5 Things Worth Knowing About the World Today
Our world is a constantly changing, super dynamic system- a place where something new happens every day. Here are 5 things worth knowing about our world today:
1. The Ebola virus is spreading fast.
The Ebola virus disease is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. The first outbreaks were reported in remote villages in Central and West Africa, especially near tropical rain-forests. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and then spreads throughout the human population through human-to-human transmission. 9/10 people infected with the Ebola virus do not survive, and as of now, scientists have not yet found a definite cure for the disease, although there is a fast evolving treatment. Scientists fear that if the Ebola virus is not contained, it may become a global pandemic.
2. Threat of ISIS
The ISIS or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is a Jihadist militant group that wants to create its own nation between Syria and Iraq, called the Islamic State. ISIS has been committing acts of terrorism in both nations and has developed a strong arsenal of sophisticated weapons. Many say that ISIS has become even stronger than Al-Qaeda. Because of this, many countries, especially the United States, are getting involved in the issue.
3. The United Kingdom remains united
On September 19, the whole of the United Kingdom waited in anticipation for the polls to come out- was Scotland going to become an independent nation? After a very close poll ranking, with 55% to 45%, Scotland is still a part of the United Kingdom. There are mixed feelings about the voting results, with some saying the polls were falsified, while others celebrating the union of the nation. However, Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to give Scotland new powers on taxes, spending, and welfare.
4. New iPhone 6
After much wait, Apply has released its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus! According to an Apply representative, the response to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have been “incredible”, and more than 10 million iPhones were sold in the first launch weekend. Check this site for more information about new updates, fixes, and the new models!
5. India joins the space nations!
On September 24, India joined the United States, Russia, and Europe in successfully sending probes to orbit or land on Mars, with its low-cost mission, the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM). The mission was achieved on a budget of $74 million, which is about 10 times less than the amount U.S. space agency NASA used to send the Maven spacecraft to Mars. India is the first country in Asia to reach Mars. The spacecraft, called Mangalyaan, which means ‘Mar craft’ in Hindi- will study Mars’ surface and scan its atmosphere for the methane chemical, but will not land on Mars.