Comment

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 3, 2022 at 9:28am

Adverse effects of hand sanitisers

Despite many benefits of hand sanitiser, it also possesses some side effects

 if used extensively:

• Irrational use of hand sanitiser can lead to moisture loss on our skin. It can further result in dry, flaky, and cracked skin. Many studies have shown that dry skin is more prone to germ attack.
• Overusing hand sanitiser may cause red or discolored itchy patches on our skin. This patch is also called eczema.
• Direct exposure to hand sanitiser on the eye may result in irritation and redness of the eyes. If not washed immediately, it can damage the outer layer of our eyes.
• When we use hand sanitiser more, pathogens and germs start building up resistance to the drugs, putting us at risk for several infections.
• Hand sanitiser approved for use contains a high amount of alcohol (60-95%) and other ingredients. So if swallowed in a significant amount, they may show symptoms similar to alcohol poisoning.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 3, 2022 at 9:22am

The new Chandra study led by Ilic approached this problem by looking at double-star (or "binary") systems where the stars are widely separated but only one of them has a hot Jupiter orbiting it. Astronomers know that just like human twins, the stars in binary systems form at the same time. The separation between the stars is much too large for them to influence each other or for the hot Jupiter to affect the other star. This means they could use the planet-free star in the system as a control subject.

It's almost like using twins in a study where one twin lives in a completely different neighborhood that affects their health. By comparing one star with a nearby planet to its twin without one, we can study the differences in behavior of the same-aged stars.

The team used the amount of X-rays to determine how "young" a star is acting. They looked for evidence of planet-to-star influence by studying almost three dozen systems in X-rays (the final sample contained 10 systems observed by Chandra and six by ESA's XMM-Newton, with several observed by both). They found that the stars with hot Jupiters tended to be brighter in X-rays and therefore more active than their companion stars without hot Jupiters.

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 3, 2022 at 9:21am

Planets can be an anti-aging formula for stars

Planets can force their host stars to act younger than their age, according to a new study of multiple systems using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This may be the best evidence to date that some planets apparently slow down the aging process for their host stars.

A hot Jupiter like planet can potentially influence its host star by tidal forces, causing the star to spin more quickly than if it did not have such a planet. This more rapid rotation can make the host star more active and produce more X-rays, signs that are generally associated with stellar youth.

As with humans, however, there are many factors that can determine a star's vitality. All stars will slow their rotation and activity and undergo fewer outbursts as they age. Because it is challenging to precisely determine the ages of most stars, it has been difficult for astronomers to identify whether a star is unusually active because it is being affected by a close-in planet, making it act younger than it really is, or because it is actually young.

In previous cases there were some very intriguing hints, but now we finally have statistical evidence that some planets are indeed influencing their stars and keeping them acting young.

Nikoleta Ilic et al, Tidal star-planet interaction and its observed impact on stellar activity in planet-hosting wide binary systems, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2022). DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stac861. academic.oup.com/mnras/article … t/513/3/4380/6564186

Nikoleta Ilic et al, Tidal star-planet interaction and its observed impact on stellar activity in planet-hosting wide binary systems, arXiv (2022). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2203.13637

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 3, 2022 at 9:06am

 Groundbreaking bioelectronic devices: Bacterial sensors send a jolt of electricity when triggered

When you hit your finger with a hammer, you feel the pain immediately. And you react immediately. But what if the pain comes 20 minutes after the hit? By then, the injury might be harder to heal.

The same is true for the environment. If a chemical spill in a river goes unnoticed for 20 minutes, it might be too late to remediate.

Scientists thought living bioelectronic sensors can help. So they engineered bacteria to quickly sense and report on the presence of a variety of contaminants.

The study published in Nature journal shows the cells can be programmed to identify chemical invaders and report within minutes by releasing a detectable electrical current.

Such "smart" devices could power themselves by scavenging energy in the environment as they monitor conditions in settings like rivers, farms, industry and waste water treatment plants and to ensure water security, according to the researchers.

The researchers' proof-of-concept bacteria was Escherichia coli, and their first target was thiosulfate, a dichlorination agent used in water treatment that can cause algae blooms.

 Caroline Ajo-Franklin, Real-time bioelectronic sensing of environmental contaminants, Nature (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05356-y. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05356-y

The environmental information communicated by these self-replicating bacteria can be customized by replacing a single protein in the eight-component, synthetic electron transport chain that gives rise to the sensor signal.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 2, 2022 at 12:09pm

Neurotransmitter Buildup May Be Why Your Brain Feels Tired

Performing complex cognitive tasks leads to glutamate accumulating in a key region of the brain, a study finds, which could explain why mental labor is so exhausting.

The fatigue that comes from performing demanding mental tasks may stem from a buildup of the neurotransmitter glutamate, according to research published recently in Current Biology.

Mental fatigue also appears to shift decision-making toward a kind of easy-button mode where the brain favours low-cost, immediate-reward options, according to researchers. So after a day of work, you [make] different choices compared to when you’re fresh in the morning. They think that this is due to glutamate accumulation.

The research has identified a potential marker of fatigue to study more widely in athletes or in people with disorders such as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). 

Previous theories posited that the tiredness people experience from mental exertion stemmed from the depletion of energy reserves. But research hasn’t borne that out, the study authors write. 

The region that helps orchestrate cognitive control: the left lateral prefrontal cortex.  In addition to helping us undertake complex tasks like solving a Sudoku puzzle, playing chess, or designing an experiment, the left lateral cortex helps control the processes required to remember and manipulate information to solve those problems. It’s also part of the system that says, ‘Well, actually, maybe I don’t want to play chess. I want to watch Netflix and do something simpler. I want to relax.

