Science, Art, Litt, Science based Art & Science Communication
JAI VIGNAN
All about Science - to remove misconceptions and encourage scientific temper
Communicating science to the common people
'To make them see the world differently through the beautiful lense of science'
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Latest Activity: 5 hours ago
WE LOVE SCIENCE HERE BECAUSE IT IS A MANY SPLENDOURED THING
THIS IS A WAR ZONE WHERE SCIENCE FIGHTS WITH NONSENSE AND WINS
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”
"Being a scientist is a state of mind, not a profession!"
"Science, when it's done right, can yield amazing things".
The Reach of Scientific Research From Labs to Laymen
The aim of science is not only to open a door to infinite knowledge and wisdom but to set a limit to infinite error.
"Knowledge is a Superpower but the irony is you cannot get enough of it with ever increasing data base unless you try to keep up with it constantly and in the right way!" The best education comes from learning from people who know what they are exactly talking about.
Science is this glorious adventure into the unknown, the opportunity to discover things that nobody knew before. And that’s just an experience that’s not to be missed. But it’s also a motivated effort to try to help humankind. And maybe that’s just by increasing human knowledge—because that’s a way to make us a nobler species.
If you are scientifically literate the world looks very different to you.
We do science and science communication not because they are easy but because they are difficult!
“Science is not a subject you studied in school. It’s life. We 're brought into existence by it!"
Links to some important articles :
1. Interactive science series...
a. how-to-do-research-and-write-research-papers-part 13
b. Some Qs people asked me on science and my replies to them...
Part 6, part-10, part-11, part-12, part 14 , part- 8,
part- 1, part-2, part-4, part-5, part-16, part-17, part-18 , part-19 , part-20
part-21 , part-22, part-23, part-24, part-25, part-26, part-27 , part-28
part-29, part-30, part-31, part-32, part-33, part-34, part-35, part-36, part-37,
part-38, part-40, part-41, part-42, part-43, part-44, part-45, part-46, part-47
Part 48, part49, Critical thinking -part 50 , part -51, part-52, part-53
part-54, part-55, part-57, part-58, part-59, part-60, part-61, part-62, part-63
part 64, part-65, part-66, part-67, part-68, part 69, part-70 part-71, part-73 ...
.......306
BP variations during pregnancy part-72
who is responsible for the gender of their children - a man or a woman -part-56
c. some-questions-people-asked-me-on-science-based-on-my-art-and-poems -part-7
d. science-s-rules-are-unyielding-they-will-not-be-bent-for-anybody-part-3-
e. debate-between-scientists-and-people-who-practice-and-propagate-pseudo-science - part -9
f. why astrology is pseudo-science part 15
g. How Science is demolishing patriarchal ideas - part-39
2. in-defence-of-mangalyaan-why-even-developing-countries-like-india need space research programmes
3. Science communication series:
a. science-communication - part 1
b. how-scienitsts-should-communicate-with-laymen - part 2
c. main-challenges-of-science-communication-and-how-to-overcome-them - part 3
d. the-importance-of-science-communication-through-art- part 4
e. why-science-communication-is-geting worse - part 5
f. why-science-journalism-is-not-taken-seriously-in-this-part-of-the-world - part 6
g. blogs-the-best-bet-to-communicate-science-by-scientists- part 7
h. why-it-is-difficult-for-scientists-to-debate-controversial-issues - part 8
i. science-writers-and-communicators-where-are-you - part 9
j. shooting-the-messengers-for-a-different-reason-for-conveying-the- part 10
k. why-is-science-journalism-different-from-other-forms-of-journalism - part 11
l. golden-rules-of-science-communication- Part 12
m. science-writers-should-develop-a-broader-view-to-put-things-in-th - part 13
n. an-informed-patient-is-the-most-cooperative-one -part 14
o. the-risks-scientists-will-have-to-face-while-communicating-science - part 15
p. the-most-difficult-part-of-science-communication - part 16
q. clarity-on-who-you-are-writing-for-is-important-before-sitting-to write a science story - part 17
r. science-communicators-get-thick-skinned-to-communicate-science-without-any-bias - part 18
s. is-post-truth-another-name-for-science-communication-failure?
