What can be cooked from squid: quick and tasty

Many people have learned from their own experience that the power of positive thinking is great. Positive thinking allows you to achieve success in any business, even the most hopeless. Why does not everyone have a positive mindset, since it is a direct path to success?

If someone calls you selfish, that is definitely not a compliment. This makes it clear that you are paying too much attention to your own needs. Selfish behavior is unacceptable to most people and is considered immoral.

There are times when a series of problems falls on a person and a black streak comes in life. It feels like the whole world has rebelled against him. How to get out of a losing streak and start enjoying life again?

There are over seven billion people on Earth. All of them are unique and differ from each other not only in appearance, but also in a set of psychological traits. There is a category of people who easily communicate with strangers, easily fit into unfamiliar companies and know how to please almost any person. Such people are more successful in their personal life and career than others. Many people want to become just such people, a kind of “soul of the company”. Today we will talk about what to do to please people and become a more successful person.

Conflicts can arise everywhere, regardless of the people around and the circumstances. An angry boss or unscrupulous subordinates, demanding parents or dishonest teachers, grandmothers at bus stops or angry people in public places. Even a conscientious neighbor and a dandelion grandmother can cause a lot of conflict. How to get out of the conflict correctly without incurring damage - moral and physical - and will be discussed in this article.

Can not imagine modern man that is stress-free. Accordingly, each of us is in such situations every day at work, at home, on the road, some sufferers do experience stress several times a day. And there are people who constantly live in a stressful state and do not even know about it.

Life is a strange and complex thing that can throw dozens of troubles in one day. However, it is worth remembering: any trouble is a lesson that will definitely come in handy sometime in the future. If a person is an honest student, then he will remember the lecture the first time. In the event that the lesson was incomprehensible, life will collide with it again and again. And many people take it literally, making life difficult for themselves! But sometimes you shouldn't put up with certain things while looking in those life lessons! What specific situations should be prevented?

Everything seems dull and gray, close people are annoying, work enrages and there is a wash, that all life is going downhill somewhere. In order to change your own life, you do not have to do something supernatural and difficult. Sometimes the simplest and most accessible actions for everyone can significantly increase energy levels and make you feel much better. Try to implement 7 effective practices in your life that will drastically change your life for the better.

Everyone who is engaged in self-development knows that he cannot do without a feeling of discomfort. Quite often, people confuse discomfort with a black streak in life and start complaining, or even worse, trying to avoid change. But as experience shows, only by going beyond comfort can we find and acquire all the benefits that we need.

Environmental pollution is a global problem of our time, which is regularly discussed in the news and academia. Many international organizations have been created to combat the deterioration of natural conditions. Scientists have long been sounding the alarm about the inevitability of an environmental catastrophe in the very near future.

At the moment, a lot is known about environmental pollution - a large number has been written scientific works and books, numerous studies have been carried out. But in solving the problem, humanity has made very little progress. Pollution of nature is still an important and urgent issue, the postponement of which can turn out to be tragic.

Biosphere pollution history

In connection with the intensive industrialization of society, environmental pollution has become especially aggravated in recent decades. However, despite this fact, natural pollution is one of the most ancient problems in human history. Even in the primitive era, people began to barbarously destroy forests, exterminate animals and change the landscape of the earth to expand the territory of residence and obtain valuable resources.

Even then, this led to climate change and other environmental problems. The growth of the planet's population and the progress of civilizations were accompanied by increased mining, drainage of water bodies, as well as chemical pollution of the biosphere. The Industrial Revolution marked not only a new era in the social order, but also a new wave of pollution.

With the development of science and technology, scientists have received tools that made it possible to accurately and detailed analysis of the ecological state of the planet. Weather reports, control chemical composition air, water and soil, satellite data, and ubiquitous smoking pipes and oil spills on the water indicate that the problem is rapidly aggravating with the expansion of the technosphere. It is not for nothing that the appearance of man is called the main ecological catastrophe.

Classification of pollution of nature

There are several classifications of environmental pollution based on their source, direction, and other factors.

So, the following types of environmental pollution are distinguished:

• Biological - the source of pollution is living organisms, it can occur for natural reasons or as a result of anthropogenic activity.
• Physical - leads to a change in the corresponding characteristics of the environment. Physical pollution includes thermal, radiation, noise and others.
• Chemical - an increase in the content of substances or their penetration into the environment. Leads to a change in the normal chemical composition of the resource.
• Mechanical - pollution of the biosphere with garbage.

