When and how was bacteriological weapons first used? Detailed answer

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When and how was bacteriological weapons first used? Detailed answer

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When and how was bacteriological weapons first used?

In 1347, during the siege by the Tatars of the Genoese city of Kafa (present-day Feodosia) on the southeastern coast of Crimea, a plague epidemic broke out in the camp of the besiegers.

Before lifting the siege, the Tatars for the first time in history used what today would be called bacteriological weapons: with the help of throwing weapons, they threw the corpses of the dead from the plague into the fortress. The consequences were horrendous. In the same year, a ship that arrived from Kafa in the port of Messina in Sicily brought the Black Death to Europe.

By 1350, every third of the 35,5 million population of what was then Central and Western Europe had become a victim of the epidemic.

Author: Kondrashov A.P.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

What is an amoeba?

Did you know that the amoeba is considered an animal? This gelatinous unicellular creature is so small that it can only be seen under a microscope. The main amoeba species live in freshwater rivers and ponds. But there are species that live at the bottom of salty reservoirs, in moist soil and food.

The amoeba is constantly changing its shape. She moves, pushing forward first one of her half, then the other. Like many jelly-like organisms, the amoeba moves in such a way that it forms a shape called a "false leg," or pseudopodia. When the pseudopodia reaches the food, it envelops it and takes it into the main body. This is how the amoeba eats. She doesn't have a mouth.

Amoeba belongs to the class of protozoa, which are the lowest rank of living beings. She has neither lungs nor gills. But it sucks in oxygen from the water, releases carbon dioxide, digests food, as more complex animals do. Probably, the amoeba also has feelings. When touched or when aroused, she immediately curls up into a tiny ball. Amoeba avoids bright light, too hot or cold water.

In an adult amoeba, the nucleus, a tiny point in the center of the protoplasm, is divided into two parts. After that, the amoeba itself splits, forming new independent organisms. When they reach full size, they again begin to share.

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Avalanche in the battery 23.07.2008

A Dutch researcher confirmed the possibility of an avalanche of electrons in semiconductor nanoparticles when they are illuminated.

In 2004, Los Alamos scientists discovered that some semiconductor nanoparticles behave unusually: when illuminated, they generate not one electron for every absorbed photon, but two or three. This phenomenon was called the "avalanche effect". Many scientists have tried to reproduce this phenomenon. After all, the efficiency of a solar battery created with its use without any tricks like light concentrators will increase to a record 44%.

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