t. why-is-it-difficult-for-scientists-to-have-high-eqs
u. art-and-literature-as-effective-aids-in-science-communication-and teaching
v.* some-qs-people-asked-me-on-science communication-and-my-replies-to-them
** qs-people-asked-me-on-science-and-my-replies-to-them-part-173
w. why-motivated-perception-influences-your-understanding-of-science
x. science-communication-in-uncertain-times
y. sci-com: why-keep-a-dog-and-bark-yourself
z. How to deal with sci com dilemmas?
A+. sci-com-what-makes-a-story-news-worthy-in-science
B+. is-a-perfect-language-important-in-writing-science-stories
C+. sci-com-how-much-entertainment-is-too-much-while-communicating-sc
D+. sci-com-why-can-t-everybody-understand-science-in-the-same-way
E+. how-to-successfully-negotiate-the-science-communication-maze
4. Health related topics:
a. why-antibiotic-resistance-is-increasing-and-how-scientists-are-tr
b. what-might-happen-when-you-take-lots-of-medicines
c. know-your-cesarean-facts-ladies
d. right-facts-about-menstruation
e. answer-to-the-question-why-on-big-c
f. how-scientists-are-identifying-new-preventive-measures-and-cures-
g. what-if-little-creatures-high-jack-your-brain-and-try-to-control-
h. who-knows-better?
k. can-rust-from-old-drinking-water-pipes-cause-health-problems
l. pvc-and-cpvc-pipes-should-not-be-used-for-drinking-water-supply
m. melioidosis
o. desensitization-and-transplant-success-story
p. do-you-think-the-medicines-you-are-taking-are-perfectly-alright-then revisit your position!
q. swine-flu-the-difficlulties-we-still-face-while-tackling-the-outb
r. dump-this-useless-information-into-a-garbage-bin-if-you-really-care about evidence based medicine
s. don-t-ignore-these-head-injuries
u. allergic- agony-caused-by-caterpillars-and-moths
General science:
a.why-do-water-bodies-suddenly-change-colour
b. don-t-knock-down-your-own-life-line
c. the-most-menacing-animal-in-the-world
d. how-exo-planets-are-detected
e. the-importance-of-earth-s-magnetic-field
f. saving-tigers-from-extinction-is-still-a-travail
g. the-importance-of-snakes-in-our-eco-systems
h. understanding-reverse-osmosis
i. the-importance-of-microbiomes
j. crispr-cas9-gene-editing-technique-a-boon-to-fixing-defective-gen
k. biomimicry-a-solution-to-some-of-our-problems
5. the-dilemmas-scientists-face
6. why-we-get-contradictory-reports-in-science
7. be-alert-pseudo-science-and-anti-science-are-on-prowl
8. science-will-answer-your-questions-and-solve-your-problems
9. how-science-debunks-baseless-beliefs
10. climate-science-and-its-relevance
11. the-road-to-a-healthy-life
12. relative-truth-about-gm-crops-and-foods
13. intuition-based-work-is-bad-science
14. how-science-explains-near-death-experiences
15. just-studies-are-different-from-thorough-scientific-research
16. lab-scientists-versus-internet-scientists
17. can-you-challenge-science?
18. the-myth-of-ritual-working
19.science-and-superstitions-how-rational-thinking-can-make-you-work-better
20. comets-are-not-harmful-or-bad-omens-so-enjoy-the-clestial-shows
21. explanation-of-mysterious-lights-during-earthquakes
22. science-can-tell-what-constitutes-the-beauty-of-a-rose
23. what-lessons-can-science-learn-from-tragedies-like-these
24. the-specific-traits-of-a-scientific-mind
25. science-and-the-paranormal
26. are-these-inventions-and-discoveries-really-accidental-and-intuitive like the journalists say?