In fact, one type of pollution can be accompanied by another or several at once.

The gaseous shell of the planet is an integral participant in natural processes, determines the thermal background and climate of the Earth, protects against destructive cosmic radiation, and affects relief formation.

The composition of the atmosphere has changed during the entire historical development of the planet. The current situation is such that part of the volume of the gas envelope is determined by human economic activity. The composition of the air is not uniform and differs depending on geographic location- in industrial areas and large cities, a high level of harmful impurities.

The main sources of chemical pollution of the atmosphere:

• chemical plants;
• enterprises of the fuel and energy complex;
• transport.

These pollutants cause heavy metals such as lead, mercury, chromium and copper in the atmosphere. They are permanent air components in industrial areas.

Modern power plants emit hundreds of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every day, as well as soot, dust and ash.

The increase in the number of cars in settlements has led to an increase in the concentration of a number of harmful gases in the air, which are part of the engine exhaust. Large quantities of lead are released due to anti-knock additives added to transport fuels. Cars generate dust and ash that pollute not only the air, but also the soil, settling on the ground.

The atmosphere is also polluted by highly toxic gases emitted by the chemical industry. Waste from chemical plants, for example, nitrogen and sulfur oxides, cause acid rain and can react with components of the biosphere to form other hazardous derivatives.

As a result of human activity, forest fires regularly occur, during which colossal amounts of carbon dioxide are released.

Soil is a thin layer of the lithosphere, formed as a result of natural factors, in which most of the exchange processes between living and nonliving systems take place.

Due to the extraction of natural resources, mining operations, the construction of buildings, roads and airfields, large-scale areas of soil are being destroyed.

Unsustainable human economic activity has caused the degradation of the fertile layer of the earth. Its natural chemical composition changes, mechanical pollution occurs. The intensive development of agriculture leads to significant land losses. Frequent plowing makes them vulnerable to flooding, salinization and winds that cause soil erosion.

The abundant use of fertilizers, insecticides and chemical poisons to destroy pests and remove weeds leads to the ingress of toxic compounds unnatural for it into the soil. As a result of anthropogenic activities, chemical pollution of lands with heavy metals and their derivatives occurs. The main harmful element is lead, as well as its compounds. When processing lead ores, about 30 kilograms of metal are thrown out from each ton. Car exhaust, which contains a large amount of this metal, settles in the soil, poisoning the organisms that live in it. Liquid waste from mines contaminates the earth with zinc, copper and other metals.

Power plants, radioactive fallout from nuclear explosions, research centers for the study of atomic energy cause radioactive isotopes to enter the soil, which then enter the human body with food.

The reserves of metals concentrated in the bowels of the earth are scattered as a result of human production activity. Then they concentrate in the upper soil layer. In ancient times, man used 18 elements from those found in the earth's crust, and today all are known.

Today, the earth's water envelope is much more polluted than one might imagine. Oil spills and bottles floating on the surface are just what you can see. A significant part of the pollutants is in a dissolved state.

Water deterioration can occur naturally. As a result of mudflows and floods, magnesium is washed out of the mainland soil, which enters water bodies and harms fish. As a result of chemical transformations, aluminum penetrates into fresh water. But natural pollution is negligible compared to anthropogenic pollution. Through the fault of a person, the following fall into the water:

• surface active compounds;
• pesticides;
• phosphates, nitrates and other salts;
• medicines;
• petroleum products;
• radioactive isotopes.

Sources of these pollutants are farms, fisheries, oil platforms, power plants, chemical plants, and sewage.

Acid rain, which is also the result of human activity, dissolves the soil, washing out heavy metals.

In addition to chemical pollution of water, there is a physical, namely, thermal. Most of all water is used in the production of electricity. Thermal stations use it to cool turbines, and the heated waste liquid is discharged into reservoirs.

Mechanical deterioration of water quality by household waste in settlements leads to a reduction in the habitats of living beings. Some species die.

Contaminated water is the main cause of most diseases. As a result of liquid poisoning, many living creatures die, the ocean ecosystem suffers, and the normal course of natural processes is disrupted. Pollutants eventually enter the human body.

