Some questions people asked me on science and my replies to them - 49

                                                                Interactive Science Series

Q: Do scientists have any identification system?

Krishna: Yes! ORCID! (Open Researcher and Contributor ID)

It is a nonproprietary alphanumeric code to uniquely identify scientific and other academic authors and contributors. ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier that distinguishes one researcher from every other researcher. This ID system addresses the problem that a particular author's contributions to the scientific literature or publications in the humanities can be hard to recognize as most personal names are not unique, they can change (such as with marriage), have cultural differences in name order, contain inconsistent use of first-name abbreviations and employ different writing systems. It provides a persistent identity for humans, similar to that created for content-related entities on digital networks by digital object identifiers.
The ORCID organization offers an open and independent registry intended to be the de facto standard for contributor identification in research and academic publishing. On 16 October 2012, ORCID launched its registry services and started issuing user identifiers.
You can visit the site here: https://orcid.org/

Q: Which groups do you belong to? Politics, religion, other beliefs etc. etc.

Krishna: I don't want to associate myself with any group except the true scientific community. I always want to be neutral, analyse everything in an open, rational, independent and unbiased way. Attaching myself to something takes away this luxury from me. 

Q: I am a 28 year-old man. I have a problem. My parents force me to eat lots of food. The result is I am over weight with a huge pot belly. What shall I do to reduce my weight? I went to a gym for a few days but my problem remained the same. Please help!

Krishna: There is a problem with the thought process of parents and elders (aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, grand parents etc.) here - that if you consume lots of rice (we get mostly refined  ones here), or other staple food, it will make you 'very healthy'. So they fill your plate with lots of cooked rice and when you consume it, they fill it again and again and ask you to eat all of that. :)

I want to ask these people a few questions? Has eating lots of food made anyone healthy? Don't people who eat lots fall sick? Didn't they hear that overweight results in more health complications and that it kills more people? Don't they realize, quality is more important than quantity?

Just look at the stats...

“Overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk for global deaths. At least 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. 44% of the diabetes burden, 23% of the ischaemic heart disease burden, and between 7% and 41% of certain cancer burdens are attributable to overweight and obesity.”

The truth is just 'eating a lot' doesn't make you healthy ! 'Eating healthy' makes you healthy. 

Eating small frequent meals is good for your health instead of eating heavy meals twice or thrice  a day. Eating a variety of food grains - instead of just refined rice - is healthy. Eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables is healthy.  Adding protein-rich foods to your diet is healthy. Eating moderate amount of good fats is healthy.

Did you notice, the gym people give you a diet chart too? Just exercising doesn't reduce your weight. You have to create a negative energy in your body to lose weight. That means, you have to spend more energy than you consume. 

You must first ask your folks to stop filling your plate with just one type of food. Eat less rice. Eat small portions of food six times a day with three-hour intervals. Add more vegetables to your diet. Eat other types of food made from whole grains or pulses. Eat fruits that have less sugars like water or musk milans, apples, pomogranates, oranges etc.  

And walk a lot. Exercise. Work and move! If you follow this I am sure you would definitely lose weight.

All the best to you.

Q: Is bad luck good for any person according to science?

Krishna: There isn’t anything called ‘bad luck’. It is just your perception about a situation. If you cannot analyse the condition you are in properly, if you cannot overcome your difficulties using this analysis, you call it bad luck.

If you can change your situation using your mind’s ability, you can have a different view on this!

Q: What is whey protein? Is is beneficial when consumed?

Krishna: Whey protein is a mixture of globular proteins isolated from whey - the liquid material created as a by-product of cheese production (milk is made of two proteins, casein and whey). Whey protein can also be separated from the casein in milk. It is marketed as a dietary supplement by some alternative medical practitioners. Whey protein is considered a complete protein as it contains all 9 essential amino acids. It is low in lactose content. Various health claims have been attributed to it. However, many of the potential benefits attributed to it are based on single studies and more evidence is required before making definitive judgment. Whey protein is a mixture of beta-lactoglobulin, alpha lactalbumin, bovine serum albumin, and immunoglobins. Possible benefits attributed to it include weight loss and lowering cholesterol.
Possible dangers include nausea and headaches, but at moderate doses, whey protein is not considered dangerous.

Some people who are allergic to milk may be specifically allergic to whey. In moderate doses, whey protein does not typically cause any adverse events. However, consuming very high doses can cause stomach pains, cramps, reduced appetite, nausea, headache, fatigue and consistent high doses of whey protein may also cause acne. From a nutritional point of view, whey protein is very unusual and does not have a natural equivalent.

Also consider these things while deciding whether to go for whey or not ...

