SCI-ART LAB

Science, Art, Litt, Science based Art & Science Communication

                                                                      Interactive science series

Q: Why don't some children don't get diseases despite not taking vaccines?

Krishna: The reason some people have avoided getting ill is the rest of us are vaccinated and act as fences or through herd immunity . Simple! 

Read the entire explanation here: vaccine-woes

Q:Are human beings depending on science or science depending on humans?

Krishna : We humans - why only humans entire universe and its constituents - depend on science. Without scientific principles governing it, the universe will collapse! We wouldn’t have come into existence in the first place without science.
And … human understanding of science is totally important for our own progress and well being.
Science doesn’t depend on human beings. Even without us, the universe can run with the help of science.
However, scientists’ ‘understanding of this universal mystery of science’ is extremely important for our own technological advance and science and technology progress that shapes up our future. 

Q: What foods cause high BP?

Krishna: Licorice. The glycyrhinic acid ( Glycyrrhizin) that is in the liquorice, the chemical structure of which is like a mineralocorticoid hormone (Aldosterone) thus retains salt and water and induce hypertension (1,2).  

Q: (Based on the above one) what about salt?

Krishna:  I didn't touch salt because there's a vigorous debate between two groups of  experts: those who think that high salt diets contribute to high blood pressure and thus we should regulate salt in foods better, or those who say there isn't good evidence and we should not embark on that big experiment. Recent evidence points toward salt not being a major factor for populations (the effect in people without high blood pressure is small) but there are certainly individuals who have salt sensitive hypertension. 

And do you know drinking water or any liquid will temporarily raise blood pressure?

Caffeine containing foods can slightly increase blood pressure?

Many people with high blood pressure can reduce their blood pressure by reducing alcohol intake?

Weight loss controls blood pressure too, so indirectly, obesity promoting foods raise blood pressure?

Q; The way to test egg quality is to put them in water. Spoiled eggs float while good eggs sink in water and go to the bottom. We learnt this in our science class. My question is why do spoiled eggs float?

Krishna: Your teacher must have explained this to you! Why did he or she left this in the middle? Anyway, I can answer this Q for you and aid your understanding process. 

Good eggs are heavier ( because of higher density) than water and therefore sink.

Bad eggs will be under the state of decomposition. As more of the egg decomposes, more of its mass is converted to gases. A gas bubble forms inside the egg so an older egg floats on its end. However, eggs are porous, so some of the gas escapes through the eggshell and is lost to the atmosphere. Although gases are light, they do have mass and affect the density of the egg. When enough gas is lost, the density of the egg is less than that of water and therefore, the egg floats.

It's a common misconception that rotten eggs float because they contain more gas.

If the inside of an egg rotted and the gas couldn't escape, the mass of the egg would be unchanged. Its density would also be unchanged because the volume of an egg is constant (as eggs don't expand like balloons). Changing matter from the liquid state to the gas state doesn't change the amount of mass!

The gas has to leave the egg and make it light for it to float.

Q: If a scientist does an experiment and the results are not as he or she expected, would the scientist consider this a bad result? Why or why not? What can they learn from this?

Krishna: Scientists fail several times before succeeding. This is because they would be the first people entering a new unknown arena each time they conduct a new experiment. Each result, either -what you call -good or bad, will help understand things better. While each positive result generates a hundred more questions to work on, each negative one shows you how not to fail again.
They aren’t actually good or bad. It just is your perception. Each one helps you some way. It is a process of learning. You enjoy every thrilling moment the scientific process takes you through. 

Q: Were our ancestors scientific?