Pollution control

To avoid environmental disaster, combating physical pollution must be a top priority. The problem must be solved at the international level, because nature has no state borders. To prevent pollution, it is necessary to impose sanctions on enterprises that dispose of waste into the environment, to impose large fines for placing garbage in the wrong place. Financial incentives can also be used to stimulate compliance with environmental safety standards. This approach has proven to be effective in some countries.

A promising direction in the fight against pollution is the use of alternative energy sources. Usage solar panels, hydrogen fuel and other energy-saving technologies will reduce the release of toxic compounds into the atmosphere.

Other pollution control methods include:

• construction treatment facilities;
• creation of national parks and reserves;
• an increase in the number of green spaces;
• population control in third world countries;
• drawing public attention to the problem.

Environmental pollution is a large-scale global problem, which can only be solved with the active participation of everyone who calls the planet Earth their home, otherwise an ecological catastrophe will be inevitable.

From elementary grades we are taught that man and nature are one, that one cannot be separated from the other. We learn about the development of our planet, the features of its structure and structure. These areas affect our well-being: the atmosphere, soil, water of the Earth - these are perhaps the most important components normal life person. But why, then, every year, environmental pollution goes further and more and more on an ever larger scale? Let's take a look at the main environmental issues.

Environmental pollution, which also refers to the natural environment and the biosphere, is an increased content in it of physical, chemical or biological reagents that are not typical for this environment, brought in from the outside, the presence of which leads to negative consequences.

Scientists have been sounding the alarm about an imminent environmental disaster for several decades in a row. The studies carried out in various fields lead to the conclusion that we are already faced with global changes in the climate and the external environment under the influence of human activities. The pollution of the oceans due to the leakage of oil and oil products, as well as garbage has reached enormous proportions, which affects the decline in the populations of many animal species and the ecosystem as a whole. The growing number of cars every year leads to large emissions into the atmosphere, which, in turn, leads to land drainage, heavy rainfall on the continents, and a decrease in the amount of oxygen in the air. Some countries are already forced to bring water and even buy canned air, as production has damaged the environment in the country. Many people have already realized the danger and are very sensitive to negative changes in nature and major environmental problems, but we still perceive the possibility of a disaster as something unrealizable and distant. Is this really so or the threat is close and something needs to be done immediately - let's figure it out.

Types and main sources of environmental pollution

The main types of pollution are classified by the sources of environmental pollution:

• biological;
• chemical
• physical;
• mechanical.

In the first case, environmental pollutants are the activities of living organisms or anthropogenic factors. In the second case, there is a change in the natural chemical composition of the contaminated sphere by adding other chemical substances... In the third case, the physical characteristics of the environment change. These types of pollution include thermal, radiation, noise and other types of radiation. The latter type of pollution is also associated with human activities and the release of waste into the biosphere.

All types of pollution can be present either separately by themselves, or flow from one to another, or exist together. Let us consider how they affect individual areas of the biosphere.

People who have come a long way in the desert will surely be able to name the price of every drop of water. Although most likely these drops will be priceless, because human life depends on them. In ordinary life, alas, we do not attach such great importance to water, since we have a lot of it, and it is available at any time. Only in the long term this is not entirely true. In percentage terms, only 3% of the world's fresh water supply remained unpolluted. Understanding the importance of water for people does not prevent a person from contaminating an important source of life with oil and oil products, heavy metals, radioactive substances, inorganic pollution, sewage and synthetic fertilizers.

The polluted water contains a large amount of xenobiotics - substances that are alien to the human or animal body. If such water enters the food chain, it can lead to serious food poisoning and even death for all participants in the chain. Of course, they are also contained in the products of volcanic activity, which pollute water even without human help, but the activities of the metallurgical industry and chemical plants are of predominant importance.

With the advent of nuclear research, nature has suffered quite significant harm in all areas, including water. Charged particles trapped in it cause great harm to living organisms and contribute to the development oncological diseases. Wastewater factories, ships with nuclear reactors, and simple rain or snow in a nuclear test area can contaminate water with decomposition products.

Sewer drains, which carry a lot of garbage: detergents, food debris, small household waste and others, in turn contribute to the multiplication of other pathogenic organisms, which, when ingested, give a number of diseases, such as typhoid fever, dysentery and others.

