Without plants, no US.

Plants make food

Plants are the only organisms that can convert light energy from the sun into food.  And plants produce ALL of the food that animals, including people, eat.  Even meat.  The animals that give us meat, such as chickens and cows, eat grass, oats, corn, or some other plants.

Plants make oxygen

One of the materials that plants produce as they make food is oxygen gas.  This oxygen gas, which is an important part of the air, is the gas that plants and animals must have in order to stay alive.  When people breathe, it is the oxygen that we take out of the air to keep our cells and bodies alive.  All of the oxygen available for living organisms comes from plants.

Plants provide habitats for animals

Plants are the primary habitat for thousands of other organisms.  Animals live in, on, or under plants.  Plants provide shelter and safety for animals.  Plants also provide a place for animals to find other food.  As a habitat, plants alter the climate.  On a small scale, plants provide shade, help moderate the temperature, and protect animals from the wind.  On a larger scale, such as in tropical rainforests, plants actually change the rainfall patterns over large areas of the earth's surface.

Plants help make and preserve soil

In the forest and the prairie, the roots of plants help hold the soil together.  This reduces erosion and helps conserve the soil.  Plants also help make soil.  Soil is made up of lots of particles of rocks which are broken down into very small pieces.  When plants die, their decomposed remains are added to the soil.  This helps to make the soil rich with nutrients.

Plants provide useful products for people

Many plants are important sources of products that people use, including food, fibers (for cloth), and medicines.  Plants also help provide some of our energy needs.  In some parts of the world, wood is the primary fuel used by people to cook their meals and heat their homes.  Many of the other types of fuel we use today, such as coal, natural gas, and gasoline, were made from plants that lived millions of years ago. 

Plants beautify

Plants, because of their beauty, are important elements of out human world.  When we build houses and other buildings, we never think the job is done until we have planted trees, shrubs, and flowers to make what we have built much nicer.

Meet Albert Einstein!

• Albert Einstein was born on the 14th of March 1879 and died on the 18th of April 1955.
• Born in Germany to a Jewish family, Einstein made many contributions to the field of theoretical physics.
• Even when very young, Einstein showed great ability in both math’s and science. He was naturally curious and had a brilliant analytical mind.
• Einstein worked in a patent office evaluating patents for electromagnetic devices not long after he graduated.
• He produced perhaps one of the most famous equations ever: E = mc² (energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared).
• He is also well known for his theory of relativity. Special relativity being introduced in his 1905 paper “On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies” before Einstein developed the theory of general relativity between the years of 1907 and 1915.
• Einstein won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on theoretical physics.
• He worked on many other influential theories and projects including: the deflection of light by gravity, the quantum theory of atomic motion in solids, Brownian motion, an explanation for capillary action and much more.
• Famous Albert Einstein quotes include: "Whether you can observe a thing or not depends on the theory which you use. It is the theory which decides what can be observed."
• "If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.... I do know that I get most joy in life out of my violin."
• "Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world."
• "I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."

Our Universe :)

• The Sun is over 300000 times larger than earth.
  
  
• Halley’s Comet was last seen in the inner Solar System in 1986, it will be visible again from Earth sometime in 2061 (get your camera ready).

• Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system with a surface temperature of over 450 degrees celcius.
  
  
• Many scientists believe that an asteroid impact caused the extinction of the dinosaurs around 65 million years ago.
  
  
• The Solar System formed around 4.6 billion years ago.

• The Moon appears to have more craters and scars than Earth because it has a lot less natural activity going on, the Earth is constantly reforming its surface through earthquakes, erosion, rain, wind and plants growing on the surface, while the moon has very little weather to alter its appearance.

• Saturn isn't the only ringed planet, other gas giants such as Jupiter, Uranus andNeptune also have rings, they are just less obvious.

• Footprints and tyre tracks left behind by astronauts on the moon will stay there forever as there is no wind to blow them away.

• In 2006, astronomers changed the definition of a planet. This means that Pluto is now referred to as a dwarf planet.

• Because of lower gravity, a person who weighs 100kg on earth would only weigh 38kg on the surface of Mars.

• The only planet that rotates on its side like a barrel is Uranus. The only planet that spins backwards relative to the others is Venus.
  
  
• Some of the fastest meteoroids can travel through the solar system at a speed of around 42 kilometres per second (26 miles per second).