Most whey proteins are heat processed. This denatures the proteins, strips the whey of vital nutrients.

Chemical additives and toxic metals are also added.

In one report, fifteen protein powders and drinks were tested for levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.

Out of these fifteen, three samples were of particular concern, as they tested high for levels of these toxic chemicals.

Consider the fact that cadmium accumulates and can damage kidneys. Furthermore, it can take up to twenty years for the body to eliminate even of half the cadmium it absorbs!

Various sweeteners are added to whey to make it more tasteful. 

Whey that comes from grass-fed cows will be more beneficial. The cows should also not be under hormone or antibiotic treatments.

Hope this helps.

Q: Is any of Indian mythology stories proved by science?

Krishna: Mythologies are highly creative. People thinking about a few things in several imaginary ways is highly appreciative. "Careful Observations" about life around made these stories more informative. But when these mythologies were narrated, there 's no true science that can stand up to modern scientific scrutiny.  

So the  highly aspirational 'proved by modern science' is a bit asking for too much.

Q: What will happen if aliens declare war on us and attack us? 

Krishna: Professor Michio Kaku said that we are at about Level 0.7 on a three level scale of civilizations. This means by implication that any intelligent aliens able to reach Earth from even the closest system yet detected are at least a Level II civilization. So we can assume that what Earth’s nations do about an attack by a Level II civilization wouldn’t even have time to ask, “What should we do…?” before we were either completely conquered or completely destroyed.

It is too gloomy to even think about it.

Q: Will you do your work even if nobody appreciates it and reads/ views it?

Krishna:  Yes, I would! No doubt appreciations encourage you. And views make your effort worth going through.

But that is not the entire story. I have a mission. To communicate science. That is not easy. You have to overcome several roadblocks like peoples’ confirmation biases, mind blocks, conditioning of minds, closed minds, strange perceptions, etc. etc. Even getting though is not easy leave alone consideration and acceptance.

But … the effort must go on … and … I think I have succeeded up to some extent.

I am not going to stop … I will do this till I breathe my last breath!

Q: Are we made of star dust?

Krishna: Yes, we are! Or you can say Cosmic dust. According to Astro-biologists ... sun was actually an unnamed star or collection of stars that died billions of years ago in a supernova, which then seeded nearby nebulae with the higher elements beyond iron that make up our body. Literally, our bodies are made of stardust, from stars that died billions of years ago.

The current theory of primordial elemental abundance (which is in pretty good agreement with measurements, except for Lithium) predicts very trace amounts of anything heavier than Helium. The very early universe was mostly just Hydrogen, a tiny bit of Deuterium, Helium, Lithium, and not much else. Everything heavier was formed from nuclear fusion in stars. These heavier elements then make it elsewhere in the universe if their host stars are sufficiently heavy to end in a supernova.

Q: Scientifically, is it possible for the mind to stop thinking when it’s alive?  

Krishna: This is my personal experience.

For a short period, yes! Whenever I think I am not going on the right track in my thought process, I pause, start taking deep breaths, concentrate only on my breathing and magically all the thoughts disappear. I try to hold my thoughts on this pause mode as long as possible so that peace of mind returns, racing of my heart beat and BP is controlled, normalcy returns. And I will be still alive after this whole process!

What do you call that?!

(There will absolutely be no thoughts! Except for concentrating on breathing! Anybody  can try this process and see for themselves how it works.)

Q: Can science fail?

Krishna: It has to! If it doesn't it is not science! No theory is permanent in science, it has to satisfy the criteria of falsifiability.  Proving a hypothesis is important, but eliminating the wrong hypothesis is vital too.

That is the beauty of scientific methodology. 

Q: Can a paper be folded more than seven times?

Krishna: Yes! Watch this video that busted the myth...

Q: Why did I, of all people, get cancer?

Krishna: Sorry to hear about your condition.  I know how you feel. In such situations it is easy to get bitter.

But several things can cause cancer. During the biochemical reactions and interactions that take place in the body of a living being anything can happen anytime. And anything can go wrong anytime. When several factors influence these things, you have the capacity to control only  a few things.  Rest of the things depend on chance. You have no control over them.

But don't lose hope. The research work to beat cancer is going on in several laboratories around the world. It is one of those fights the scientists are taking seriously. It is only a matter of time before we can gain control over it. Meanwhile, depending on the stage your cancer is, you can try the available treatments our present knowledge provided us.  

This life is precious. Live as long as you can with the help provided by modern science. 

And I wish you a speedy recovery and a great remission. 

Q: Is science moral or immoral? 

Krishna: Science is about observing facts, telling the truth as you see them and is independent of moral or immoral considerations. 

However, people who make use of the knowledge it provides can go in both directions.