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Science Simplified!

                       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'

Members: 22
Latest Activity: 18 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 6part-10part-11part-12, part 14  ,  part- 8

part- 1part-2part-4part-5part-16part-17part-18 , part-19 , part-20

part-21 , part-22part-23part-24part-25part-26part-27 , part-28

part-29part-30part-31part-32part-33part-34part-35part-36part-37,

 part-38part-40part-41part-42part-43part-44part-45part-46part-47

Part 48 part49Critical thinking -part 50 , part -51part-52part-53

part-54part-55part-57part-58part-59part-60part-61part-62part-63

part 64, part-65part-66part-67part-68part 69part-70 part-71part-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?

i. mycotoxicoses

j. immunotherapy

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

n.vaccine-woes

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

t. the-detoxification-scam

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

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Q: Is DNA fire-proof?Krishna: Research has shown that DNA is flame retardant (1). Yes, DNA can be considered as a natural flame retardant and suppressant.NORMALLY, COTTON FABRICS are highly…Continue

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 31, 2022 at 11:25am

New evidence hints at the role of gut microbiota in autistic spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental condition that affects how humans communicate, learn new things and behave. Symptoms of ASD can include difficulties in interacting with others and adapting to changes in routine, repetitive behaviors, irritability and restricted or fixated interests for specific things.

While symptoms of autism can emerge at any age, the first signs generally start to show within the first two years of a child's life. People with ASD can encounter numerous challenges, which can be addressed through support services, talk therapy and sometimes medication.

To this day, neuroscientists and  have not identified the primary causes of ASD. Nonetheless, past findings suggest that it could be caused by the interaction of specific genes with environmental factors.

Interestingly, recent neuroscience studies have found that the biological makeup of the gut could contribute to some of the most characteristic symptoms of ASD. More specifically, experiments on mice suggest that the pathway between gut bacteria  and the central nervous system can affect social behaviors.

Building on previous findings, researchers at University of Rome 'Tor Vergata' and University of Calabria have recently carried out a new study on mice, investigating the effects of transplanting fecal microbiota gathered from autistic donors to mice. Their results, published in Neuroscience, provide further evidence that links gut microbiota with social behaviors typical of ASD.

Scientists examined two different groups of mice. Mice in the first group (i.e., the experimental group) received transplanted microbiota originating from the gut of children with ASD, while mice in the other (i.e., the control group) were exposed to VPA, a synthetic compound with anticonvulsant properties, while in their mothers' wounds.

Contextually, FMT accounted for elevated expression levels of the pro-inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6, COX-1 and TNF-α in both brain and small intestine.

observed that the mice who received the ASD microbiota exhibited unusual behaviors while completing different maze tests that are widely used in neuroscience studies. Their behaviors could be linked to those observed in children and adults with ASD.

The recent findings gathered by this team of researchers seem to confirm previous results in the field, suggesting that gut microbiota can indeed play a role in social behaviors. In the future, they could inspire new research in this area and contribute to the testing and gradual introduction of treatments for autism that also consider diet and gut health.

Modifications of behavior and inflammation in mice following transplant with fecal microbiota from children with autism. Neuroscience(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.06.038.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 31, 2022 at 9:51am

Scientists engineer DNA 'receipt book' to store cells' history

If you want to track a person's activities for a day, you could call them up every ten minutes and ask what they're doing. Easier, though, would be to provide them with a journal to log their own actions. Scientists often rely on a method akin to the first to track how cells change over time; they pick cells out of a group at set time points and take a snapshot of their genetic activity.

Now, researchers have developed a tool more like a journal or receipt book—it logs a cell's genetic activity for days at a time. The biological device, named a Retro-Cascorder, records data within strands of DNA, which can then be analyzed at any time to get the cell's activity log.

This new way of collecting molecular data gives us an unprecedented window into cells.  In addition to providing a new tool for basic research, it lets us engineer cells to be living biosensors that can record changes to their environment.
While all cells within an organism have identical genomes, they differ in which genes are turned on or off at any given time. Researchers can measure the degree to which a given gene is turned on inside a cell at different timepoints to track how the cell's behavior, function, or identity changes over time.
 wanted to engineer a system that would automatically record every time a particular gene was turned on. This would provide a more detailed look at a gene's activity pattern.
To show the utility of their new Retro-Cascorder, scientists engineered Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells to contain retrons in genes that were known to be activated in the presence of certain chemicals. They showed that, over 48 hours, a CRISPR array could accurately record the order in which these genes were turned on—and therefore the order in which the researchers added these chemicals.
"Researchers could install multiple biosensors in a cell and use them to monitor an environment over time, from a pond or wastewater facility to the inside of the human gut.
So far, researchers have only used the system to track a few genes at a time, rather than the many dozens that researchers might want to simultaneously monitor in the future. But the team is actively working on ways to expand Retro-Cascorders and adapt the system for use in cell types other than bacteria.
The paper, "Recording gene expression order in DNA by CRISPR addition of retron barcodes," was published in the journal Nature on July 27, 2022.
Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 31, 2022 at 9:50am

How soft sounds might dull pain in mice

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 29, 2022 at 12:14pm

Fossil-fuel emissions hamper carbon dating

The burning of fossil fuels has officially shifted the composition of carbon isotopes in the air of the Northern Hemisphere enough to cancel out a useful signal from nuclear-weapons testing. This could cause a headache for archaeologists, because modern items now look like objects from the early twentieth century in terms of radiocarbon dating. The development means that forensic scientists will no longer be able to use radiocarbon fingerprints to pinpoint the ages of materials such as ivory, antiques and wine. “If you’re working in forensics or detecting fakes, this is a really sad moment.

