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March 13, 2020 | Issue 26 Our Website: https://www.curioustimes.in uriousTimes Curated News For The Curious CURIOUS TIMES WEEKLY Age-Appropiate Content School Curriculum-Aligned News Non-Sensational News NASA officially names Mars 2020 rover ‘Perseverance’ The upside-down house of Trassenheide, Germany Date : Mar 6 , 2020 | Image Credit : Twitter@NASAPersevere Date : Mar 12 , 2020 | Image Credit : Twitter, @atlasobscura On 5 March, NASA announced that its new Mars 2020 rover has an Have you ever tried standing upside down in your house? How does it official name – Perseverance. look? Now, what if your house was to stay that way forever? What is the meaning of ‘perseverance’? Ÿ There’s a house in Germany that was built upside down. You can see in It means doing something with continued effort and determination to the picture above, its roof is on the floor! achieve success. Ÿ This topsy turvy house was built in 2008, in the seaside resort of What is NASA’s Perseverance rover? Trassenheide on the island of Usedom. Ÿ Perseverance is a robot which will search for life signs and collect The architects who designed this house wanted to give visitors a samples on Mars. different view of everyday things. Ÿ Ÿ NASA had been calling it the ‘Mars 2020 rover’ up to now. At the Trassenheide house, the only thing that is not topsy turvy is the staircase that leads into the attic, which is actually the ground floor! Ÿ It will launch in July 2020. It is scheduled to land in February 2021, Ÿ inside Mars’ 45-km-wide Jezero Crater. You can see a wheelbarrow and a bench hanging upside-down along the outer wall. Who chose the name? Ÿ Once you go inside the house, things become really trippy. Ÿ Like all of NASA’s previous Mars rovers, the name ‘Perseverance’ was Ÿ chosen via a nationwide student competition. The sofas, the paintings, potted plants and other furniture are all hanging above your head while you stand on the ceiling. Ÿ The winning entry was submitted by Alexander Mather, a seventh- grader at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia, US. The entire building is built on an angle. So, from a distance, it looks as if the house somehow fell down to Earth and came to rest on its roof. Ÿ Alexander will get a free trip to Cape Canaveral, Florida, to watch the Perseverance launch. Ÿ Around 28,000 students submitted essays with their chosen names. Out of all the entries, 9 finalists were chosen which include the names ‘Endurance’, ‘Courage’, ‘Promise’ and more. NASA officials said that the new name suits the car-size rover as “It’s about making progress despite obstacles“. You can also watch a wonderful video featuring Alexander here Quote of the week Word to know “Once you think a thought, it is extremely difficult to unthink it.” Suspend Verb | suh-spend — John Green to hang by attachment to something above Write to us at [email protected] 1 March 13, 2020 | Issue 26 Our Website: https://www.curioustimes.in uriousTimes Curated News For The Curious CURIOUS TIMES WEEKLY Age-Appropiate Content School Curriculum-Aligned News Non-Sensational News Study predicts climate change could lead to loss of half 12th graders develop a weather monitoring nano of world’s sandy beaches satellite to help farmers Date : Mar 9 , 2020 | Image Credit : Pixabay Date : Mar 7 , 2020 | Image Credit : Twitter, @TamilNaduPMC Recently, we read that global climate change is affecting the entire planet. M Subuhana and T Kiruthika are writing their 12th grade exams this Now, another surprising and saddening news has come across. month, in Tamil Nadu. However, unlike their classmates, they have already achieved something amazing – they have developed a A recent study finds that climate change can lead to loss of half of the world’s nanosatellite. sandy beaches by the end of the 21st century. Ÿ This satellite is intended to help farmers streamline their operations The study is published in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change. in the near future. Ÿ This is the first time that the future of the world’s sandy shorelines has Ÿ Both Subuhana and Kiruthika are science stream students and were been studied. motivated by another student, Villet Oviya, who developed a Ÿ The study reveals that half of the sandy shorelines along the US East nanosatellite to monitor pollution in 2017. Coast, South Asia and Central Europe will get destroyed or lost. The nanosatellite Ÿ This is due to natural and human activities like rising sea-levels (caused Ÿ The 400-gram satellite has sensors to test for climate change, by global warming), coastal building developments etc. atmospheric moisture, humidity and greenhouse gas. Ÿ This loss will affect wildlife and