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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 13, 2014 at 6:29am

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 12, 2014 at 10:28am

Even as conservation efforts at various levels continue to show hope for the future, the latest International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN) Red List of Birds (2013) shows that fifteen bird species in India continue to be critically endangered (CR).

Moreover, three other bird species now face greater danger than before. These species have been uplisted to Near Threatened (NT) and Vulnerable (VU) categories. Earlier they were better off and classified under Least Concern (LC) category. In India, organizations such as BNHS-India play a crucial role in researching and collating such information, as the BirdLife International (UK) country partner.

The species falling under the Critically Endangered category in India include migratory wetland species: Baer's Pochard, Siberian Crane and Spoon-billed Sandpiper; non-migratory wetland species: White-bellied Heron; grassland species: Bengal Florican, Great Indian Bustard, Jerdon's Courser and Sociable Lapwing; forest species: Forest Owlet and scavengers: Indian Vulture, Red-headed Vulture, White-backed Vulture and Slender-billed Vulture. Himalayan Quail and Pink-headed Duck are now considered Extinct for all practical purposes.

15 bird species in India critically endangered
-TNN

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 12, 2014 at 10:17am

Pathologies of hyperfamiliarity in dreams, delusions and déjà vu

Research from the University of Adelaide has delved into the reasons why some people are unable to break free of their delusions, despite overwhelming evidence explaining the delusion isn’t real.

In a paper published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, University of Adelaide philosopher Professor Philip Gerrans says dreams and delusions have a common link – they are associated with faulty “reality testing” in the brain’s higher order cognitive systems.

‘Reality testing’ is the ability to challenge and revise thoughts prompted by anomalous experiences, and depends on activity in right dorsolateral prefrontal circuitry.
In someone who has problems with reality testing, that story might persist and may even be elaborated and translated into action. Such people can experience immense mental health difficulties, even to the point of becoming a threat to themselves or to others.
http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00097/full

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 12, 2014 at 10:14am

Don’t Throw Out Your Garlic Sprouts
garlic sprout

Sprouted garlic contains many antioxidants that may boost the immune system and promote a healthy heart, according to a study.
“Sprouted” garlic — old garlic bulbs with bright green shoots emerging from the cloves — are normally considered to be past their prime and usually end up in the garbage can. But scientists now report that this type of garlic has even more heart-healthy antioxidant activity than its fresher counterparts.

Kim Jong-Sang and colleagues from Kyungpook National University in South Korea note that people have used garlic for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Eating garlic or taking garlic supplements is touted as a natural way to reduce cholesterol levels, blood pressure and heart disease risk. It even may boost the immune system and help fight cancer
Garlic Sprouting Is Associated with Increased Antioxidant Activity and Concomitant Changes in the Metabolite Profile

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf500603v

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 12, 2014 at 10:11am

Life beyond the lab

Prof. Lim also hopes to dispel the perception that scientists are boring or predictable.

“Scientists are very creative and fun-loving people too! We often have interests in topics outside of our science that range from business to arts and culture, not to mention being multi-talented. Many scientists have hidden artistic talents.”

In fact, she highlights how her job is that of a teacher, writer, business person, motivator and counselor all rolled into one.

“I get to work with people: collaborators and students from different scientific and social backgrounds. The idea exchanges are exhilarating, especially when the ideas crystallize and materialize into scientific projects, and the results are subsequently communicated to the community,” she muses.
http://www.asianscientist.com/features/sierin-lim-scbe-ntu-2014/

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 12, 2014 at 9:46am

A different diet!
Harvard scientists have identified what may be the strangest of them all -- sunlight and electricity. Led by Peter Girguis, the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Natural Sciences, and Arpita Bose, a post-doctoral fellow in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, a team of researchers showed that the commonly found bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris can use natural conductivity to pull electrons from minerals located deep in soil and sediment while remaining at the surface, where they absorb the sunlight needed to produce energy. The study is described in a February 26 paper in Nature Communications.
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2014/03/11/a.shocking.diet

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 12, 2014 at 9:30am

The evolution of the first animals may have oxygenated Earth's oceans -- contrary to the traditional view that a rise in oxygen triggered their development. New research led by the University of Exeter contests the long held belief that oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans was a pre-requisite for the evolution of complex life forms.

The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, builds on the recent work of scientists in Denmark who found that sponges -- the first animals to evolve -- require only small amounts of oxygen.
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2014/03/10/first.animals.oxygenate...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 12, 2014 at 8:57am

http://wapo.st/1fjYbSG

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 11, 2014 at 7:28am

A new group of antibiotics to overcome drug-resistant microbes

Scientists have discovered a new class of antibiotics to fight deadly bacteria such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and other drug-resistant bacteria that threaten public health.

The new class, called oxadiazoles , was discovered by University of Notre Dame researchers led by Mayland Chang and Shahriar Mobashery in silico (by computer ) screening and has shown promise in the treatment of MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureusis ) in mouse models.

MRSA is a bacterium that has developed resistance to penicillin and certain other groups of antibiotics . Researchers who screened 1.2 million compounds found that the oxadiazole inhibits a penicillin-binding protein, PBP2a, and the biosynthesis of the cell wall that enables MRSA to resist other drugs.

The oxadiazoles are also effective when taken orally. This is an important feature as there is only one marketed antibiotic for MRSA that can be taken orally, researchers said.

MRSA has become a global public-health problem since the 1960s because of its resistance to antibiotics. Only three drugs currently are effective treatments, and resistance to each of those drugs already exists. The researchers have been seeking a solution to MRSA for years.

- Agencies

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 11, 2014 at 7:22am

Four new gases that harm ozone layer found, despite bans: Study
Scientists have detected four new man-made gases that damage the Earth's protective ozone layer, despite bans on almost all production of similar gases under a 1987 treaty, a study showed on Sunday { three types of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbon) and one HCFC (hydrochlorofluorocarbon)}.

The experts were trying to pinpoint industrial sources of tiny traces of the new gases, perhaps used in making pesticides or refrigerants that were found in Greenland's ice and in air samples in Tasmania, Australia.

The ozone layer shields the planet from damaging ultraviolet rays, which can cause skin cancer and eye cataracts, and has been recovering after a phase-out of damaging chemicals under the UN's 1987 Montreal Protocol.

In total, the scientists estimated more than 74,000 tonnes of the four had been released to the atmosphere. None was present before the 1960s in Greenland's ice cores, according to the study in the journal Nature Geoscience.

That is only a small fraction of the million tonnes of CFCs produced every year at a 1980s peak, according to the team of scientists in Britain, Germany, Australia, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

These new observations do not present concern at the moment, although the fact that these gases are in the atmosphere and some are increasing needs investigation.

The gases are also likely to be powerful greenhouse gases, albeit in tiny amounts. CFCs are often thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

- Reuters

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