Perhaps it makes no sense to explain how the soil is an important part of human life. Most of the food that a person eats comes from the soil: from cereals to rare types of fruits and vegetables. For this to continue in the future, it is necessary to maintain the condition of the soil at the proper level for the normal water cycle. But anthropogenic pollution has already led to the fact that 27% of the planet's land is subject to erosion.

Soil pollution is the ingress of toxic chemicals and debris into it in high quantities, which interfere with the normal flow of the cycle of soil systems. The main sources of soil pollution:

• residential buildings;
• industrial enterprises;
• transport;
• Agriculture;
• nuclear power.

In the first case, soil pollution occurs due to ordinary garbage that is thrown out in the wrong places. But the main reason should be called landfills. The incinerated waste leads to the clogging of large areas, and the combustion products spoil the soil irrevocably, contaminating the entire environment.

Industrial enterprises emit many toxic substances, heavy metals and chemical compounds that affect not only the soil, but also the life of living organisms. It is this source of pollution that leads to technogenic soil pollution.

Transport emissions, hydrocarbon, methane and lead, getting into the soil, affect food chains - they enter the human body through food.
Excessive plowing, pesticides, pesticides and fertilizers, which contain enough mercury and heavy metals, lead to significant soil erosion and desertification. Abundant irrigation also cannot be called a positive factor, since it leads to soil salinization.

Today, up to 98% of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants is buried in the ground, mainly uranium fission products, which leads to the degradation and depletion of land resources.

The atmosphere in the form of a gaseous shell of the Earth is of great value, since it protects the planet from cosmic radiation, affects the relief, determines the Earth's climate and its thermal background. It cannot be said that the composition of the atmosphere was homogeneous and only with the advent of man began to change. But it was after the beginning of the vigorous activity of people that the heterogeneous composition was "enriched" with dangerous impurities.

The main pollutants in this case are chemical plants, the fuel and energy complex, agriculture and cars. They lead to the appearance of copper, mercury, and other metals in the air. Of course, in industrial areas, air pollution is felt the most.

Thermal power plants bring light and heat to our homes, however, at the same time, they emit a huge amount of carbon dioxide and soot into the atmosphere.
Acid rain is caused by waste discharged from chemical plants, such as sulfur or nitrogen oxide. These oxides can react with other elements of the biosphere, which contributes to the appearance of more destructive compounds.

Modern cars are good enough in design and technical specifications, but the problem with the atmosphere has not yet been resolved. Ash and fuel products not only spoil the atmosphere of cities, but also settle on the soil and make it unusable.

In many industrial and industrial areas, use has become an integral part of life precisely because of the pollution of the environment from factories and vehicles. Therefore, if you are concerned about the state of the air in your apartment, with the help of a breather you can create a healthy microclimate at home, which, unfortunately, does not eliminate gliding problems of environmental pollution, but at least helps protect yourself and your loved ones.

When you think about the many environmental problems facing the world today, what solutions come to your mind? You may be thinking about the latest warnings from scientists about global warming, about endangered species of animals and plants, about the loss of forests, or about air and water pollution. Of course, the list of environmental threats is endless, and your kids no doubt have already learned about many of them at home or at school.

For many adults, it can be intimidating to study the scientific data that detail the state of the environment. How to teach your children the importance of caring for the environment and not to put in them the idea of ​​the inevitable end of the world and a universal catastrophe? First, let your children know what your family and friends can do to protect the environment. If you can help your children take care environmental protection from an early age, they will be able to see that their actions actually play an important role, and if they act in concert with others, they can play an important role in changing and improving the whole world.

This article provides simple, easy-to-do activities with children that you can incorporate into your daily schedule to help them manage their environment responsibly.

Conserve water

Did you know that one person uses, on average, about 200 liters of water per day? You might be guessing that people use more water in the bathroom than any other room in the house, or that a dripping faucet can spill up to 7,500 liters of water a year. But while you are most likely aware of these statistics, your kids probably have no idea how much water is wasted each day.

