lb for “pound” and oz for “ounce”?
Lb is an abbreviation of the Latin word libra. The primary meaning of libra was balance or scales (as in the astrological sign), but it also stood for the ancient Roman unit of measurelibra pondo, meaning “a pound by weight.” We got the word “pound” in English from thepondo part of the libra pondo but our abbreviation comes from the libra. The libra is also why the symbol for the British pound is £—an L with a line through it. The Italian lira also used that symbol (with two lines through it), the word “lira” itself being a shortened version of libra.
“Ounce” is related to the Latin uncia, the name for both the Roman ounce and inch units of measurement. The word came into English from Anglo-Norman French, where it was unce orounce, but the abbreviation was borrowed from Medieval Italian, where the word was onza. These days the Italian word is oncia, and the area once covered by the Roman Empire has long since switched to the metric system.
Penguins often are referred to as "flippered flyers" due to their effortless movement through the water and their possible evolution from gull-like birds. Its believed that 40-50 million years ago, while Antarctica breaking away form Gondwanaland, penguins also were separating to form their own species. Originally, indigenous to warmer climates, penguins adapted to the cold as Antarctica made its move southward.Part of their adaptation to the cold includes oily, unwettable feathers which cover the outer layers of penguins (and what gives that distinguished, well dressed look). Underneath is a layer of soft down feathers and under that a thick layer of fat. This keeps the penguins so warm they will actually fluff their feather to released trapped heat in order to cool down.In addition to their fine attire, penguins are well known for their swimming abilities. Using their flippers for propulsion and their feet as a rudder, penguins can swim in excess of 12 mph (20 kph). Through the use of air sacs to protect their lungs, penguins can stay under water for 15 to 20 minutes and dive as deep as 275 feet (900 meters).
The
sea is called "dead" because its high salinity prevents
macroscopic aquatic organisms, such as fish and aquatic
plants,
from living in it, though minuscule quantities of bacteria and
microbial fungi are present.
In
times of flood, the salt content of the Dead Sea can drop from its
usual 35% to 30% or lower. The Dead Sea temporarily comes to life in
the wake of rainy winters. In 1980, after one such rainy winter, the
normally dark blue Dead Sea turned red. Researchers from Hebrew
University of Jerusalem found
the Dead Sea to be teeming with a type
of alga called Dunaliella. Dunaliella in
turn nourished carotenoid-containing
(red-pigmented) halobacteria,
whose presence caused the color change. Since 1980, the Dead Sea
basin has been dry and the algae and the bacteria have not returned
in measurable numbers. Recently a group of scientists from Be'er
Sheva, Israel and Germany discovered fissures in the floor of the
Dead Sea by scuba diving and observing the surface. These fissures
allow fresh water to enter the Dead Sea. They sampled biofilms
surrounding the fissures and discovered a very significant number of
species of Bacteria and Archea.This new research may change the
current dogma that the Dead Sea cannot support life.