That result of this work suggested to the researchers that mental fatigue could be the result of the glutamate diffusing out of neurons and building up this area of the brain, perhaps causing it to work less efficiently. 

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(22)01111-3

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 2, 2022 at 9:47am

Photos suggest rhino horns have shrunk over past century, likely due to hunting

By scrutinizing over a century's worth of photos researchers have made the first ever measurements that show rhinoceros horns have gradually decreased in size over time.

The researchers measured the horns of 80 rhinos, photographed in profile view between 1886 and 2018. The photographs, held by the Rhino Resource Center—an online repository—included all five species of rhino: white, black, Indian, Javan and Sumatran. Horn length was found to have decreased significantly in all species over the last century.

Real rhino horns are so valuable that strict security protocols typically prevent researchers accessing them for study, so this is the first time that horn length has been measured over a long timeframe.

The researchers think rhino horns have become smaller over time due to intensive hunting. Rhino horns command a high price and are in demand both as a financial investment, and for their use in traditional medicines in China and Vietnam. The report is published today in the journal People and Nature.

Image-based analyses from an online repository provide rich information on long-term changes in morphology and human perceptions of rhinos, People and Nature (2022). DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10406

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 2, 2022 at 9:43am

Monoclonal antibody prevents malaria infection

One dose of an antibody drug safely protected healthy, non-pregnant adults from malaria infection during an intense six-month malaria season in Mali, Africa, a National Institutes of Health clinical trial has found. The antibody was up to 88.2% effective at preventing infection over a 24-week period, demonstrating for the first time that a monoclonal antibody can prevent malaria infection in an endemic region. 

These study results suggest that a monoclonal antibody could potentially complement other measures to protect travelers and vulnerable groups such as infants, children, and pregnant women from seasonal malaria and help eliminate malaria from defined geographical areas.

Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. The mosquito injects the parasites in a form called sporozoites into the skin and bloodstream. These travel to the liver, where they mature and multiply. Then the mature parasite spreads throughout the body via the bloodstream to cause illness. P. falciparum is the Plasmodium species most likely to result in severe malaria infections, which—if not promptly treated—may lead to death.

The Phase 2 NIAID-USTTB trial evaluated the safety and efficacy of a one-time, intravenous infusion of a monoclonal antibody called CIS43LS. This antibody was previously shown to neutralize the sporozoites of P. falciparum in the skin and blood before they could infect liver cells. Researchers  isolated a naturally occurring form of this antibody from the blood of a volunteer who had received an investigational malaria vaccine, and then modified the antibody to extend the length of time it would remain in the bloodstream. And tested it.

  Kassoum Kayentao. Testing the safety and efficacy of anti-malaria monoclonal antibodies in African adults and children. Session 41—Progress in the discovery and clinical development of anti-malaria monoclonal antibodies. ASTMH 2022 Annual Meeting, Seattle. Monday, Oct. 31, 2022. 5:40 pm Pacific Time.

Kassoum Kayentao et al, Safety and efficacy of a monoclonal antibody against malaria in Mali. The New England Journal of Medicine DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2206966 (2022).

R.L. Wu et al, Low-dose subcutaneous or intravenous monoclonal antibody to prevent malaria. The New England Journal of Medicine DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2203067 (2022).

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 1, 2022 at 9:27am

Should we move species to save them?

A proposed change to conservation rules in the United States could expand the use of a controversial tool to save species on the.... Assisted migration, in which an endangered species is relocated to a new environment, is a last resort for organisms being squeezed out of their historic ranges by climate change, habitat loss and threats from introduced species. But fears of unintended ecological consequences have limited its use so far. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is set to relax assisted-migration regulations, to allow experimental relocations outside a species’ current or recent range. Regulators “need to seriously consider conservation actions that are currently deemed too extreme”, says conservation biologist Avril Harder.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 1, 2022 at 9:24am

Geomagnetic fields reveal the truth behind Biblical narratives

A joint study by TAU and the Hebrew University, involving 20 researchers from different countries and disciplines, has accurately dated 21 destruction layers at 17 archaeological sites in Israel by reconstructing the direction and/or intensity of the earth's magnetic field recorded in burnt remnants. The new data verify the Biblical accounts of the Egyptian, Aramean, Assyrian, and Babylonian military campaigns against the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 1, 2022 at 8:59am

Rainbows will change their frequency because of climate change

Climate change will increase or decrease opportunities to see rainbows, according to a new study led by researchers.

The study's authors estimate that by 2100, the average land location on Earth will experience about 5% more days with rainbows than at the beginning of the 21st century.

Northern latitudes and very high elevations, where warming is predicted to lead to less snow and more rain, will experience the greatest gains in rainbow occurrence. However, places with reduced rainfall under climate change—such as the Mediterranean—are projected to lose rainbow days.

Rainbows are produced when water droplets refract sunlight. Sunlight and rainfall are therefore essential ingredients for rainbows. Human activities such as burning fossil fuels are warming the atmosphere, which changes patterns and amounts of rainfall and cloud cover.

Researchers  sorted through tens of thousands of photos taken around the world, labeled with the word "rainbow," to identify rainbows generated from the refraction of light by rain droplets.

Then, the scientists trained a rainbow prediction model based on rainbow photo locations and maps of precipitation, cloud cover, and sun angle. Finally, they applied their model to predict present day and future rainbow occurrences over global land areas. The model suggests that islands are rainbow hotspots.

Kimberly M. Carlson et al, Global rainbow distribution under current and future climates, Global Environmental Change (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2022.102604

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