Facts about the Brain by Kenza (online member)

Here are some interesting facts about your brain!

1. What does my brain do? The brain is the one organ in the body that makes the real you. It’s made up of electrical circuits, about 100 billion neurons, that connect together and continually rewires itself and changes as it learns. Our brain does many activities in our body, including controlling the body and senses, thinking and learning, memorizing, and so much more…
2. Do we have one brain or two? Technically, we don’t just have one brain and we don’t have two brains. Instead, we have two brains in one, the left side and the right side with different characteristics and abilities. But the two sides communicate with each other. See this word: Green. The right side of your brain will try to read the word, whereas, the left side of the brain will insist on you trying to read the colour. This is a common subject, called the Stroop Effect*.
3. Where do our thoughts and feelings come from? We all have a sense of who we really are. We call this our inner-self, or the real you. This is how we see the world individually, unless we’re asleep of course; that’s when our thoughts are no longer in control. This makes our conscious self and our unconscious self and we can’t pinpoint where it is in a specific part of our brain, just like our memories. You can find out more about this by studying the different parts of the brain.

Links

*If you’re interested in playing a cool game about the Stroop Effect, check this out! http://www.brainmetrix.com/color-game/

Check this out for interesting and educational lectures from the RI (Royal Institution) about the brain! http://richannel.org/christmas-lectures/2011/meet-your-brain   

There is also an interesting book by Professor Robert Winston called “What Makes Me Me” (www.dk.com). He also does topics like this on his popular TV series.

Migratory Birds, by Zainab Salman (club member)

What are Migratory Birds?

Migratory birds are types of birds which migrate from one place to the other due to weather changes/lack of food. Some birds migrate to nesting grounds to breed.

Migratory Birds in Pakistan.

Some species of migratory birds migrate to the subcontinent in the winters, from cold places like Siberia and Antarctica. Birds like grebe, pelican, bittern, stork, glossy ibis, spoonbill, white headed duck, swans, geese, ruddy shelducks and a list of others migrate to Pakistan’s beaches and lakes where they spend their winters.

During the Journey….

The birds which migrate are called Migratory Birds. The birds that don’t migrate are called resident birds. Migratory Birds migrate in autumn, before winters. Some also migrate twice a year. The birds go to warmer/colder places where they stay and then fly back to their home place. Before migration,birds eat a lot. They store fat so they have enough energy to fly non-stop for hours before it is time to rest and have something to eat. Birds gather together when it’s time to start off so nobody gets lost. They also travel in large flocks of birds of each specie and they travel together. Similarly, geese fly in a V formation, so they can always see their leader.

Migration is not only done by birds but animals and humans also migrate. The reason of migration for animals is the same as for birds. For Instance, Marine Animals like Grey Whale, green turtles, Monarch butterflies, salmon and trout fish are Migratory Animals.
Even though migratory birds do all this, it doesn’t mean that they can be wiser and cleverer than us, humans. It’s all part of their life, their routine, their script, that Allah (S.W.T) has written for them. Just the way we wear warm clothes and eat warm food in winters, some birds migrate. There is no reason for asking why, because that is part of their life. The process of migration is just around their basic needs, there is no rocket science.

I collected all this information from Science books, and from my own knowledge about migratory birds. This task was fun and I learnt many new things about birds while I was simply researching.

Compiled by Zainab Salman 

Club Member 

Migratory birds, by Muneeb Elahi (club member)

When many of us think about migration, the image of geese winging their way south in their wrinkled V-shaped flocks is one that often comes to mind. Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway between breeding and wintering grounds, undertaken by many species of birds. Migration occurs mainly in the Northern Hemisphere where birds are funneled on to specific routes by natural barriers such as the Mediterranean Sea or the Caribbean Sea.

Why do birds migrate?

Birds migrate to move from areas of low or decreasing resources to areas of high or increasing resources. The two primary resources being sought are food and nesting locations. 

Birds that nest in the northern hemisphere tend to migrate northward in the spring to take advantage of burgeoning insect populations, budding plants and an abundance of nesting locations. As winter approaches, and the availability of insects and other food resources drops, the birds move south again.

