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Showing posts from May 16, 2010

Drink more "Water"

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Whatever the season, keeping oneself hydrated is imperative. However, the chances of getting dehydrated are the most in the summer heat. One tends to lose around 2.5 litres of water simply by sweating, breathing and waste removal. Along with water, you lose electrolytes and minerals such as sodium, potassium and calcium, which help maintain the balance of fluids in the body. Although one can replenish the lost water and electrolytes through diet, food and liquids. If the amount of water lost exceeds the amount that can be replaced, you get dehydrated. Why do you need it 1. Detoxification. Water helps wash out the toxins from the body, cleansing the system. This results in healthy functioning of the kidneys and liver along with easy circulation of blood, fluids and other necessary elements inside the body. 2. Not having enough water might lead to the formation of blood clots, especially in the summer as water is lost faster during this time of the year. 3. It regulates bowel moveme...

Plants can't help cool earth if CO2 is in excess: Study

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Contrary to the belief that plants could help cool land, scientists have found that plants will directly warm the land surface when there is excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A recent global scale model study points to an emerging consensus that the physiological effects of increasing atmospheric CO2 on plants on land will increase global warming beyond that caused by the 'radiative' effects of CO2, Prof Govindasamy Bala, one of the authors of the study from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore said. Carbon dioxide warms the earth because it is a greenhouse gas. However, elevated CO2 in the atmosphere causes plants to transpire less and provide less 'evaporative cooling', he said. "For scientists trying to predict global climate change in the coming century, the study underscores the importance of including plant biology in their climate models," Bala, jointly with Long Cao and Ken Caldeira, of the Carnegie Institution for Science at Sta...