27. how-the-brain-of-a-polymath-copes-with-all-the-things-it-does
28. how-to-make-scientific-research-in-india-a-success-story
29. getting-rid-of-plastic-the-natural-way
30. why-some-interesting-things-happen-in-nature
31. real-life-stories-that-proves-how-science-helps-you
32. Science and trust series:
a. how-to-trust-science-stories-a-guide-for-common-man
b. trust-in-science-what-makes-people-waver
c. standing-up-for-science-showing-reasons-why-science-should-be-trusted
You will find the entire list of discussions here: http://kkartlab.in/group/some-science/forum
( Please go through the comments section below to find scientific research reports posted on a daily basis and watch videos based on science)
Get interactive...
Please contact us if you want us to add any information or scientific explanation on any topic that interests you. We will try our level best to give you the right information.
Our mail ID: kkartlabin@gmail.com
Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 5 hours ago. 1 Reply 0 Likes
Do you know why I never use these tea bags? Because my instinct told me they don't have good vibes! And I am right!Research has characterized in detail how polymer-based commercial tea bags release…Continue
Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 6 hours ago. 1 Reply 0 Likes
Investigators have identified a new way to deliver instructions that tell stem cells to grow into specific bodily structures, a critical step in eventually regenerating and repairing tissues and…Continue
Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 6 hours ago. 9 Replies 0 Likes
Earlier I wrote about convergent evolution that took very little time(1). Now we have another story of rapid one to show the deniers!Deniers? ! Yes! Watch this video on how creationists confront the…Continue
Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday. 1 Reply 0 Likes
Image source: iStockWe have heard till now that good cholesterol is good.…Continue
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Chronic hepatitis C, caused by the hepatitis C virus, can lead to severe complications such as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. The advent of highly effective direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) has resulted in high cure rates for this chronic viral infection. However, it has been reported that the immune system of patients does not fully recover even after being cured.
This work provided new insights into the lasting effects of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on the immune system, even after the disease has been successfully treated.
The research team has discovered that traces of "epigenetic scars" remain in regulatory T cells and exhibit sustained inflammatory properties long after the virus is cleared from the body. The paper is published in the Journal of Hepatology.
So-Young Kim et al, Epigenetic scars in regulatory T cells are retained after successful treatment of chronic hepatitis C with direct-acting antivirals, Journal of Hepatology (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2024.06.011
The researchers further analyzed all bacterial species simultaneously using AI. This revealed a second pattern of 19 different species that were also associated with an increased risk of death.
This is an observational study, and as such, no definitive conclusions can be drawn about the causal roles of particular bacteria.
But, conclude the researchers, "Our results support emerging evidence showing that gut dysbiosis is associated with long-term survival, indicating that gut microbiome targeting therapies might improve patient outcomes, although causal links should be identified first."
Casper Swarte et al, Multiple indicators of gut dysbiosis predict all-cause and cause-specific mortality in solid organ transplant recipients, Gut (2024). DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2023-331441
Part4
During a follow-up period of up to 6.5 years, 162 recipients died: 88 kidney, 33 liver, 35 lung and six heart recipients. Forty eight (28%) died from an infection, 38 (23%) from cardiovascular disease, 38 (23%) from cancer, and 40 (25%) from other causes.
The researchers looked at several indicators of gut dysbiosis in these samples: microbial diversity; how much their gut microbiomes differed from the average microbiome of the general population; the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes; and virulence factors which help bacteria to invade cells and evade immune defenses.
The analysis revealed that the more the gut microbiome patterns of the transplant recipients diverged from those of the general population, the more likely they were to die sooner after their procedure, irrespective of the organ transplanted.
Similar associations emerged for the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors.
The researchers identified 23 bacterial species among all the transplant recipients that were associated with either a heightened or lower risk of death from all causes.
Part3
To find out, they looked at the relationship between gut dysbiosis and death from all and specific causes in solid organ transplant recipients among whom the prevalence of gut dysbiosis is much higher than that of the general population. This makes them an ideal group to study the associations between gut dysbiosis and long term survival, say the researchers.
They analyzed the microbiome profiles from 1,337 fecal samples provided by 766 kidney, 334 liver, 170 lung, and 67 heart transplant recipients and compared those with the gut microbiome profiles of 8,208 people living in the same geographical area of northern Netherlands.
