ZMT: Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Why do graduates wear square hats?

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The Origins of 7 Graduation Traditions

Graduation: a time when students wear awkwardly pointy hats, wrap themselves in robes, and listen to esteemed strangers tell them to chase their dreams. Here's how some of those traditions came to be.

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Where can you find a beach that glows in the dark?

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Original photo by Ahmed Yaaniu/ Unsplash

There's a beach in the Maldives that glows in the dark.

If you were wowed by those glow-in-the-dark stars on your bedroom ceiling as a kid, you may need to book a trip to the Maldives. The small nation of more than 1,000 islands in the Indian Ocean is home to at least one beach, on Mudhdhoo Island, that often glows in the dark — and it's a completely natural phenomenon. We have ostracod crustaceans (aka seed shrimp) to thank for the effect, as the millimeter-long creatures have the ability to emit a blue light for as long as a minute or more. Though scientists are unsure why they do so, some believe it happens when a "mass mortality" event occurs.

That gorgeous seed shrimp glow is an example of bioluminescence — light produced by a chemical reaction within a living being. Seed shrimp are far from the only creatures who shine this way: The chemical reactions that create bioluminescence occur in other organisms whose bodies contain luciferin (light-emitting organic compounds; the name comes from the Latin "lucifer," meaning "light-bearing"). That list also includes fellow ocean-dwellers such as firefly squid and sea sparkles, as well as fireflies, glow-worms, and certain bacteria and fungi on land. Some animals do it to lure their next meal, others as a kind of mating ritual, and still others use it to frighten, distract, or hide from predators. Good thing sharks and bats don't find the sight as wonderful as we do.

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Numbers Don't Lie

Approximate population of the Maldives

552,000

Species that produce bioluminescence

1,500

Length (in miles) of Brazil's Praia do Cassino Beach, the longest in the world

150

Islands in the Maldives, the vast majority of which are uninhabited

1,190

The Maldivian government held an underwater cabinet meeting.

As a result of its low elevation, the Maldives is more threatened by climate change than perhaps any other country in the world. To draw attention to this, then-President Mohamed Nasheed and 13 other government officials held an underwater cabinet meeting in 2009. With the assistance of waterproof pencils and a plastic slate, they signed an "SOS" message — an extreme measure, to be sure, but also an understandable one when considering that most of the country is projected to be fully submerged by 2100. Led by its minister of environment, the Maldivian government has taken proactive steps (including potentially moving the whole country) to ensure that the country's natural beauty — and its way of life — doesn't disappear entirely.

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Why do graduates wear square hats?

Where can you find a beach that glows in the dark?