SCI-ART LAB

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

                                                           Interactive science series

Q: How can you associate love with the heart when all our emotions come from the right part of the brain?
Krishna : The association originated in ancient times when people don’t know anything about brain function. But it still continues despite our recent knowledge like all other things people have misconceptions about.

Now even ‘right part of brain’ is not fully correct too. All parts of your brain work in tandem all the time. Primitive areas of the brain are involved in romantic love - amygdala, the hippocampus, and the prefrontal cortex—are exceptionally sensitive to (and reinforcing of) behaviour that induces pleasure.

And your brain function effects your heart. “A broken heart” or “a lump in your heat” is a real sensation people feel in their chest when their love refuses them!

Falling in love makes your body produce some feel good hormones. This is responsible for making our cheeks flush, our palms sweat and our hearts race! Levels of these substances, which include dopamine, adrenaline and norepinephrine, increase when two people fall in love. Dopamine creates feelings of euphoria while adrenaline and norepinephrine are responsible for the ‘matters’ of the heart, restlessness and overall preoccupation that go along with experiencing love.

The heart is in a constant two-way dialogue with the brain — our emotions change the signals the brain sends to the heart and the heart responds in complex ways. However, we now know that the heart also sends information to the brain. And the brain responds to the heart in many important ways. Research explains how the heart responds to emotional and mental reactions and why certain emotions stress the body and drain our energy. As we experience feelings like anger, frustration, anxiety and insecurity, our heart rhythm patterns become more erratic. These erratic patterns are sent to the emotional centers in the brain, which it recognizes as negative or stressful feelings. These signals create the actual feelings we experience in the heart area and the body. The erratic heart rhythms also block our ability to think clearly.

Likewise euphoria created when one is in love because of hormonal production which is signalled by brain and the resultant heart response are important in thinking ‘love is a matter of the heart’ rather than brain because your heart rate, sensations felt in the chest make people think love is associated with heart rather than brain!

Anyway entire body of any living system is a single unit. It works in unity and you cannot dissociate one part from the other. And working of each part effects other parts too. But what you feel or where sensations are felt dictates how you feel about it.

Can you now think of the image of the brain rather than heart when you are in love? Try and do that! :)

This shows that for most people in the world emotional thinking is more important than critical thinking . That is why this world is erratic and irrational most of the time.

{ A lady (Ms SS) wrote to me after reading this: Convincing Explanation, Ma'am, selection of scientific scenarios and usage of day to day words explains things very clearly. Thanks.}

Q: Dr. Krishna, I have a problem. I am a normal person most of the time. But sometimes, I get this strange feeling that someone is in my head.  And that person is directing me to do some unusual things. He is forcing me to do things I don't want to do ... like kill a neighbour who has been troubling me. Beat to death my niece and nephew who make lots of noise. I try to control myself but I am afraid I might carry out this person's instructions sometimes. What shall I do to get rid of this problem? 

Krishna: Consult a medical doctor who deals with these issues immediately. You are showing symptoms of Schizophrenia. Take medicines before you lose complete control over your mind.

Q: What is the science behind intuition? How can we understand others' feelings and emotions without them saying anything about them?

Krishna: Intuition is sometimes defined as 'immediate cognition', i.e. knowledge which is immediately evident without interference or evidence. It has its origins in pattern seeking behaviour of our brains. Intuition is a form of unconscious reasoning (one that’s rooted in the way our brains collect and store information) or reasoning from within, whereby we recognise patterns as we accumulate knowledge. When you accumulate knowledge, you start recognizing patterns. Your brain unconsciously organizes these patterns into blocks of information (chunking). Over time your brain chunks and links more and more patterns, then stores these clusters of knowledge in your long-term memory. When you see some details of a familiar design, you instantly recognize the larger composition — and that’s what people of science regard as a flash of intuition.

This makes you recognize a situation or understand a familiar person immediately. Your intuition may not always be right, but it can be a useful first step. But always use your rational and critical thinking power to arrive at a final conclusion and never depend on your intuition alone.