How can we teach children to conserve our water resources? Consider the following suggestions:

1. when brushing your teeth, washing your face or washing your hands, turn off the water, and do not pour it constantly;
2. make it a rule to shorten the time you spend in the shower (use a timer if necessary);
3. if it is the children’s turn to wash the dishes, do not let them pour water all the time when they are soaping or rinsing the dishes;
4. if you ask children to wash garden paths, give them a mop, not a hose;
5. Let your children water the plants early in the morning in the spring and summer to avoid evaporation and therefore use less water;
6. do not throw garbage in the toilet, because you have to drain the water every time.

Waste recycling

In all likelihood, your bins are now much lighter than they were a few years ago. Today, bins for recyclable materials are already in many cities, and most houses also have trash bins with such waste, which are taken away by special vehicles once a week.

Your children may have also participated in school waste paper collection and World Environment Day (June 5 every year) that promote environmental protection. Maybe they even help their family collect and recycle aluminum cans and plastic bottles and get paid for it. Since garbage recycling is so widespread in last years what else can be done to reduce pollution?

Reduce waste

Probably the simplest thing your family can do first is reduce the amount of waste you generate. Because the handful of garbage each individual produces piles up into huge mountains of everyone’s garbage, and reducing your personal garbage can have a significant impact on the environment. The following ideas will help you:

1. save paper, write letters and do your homework on both sides of the sheet;
2. Create a stack of note-taking paper that your children can use for their rough drafts - this helps to use the paper twice.
3. When preparing lunch, use reusable dishes;
4. Encourage children to use reusable containers rather than plastic bags, wrapping paper, or aluminum foil.
5. stack cut grass, leaves and food waste in compost pit in your garden, rather than throwing them out with the trash, which will also reduce the amount of garbage taken to city landfills;
6. buy items made from recycled paper and other recycled materials;
7. Show your kids how much packaging material is wasted when you buy individually packaged items, rather than having to take large packs and then place the purchased portions into reusable containers.
8. buy rechargeable batteries and other devices that are ultimately less harmful to the environment and last much longer than conventional batteries;
9. If you are in a store and buy some small item, put it in your pocket, purse or other shopping bag, and do not ask for a separate bag for it;
10. Bring a reusable shopping bag that your family can use for weeks on end, or just a shopping bag.

Recycling old things

Old unwanted clothes, toys, or household items can get a second or even a third life if misused. For example, old tire makes an excellent garden bed, and torn clothes can be used as a rag. Parts of broken toys may find new life as a material for crafts. You can also donate something still useful to a charity.

Recycling outside the home

Many people collect garbage carefully at home and completely forget about it outside. For example, what do you do with empty plastic bottles and soda cans? Do you throw them in a recycling container if there is one nearby? Or are you just sending it to the trash can?

Remind your children that all they need to do is make sure the can or bottle is empty, put it in their backpack and then, at home, throw it in a recycling bin. You can also consult with the administration of the gardens and parks of your city if it is possible to put such containers in areas of heavy urban traffic. Some gardens and parks and beaches already have special containers for plastic bottles and metal cans.

Reducing air pollution, slowing global warming

If your children are in middle or high school, they may have already been taught about global warming in class. While it may seem that only governments and big business can take action to reduce the amount of gas emitted into the atmosphere, there is something that you and your family can do, not to mention that it will help you at the same time. and save money. For example, you might suggest the following to your children:

1. If you need to get somewhere, walk, cycle, or get on the bus instead of driving. Maybe you live close enough to the school that your children can walk to it? Can you arrange with your neighbors to take turns delivering the children by car? Can your kids go to visit a friend on foot or ride a bike instead of using a car?
2. Save electricity (turn off TVs, lights, radios, and other electrical appliances when not in use).
3. Help conserve energy and raw materials by recycling, reusing, and reducing the amount of food you eat.
4. Plant trees and other plants to help absorb excess carbon dioxide (they also provide shade and protection from the wind, which helps to better keep homes more or less constant and therefore reduce energy costs for heating or cooling them).

Less effort, more results

Our small daily activities in many different ways can have significant positive effects on the environment. To get children to start thinking about the environment constantly, give them the opportunity to see everything you do to protect it from day to day, and explain why you are doing it. For example, children may not understand why using energy-saving lamps or a power lawnmower is better for the environment until you explain it to them. Show your children that you are not throwing litter and explain the impact that pollution has on the environment. Do not throw away unnecessary things, but donate them to charities. Be aware of environmental projects in your area, and you might be able to plant a tree or clean up the trash at your local park with your kids.