• The first man made object sent into space was in 1957 when the Russian satellite named Sputnik was launched.

• Jupiter's 4 biggest moons are named Europa, Ganymede, Callisto and Io.

• It is because of the Sun & Moons gravity that we have high & low tides.

Kindda funny, don't you think?

• Rabbits and parrots can see behind themselves without even moving their heads!

• Butterflies taste food by standing on top of it! Their taste receptors are in their feet unlike humans who have most on their tongue.

• Most of the dust in your home is actually dead skin! Yuck!

• Although the Stegosaurus dinosaur was over 9 metres long, its brain was only the size of a walnut.

• Humans get a little taller in space because there is no gravity pulling down on them.

• Because of the unusual shape of their legs, kangaroos and emus struggle to walk backwards.

• A hippopotamus may seem huge but it can still run faster than a man.

• Even if an analog clock is broken, at least it shows the correct time twice a day.

• Sneezing with your eyes open is impossible.

• The trickiest tongue twister in the English language is apparently "Sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick". Give it a try and see for yourself.

Our body :)

• It might only take you a few minutes to finish a meal but it takes your body around 12 hours before it has completely digested the food.
• The human body needs iron to help perform a number of important functions. Iron helps carry oxygen to parts of your body in the form of hemoglobin. Not having enough can lead to iron deficiency and symptoms such as weakness and fatigue.
• Examples of iron rich foods include red meat, fish, chick peas, tofu, beans and lentils.
• Red blood cells are created inside the marrow of your bones, they serve the important role of carrying blood around your body.
• Antibiotics can be useful in fighting off bacteria but they are ineffective against viruses, this is because bacteria and virus are completely different, both having unique characteristics that need specialized treatments.
• Viruses are usually around 100 times smaller than bacteria.
• Around 7 million people die every year from food poisoning out of a total of around 70 million cases. Careful food preparation and storage is vital in order to avoid dangerous toxins, viruses and bacteria.
• Food allergies are fairly common amongst adults and even more so among children. Around 2% of adults and 8% of children suffer from some type of food allergy where the immune system makes a mistake and thinks a certain food protein is dangerous and attacks it. Well known food allergies can include unwanted reactions to gluten, seafood and peanuts.
• Access to clean drinking water can be taken for granted by people living in developed countries. In poorer parts of the world the quality water and pollution can give rise to dangerous diseases and bacteria such as cryptosporidium and e coli.
• Obesity can increase the chances of developing diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
• In recent times there has been a drop in the amount of physical activity both adults and children do. Some of the reasons for this include new technologies that require less physical labor and increased time watching TV. It has been suggested that at least 60% of the world’s population doesn’t do enough exercise.
• In 2007, heart disease was the leading cause of death in the USA.
• In 2007 around 13% of all deaths worldwide were caused by cancer. The branch of medicine related to cancer study and treatment is known as oncology.
• Infectious diseases such as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis lead to around 26% of worldwide deaths in 2002.

Something about cell phones that you didn't know..

• Modern cell phones are capable of much more than just sending and receiving phone calls. Mobile phones used in today’s world allow users to send and receive text messages, emails, photos and video as well as access the Internet, play games, listen to music, use GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and more.
  
• The cell phone has become an important communication tool that is used by people all over the world to keep in contact with each other at any time. Although they started off as quite bulky devices they are now very sleek, small and portable, comfortably fitting in a users pocket and surviving for hours on end thanks to a rechargeable battery.
  
• Cell phone designs are constantly evolving to incorporate the new needs and desires of users. Some of these new functions include space for memory cards, flip screens, cameras, touch screens, USB ports etc.
  
• Modern mobile phones also have wireless capability in the form of infrared, Bluetooth and other wireless protocols.
  
• Some of the larger manufacturers of cell phones include Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and Apple.
  
• Applications that cell phone owners can take advantage of include word processing, calendars, mobile banking, web surfing, alarms, memos, video streaming, games and much more. Applications have exploded in popularity in recent times thank to the iPhone App Store which allows iPhone users the ability to download a wide variety of third party apps.
  
• Despite all the positive benefits of cell phones, there are also some negative side effects which include the dangers of cell phones being used while driving, cell phones being used for harassment and students cheating on tests by using their cell phone to access information. Cell phones are often banned in classrooms or other school locations due to the distractions they can cause.