Escaping the cold is a motivating factor but many species, including hummingbirds, can withstand freezing temperatures as long as an adequate supply of food is available.

Maps: 
Migrating birds navigate using celestial cues from the sun and stars, the earth's magnetic field, and probably also mental maps.

Migrating birds:
Storks, swallows, turtle doves, geese and hummingbirds are examples of migrating birds.

Shared by Muneeb Elahi

Club Member

Migratory Birds, by Kenza (online member from UK)

Birds are one of several species of animal that migrate every year. Unlike animals such as hedgehogs, mice, bears, etc they do not hibernate. Instead, they fly to another part of the planet where it will be warmer for the season – and where they can find plenty of shelter and food.  

Why do birds migrate?

The main reason why birds migrate is that they know food will become scarce in winter. Most birds will migrate to places like Africa, where there will be plenty of food. Other birds change from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere and vice versa – where the opposite hemisphere will become warmer as it nears to summer there.

Are there exceptions?

In places like the Amazonian Rainforest, in Brazil, birds don’t have to migrate because the Amazon is located close to the equator, in which case it would be warm in any season and there would be enough food for them to live.

However, some species of birds don’t migrate. They stay for the winter. Such birds in the northern hemisphere include blackbirds, robins, etc. They will usually feed on the berries found in hedgerows, worms and other insects and maybe bread or bird food from bird lovers.

When do birds arrive from their migration?

Birds that have migrated arrive back from early-spring to mid-spring. Usually from around March to May. A good time to spot a certain species of birds back from migration is around the first few days of May, very early in the morning (around dawn).

How many of them migrate?

The known amount of species of birds that migrate every year is 4000. That’s 40% of all the bird species on Earth. Swallows, ospreys, turtle doves, geese, Arctic terns, emus and chaffinches are among those 4000 species. Smaller birds include hummingbirds, flycatchers and warblers.

Which bird migrates the furthest?

Out of all the 4000 known species, Arctic Terns are known to travel the furthest. Each year they migrate 20,000km. They depart from Shetland to the Antarctic from the beginning of August to the end of October and they return back to Shetland from around end of March to the beginning of June.

Link

To see an interesting migration map, click on this link! http://www.rspb.org.uk/youth/play/migrationmap.aspx

Written by kenza
Online Member from UK

Migratory Birds, by Abiha Salman (club member)

If you have ever shifted from one place to another, you know how difficult and tricky it is. Who wants to leave the comfort of their homes? Well, some birds do migrate away from their homes every year. Such birds are called migratory birds. 
So, what makes them leave the comfort of their cozy nests and migrate over thousands of miles to a new place each year? The main reasons are food and weather. As winter approaches, food becomes scarce and therefore, birds move to warmer places in search for food. Sometimes, birds fly away from home also to give birth to young ones in a conductive environment.

Written by Abiha Salman
Club Member

Session 1: Questions about the Human Brain

In our first session, after the Introduction, The participants were divided in two groups of seven kids in each group. We had to make a list of questions about our brain. Both groups, mostly eight-fifteen years of age, had lots of questions to share and here they are:

• What is the weight of our brain?
• What is the difference between the words, 'brain' and 'mind'?
• Does the brain grow in size?
• Why do we have a brain?
• How much memory can our brain store?
• What is the size of our brain?
• Why does the brain only think?
• Why do we think?
• What will happen if we stop thinking?
• How much can we think in one hour?
• Why is the brain so small?
• Does having long or short hair effect the brain?
• Does the weather effect the brain?
• Can dreams come true?
• How do dreams come while we're sleeping?
• Why is the brain placed in our head?
• Does our skull have the brain only?
• How much is the capability of a brain to think?
• What is the shape of the brain?
• Why are the nerves of our brain so small?
• Can we think with the brain of an animal?
• How much can a brain think in one day?
• Why does our brain control our whole body?
• Why do we ask questions?
• Can a person become mad  after thinking a lot?
• If we lose our memory, how long would it take to recover?
• Is the doctor who treats mentally ill people, mad?
• How do people recover from madness?
• Why does our brain think only?