also the people who live in these coastal Ÿ It will be launched from a Mexico airbase next month, and then it’s areas. real-time usage will be confirmed. Ÿ Also, it will be a huge loss to nature as beaches provide protection Ÿ Kiruthika says, “As the daughter of a farmer, I have seen how against coastal flooding and storms. agriculture has been hit by the global change in weather patterns. Another study also reveals Australia will lose most of its total coastline area, Our satellite will guide farmers on the right crops to suit the climate and water resources of the area.” while the US shorelines along the East and Gulf Coasts will also get affected. Ÿ While they are much smaller in size, often no bigger than a shoebox, Other countries like Canada, the US, China, Russia and India will also get and weigh from 1 to 10 kg, nanosatellites compare well with impacted. conventional satellites, and can be manufactured at a much lesser cost. The students give credit to their school for helping them to take up their idea on a weather monitoring satellite with the Chennai-based Agni Foundation and Garuda Aerospace that provided the financial and technological support for the project. “We were inspired by one girl, and now we hope other girls take us as role models to become innovators and creators,” says Kiruthika. “Children in small towns have great ideas and potential, but often hesitate to express themselves.” Did You Know Joke Pokes Australia will lose more than 9,000 What stays in the corner yet can travel all over the world? miles of white sand beaches over the A stamp. next 80 years. Write to us at [email protected] 2 March 13, 2020 | Issue 26 Our Website: https://www.curioustimes.in uriousTimes Curated News For The Curious CURIOUS TIMES WEEKLY Age-Appropiate Content School Curriculum-Aligned News Non-Sensational News My Expressions Happy International Women’s Day – To teachers from a student! Date : 8 March 2020 | Shreya Rajput, 10 , Venkateshwar Global School , New Delhi , Delhi At first, I want to share the video of the UN on International Women’s Day 2020! And then don’t miss reading my poem for all you lovely teachers! As the world always preferred men over women, So many women had to battle for their worth That they were as strong as men, And as smart to go beyond them. As the world always preferred men over women, So many women had to battle for their worth That they were as strong as men, And as smart to go beyond them. Mother Teresa, Madam Curie, Kalpana Chawla, Saina Nehwal, Angela Merkel And many, who have shone like the sun, Their success stories are known to everyone Some may not be privileged, but had a strong will, They fought prejudices to go uphill They worked with passion and grit, They have won the hearts of everyone with their honesty and wit. Click here to read full article Write to us at [email protected] 3 March 13, 2020 | Issue 26 Our Website: https://www.curioustimes.in uriousTimes Curated News For The Curious CURIOUS TIMES WEEKLY Age-Appropiate Content School Curriculum-Aligned News Non-Sensational News Barbie to launch new collection of dolls – ‘Sheroes’ President Kovind presents Nari Shakti Puraskar to 15 women Date : Mar 5 , 2020 | Image Credit : Youtube Date : Mar 9 , 2020 | Image Credit : Pibarchive You have perhaps come across Barbie – the world-famous doll in your Yesterday on International Women’s Day, President Ram Nath Kovind childhood. awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar to 15 remarkable women. More than 200 different types of Barbie doll have been created till now, They include a mason (house-builder), a centenarian (more than 100 years old) athlete, Jharkhand’s “Lady Tarzan” and a “mushroom mahila”. such as a doctor Barbie, astronaut Barbie, robotics engineer Barbie, etc. What is the Nari Shakti Puraskar? But this time, she is coming with a completely different look and the title. Ÿ This is a National award that the central government presents every She can “run very fast” in this new version. That’s because she is going to year on 8 March (International Women’s Day) to recognise women, be a sportswoman. whose work have contributed to women’s empowerment and social Barbie has launched a new doll to honour the world champion British welfare. sprinter – Dina Asher-Smith. Ÿ The recipient of the award can be from any background. This year’s awardees work in education, agriculture, sports, armed forces and She is a 24-year-old gold medallist and the fastest woman in British more. history. Who are this year’s recipients? Ÿ The new doll is a part of the female sporting collection- ‘Sheroes‘. Ÿ Bina Devi (43), helped 1500 women by popularising mushroom Ÿ The collection will be released on 8 March, which marks production.