How does the chameleon change its colour?
The skin of the chameleon is transparent. Underneath this
skin, there are layers of cells that contain grainy yellow, black and red
colouring matter. When these cells contract or expand, we see a change in
the colour of the chameleon. When the chameleon is angry or frightened, its
nervous system sends a message to these cells to contract, which results in
its skin turning dark. When it�s excited, its cells expand and the skin
turns pale or yellow. The chameleon protects itself by changing its colour
to blend into its surroundings.
Why do we use the term �by heart� when we store
everything in the brain?
In day-to-day language we speak of the brain as the
centre of faculty of reasoning, and of the heart as the centre of emotions
and personality traits. Any intellectual activity that seems to involve
conscious effort or reasoning is attributed to the brain, and those
unconsciously performed are attributed to the heart. When a person learns
something by heart, she/he will be able to recall the thing by heart
instantly, without any conscious effort or reasoning. Hence, when a person
has memorized, she/he is said to have learnt it �by heart�, even though what
is learned is stored in the brain.
What is cloudburst?
A cloudburst is a name for a sudden, concentrated downpour of rain over a
small geographical area caused by intense local conventional rising. A
rising air current with a large amount of water suddenly begins moving
upwards. The rainfall rate during a cloudburst can rise to more than 100
mm/hr at times.
