Page 12 - AHATA

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local Friday 5 april 2024
Aruba’s Bocas: home to the rarest fossil reefs on the planet!

(Oranjestad)—If you’ve Bremen, Prof. dr. Alessio
been to the northern coast Rovere from the Ca' Fosc-
of Aruba already, you’ve ari University of Venice and
probably noticed how the Prof. dr. Gianfranco Scic-
ground differs entirely from chitano, from the University
the sandy beaches on the of Bari Aldo Moro, present-
southern part of the island. ed their research on these
These hard surfaces, with fossilized coral reefs at the
sharp bumps and holes University of Aruba. Their
are actually fossilized coral focus for their research in-
reefs, of which its growth cluded studying the health
and changes can be and formation patterns of
traced back to the last gla- these coral reefs, and to
cial period. investigate how these reefs
have responded and can
On May 30 2023, geosci- respond to fluctuating sea
entists, Dr. Patrick Boyden levels or extreme weather,
from the Marum research like hurricanes and tsuna-
faculty at the University of mis.
put things into perspective. This research is also im-
Through underwater and The ground on which we portant for the future of
land surveillance, and 3D have walked many times coral reefs on the island.
models of the reefs, they in the northern part of the By studying rising sea lev-
were able to narrow down island hold such rich history, els and climate impact on
when these formations history that dates back to these coral reefs, we are
started to take place. They a time that most of us can- able to take concrete ac-
were also able to track the not even imagine. As the tion in protecting and pre-
fluctuation of sea levels scientists themselves have serving our coral reefs. So, if
during the past hundred or pointed out, these fossilized you are ever visiting one of
even thousands of years, reefs on the windward side the bocas or driving along
and the effects that this are truly an incredible and the northern part of the is-
fluctuation has had on the rare remnant of geologi- land, please be conscious
coral reefs of the windward cal history, as they provide to help protect our natural
side of Aruba. a clear view of how these historical remnant. Oh, and
reefs have formed. wear (coral-friendly) sun-
These findings can certainly screen! q

Lessons from our elders:

Plants and fruits for medicinal use (part 2)

(Oranjestad)— In last vised to eat sweet potato 2 cause of how easy it was
week’s edition, we shared to 3 times a week. Howev- to do so. Cut the end of a
with our readers some me- er, if you have high blood sweet potato let it sit in shal-
dicinal use for plants and pressure, it is best not to eat low water until it starts to
fruits, passed down from too much sweet potato, as sprout. Then you may plant
our elders through genera- this raises blood pressure. it in the ground. Sweet po-
tions. This week, we present Sweet potatoes are also tatoes need plenty of wa-
two more uses of fruits and great for people who work ter to grow, especially in
plants for medicinal use. hard labor jobs, and it’s the first week in the ground.
been said to be aid blood It was said that once you
Sweet potato circulation in the body, start to notice the ground
According to our elders, as well as help those with crack underneath the flow- on harvest time. Tiny trees for our health. According
sweet potato is mostly use- hemorrhoids or diarrhea. ers, it is time to harvest. This produce tinier pomegran- to customs, pomegranate
ful for low blood pressure. Many of our elders opted should happen around ates that can be harvest- skin tea can help those that
People who suffer from low to plant sweet potatoes month 3. ed early on. Contrarily, suffer from diarrhea. Dried
blood pressure were ad- themselves, mostly be- big trees produce bigger pomegranate skin tea is
Pomegranate pomegranates, but they also good for people who
Pomegranates are also need enough time to fully have worms. Pomegranate
one of the easier fruits to ripen before harvesting, flowers can be boiled to
plant and harvest. Origi- otherwise you might end make a drink and this can
nated from Persia, this up with bitter seeds. Pome- be used for irritated gums;
plant can grow almost ev- granate trees are also very just take a swig and let the
erywhere. In Aruba, there easy to plant. In essence, tea sit in your mouth for a
are many homes that have if you just throw the seeds couple minutes. q
a tiny or big pomegranate on the ground, they could
tree. You may be wonder- grow into a tree. Source: Remedi i Kustumber
ing what the difference is di nos Bieunan (Medicine and
between a small and big In terms of medicinal use, Customs of our Elderly) by Di-
nah Veeris
pomegranate tree, for pomegranate skins are
which the answer is based said to have a few benefits