Shall I tell you why? I have a 'scientist' friend. He works in a lab alright. But he is not an actual scientist according to me. He fell in love ( I don't want to tell with whom). He told me his intuition told him even this lady loved him and therefore would definitely accept his proposal. My critical thinking told me for sure he was wrong. Then he got the shock of his life when the lady rejected him.

He misread the cues. His emotions screwed up his mind. His intuition couldn't recognize the patterns correctly while my critical thinking did.

Moral of the story: Critical thinking is far better than intuition.

Q: Who is the 2nd best Scientist of 21st Century after Stephen Hawking ? Because my favourite Stephen Hawking Sir is no more. 

We, the people of the scientific community, think all scientists are equally good and each person’s contribution to the world of science is equally important. All work adds up and makes science more powerful. Nobody’s work is more important than others’ work in the field. All work is dependent on others’ work, knowledge contributed, and light thrown.

There are no number ones, numbers twos and threes in science. Science is not sport or politics or religion or music. Get that right.

Q: What evidence science has to say Homeopathy doesn't work?

Krishna: Lots. 

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/category/homeopathy/

What's the harm in homeopathy?

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://consultations.nhmrc.gov.au/public_consultations/homeopathy_...

Q: Has the death of Stephen Hawking led to the death of popular physics? Now there are no other household names as far as physics is concerned.

Krishna : ‘‘NO”, is my firm answer. ‘There are no other household names as far as physics is concerned’- words of an ill-informed person.
Neil Degrasse Tyson, Higgs ( Higgs Boson fame), Dr. Sean Carroll, Steven Weinberg, Edward Witten to name a few are famous house hold names too.
We talk about them and their work as much as we do about Hawking. Hawking was made famous by the media because of his extraordinary courage despite his condition and the books he wrote. But the scientists I named are as good as Hawking in the world of physics. 

Q: How can an oncologist decide when to use radiotherapy and when to use chemotherapy?

Krishna: That usually depends on the stages of cancer. In a general way, radiation therapy works only in a localized area of the body. It only cures by itself if the cancer is at a very early stage. If there is any possibility the cancer has spread away to lymph nodes or other organs, chemotherapy is also needed because when cancer cells break away from a tumor, they can travel to other areas of the body through either the bloodstream or the lymph system and reach all over the body.

Q: What is a viscose cloth?

Krishna: Viscose (called rayon in the US) is a type of rayon. The name “viscose” derived from the way this fibre is manufactured, a viscous organic liquid used to make both rayon and cellophane.  Viscose is the generalised term for a regenerated manufactured fibre, made from cellulose, obtained by the viscose process. Chemically, viscose resembles cotton, but it can also take on many different qualities depending on how it is manufactured.

As a manufactured regenerated cellulose fibre, it is neither truly natural (like cotton, wool or silk) nor truly synthetic (like nylon or polyester) – it falls somewhere in between.

If a fibre is manufactured, then it is made from cellulose or protein. Cellulose is a carbohydrate and the chief component in the walls of plants. There is a difference between synthetic and manufactured fibres, which makes a difference in their sustainability. Viscose is made from wood pulp, making it a cellulosic fibre, like cotton or linen. It is often regarded as only partially manmade.

Manufactured fibres derive from naturally occurring cellulose, or protein, while synthetic fibres do not – they are completely man-made. So, if they come from a natural source, then why don’t they fall under the “natural fibre” category? Because they require extensive processing to get to the finished result. Therefore, the category of manufactured fibres is often referred to as “regenerated cellulose.”

Because viscose is made from renewable plants, it is frequently cited as being environmentally friendly, and sustainable. To create viscose, and make it stand up to regular wearing and washing, it must be chemically treated. The recycled wood pulp is treated with chemicals such as caustic soda, ammonia, acetone, and sulphuric acid. We therefore have a fabric, which comes from a natural and sustainable source, but that is made with chemicals. Viscose is increasingly being manufactured using the Lyocell process. This uses N-Methlymorpholine N-oxide as the solvent. This method produces little waste product, making it far more eco-friendly.

