People skim through winter clothes at a makeshift shop at New Market yesterday. With the cold weather about to set in, many traders in the capital have already changed their range with colourful winter garments.
Photo: Prabir Das
WHAT THE SLUG! … A Hypselodoris kanga, a type of sea slug, more specifically a nudibranch, spotted around 10-12ft deep into the Bay of Bengal. This fascinating creature can be found largely in the Indo-Pacific region. It uses its striking orange and blue spots as a deterrent against predators. Nudibranchs have voracious appetites and prefer feeding on sea sponges, from which they absorb toxic chemicals and incorporate them into their mantle glands on their backs. They then use this chemical to repel their own predators! They also eat corals, anemones, algae or other nudibranchs. Sea slugs are crucial to the environment as they are indicator species, meaning their behaviour can give off clues about the health of the sea they are inhabiting. Nudibranchs, specifically, are also medically important as the toxic compound they acquire from their food can be used as powerful chemical agents to deter the growth of cancer cells in human beings.
PHOTO: SHARIF SARWAR
Awami League leaders and activists gather at the party office on Bangabandhu Avenue in Gulistan as part of their “peace rally” yesterday. Meanwhile, the opposition BNP’s office in Nayapaltan remains locked and guarded by police. The 12th general election will be held on January 7, the Election Commission announced on Wednesday amid escalating tension between the major political parties over the polls-time government. Photo: Prabir Das
