Srinivas Padma: Personal Musings on Life, Growth, and Connections

Within a deep and narrow cave in South Africa, paleoanthropologist Lee Berger and his team found fossil remains belonging to the newest member of our human family. The Homo naledi discovery adds another exciting chapter to the human evolution story by introducing an ancestor that was primitive but shared physical characteristics with modern humans.   Because the cave system where the bones were located was extremely difficult to access, it could be speculated that these hominins practiced a behavior previously believed to be modern: that of deliberately disposing of their dead underground. Click here to read more about the Homo naledi discovery: http://natgeo.org/naledi A NOVA/National Geographic special, “Dawn of Humanity,” premieres Sept. 16, 2015, at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on PBS in the U.S: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolutio... Learn more about National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Lee Berger: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/exp... The finds are described i...

Sometimes our darling pets join us in our daily activities so effortlessly as if they’ve been preparing for this moment their whole lives. Such is the case with the hilarious video you are about to see.  It’s widely known that yoga is great for the mind, body and soul. But few people know that dogs are equally interested in holistic living as us humans. Any dog owner who has ever tried to work out while their beloved pup is in the vicinity will probably agree with me.  While practicing Yoga in the presence of your pet dog, it would inquisitively circle around, sniffing and licking and trying to figure out why you are laying on the floor like that; others think its playtime, and try to initiate a game. But never before this video have I seen a dog so that reacts like this…This is uproarious! Yogis and non-yogis alike will get a good laugh out of the video below…enjoy!

Joining Both Palms Together To Greet In Hindu culture, people greet each other by joining their palms – termed as “Namaskar.” The general reason behind this tradition is that greeting by joining both the palms means respect. However, scientifically speaking, joining both hands ensures joining the tips of all the fingers together; which are denoted to the pressure points of eyes, ears, and mind. Pressing them together is said to activate the pressure points which helps us remember that person for a long time. And, no germs since we don’t make any physical contact! Why Do Indian Women Wear Toe Ring Wearing toe rings is not just the significance of married women but there is science behind it. Normally toe rings are worn on the second toe. A particular nerve from the second toe connects the uterus and passes to heart. Wearing toe ring on this finger strengthens the uterus. It will keep it healthy by regulating the blood flow to it and menstrual cycle will be regularized....

India has no dearth of beautiful travel destinations. Some are more popular and more commercialized than others. That in no way implies that the lesser-known places have anything less to offer; just that they haven't been explored as much. This is why you need to know places that aren't as saturated by tourists. You need a list of the most underrated travel options in India. You would be surprised by how much this country has to offer. 1. Tarkarli, Maharashtra   Frankly, almost any beach on the Konkan coast could have qualified for this spot. Tarkarli, in Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra, with its pristine waters, long and narrow beaches with Shuru trees in the background, managed to earn some extra points. It's one of the most peaceful and non-commercialized beaches in India. 2. Lambasingi, Andhra Pradesh   The very fact that Lambasingi, in Vishakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh, is one of those rare places in South India that boasts of snowfall ma...

Apple iPhone can do all sorts of magical things that you probably aren't aware of. Here's a list of some of the iPhone's coolest hidden features.  Get Siri to read your emails aloud for you Just say the magic words “Read my email” and Siri will read all your messages aloud to you. If you like, you can tell her to read only your most recent email (“Read my latest email”) or just those from a specific contact (“Do I have email from Mark?”). Automatically turn off your music with the timer If you like to doze off with music playing like I do, you can use the timer to automatically turn your music off so that it doesn't play all night. In the timer app, select “When Timer Ends,” then scroll down and select “Stop Playing.” The Timer will automatically turn off your tunes after whatever length of time you set. Scroll through videos and music at half, quarter, or eighth speed This one is super useful. When you scroll—or as Apple calls it, "scrub...