Melinjo (Gnetum gnemon)

Melinjo or belinjo or tangkil (Gnetum gnemon) is a species of gymnosperms in Gnetaceae, dioecious, tree-shaped, living wild but also widely planted in the yard as a shade or barrier where seeds, seed coat and young leaves are processed into food.

G. gnemon is a tree and has a straight trunk, this is different from other Gnetum which is usually a liana. Annual plants with open seeds, do not produce true flowers and fruit. Fake fruit is basically a seed wrapped in a layer of aryl fleshy. Single leaf oval and blunt tip.

Melinjo live for more than 100 years, 25 m tall and produce 80-100 kg of seeds per harvest. They adapt to a wide temperature range and are very easy to find in various areas except the coast. Grows in forests, plantations and home gardens. Plants are propagated by generative and vegetative methods.

Belinjo can be found in arid, tropical regions and does not require highly nutritious soils or special climates. Grow on clay, sandy and calcareous soil at an altitude of 0-1,200 m, but cannot withstand waterlogged, acidic and saline soils. Trees grow well on open land, lots of sun and tree spacing 6-8 m.

Wood can be used as a material for boards and simple household appliances. Young leaves, seed shoots and seed coat are used as vegetable ingredients for sayur asem or soups. The seeds are forged into raw materials for emping or chips and seed coat for shredded.

G. gnemon is an ancient plant that is evolutionarily close to Ginkgo biloba. Seeds produce antioxidant compounds by high protein concentrations (9-10 percent). The main protein is 30 kilos Dalton which is very effective for destroying free radicals. Antioxidant activity is equivalent to butylated hydroxytolune.

Melinjo is also a natural antimicrobial in which protein is used as a natural preservative of food and medicine for diseases caused by bacteria. Peptides isolated from seeds have active potential to inhibit certain types of positive and negative gram bacteria.

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Gnetophyta
Class: Gnetopsida
Order: Gnetales
Family: Gnetaceae
Genus: Gnetum
Species: Gnetum gnemon
Variety: Gnetum gnemon var. brunonianum, Gnetum gnemon var. gnemon, Gnetum gnemon var. gracile, Gnetum gnemon var. griffithii, Gnetum gnemon var. tenerum

Dry Valleys on Antarctic continent is the driest place in the world

The Sahara Desert is the largest desert in the world, rainfall is very low, only stretches of sand and rocks without rivers and plants further strengthen the view of drought. However, it turns out that the place is not the driest place in the world. Dry Valleys in Antarctica, although the continent is covered in ice, but has one part that is completely dry. Although the average rainfall in most of the Sahara Desert is less than 20 millimeters per year, there are still drier places. Dry Valleys in Antarctica is much drier where the average rainfall is 0 millimeters per year and gets the title of the driest place in the world. The valleys have so low humidity that there is almost no ice. This is the largest ice free place on the Antarctic continent. The area is surrounded by mountains that block ice from flowing into the valley. Drought is also caused by strong katabalic gusts from mountain peaks where cold air blows down the hill due to gravity. The wind has speeds of up to 322 k...

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...

Tripa tiger moth (Nannoarctia tripartita)

Tripa tiger moth ( Nannoarctia tripartita ) is an animal species in the Erebidae, a moth with a forewing length of 14-18 mm, predominantly black or dark brown with white and orange hues, thick fur on the dorsal surface, long legs and antennae, living in forest scrub and agricultural land. N. tripartita in females has forewings 15-18 mm long, black or dark brown with slightly oblique transverse and few spots. The hind wings are yellow with large dark discal points and three other dots. Males have forewings 14-17 mm long, black or dark brown with transverse oblique postdiscal bands and several spots. The hind wings are yellow with brown costal margins, discal confluent points, wide ridges on the crest and angular points in the tornus. The head has a thin orange pattern and a pair of long black antennae. Long legs are black. Tripa tiger moths live in forest scrub, farmland and roadsides. More stationary by sticking to the leaf surface at the top. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropod...

Dlium