Viscose is the oldest manufactured fibre, first being produced in 1883 as a cheap alternative to silk. Viscose production generally begins with wood pulp, and there are several chemical and manufacturing techniques to make it.

The  beneficial characteristics of viscose include: Versatile – it blends very well with other fibres, breathable, drapes well, excellent colour retention, highly absorbent, very smooth, does not trap body heat, relatively light, strong and robust, soft and comfortable, inexpensive and no static build up.

The minus points are : It can shrink when washed, can wrinkle easily, deteriorates with exposure to light, susceptible to mildew and fibres can weaken when wet.

Q: Where is the soul of a person while he or she is unconscious because of general anesthesia?

Krishna: First tell us where the soul of a person is when s/he is conscious. Where is the evidence? Has anyone observed it?

Soul is an imaginative thing, according to several scientists. You are asking a Q based on imaginative things.

When you can show evidence of its presence first, someone can answer where it will be when a person is under the influence of GA.

Soul?! What is it according to science and scientists?

Q: Are there any signs of an afterlife for humans that are proven scientifically?

Krishna : No, there is no clear cut evidence of after life till now. Only anecdotal stories and pseudo-scientific explanations.

There is no after life according to science

Q: What do you think of things our politicians say about the link between science and our ancient scriptures?

Krishna: I have better things to do than think and talk about silly things our politicians say day in and day out about science.

Hit the ignore button. If you talk more about them, the views will become ‘famous’.

Q: Can meditation have negative effects?

Krishna: I have seen a research paper which says so! 

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.01...

The paper says...

Meditation may prompt negative thinking, might change your sensory perception, you might not be as motivated to do things as before practicing meditation, you might re-live negative memories and thoughts, might experience some physical side effects, it might damage your sense of self and can make you anti-social.

 Q: How come astrology seems to be very accurate even though it is not based on scientific evidence?

Many scientific studies have been made, and they all show that astrology is no more accurate than chance would have it in making predictions.

Some Indian scientists too have tried to test astrology predictions. Their experiment with twenty-seven Indian astrologers judging forty horoscopes each, and a team of astrologers judging 200 horoscopes, showed that none were able to tell bright children from mentally handicapped children better than chance. Their results contradict the claims of Indian astrologers and are consistent with the many tests of Western astrologers. In summary, their results are firmly against Indian astrology being considered as a science.

http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Downloads/article_id_096_05_0641_06...

An interesting real story …

It seems a very famous astrologer's wife was about to give birth. While she was being taken to a lobour room in a hospital, the astrologer gave money to one of the nurses and asked her to throw a lemon outside through the window - which should not be done actually - as soon as the baby was born.

The nurse obliged. Based on the time the lemon was thrown out of the window, the Astrologer prepared a horoscope for the girl. According to the astrologer's prediction, the first husband of the girl would die just two months after the marriage. Then she would marry another man and lives a very happy life.

Then when the girl was about 18, the astrologer thought ... 'Anyway the first husband of my daughter would die, why should I make her marry a good and healthy person? Let me get her a mentally retarded person who would be of no use and if he dies, nobody would be unhappy. After this person dies, I can search for a good groom and bring him as my second- son-in-law'. So he searched a for such a mentally ill person and got his daughter married to him.

But... his mentally challenged son-in-law didn't die even after several years making his daughter suffer all through her life!

The astrologer regretted his bad decision based on his worst prediction throughout his life.

That is what Astrology is!

Why Astrology is a Fool’s paradise

Q: Why does food taste bitter when we have fever?

Krishna: Studies (1) say it is our immune system that is responsible for the bitter taste. Research reveals tumor necrosis factor (TNF), an immune system regulatory protein that promotes inflammation, also helps regulate sensitivity to bitter taste. The finding may provide a mechanism to explain the taste system abnormalities and decreased food intake that can be associated with infections, autoimmune disorders, and chronic inflammatory diseases.

Specific chemical substances called cytokines are released by our body to fight the infection.

These cytokines are proteins that enable our body's defense (immune) cells to communicate with one another and play an important role in the initiation, maintenance, and subsequent folding down of the immune response. One of these cytokines is called tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). 