Our earth :)

• Magma is the hot liquid rock under the surface of the Earth, it is known as lava after it comes out of a volcano.
  
• Natural gas doesn't have an odour, strong smells are added to it by humans so it can be detected when there are leaks.
  
• Hawaii is moving towards Japan at the speed of 10cm a year. This is because they are on different tectonic plates.
  
• The worlds largest desert is the Sahara, it covers about one third of Africa!
  
• Stretching out to an impressive length of 6696 kilometres (4160 miles) long, the Nile River is the longest river on earth.
  
• Mt Everest is the highest mountain on earth, its peak reaches 8,848 metres (29028 feet) above sea level.
  
• On average the Atlantic Ocean is the saltiest of Earth’s major oceans.

• Earthquakes that occur out at sea can cause huge tsunamis capable of reaching land and endangering people.
  
• Metamorphic rocks are formed by extreme pressure and heat.

• The Earth isn't perfectly round, it is slightly flattened at the north and south poles.
  
• Scared of the Bermuda Triangle? Despite its reputation it is actually part of a common sailed shipping route.

• Scientists have the dated the Earth as being between 4 and 5 billion years old!

• The Amazon rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest on Earth.

• Talc is the softest mineral found on Earth, reaching just 1 on Mohs scale of hardness, it is often used to make talcum powder.

• The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the largest living structure in the world. 

• The Niagara Falls are located on the border of the USA and Canada.

• Rock found at the bottom of the Grand Canyon is around 2 billion years old.

• Although earthquakes can be deadly, most are very small and not even felt by humans.

Cats and dogs

• Cats are one of, if not the most, popular pet in the world.
• There are over 500 million domestic cats in the world.
• Cats and humans have been associated for nearly 10000 years.
• Cats conserve energy by sleeping for an average of 13 to14 hours a day.
• Cats have flexible bodies and teeth adapted for hunting small animals such as mice and rats.
• A group of cats is called a clowder, a male cat is called a tom, a female cat is called a molly or queen while young cats are called kittens.

• In total there is said to be around 400 million dogs in the world.
• The domestic dog has been one of the most popular working and companion animals throughout human history.
• Dogs perform many useful tasks for humans including hunting, farm work and security as well as assisting those with disabilities such as the blind.
• Although experts often disagree, there is scientific evidence which shows that the domestication of dogs could have occurred more than 15,000 years ago.
• There are hundreds of different breeds of dogs.
  

  
  

  
  

Once, when dinosaurs rule the earth

• The word dinosaur comes from the Greek language and means ‘terrible lizard’. The word was coined by English paleontologist Richard Owen in 1842 and was meant to refer to Dinosaurs impressive size rather than their scary appearance.
• Dinosaurs ruled the Earth for over 160 million years, from the Triassic period around 230 million years ago through the Jurassic period and until the end of the Cretaceous period around 65 million years ago.
• The time period from 250 million years ago until around 65 million years ago is known as the Mesozoic Era. It is often referred to as the Age of the Dinosaurs because most dinosaurs developed and became extinct during this time.
• It is believed that dinosaurs lived on Earth until around 65 million years ago when a mass extinction occurred.
• Scientists believe that the event leading to the extinction may have been a massive asteroid impact or huge volcanic activity. Events such as these could have blocked out sunlight and significantly changed the Earth’s ecology.
• The first dinosaur to be formally named was the Megalosaurus, back in 1824.
• A person who studies dinosaurs is known as a paleontologist.
• Rather than being carnivores (meat eaters), the largest dinosaurs such as the Brachiosaurus and Apatosaurus were actually herbivores (plant eaters).
• To help fight meat eaters such as the Allosaurus or Spinosaurus, many plant eaters had natural weapons at their disposal. Examples of this include the spikes on the tail of the Stegosaurus and the three horns attached to the front of the Triceratops’s head shield.
• Pterodactyls are not dinosaurs, they were flying reptiles that lived during the age of dinosaurs but by definition they do not fall into the same category. The same goes for water based reptiles such as Plesiosaurs.
• Birds descended from a type of dinosaurs known as theropods.
• Despite being long extinct, dinosaurs are frequently featured in the media. One of the more memorable examples of this is Michael Crichton’s 1990 book Jurassic Park. Adapted to movie in 1993, the story features cloned dinosaurs brought to life with the help of DNA found in mosquitoes trapped in amber.