Air pollution is one of the main problems of our planet. Nature and people are constantly suffering from the most harmful emissions into the environment. You will be surprised to learn more about air pollution that you never knew existed.

People get fat from dirty air

Everyone knows: it's hard to breathe dirty air, it causes diseases of the respiratory organs. But, according to new research, the presence of this harmful factor leads to obesity! According to scientists, getting into the lungs of particles of industrial or cigarette smoke can cause inflammation in the body, which in turn reduces its ability to burn energy, leading to weight gain.

To confirm this theory, an experiment was conducted on mice at Ohio State University. They were placed in an environment with polluted air for a certain period of time. As a result, the rodents have acquired a characteristic "fat" on the stomachs and around the internal organs. They also noticed a decrease in their insulin sensitivity.

The study of this problem was not limited to animal experiments. Several studies have been conducted in some of the world's most polluted cities. The results confirmed that human body reacts to unclean air in a similar way.

Hong Cheng, a public health worker for the City of Ontario and the Institute for Clinical Evaluation Sciences of Canada, looked at the health records of 62,000 people over a 14-year period. He found that the risk of developing diabetes increased by 11% in those people who breathe particularly dirty air. Another scientist, Andrew Rundle of Columbia University, found a similar analogy. He stated that children raised in polluted regions such as the Bronx are 2-3 times more likely to be obese than those who live in cleaner environments.

Birds sing better in unfavorable ecology

It is hard to believe that bad ecology can have any benefits, but it is. Scientists at Cardiff University in Wales have found that male birds sing more melodiously in polluted environments.

Behavioral ecologist Shai Markmen, along with his team, selected wild European starlings for research. These birds forage inside the sewage treatment plant. The earthworms living there often contain harmful substances with high levels of the chemical estrogen.

The researchers fed the starlings with contaminated worms. Over time, the area of ​​the bird's brain that is responsible for singing has increased in size. This allowed males to sing longer and more complex roulades - it is this ability that females pay attention to when looking for a mate. But the researchers also found that pollution weakened the birds' immunity.

We can throw garbage ... in the sun

The "garbage" problem today has become so global that the strangest ways of solving it are being considered. One such idea was throwing garbage in the sun. During a broadcast on BBC4 radio, it was confirmed by PhDs Adam Rutherford and Anna Fry that a seemingly stupid idea is not so fantastic. It will be very difficult to translate it into reality, because launching rockets into space is extremely expensive. And here the price will also depend on the weight of the baggage.

But Elon Musk's SpaceX, which develops cheap rockets, gives little hope for the success of the project. Perhaps, as space technologies develop, "shooting" debris at the sun will become an everyday reality.

Clean air affects the likelihood of suicide

When we hear the word “suicide,” the last thing that comes to mind is air pollution. However, inhalation of dirty air by a person increases the risk of suicide. Especially critical periods are spring and autumn.

Researchers at the University of Utah examined the stories of more than 1,500 people who committed suicide between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2010. Those that have been exposed to fine particles or nitrogen dioxide for three days before suicide, they completed their plans 5–20 percent more often than other people at risk.

Research director Dr. Amanda Bakian noted that these findings do not attribute pollution to a major role in causing suicide. But the interplay of psychological, physical and environmental factors can significantly increase the risk of suicide.

Environmental pollution shrinks the brain

An interesting study was published in 2015. It turns out that the human brain can shrink as a result of prolonged exposure to dirty air! Scientists at Boston Medical Center examined 943 healthy New England residents aged 60 and older. The method of magnetic resonance imaging was used, in which the structure of the brain and its dependence on pollution in places of residence of people were studied. It turned out that an increase in the air of harmful particles (for example, exhaust gases) up to two micrograms per cubic meter leads to a decrease in brain volume by 0.32%. Which, in turn, is equivalent to one year of brain aging!

Those same ill-fated 2 micrograms increase the risk of developing silent strokes by 46%! This disease affects the development of dementia and the deterioration of cognitive function, but it is asymptomatic - it can only be detected by scanning the brain.

Want to help science? Breathe the exhaust fumes!

