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The Ancient City of Mohenjo-daro

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Mohenjo-daro    image source: harappa.co m The ancient city of Mohenjo-daro is one of the first urban cities in human history. Nestled in southern Pakistan's Indus River Valley, Mohenjo-daro is the largest and best-preserved city of the Indus civilization, the earliest know civilization of the Indian subcontinent. Mohenjo-daro was build around 2,500 BC, about the same time the great pyramids were being build in Egypt. And expand a surface area of nearly 500 acres an incredible size for a city of this time period. 'Great Bath' in the Mohenjo-daro Citadel    image source: harappa.com Because of Mohenjo-daro's grand scale, archeologists believe it may have served as a seat of power for the Indus civilization. The city was divided into two districts, the Citadel and the Lower Town. The Citadel is home to the city's exceptional monuments including great baths, a 900 square foot tank fed from the Indus River. Mohenjo-daro also had a sophisticated water system. Houses had

The Most Venomous Snake in the World

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Inland Taipan    image source: theaustralian.com.au Inland taipan lives in arid areas of central Australia, in the states of Queensland and South Australia. Moreover it likes to live in the rodent burrows, of whom it usually feeds on after all who would dare to throw her out of there. On the other hand, the appearance of this snake varies according to the season. In the summer it can be a light brown. While in the winter it acquires a dark brown color. The inland taipan average is approximately 5.9 feet in length. However, specimen have been found that exceed that measure reaching 8.5 feet. Family The inland taipan has two close relatives. The ranges taipan and the coastal taipan. They all have hollow fangs through which they inject a venom that accumulate in the back of their jaws. And they close their jaws, their fangs are stored in holes present in the lower jaw. Food Habit The favorite dish of Taipan is the long-haired rat. It also eat plain rats, small birds and some small marsupi

Tiger: The Strongest Cat in the World

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Bengal Tiger    image source: unsplash.com With their signature orange fur and black stripes, Tigers have become icons of beauty power and the importance of conservation. Tigers have evolved into six subspecies. The tigers tail of evolution can be traced back to about two million years ago when the earliest known tiger ancestor left Africa and ventured into Asia. Over time the big cat split into nine subspecies, with six still alive today. The most numerous subspecies is the Bengal tiger. accounting for approximately 50% of the tiger population worldwide.  Siberian tiger    image source: news.cgtn.com Tigers are the world's largest cats. On average the big cats weigh about 450 pounds. The largest tiger is the Siberian tiger subspecies, measuring up to 13 feet long and 6 feet high and weighing up to 660 pounds. This extra weight is primarily because of large powerful muscles. Unlike lions, the second largest of the big cats, tigers have more muscle mass and are therefore heavier. We

Pterosaur: The Largest Flying Creature

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Pterosaur   image source: toursmongolia.com Much like today's birds, Pterosaurs ruled earth's Mesozoic skies. Adapting to many different habitats while their dinosaur cousins roamed below. But these were no birds. Pterosaurs were flying reptiles. Some pterosaurs were as big as fighter jets. Pterosaurs means winged lizard in Greek. 'Ptero' means WINGED and 'saurs' means LIZARD . They were the very first vertebrates on earth to take to the skies. The most well-known pterosaur is the pterodactyl. It was the first one discovered back in the 18th century. But since then, paleontologists have uncovered more than 200 different species, including pteranodons and quetzalcoatlus, which was one of the most massive pterosaurs of all. Named for the Aztec winged serpent god, quetzalcoaltus had a wingspan of nearly 40 feet and likely soared through the skies, hunting for baby dinosaurs below. Some like anurognathus, were the size of small birds and probably preferred to eat

Shark: The Apex Predator of the Sea

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Image source: wallup.net They glide through the water with unmistakable grace. Remnants of an ancient past, they dive and they rise, from the ocean's murky depths to its sun-kissed shallows. Rousing fear and awe like no other creature in the sea.  Sharks have been around since prehistoric days. These incredible animals not only outlived the dinosaurs, they evolved to the very top of the marine food chain. The are world's biggest living fish is a shark. Of the estimated 34,000 species of fish, the largest are whale sharks . These gentle giants usually grow to about 40 feet long and weight estimated 15 tons. Their mouth alone can span four feet wide. The gigantic whale shark however, pales in comparison to the largest fish that ever existed, the megalodon . Dating to over 20 milions years ago, it's thought that the prehistoric shark could have reached 80 feet long, weighing up to around 70 tons. Unlike whale sharks, the megaldon was carnivorous, and consumed any creature th

Mesopotamia: Birthplace of Civilization

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Ancient Mesopotamia     image source: medium.com  The story of civilization itself begins in one place. Not Egypt, not Greece, not Rome. It's Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia is a region of southwest Asia in the Tigris and Euphrates river system that benefited from the area’s climate and geography to host the beginnings of human civilization. The word “mesopotamia” is formed from the ancient words “meso” meaning between or in the middle of, and “potamos” meaning river. Situated in the fertile valleys between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the region is now home to modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey and Syria. For five millennia, the small strip of land fostered innovation that would change the world forever. Unlike the more unified civilizations of Egypt or Greece, Mesopotamia was a collection of varied cultures whose only real bonds were their script, their gods, and their attitude toward women. Map of Mesopotamia     image source: pinterest.co.uk Inhabited for nearly 12,000 years, Mesop

Supervolcanoes: The Supervillains of the Geologic World

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Source: sciencefocus.com SUPERVOLCANOES are like the supervillains of the geologic world, as stories of their looming threat grow ever more exaggerated. Though massive eruptions do pose real dangers, misconceptions about them abound. Supervolcanoes are the most violent and complex class of volcanoes. But despite their destructive capabilities, They can also make way for life renewed. Around 20 supervolcanoes scattered across the planet. They are usually characterized as large depressions in the ground, called calderas, located above multiple openings in the Earth's crust. In terms of eruptions, supervolcanoes explode at a magnitude of eight, the highest and most violemt classification on the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI). Supervolcanoes undergo a life cycle of three major stages: a surge of trapped magma, a supereruption and a resurgence 1. Surge of Magma: The first stage of a supervolcano's life cycle involves a pocket of magma trapped under the Earth's crust. Magma i