2004 Indian Ocean tsunami Somalia Bangladesh distance

A tsunami can hit a distant coast harder than a nearby one

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck Somalia harder than Bangladesh, even though Bangladesh was much closer to the earthquake. Tsunami waves do not spread evenly: coastlines, underwater geography, and the direction of wave energy all affect where destruction is greatest. Distance alone is a poor measure of safety.

Hummingbirds remember when individual flowers will refill

8 flowers

Rufous hummingbirds can remember when as many as eight separate flowers should refill with nectar. Instead of repeatedly checking empty flowers, they can wait and return when enough time has passed.

In Victorian Liverpool, fewer than half of newborns reached adulthood

45%

An estimate for Liverpool in 1851 suggests that only about 45% of children born there survived to age 20. Crowded housing, contaminated water and infectious diseases made industrial cities especially dangerous for young children. Economic growth and urban expansion did not automatically bring better health; sanitation and public-health reforms became essential.

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2004 Indian Ocean tsunami Somalia Bangladesh distance

A tsunami can hit a distant coast harder than a nearby one

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