Residents of Canada can join the study of the long-term effects of dirty air on humans. Those wishing to participate in the program will breathe diesel exhaust gases in a sealed glass box with parameters: 1.2 meters - length, 1.8 - width, 2.1 - height for two hours. The quality of this air is comparable to that which the people of Beijing and Mexico City breathe. During the experiment, volunteers can relax and watch their favorite TV series on Netflix.

So far, there are very few people who want to participate in the experiment, so guinea pigs have to be used for this purpose. They believe that the project is very important. Inhalation of dirty air for two hours a day can make changes in the genetic structure of living organisms, scientists say. But this factor does not affect the DNA sequence, except that one more link can be added to the structure.

Pigeons fly faster in a polluted atmosphere

Incredible as it sounds, it is true: carrier pigeons (also called sport pigeons) fly faster in polluted air! These birds are popular because they develop a high flight speed and are able to return to their "home base".

A team of scientists analyzed data on high-speed carrier pigeons of the North China Plain from 2013 to 2014. This region has the most polluted air in the country. Poor environmental conditions were expected to impede homing, route accuracy and bird flight speed.

However, the results showed the opposite. Birds fly faster in such poor conditions. Scientists do not understand why this is happening, but they have several theories on this score. One of them is associated with aroma impulses, especially important for birds. Presumably many organic and inorganic compounds are present in very dirty air. Their presence helps pigeons to determine the location of the "home".

Lack of clean air and oversupply of light in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, the air is polluted in the highest degree... But there is one more problem - too much light. At night, this city glows a thousand times brighter than international standards provide.

There are two reasons for this problem. The first is the lack of rules for adjusting artificial lighting, as, for example, in Sydney or London. Second, the Hong Kong authorities are literally obsessed with public safety. For this purpose, city parks and squares are illuminated at night so that the light level is the same as on a clear day.

In rural areas, for example, in the city of Lantau, and in wetland parks, people also suffer from an excess of light. This is a rather disturbing factor. Recent studies have shown that it has a negative effect on animals that are awake at night.

The lungs of the ancient Egyptians are not cleaner than those of modern humans

Many people believe that air pollution is a modern problem. New research refutes this claim. Some ancient civilizations also suffered from this problem. Scientists examined 15 Egyptian mummies and found particulate matter in their lungs. They were the ones that caused lung problems, heart disease, and even cancer. Scientists were even more surprised when they discovered that small particles are similar to those that remain in the lungs today due to inhalation of exhaust gases from cars.

In 2011, researcher Roger Montgomery discovered that the level of particulate matter in the lungs of ancient Egyptians was almost the same as that of our contemporaries, and the same condition was in people of different classes - the poor and the important people.

This discovery intrigued the public. Perhaps the reason is the presence of the mining industry at that time. But too many solid particles were found in the lungs of the ancient Egyptians. The question of where they managed to find such polluted air still remains open.

To find extraterrestrial civilizations will help pollution of the atmospheres of other planets

Many people are interested in the search for extraterrestrial life outside our Solar system... How can we find other life forms on planets that are millions of light years away? Answer: by examining the degree of their pollution.

By 2018, James Webb plans to complete the development of the latest telescope. Harvard inventors already believe that the discovery could be used to search for chlorofluorocarbons (abbreviated CFCs) on distant planets. CFCs are greenhouse gases that damage the earth's ozone layer.

Lead researcher Henry Lynn suggests that detecting environmental pollution will help determine the approximate age of extraterrestrial civilization. Some harmful substances can accumulate and remain on the surface of the planet for 50 thousand years. Others are short-lived - they dissolve in the atmosphere in one decade. If only durable pollution is found on an alien planet, this may indicate that it was previously inhabited by extraterrestrial life forms that have become extinct long ago.

Harvard researchers noted that the presence of CFCs in the atmosphere of the planet does not prove 100% presence of traces of life. In addition, extraterrestrial civilizations can deliberately infect the atmospheres of too cold planets with pollutants to "warm" them, making them suitable for life.

Based on the above facts, an encouraging conclusion can be drawn. Modern science does not stand still. Scientists are carefully studying the problems of the ecology of our planet, looking for options for their solution. Some of the discoveries made during the search shocked the scientific world and the public. We are sure that these unexpected findings will help humanity make a big step in the fight against environmental pollution.