^{Photo: some rights reserved by chrisbb@prodigy.net}

In over 200,000 years of his existence, man has conceptualized and created some of the most amazing and fascinating devices to make life easier and more comfortable for him. From fire to primitive tools, from wheels to the modern day motor, from paper to Microsoft word, man has outdone himself with every progression of his. Surely, man is the most intelligent animal to have populated this planet. Or is he?

Why Hornets and Eels Make Us Little Green Men

The very man that invented the motor-vehicle and the GPS to guide him on his travels, wasn’t farsighted enough to find a renewable, non-toxic, cheap and permanent fuel to power his vehicle, at least not until very recently. He erected nuclear power plants in his backyard to fuel his hunger for power, while the world’s largest nuclear power plant hovered over his head for 12 hours a day, every single day of his existence. He destroyed forests to mine coal but didn’t consider harnessing the wind blowing in his face. And today, he doesn’t even think twice before shelling out a huge chunk of his earnings to buy energy, a truly bizarre act considering that energy is the single most omnipresent commodity available in nature. So, when the question of man’s intelligence is posed again, it makes us wonder, is man really the most intelligent creature to have ever lived?

The Oriental Hornet, More Than Just a Fly on the Wall?

The oriental hornet, a bee of sorts found in western India, by virtue of its anatomical design, is most active during the brightest time of the day. Its body is designed such that it harnesses the sun’s energy instead of reflecting it. The next time you see an oriental hornet digging away in the scorching sun, don’t cover it with an umbrella.

The Electric Eel, Shockingly Out-of-the-Box!

Plants utilize the sun’s energy to carry out various bio-chemical processes. They were the inspiration behind the first photovoltaic cells, an example of biomimicry. The first documented instance of man’s interaction with electricity is found in ancient Egyptian scrolls. The Egyptian fishermen would often be shocked by electric eels swimming down the Nile. These slippery fish might not rank among the world’s most beautiful creatures, but what they lack in looks, they make up for in watts. Ionic exchange in the eels’ somatic or body cells leads to the generation of a range of voltages. Scientists are emulating these cells in labs to explore their potential as a future source of renewable energy. Perhaps eels could be the solution to all the pollution.

In the recent past, man has taken a cue from his animal brothers and come up with some great alternatives to the conventional, albeit limited, energy resources. Wind farms, solar power plants, geothermal plants, hydroelectric plants and tidal power plants are just a few of the more responsible and renewable solutions he has managed to come up with to prevent any quarrels among the future generations over the energy resources handed over to them. The progress made by him is truly commendable. From a solely fossil-fuel fed existence, man has managed to vanquish some of his lost pride by showing the world that he can explore greener avenues and still flourish without a compromise in sight. Today, man meets 18% of his energy needs from renewable sources.

Thoughts, comments, suggestions…

Written by Guest Blogger Kashyap Swaroop