Krishna: To be marked as scientific today you have to follow strict scientific method. Otherwise there wouldn’t be any difference between science and a blind belief, ideology, and mere opinions.
Moreover, one thought in science leads to another. One discovery or invention shows way to another. Science is a process that is built up on earlier authenticated (through evidence) ideas or theories. If there isn’t anything to guide you, your imaginations go wild! If there isn’t a process to control you, you tend to think every idea you got is right and you found truth.
Some time back  one person argued with scientists that souls were ‘discovered by spiritualists’!
‘Discovered?! Where is the evidence’, scientists asked.
‘Souls are not matter to see or show evidence’, he said.
‘If it is not matter, is it energy’, Ss asked?
‘It isn’t energy too, we just feel it!’, he replied
There you are! If it is neither matter, nor energy, there is no chance of its existence. If you just ‘feel it’, it is just your emotion and your wild imagination! It doesn’t come under the heading science!
Our ancestors thought about several things, gave explanations in wildest ways possible to what we see around and what we don’t see or feel too.
Now some creative people are giving spins to these explanations of our ancestors and are creating pseudo-science in the process. And others around are thinking that it is real science and are feeling proud too.
However, some of the highly intelligent people among our ancestors had some radical ideas and thoughts too. They withstood the thorough scrutiny of modern day science and can be included in science. But these are rare cases. Like Some of our ancestors dealt with earlier forms of metallurgy and maths.
Others, though  not tested properly, were followed by trial and error methods and the experience obtained through this process like ayurveda, our ancient medical practice. It can be called primitive science.
So some of our ancestors dealt with what we now call ‘primitive science’.

Q: Based on the above one: "Imagination" is important in science. Einstein himself said this. Then why don't you consider imagination of some people? 

Krishna: Absence of evidence is reason why we refuse to endorse what some say. We don’t deal with wild imaginations in science. Only informed imaginations. Learn the difference.

Q: Why do scientists show arrogance while dealing with laymen?

Krishna: Hmmm!  Well let me put before you what my friends from the scientific community and colleagues say about this. 

Scientists are extremely busy people. They give more value to their time than any other people in the world. And their minds are always burning with thoughts and ideas. They don't want to get disturbed while this is happening.

But as soon as they see scientists, some people try to strike conversation with them, try to tell them about their strange beliefs, ideas, opinions and 'all sorts of nonsense' and what not 'to impress the most intelligent people on Earth'  (these are not my words). 

Read the above Q and my reply. Somebody comes and tells a scientist that he or she 'discovered' something. 'Great, show me the evidence', the scientist asks.  ''Evidence? Mahatma Gandhi believed in it, Vivekananda believed in it. President Trump believes in it. Isn't that evidence? When so many people believe in it, it becomes a fact." 

Scientist: Huh! 

And... the person continues his argument ... refusing to listen to what the scientist tries to explain that beliefs don't become evidence even if the whole world believes in them according to science.

The scientist gets irritated. 'A  non-scientific argument cannot become part of my world', he thinks, "Why am I wasting my time with this person who cannot understand what a scientific evidence is, what science is, what my world is. Why isn't he backing off. How can I get rid of him and save my time?"

Finally he snaps.

Is the scientist arrogant? Yes, he is! If defending science is arrogance, if saving his precious time from unnecessary arguments is arrogance, if attacking irrational things is arrogance, scientists are undoubtedly arrogant.

One of my scientist friends put it this way...

'You watch a baby speak. You find it cute although you cannot understand the baby's boo boo. 

Because, you know that the a baby cannot think or talk properly. A grown up person can think and talk very well. But still if he doesn't do this? If he refuses to become more intelligent  by listening to, trying to understand and think about evidence based facts in a critical way? If he still thinks and talks like a baby? You get annoyed! If we tell them to grow up, is that arrogance?'

Think about that!

Q: Does weather have any affect on growing fetuses?

Krishna: Studies suggest that women who experience unusually hot or cold weather during pregnancy are at increased risk for having babies with a low birth weight, even when the baby was not born prematurely.

The women who 'e exposed to unusually cold weather in the second and third trimesters, or unusually hot weather in the third trimester, 're 18 to 31 percent more likely to have term low-birth-weight babies, compared with those who 're exposed to milder weather in the second and third trimesters.

In addition, women exposed to unusually hot or cold weather over their entire pregnancy 're about 2.5 times more likely to have term low-birth-weight babies, compared to those exposed to milder temperatures over their entire pregnancy. 

It was also found that extreme heat conditions increases the chances of a fetus developing heart defects in the first three to eight weeks after conception. According to some doctors, the extreme heat conditions affect the development of the heart. There have been cases where the blood cells break and the heart is pumping hard. In most of these cases there is a miscarriage. If the baby develops completely often during the labour period it was found that the baby 's not able to take the pressure of the pain and it results in still birth. Similarly,  when the mother has very high fever and when her body temperature rises, if the body temperature is not controlled early, the fetus is found to have malformations and often it proves to be fatal. The women who work in factories, closed enclosures and in industrial zones where the heat is very high or those who work in the hot sun are found to have problems in conception and multiple miscarriages. 