TNF regulates bitter taste in normal mice and that elevated  TNF levels associated with infection or inflammation may cause foods to taste more bitter. 

Q: What's the scientific explanation for dèjà vu? Isn't it baffling that we can somehow see the future? Does this hint that time travel is plausible?
Q: Is deja vu phenomenon is real or an imagination it has nothing concerned with reality? Krishna : Déjà vu involves a strong feeling that an experience is familiar, despite sensing or knowing that it never happened before. Most people have experienced déjà vu at some point in their life, but it occurs infrequently, perhaps once or twice a year at most.

Although déjà vu often feels supernatural or paranormal, glitches in the brain might be to blame. One possibility is that a small seizure occurs in brain regions essential for memory formation and retrieval—the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus, areas deep in the middle of the brain. When you see your grandmother, for example, spontaneous activity in these regions creates an instant feeling of familiarity. With déjà vu, a brief synaptic misfiring might occur in these areas, creating the illusion that the event has occurred before. In support of this idea, studies show that some individuals with epilepsy have a brief déjà vu episode prior to a seizure, with the focal area of the seizure often falling in the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus.

Other phenomena might also help explain déjà vu, such as inattentiveness. Because we often navigate the world on autopilot, we take in much of our surroundings on an unconscious level. People who text on their cell phones while walking are only superficially aware of the shops and pedestrians they are passing. Perhaps an episode of déjà vu begins during such a moment. When we emerge into full awareness, we might do a perceptual double take. We are struck by a strange sense of familiarity because we saw the scene just moments before, unconscious.

A third possibility is that we have forgotten the prior experience. The psychology literature is replete with stories of adults visiting a notable place, such as a castle, and becoming overwhelmed by an uncanny sense of having been there before.

Our brain is always searching for connections. As a result, we can sometimes make links that simply aren't there.

Isn't it baffling that we can somehow see the future? Except predictions made through ‘informed imagination’ ( you can calculate and say whether an asteroid passing though its orbital course can hit the Earth or not), nobody can see the future correctly. Period!

Present limitations of scientific understanding of the working of universe make time travel difficult. But if I say the answer is complicated and relativistic?

Watch this video to understand it…

Q: Will your brain hurt when you are learning  new knowledge?

I am a polymath and deal with several fields. How does my brain cope with it?

I make several silly mistakes while doing ordinary things. This happens because I try to reduce the load on my brain and do ordinary things without thinking about them.

I forget several things, even the names of my close friends and relatives, several words while talking and stop sentences in the middle unable to recall the words. I mix up sentences while thinking and writing/talking at the same time and usually my verbs don’t match with the nouns of a sentence! This happens with the sentences of all the five languages I speak. :)

Your language gets funny and highly amusing - but who cares?

Your mind becomes a strange and messy world but the experience of gaining knowledge and utilizing it is highly rewarding.

"Be willing to be uncomfortable. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. It may get tough, but it’s a small price to pay for living a dream."

Read here how polymaths cope with all that they do: How the brain of a Polymath copes with all the things it does

Q: Are microorganisms evolving faster than our technology can dish out vaccines and similar protection?  

Krishna: There are innumerable problems and scientists are very few. Whatever scientists could do with their limited resources and time is being undone by misuse, misconceptions and greed outside the labs.

We ourselves are responsible for this condition.

Are vaccines available for those diseases being taken properly? No! People are trying to find excuses to avoid them. And people are suffering as a result!

Antibiotics are being used for other purposes because of greed making microbes develop resistance more easily. They are also being misused for conditions that can’t be controlled by them.

Yes, when you have antibiotics all over the place, in order to survive, naturally microbes develop resistance very fast.

It takes decades of dedicated work for scientists to develop vaccines or identify good antibiotics. And when you make them useless in no time, who is responsible for this mess?

Vaccine woes

Why antibiotic resistance is increasing and how our friendly ubiqui...

References:

1.  http://www.monell.org/news/news_releases/TNF_bitter_taste

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