The average age of the transplant recipients was 57, and over half were men (784; 59%). On average, they had received their transplant 7.5 years previously.
Part2
'Unhealthy' gut microbiome patterns are linked to a heightened risk of death after a solid organ transplant, finds research published online in the journal Gut.
While these particular microbial patterns are associated with deaths from any cause, they are specifically associated with deaths from cancer and infection, regardless of the organ—kidney, liver, heart, or lung—transplanted, the findings show.
The make-up of the gut microbiome is associated with various diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes. But few studies have had the data to analyze the association between the gut microbiome and long term survival, explain the researchers.
And while a shift away from a normal pattern of microbes to an 'unhealthy' pattern, known as gut dysbiosis, has been linked to a heightened risk of death generally, it's not clear whether this might also be associated with overall survival in specific diseases, they add.
To find out, they looked at the relationship between gut dysbiosis and death from all and specific causes in solid organ transplant recipients among whom the prevalence of gut dysbiosis is much higher than that of the general population. This makes them an ideal group to study the associations between gut dysbiosis and long term survival, say the researchers.
Part1
The United States has lost its only stand of the massive Key Largo tree cactus in what researchers think is the first local extinction of a species caused by sea level rise in the country.
The Key Largo tree cactus (Pilosocereus millspaughii) still grows on a few scattered islands in the Caribbean, including northern Cuba and parts of the Bahamas. In the United States, it was restricted to a single population in the Florida Keys, first discovered in 1992 and monitored intermittently since.
Salt water intrusion from rising seas, soil depletion from hurricanes and high tides, and herbivory by mammals had put significant pressure on the population. By 2021, what had been a thriving stand of about 150 stems was reduced to six ailing fragments, which researchers salvaged for off-site cultivation to ensure their survival.
"Unfortunately, the Key Largo tree cactus may be a bellwether for how other low-lying coastal plants will respond to climate change," say scientists.
But don't worry, the researchers are studying and trying to rescue the remnants of a dwindling stock of this cactus.
First U.S. vascular plant extirpation linked to sea level rise? Pilosocereus millspaughii (Cactaceae) in the Florida Keys, U.S.A., Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (2024). DOI: 10.17348/jbrit.v18.i1.1350
The ability to recognize and respond to emotionally-charged situations is essential to a species' evolutionary success. A new study published in Nature Communications advances our understanding of how the brain responds to emotionally charged objects and scenes.
This new research reveals that the occipital temporal cortex is tuned not only to different categories of stimuli but it also breaks down these categories based on their emotional characteristics in a way that is well suited to guide selection between alternate behaviours.
The researchers analyzed the brain activity of a small group of volunteers viewing over 1,500 images depicting natural emotional scenes such as a couple hugging, an injured person in a hospital bed, a luxurious home, and an aggressive dog. Participants were asked to categorize the images as positive, negative or neutral and to also rate the emotional intensity of the images.
A second group of participants picked the behavioural responses that best matched each scene.
Using cutting-edge modeling of brain activity divided into tiny cubes (of under 3mm3), the study discovered that the occipital temporal cortex (OTC), a region at the back of the brain, is tuned to represent both the type of stimulus (single human, couple, crowd, reptile, mammal, food, object, building, landscape etc.) and the emotional characteristics of the stimulus—whether it's negative, positive or neutral and also whether it's high or low in emotional intensity.
Machine learning showed that these stable tuning patterns were more efficient in predicting the behaviors matched to the images by the second group of participants than could be achieved by applying machine learning directly to image features—suggesting that the OTC efficiently extracts and represents the information needed to guide behaviour.
These findings expand our knowledge of how the human brain represents emotional natural stimuli.
Occipital-temporal cortical tuning to semantic and affective features of natural images predicts associated behavioral responses, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49073-8
So the researchers have created a new system here that provides a powerful platform for deepening their understanding of the time crystal phenomenon in a way that comes very close to Frank Wilczek's original idea.
Precise, self-sustained oscillations could be used for sensors.