Pregnant women, therefore, have to protect themselves from both extreme heat and cold.

Q: As a scientist, in what way would you like to be famous?

Krishna: Famous?! I don’t think (most) scientists work to become famous.

What drives a scientist most of the time is the urge to solve the difficult problems, get answers to difficult Qs, curiosity to understand the mysteries of nature, unquenchable thirst for knowledge. And of course if all this brings enough money to eat and live s/he will be very satisfied.

If your work helps the world in some way, that might make you famous too.

And most of the famous scientists were made famous because of the media push. And most of the time it is unintentional from scientists’ point of view.

Of course there are some who deliberately go the famous way, but their numbers are small.

Finally the specific answer to your Q: If at all I become famous, that bonus should be based on my good work.

Q: Why our government is spending money to produce Homeopath doctors? Isn't it a pseudo-science?

Homeopathy ineffective, study confirms

1,800 Studies Later, Scientists Conclude Homeopathy Doesn’t Work

Another Review Finds Homeopathy Worthless

Homeopathy officially doesn't work, according to Russia's top scien...

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org...

This is what a liver transplant surgeon told me recently...

If the Government closes all the homeopathic colleges, bans Homeopathy, several people will become jobless. People who depend on placebo effect of Homeopathy become miserable. They will agitate. That is a hot potato no Government wants to handle.

So they spend money on it like they are spending on several other useless things. Just grin and bear it till …

Q: What does science say about miracles?

Krishna: When something happens that defies explanation or beyond their understanding people attribute it to a miracle from supernatural beings. It's called confirmation bias, i.e., confirmation of their beliefs using things that happened by chance. We call it ‘God of gaps’ phenomenon - bringing in supernatural things to explain things that have no understanding in the present circumstances.

Let us take ‘cancer cure’ miracle like some people claim. "Religionists love to bolster their faith in the incredible by saying things like "the terminally ill cancer patient was cured and scientists can't explain why", with the implication that it must be a miracle, performed by a supernatural being (usually, the deity they believe in) and that science is an useless tool in certain conditions.

For every person that heals without any conventional explanation, how many died of the same illness such as cancer? Why couldn't all they be cured? Why only one? Who picked that person?

Science tells us when all things fall into the right place, your immune system can work to erase some cancers. This is called spontaneous regression and with some cancers, it can happen relatively frequently while for other cancers it happens very rarely. The more dramatic spontaneous remissions have been described in patients with very advanced cancer of the kidney (renal cell) and melanoma, a very dangerous and aggressive form of skin cancer.

Spontaneous regression is an immune phenomenon probably related to check point inhibition. There are immune checkpoints that prevent the immune system from recognizing and attacking cancer. The newer immunotherapies with checkpoint inhibitors unlock this blockage by interfering with PD-1 and PD-L1 and allow immune destruction of the cancer. The results can be very dramatic and long lasting in some patients.

Spontaneous remission is the sudden, inexplicable resolution of cancer, without specific treatment.

https://www.quora.com/Can-cancer...

Statistics tell us several probabilities are possible. Out of all the probabilities, if one falls into your lap, that has a positive affect in your life, it need not be a ‘miracle’ or even ‘good luck’.

Reflective thinkers are more likely to see the event as a statistical fluke, while intuitive thinkers feel it is magic or a miracle!

People also say if such things have negative effect, it is ‘bad luck’ or because of ‘buri nazar’.

It just is an interpretation of what has happened to you with your limited understanding and bias thinking, not reality.

When several factors decide outcomes, they follow the interplay of scientific rules and routes and exactly fit into the reaction realities.

Science, as an infant, must accept that it doesn't know the answers...

Wait till science finds time to explain all your miracles. It has already done this in several cases. And …

"Throughout history, every mystery ever solved has turned out to be... NOT MAGIC." - Tim Minchin

CITATIONS:

1.  Glycyrrhizic acid in liquorice--evaluation of health hazard.

2.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc...

Views: 238

Replies to This Discussion

202

RSS

© 2024   Created by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service