A list of curious facts

One: You may think of fig trees as harmless producers of delicious fruit. But the strangler fig is not so nice. It starts life as a seed in a host tree’s canopy, throwing down roots that reach into the soil—soaking up all the nutrients: “Eventually, the fig's roots can completely encase the host, strangling its trunk and cutting off nutrient flow until it dies and rots away—leaving just the hollow fig behind.” And looks something like this:

FWIW, the strangler fig offers great protection to its host from its elements. These trees are four times less likely to be uprooted in a cyclone than others—and far more stable. In other words, the strangler fig helps save the poor tree—just so it can die a slower death. Nice.

PS: The strangler fig’s other claim to fame is the abandoned Ta Prohm temple—which is part of the Angkor Wat complex in Cambodia. The ruins are enveloped by silk cotton and strangler fig roots—making for a stunning marriage of nature and architecture (See: lead image). So stunning that it earned a cameo in the 2013 Lara Croft movie ‘Tomb Raider’. (Mongabay)

Two: Here’s a curious and very happy fact about our country’s crown jewel—the Taj Mahal. Yes, the rising flood water levels of the Yamuna has been a disaster for humans. But they have been an unexpected boon to the monument. Over the past weeks, the Yamuna came the closest to the Taj in 45 years, flooding the visitor viewing area. And that’s a good thing, say archaeologists, because: 

The Taj Mahal is supported in part by a base of deodar wood, which becomes stronger when it absorbs water… A drying Yamuna river has previously been a concern… as a lack of moisture shrank the supporting rafters at its base.

So while the monument may suffer a little exterior damage due to the waters, they will help increase its lifespan in the long run. There’s lots more on why a drying Yamuna threatens the Taj here. To give you some perspective, this is a photo of the Taj on the banks of the Yamuna—taken in the mid-nineteenth century:

And this pic was taken in 2019: 

Three: Indians are among the worst ‘helicopter parents’ in the world, but the Chinese may have us beat. Faced with rising levels of youth unemployment, Chinese parents have found a new gig for their kids. Their job: to be a ‘full time’ son or daughter. For example, Jia Zhang who shut down her small and struggling business for her new position that pays her 8,000 yuan ($1,115) a month—which is the average salary in China. All she has to do is spend time with her parents—and take them to the stores. 

OTOH, economists aren’t impressed with this daub of lipstick on this particular pig: 

“Psychologically, the term ‘full-time children’ allows room for denial and self-deprecation, which make it more acceptable to many.” Lu said some Chinese state media organisations are trying to “rationalise” and “glorify” the emergence of full-time children as “filial piety.” No matter the “beautifications,” he said, “the underlying essence is still unemployment, and nothing else.”

NBC News has lots more on this new phenomenon.