Xiaoling Wu et al, Dissipative time crystal in a strongly interacting Rydberg gas, Nature Physics (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-024-02542-9. On arXiv: arxiv.org/html/2305.20070v3
Part 2
A crystal is an arrangement of atoms that repeats itself in space, in regular intervals: At every point, the crystal looks exactly the same. In 2012, Nobel Prize winner Frank Wilczek raised the question: Could there also be a time crystal—an object that repeats itself not in space but in time? And could it be possible that a periodic rhythm emerges, even though no specific rhythm is imposed on the system and the interaction between the particles is completely independent of time?
For years, Frank Wilczek's idea has caused much controversy. Some considered time crystals to be impossible in principle, while others tried to find loopholes and realize time crystals under certain special conditions.
Now, a particularly spectacular kind of time crystal has successfully been created at Tsinghua University in China, with the support from TU Wien in Austria. The team used laser light and special types of atoms, namely Rydberg atoms, with a diameter that is several hundred times larger than normal. The results have been published in the journal Nature Physics.
The ticking of a clock is also an example of a temporally periodic movement. However, it does not happen by itself: Someone must have wound the clock and started it at a certain time. This starting time then determined the timing of the ticks. It is different with a time crystal:
According to Wilczek's idea, a periodicity should arise spontaneously, although there is actually no physical difference between different points in time.
The tick frequency is predetermined by the physical properties of the system, but the times at which the tick occurs are completely random; this is known as spontaneous symmetry breaking.
How this new work was done:
Laser light was shone into a glass container filled with a gas of rubidium atoms. The strength of the light signal that arrived at the other end of the container was measured.
This is actually a static experiment in which no specific rhythm is imposed on the system.
The interactions between light and atoms are always the same, the laser beam has a constant intensity. But surprisingly, it turned out that the intensity that arrives at the other end of the glass cell begins to oscillate in highly regular patterns.
The key to the experiment was to prepare the atoms in a special way: The electrons of an atom can orbit the nucleus on different paths, depending on how much energy they have. If energy is added to the outermost electron of an atom, its distance from the atomic nucleus can become very large.
Part1
In extreme cases, it can be several hundred times further away from the nucleus than usual. In this way, atoms with a giant electron shell are created—so-called Rydberg atoms.
If the atoms in their glass container are prepared in such Rydberg states and their diameter becomes huge, then the forces between these atoms also become very large.
And that in turn changes the way they interact with the laser. If you choose laser light in such a way that it can excite two different Rydberg states in each atom at the same time, then a feedback loop is generated that causes spontaneous oscillations between the two atomic states. This in turn also leads to oscillating light absorption. All by themselves, the giant atoms stumble into a regular beat, and this beat is translated into the rhythm of the light intensity that arrives at the end of the glass container.
Initially, the researchers investigated whether cell growth can be regulated with an externally administered substance. Once successful, they examined whether the cells functioned normally.
They used stem cells to create insulin-producing β-cells that they then transplanted into laboratory animals. The cells regulated the blood glucose levels of the animals throughout the almost six-month experiment.
The cells are also able to differentiate into other tissue types as usual, and the researchers have not observed any differences in them other than their inability to proliferate without their say-so.
Stem cells are very primitive cells, as they have to be able to divide in abundance and develop in many different directions. They have potential for a range of purposes, but their primitive nature also poses a problem: What if some cells are not differentiated, but continue to grow in a primitive form? According to the scientists of the study, the research group's solution enables the efficient proliferation of cells during production, which can be halted at the desired time, such as following transplantation.
The solution also makes it possible to edit cells without fear of adverse effects of the editing itself. For example, cells can be made into something that the recipient's immune system does not recognize.
Previously, such cells would have been highly risky, as the immune system also monitors the onset of cancer. Now, that risk is very small or non-existent. Ideally, these cells could be turned into products suited to everyone and, when necessary, quickly deployed.
Rocio Sartori-Maldonado et al, Thymidylate synthase disruption to limit cell proliferation in cell therapies, Molecular Therapy (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.06.014
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