Hydrogen, a colourless, odourless, tasteless, and flammable gas, is the most abundant element in the universe and the third most abundant on Earth’s surface, resembling alkali metals and halogens.
Phawngpui National Park of Mizoram
A rare hemi-parasitic terrestrial plant (Phtheirospermum lushaiorum) has been found in Phawngpui National Park of Mizoram. Lushaiorum is named after “Lushai” tribe of Mizoram.
Phawngpui National Park, also known as Phawngpui Blue Mountain National Park, is one of two national parks in Mizoram, India, the other being the larger Murlen National Park. Located about 300 km from Aizawl in the Lawngtlai district near Burma, it encompasses Phawngpui, Mizoram’s highest peak at 2,157 meters, along with the surrounding reserve forest.
The Lushai tribe, part of the Kuki-Chin group, is commonly known as Mizos and is of Mongoloid origin. Their main occupations are Jhum and orange cultivation, and they are historically known as a headhunter community. The popular Bamboo Dance (Cheraw-dance) is a cultural highlight. Lushai society is organized as a patrilocal joint family with patrilineal descent and inheritance rules.
Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary (Andhra Pradesh)
The Sri Lankan golden-backed frog has been rediscovered in India after 200 years at Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary.
Located in the Kuppam and Palmaner Ranges of Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, it is the only sanctuary in the state known for Asian elephants. The Kaundinya and Kaigal tributaries of the Palar River flow through it.
