The final (Dino)mite

Whether It’s 7 Billion AD Or BC, It’s Better To Not Mess With The Universe!

Arushi Gupta, AIS Noida, XII C

Tyrannosaurus, the undefeatable, stroked his jaw, eyes shining with intrigue. It was 7 billion AD in the human calendar, the year which had been predicted as the year when the sun would face its demise. Six billion years had already passed since the collapse of the Old World, also known as Earth 1.0, which was ravaged by ‘those disgraceful’ humans.
Messengeraptor trembled before his king. “M-my Dinolord, we have uncovered the Old World manuscripts that describe our ancestors’ d-d-demise.” “Present them!” “Y-yes, milord.” Taking a deep breath, he began: “We have heard of their legends; we have seen their giant carcasses in the middle of our museums—” Tyrannosaurus growled— “but it has taken us decades to determine the cause of their extinction. This scroll is a culmination of widely-accepted theories.” Messengeraptor took a deep breath. “The first one my lord, is Death by Caterpillar.”
“Blasphemous!” “Preposterous!” “Outrageous!” cried the DinoCourt creatures. Messengeraptor winced. “Stanley Flanders, an entomologist, proposes that caterpillars destroyed vegetation. This, in turn, killed all herbivores. Carnivores followed suit.” “This has to be the most irrelevant, un-researched, illogical and irrational theory in the history of the entire humankind.”
“The second one is,” Messengeraptor bravely continued, “Death by Farts. Though a misconstructed research conclusion, it has been widely popularized by the Internet. This bizarre notion suggests that dinosaurs farted themselves to death.” “Blasphemous!” “Preposterous!” “Outrageous! How could they even think that this can be possible?” they exclaimed again.
“Another one here is Death by Supernova. The explosion of a nearby supernova could have triggered changes in the earth’s climatic conditions, causing disasters and, ultimately, extinction.” The DinoCourt erupted into uproar. “Funny they say that when they destroyed their own planet for convenience! Projecting their own ungraceful death onto the momentous fall of the  mighty Dino Kingdom? Utter hypocrisy!” Messengeraptor looked helplessly at his king. “Need I present more, milord?” “You may continue.”
“The last one is Death by Meteor. If there is something that we do know about dinosaurs, it is that they know how to go out with a bang. 68 million years ago, a 7.5-mile-wide asteroid came hurtling toward the Earth and hit an ocean in Mexico, effectively putting the Dinosaur population into extinction.”
The king nodded thoughtfully. “Death by Meteor rightfully signifies our ancestors’ relentless war with the celestial bodies. But whoever first typed out #BrainsOverBrawn4Ever was clearly barking up the wrong tree. As if a meteor would be enough to take out our mighty ancestors! Rejected! Burn these scrolls. Burn them all!” Messengeraptor heaved out a sigh of relief, and the DinoCourt broke into an uproar of cheers.
“We are daunting; we are dangerous; we are dinosaurs. Throughout history, we have persisted and evolved. There is absolutely nothing that can destroy our mighty kingdom now. We shall last even after the death of the entire universe.”
Almost as if these words had jinxed the existence of all the dinosaurs, there was a hush in the air. Earth 2.0 stilled. The DinoCourt stared in astonishment at the staccato bursts of colours that illuminated the white sky. With a big bang, the universe engulfed itself. And everything simply ceased to exist apart from the singularity which slowly spread out into space. (including the Dinolord and his boundless ignorance).

Endangered Species

Soon to go...missing

It’s Time We Begin To Focus On Keeping Our Friends From The Wild Alive

The Asian Elephant aka Elephas Maximus Indicus

Nakul Bahl, AIS PV, III E

Population: Less than 5000
Profile: Not just an amazing animal, the Asian Elephant is also an important cultural icon down in South Asia. Standing at 6.5- 11.5 feet in height, weighing approximately 11,000 pounds, the Asian elephant is the largest living land animal in Asia. Since 1986, the Asian elephant has been a part of the endangered animal list according to IUCN.
Why they matter: The Asian elephants are of great value. These beasts being highly sociable and intelligent, and can be domesticated for lifting heavy lumber and hence are an asset to the lumber industry. The Asian elephant has been known to boost the tourism segment, as many people flock to the Savannahs for their elephant safaris. They are also responsible for the facilitation of vegetation growth in the areas that they live in, as their dung acts as manure for the plants that grow in and around its habitat.
Threat: The ivory tusk of the Asian elephant is its main attraction and an important reason why it has become a victim of poaching and excessive hunting. The elephants can also be domesticated to be used in the lumber industry and hence are tamed for the purpose. Other threats to the animal include the loss, fragmentation as well as degradation of its natural habitat.

The Giant Panda aka Ailuropoda melanoleuca

Population: 1864 in the wild
Profile: One of the most adorable creatures in the wild, the Giant Panda is considered the national treasure of China. Found in the bamboo forests, high in mountains of western China, the pandas weigh between 220-330 pounds. They feed primarily on bamboos and must have atleast 84 pounds of bamboos every day.  
Why they matter: The Giant Panda is the symbol for the WWE ever since its inception in 1961. They facilitate the growth and reproduction of the bamboo forest by spreading seeds. The other reason why saving the Giant Panda is so important is because it means that other endemic species which are concentrated in the south west mountain region of China will also become endangered.
Threat: The rapid industrialisation and advancement of railroads in and around the Yangtze basin region, where the Pandas are found more in number isolates the animals, making it difficult for them to mate. Even though the government has made more than 50 panda reserves, it still protects only 61% of the population. This loss of habitat is one of the primary threats to the species.