What is the longest snake

The longest snakes that are found in the wild or that are living in zoo today are reticulated pythons

The reticulated python gets its name from the distinctive color and pattern on its scales.

Reticulated pythons inhabit steamy tropical rainforests (Mattison 1999). These snakes are heavily dependent on water and can often be found near small rivers or ponds. They require tropical environments with temperatures in the range of 80 - 92 degrees F.

The reticulated Python lives in rain forests, woodland, and nearby grasslands. It is also associated with rivers and is found in areas with nearby streams and lakes. An excellent swimmer. It has even been reported far out at sea and has consequently colonized many small islands within its range

Their natural diet includes mammals and occasionally birds. Small specimens up to 3–4 m (10–14 ft) long eat mainly rodents such as rats, whereas larger individuals switch to prey such as Viverridae (e.g. civets and binturongs), and even primates and pigs. Near human habitation, they are known to snatch stray chickens, cats, and dogs on occasion. Among the largest, fully documented prey items to have been taken are a half-starved Sun Bear of 23 kilograms that was eaten by a 6.95 m (23 ft) specimen and took some ten weeks to digest as well as pigs of more than 60 kg (132 lb). As a rule of thumb, these snakes seem able to swallow prey up to one-quarter their own length and up to their own weight. As with all pythons, they are primarily ambush hunters, usually waiting until prey wanders within strike range before seizing it in their coils and killing via constriction. However, there is at least one documented case of a foraging python entering a forest hut and taking a child.

The most dangerous insect

FALSE BLACK WIDOWS

Many spiders of the genus Steatoda are often mistaken for widow spiders (Latrodectus), and are known as false black widows

How to identify one

Steatoda nobilis can be identified by its bulbous midrift, glossy tawny body and cream coloured belt positioned on its front. Some people have likened its markings to a skull.

If you do suffer a bite you may experience chest pains, tingly fingers and swelling

Some members of this genus do have bites which are medically significant in humans (such as S. grossa and S. nobilis), however bites by Steatoda species generally do not have any long-lasting effects. The symptoms associated with the bite of several Steatoda species are known in the medical profession as steatodism; and have been described as a less-severe form of latrodectism (the symptoms associated with a widow spider bite). The redback spider antivenom has been shown to be effective at treating bites from S. grossa, after it was mistakenly administered to a S. grossa bite victim who was erroneously believed to have been bitten by the far more dangerous redback.

What is platinum used for

Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina, which is literally translated into little silver.

As a pure metal, platinum is silver-white in color, lustrous, ductile, and malleable

Platinum has many uses. It is a great conductor with excellent strength so it can be used in contacts to prevent wearing down.

In the laboratory, platinum wire is used for electrodes; platinum pans and supports are used in thermogravimetric analysis because of the stringent requirements of chemical inertness upon heating to high temperatures (~1000 °C).

Platinum is used as an alloying agent for various metal products, including fine wires, noncorrosive laboratory containers, medical instruments, dental prostheses, electrical contacts, and thermocouples. Platinum-cobalt, an alloy of roughly three parts platinum and one part cobalt, is used to make relatively strong permanent magnets. Platinum-based anodes are used in ships, pipelines, and steel piers.

Health Effects of air pollution

Air pollution is a broad term applied to any chemical, physical, or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. Examples include particulate matter and ground-level ozone.

Air pollutants fall into four main categories: criteria air contaminants, persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals and toxics. Individual pollutants differ from one another in their chemical composition, reactions with other chemicals, sources, persistence, ability to travel through the atmosphere, and impacts.

Air pollution may possibly harm populations in ways so subtle or slow that they have not yet been detected. For that reason research is now under way to assess the long-term effects of chronic exposure to low levels of air pollution—what most people experience—as well as to determine how air pollutants interact with one another in the body and with physical factors such as nutrition, stress, alcohol, cigarette smoking, and common medicines. Another subject of investigation is the relation of air pollution to cancer, birth defects, and genetic mutations.

§  Fine particulate matter and ground level ozone (O₃) can affect human respiratory and cardiovascular systems. The young, the elderly and those with cute illness are at greater risk of such effects. PM_2.5 and ground level O₃ have been associated with hospitalizations, increased respiratory and cardiovascular mortality, asthma exacerbation, decreased lung function, lung inflammation and changes in heart rate variability. In 2009, 8.1% of Canadians 12 years and older had been diagnosed with asthma by a health professional. This rate did not significantly change from 2001 to 2009.

§  Impacts range from minor breathing problems to premature death. The more common effects include changes in breathing and lung function, lung inflammation, and irritation and aggravation of existing heart and lung conditions. There is no safe level for PM_2.5 and O₃ that does not pose risks to human health.

§  Negative health effects increase as the concentrations of pollutants in the air increase. Even modest increases in concentration can cause small but measurable increases in emergency room visits, hospital admissions, and premature death. 

HUMMINGBIRDS

Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. hey are known as hummingbirds because of the humming sound created by their beating wings, which sometimes sounds like bees or other insects. To conserve energy while they sleep or when food is scarce, they have the ability to go into a hibernation-like state (torpor) where their metabolic rate is slowed to 1/15th of its normal rate.[1] When the nights get colder, their body temperature can drop significantly and thus slow down their heart and breathing rate, thus burning much less energy overnight.

Hummingbirds eat

Insects: Small insects, larvae, insect eggs and spiders are critical food sources for hummingbirds. Insects provide the fat, protein and salts the birds cannot derive from nectar, and these are crucial nutritional components, especially for rapidly growing hatchlings. Hummingbirds may hunt insects in several ways, including gleaning them from bark, flowers or leaves, hawking them from the air or plucking them from spider webs or sticky sap. To get the required amount of protein for a healthy diet, an adult hummingbird must eat several dozen insects each day.

Sap: When nectar is scarce, hummingbirds will sip tree sap from wells drilled by woodpeckers. While the tree sap is not as sweet as floral nectar, it still provides an adequate source of sucrose for a hummingbird’s energy needs.

Pollen: Hummingbirds do not directly consume pollen, but a great deal of pollen can be stuck to their tongues and bills when they sip nectar from flowers. Some of that pollen is ingested, and it can be a minor source of protein. Less than 10 percent of the ingested pollen is actually digested, however, which shows that while viable, this is not a common food source for hummingbirds.

Ashes and Sand: Some hummingbirds have been observed eating ashes and sand in small quantities. These foods can be a good source of vital minerals and salts, but not much is needed to fulfill a hummingbird’s dietary needs.