Mangroves

Mangroves have some interesting adaptations that help them survive in estuaries.

They grow in muddy soil that does not contain much oxygen. To get air, some mangroves give out special roots called breathing roots. Breathing roots are lined with special cells ( called lenticels) that absorb air. Mangroves are surrounded by salty water, which is harmful to most plants. A special membrane covering their roots helps mangroves to filter out most of the salt. Some mangroves are also able to excrete salt through their leaves.

First Woman in Space

Valentina Tereshkova ( Russian ; born 6 March 1937 ) is the first woman in space, now a retired Soviet cosmonaut. Out of more than four hundred applicants and then out of five finalists, she was selected to pilot Vostok 6 on 16 June 1963 and became the first woman to fly on space.

Before being recruited as a cosmonaut, Tereshkova was a textile - factory assembly worker and an amateur parachutist. After the famale cosmonaut groups dissolved in 1969, she became a prominent member the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, holding various political offices.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, she retired from politics but remained revered as a hero in Russia.