The closer one is to a heat source, the warmer it is. You’d assume that the same rule is followed in our solar system and you’d be right...for the most part. Venus, which is at a distance of about twice that Mercury is from the Sun, is actually hotter than the latter. In fact its temperature is higher at midnight than Mercury’s at noon. This discovery bamboozled scientists for quite some time and understandably so. Let's try to understand why this happens. I promise I’ll try to keep it as simple as possible.

Before I explain, we need to look at a few facts about Venus.
• Venus is about twice as far from the sun as Mercury.
• Venus is much more reflective than Mercury.
• Venus has quite a thick atmosphere while Mercury has none.

The first two points are probably what puzzled scientists. Being twice as far from the sun as Mercury, Venus receive 1/4th the solar energy flux that Mercury does. On top of that, Mercury being much less reflective than Venus also absorbs more(almost 9 times that of Venus) sunlight.

Now, coming to the third and the most important point - Venus’s atmosphere. Venus has an incredibly thick atmosphere, many times that of Earth’s. And much of that atmosphere is packed with thick layers of highly reflective sulphuric acid clouds. Mercury on the other hand has no atmosphere. Now, all planets receive light energy, absorb some of it, and re-radiate most of it back into space. Earth does this as well. However, if a planet has an atmosphere, varying amounts of that re-radiated light energy is reflected back to the planet again by the atmospheric molecules. This is called the greenhouse effect and is what keeps the Earth’s average surface temperature habitable. Because Mercury has no atmosphere, all of the re-radiated energy escapes into space. On the other hand, Venus, owing to its extremely thick atmosphere, retains much of the re-radiated light energy. This is why Venus(465 •C) is hotter than Mercury(450 •C).

Chocolate is known as the ‘food for gods’. It is an irresistible treat that we all love to have. No matter what mood you are in, chocolates always make you happier in moments. What is more interesting is the history of chocolate, which dates back to 4000 years from now. Keep reading to find out more…

Who made the first chocolate?

The first chocolate was made by the people of ancient Olmecs of Southern Mexico around 1500 BCE. From them the recipe of chocolate was transferred to the Central American Mayans. In Mayan history there are several mentions of chocolate drinks that people drank as celebratory gestures.

Chocolate currency?

As the popularity of Chocolate grew, the Aztecs started considering it more valuable than gold. In the Aztec culture, they not only drank chocolate drinks but they also believed that it was given to them by gods. It was so popular among them that they had started using Cacao Beans as their currency.

Chocolate’s journey to Europe and America!

Gradually, in the 1500s Chocolate arrived in the city of Spain. By the end of the 16th century, Spain started importing Chocolate to various parts of the world. Through the Spanish ships, Chocolate landed in the city of Florida, America. In America, Chocolate became very popular among all the people.

Chocolate Today…

Today chocolate is an enjoyable edible confection all round the world. It is made in a different process and does not taste the same as the ancient Mayan Chocolate. However, dark chocolate contains a lot of antioxidants and is considered healthy for our heart.

We all love to watch Disney movies with our family. They make our hearts feel so overwhelmed that we sometimes forget that we are outside the movie. The characters, the music, the dialogues, everything seems perfectly curated in these films. But have you wondered how the makers come up with such interesting plots? Well, some of these movies are based on some ancient mythological tales. Keep reading to find out, what they are:

• Snow White
The origin of the Snow White tale is not entirely discovered. But there are assumptions of the tale emerging in the 16th Century. There was a German countess by the name of Margarete von Waldeck. She was the most beautiful countess of the time. She fell in love with a prince and was not allowed to marry him. Her father owned mines where a lot of the workers had stunted growth (from where the concept of seven dwarfs came). However, she mysteriously died at the age of 21. It was suspected that her step-mother had poisoned her in disapproval of her marriage with the prince.

• Cinderella
The tale of Cinderella has a lot of different versions all around the world. However a chinese version goes like this: The woman was named Ye Xian, whose prosperous father died and left her at the mercy of a cruel step-mother. Oneday Ye Xian finds a magical fish which her step-mother had killed. She feels sorry for the fish and buries it without knowing it was magical. And when the day of the party comes, her wish gets fulfilled by the magical powers of the fish. The rest of the story, you know pretty well!

• Moana
Another brilliant movie by the Disney production, Moana. The plot has been taken from the Polynesian legend found in the collection of tales called “The Maui Myths”. It is a tale based on the Maori natives of the Tolago (Now, Tolaga) Bay, North Island, New Zealand. Unlike the movie, the character of Maui had four brothers and a prolonged history of his life in the legends.

• Mulan
Mulan is another successful movie by Disney. The film is based on Chinese historical events. There was a young woman disguised as a man to fight for her family in the battle against Hun Army. It is a chinese folklore ballad that records the tale of bravery, and inspiration.

• Pocahontas
The story of Pocahontas comes from the history of colonisation. It is set in the time when the British colonists reached America and started the work of civilizing Native Americans. It depicts the harsh truth of how the colonizers overpower the native americans and meddle with their system of life. However, Disney makes a brilliant tale out of it, for us to enjoy on our free days.

Do you know any other origin stories of Disney movies?

We do not have two separate brains. Left-brian is the left hemisphere of our brain and the right-brain is the right hemisphere of our brain. But if they comprise the same organ, why are they referred to separately? That is because there are significant differences between the two hemispheres. Read more to find out…

• Fun fact:
The left hemisphere of our brain controls the right side of our body, and the right hemisphere of our brain controls the left-side of our body. But the question is, why?

• Functions of the Left Brain:
The left hemisphere of our brain is more analytical, logical, detail-oriented, numerical and thinks in words. It is more active in the process of speech production. People who use sign language to express themselves, use their left brain more than their right brain. The left hemisphere of our brain is more keen on paying attention to our internal world.

• Functions of the Right Brain:
The right hemisphere helps our creativity and free-thinking. It enhances our intuition and causes us to think in terms of pictures. Our right hemisphere is our domain of emotion. It is the reason we can communicate and explore in the outer world.

• Mulan
Mulan is another successful movie by Disney. The film is based on Chinese historical events. There was a young woman disguised as a man to fight for her family in the battle against Hun Army. It is a chinese folklore ballad that records the tale of bravery, and inspiration.

• Conclusion:
It is believed that people are either left-brain or right-brain, but that is a myth. The truth is yes, some people are more inclined towards creativity, while some are very logical. But there is no such left-brain or right-brain dominance, it may vary with a person’s location.

Do you know any other origin stories of Disney movies?