Carbon dating hampered by rising fossil-fuel emissions

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 29, 2022 at 11:58am
“This supports a scenario in which the market was the epicenter of the epidemic,” Worobey, a viral evolution expert, said. “With vendors getting infected first and setting off a chain of infections among community members surrounding the area.”

The second study analyses SARS-CoV-2 genomic data from early cases. The researchers combined epidemic modeling with analyses of the virus's early evolution based on the earliest sampled genomes. They determined that the pandemic, which initially involved two subtly distinct lineages of SARS-CoV-2, likely arose from at least two separate infections of humans from animals at the Huanan market in November 2019 and perhaps in December 2019. The analyses also suggested that, in this period, there were many other animal-to-human transmissions of the virus at the market that failed to manifest in recorded COVID-19 cases.

The authors used a technique known as molecular clock analysis, which relies on the natural pace with which genetic mutations occur over time, to establish a framework for the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus lineages. They found that a scenario of a singular introduction of the virus into humans rather than multiple introductions would be inconsistent with molecular clock data.

The two studies provide evidence that COVID-19 originated via jumps from animals to humans at the Huanan market, likely following transmission to those animals from coronavirus-carrying bats in the wild or on farms in China. The researchers say scientists and public officials should seek better understanding of the wildlife trade in China and elsewhere and promote more comprehensive testing of live animals sold in markets to lower the risk of future pandemics.

The teams include more than 30 scholars from 20 different universities and research centers, including UCLA, the University of California San Diego, the Scripps Research Institute, the University of Arizona, and Johns Hopkins University in the U.S., among others.
Part 2 **
Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 29, 2022 at 11:57am

Scientists confirm COVID tied to wildlife sales at Chinese market

An international team of researchers has confirmed that live animals sold at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market were the likely source of the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed 6.4 million lives since it began nearly three years ago.

“Rigorously combining all available evidence surrounding the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 clearly demonstrates that the virus jumped at least twice from animals to humans at the Huanan market,” said Dr. Marc Suchard, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health professor of biostatistics. “Identifying multiple transmission events finally puts to rest a single origin from elsewhere.”

Co-led by Suchard and Dr. Michael Worobey (University of Arizona), Dr. Joel Wertheim (UCSD) and Dr. Kristian Andersen (Scripps Research Institute), international teams of researchers have traced the start of the pandemic to the market in Wuhan, China, where foxes, raccoon dogs, and other live mammals susceptible to the virus were sold immediately before the pandemic began. Their findings were published Tuesday in two peer-reviewed papers in the journal Science, after being previously released in pre-print versions in February.

The publications, which have since gone through peer review and include additional analyses and conclusions, virtually eliminate alternative scenarios that have been suggested as origins of the pandemic. Moreover, the authors conclude that the first spread to humans from animals likely occurred in two separate transmission events in the Huanan market in late November 2019.

One study – “The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was the early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic” - scrutinized the locations of the first known COVID-19 cases, as well as swab samples taken from surfaces at various locations at the market. The other – “The molecular epidemiology of multiple zoonotic origins of SARS-CoV-2” - focused on genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 from samples collected from COVID-19 patients during the first weeks of the pandemic in China.

Along with Suchard, a physician who also teaches at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, UCLA post-doctoral scholars Andrew Magee and Karthik Gangavarapu co-authored this work.

The first paper examined the geographic pattern of COVID-19 cases in the first month of the outbreak, December 2019. The team was able to determine the locations of almost all of the 174 COVID-19 cases identified by the World Health Organization that month, 155 of which were in Wuhan.

Analyses showed that these cases were clustered tightly around the Huanan market, whereas later cases were dispersed widely throughout Wuhan – a city of 11 million people. Notably, the researchers found that a striking percentage of early COVID patients with no known connection to the market – meaning they neither worked there nor shopped there – turned out to live close-by.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 29, 2022 at 11:50am

To demonstrate the ability of their battery to run low-power electronics, the authors combined two cells into one battery and used it to power an alarm clock with a liquid crystal display. Analysis of the performance of a one-cell battery revealed that after two drops of water were added, the battery activated within 20 seconds and, when not connected to an energy-consuming , reached a stable voltage of 1.2 volts. The voltage of a standard AA alkaline battery is 1.5 volts. After one hour, the one-cell battery's performance decreased significantly due to the paper drying. However, after two more drops of water were added, it maintained a stable operating voltage of 0.5 volts for more than one additional hour.

The authors propose that the biodegradability of paper and zinc could enable their battery to minimize the  of disposable, low-power electronics. They suggest that the sustainability of the battery can be further increased by minimizing the amount of zinc used within the ink, which also allows the amount of electricity the battery generates to be precisely controlled.

Gustav Nyström, Water activated disposable paper battery, Scientific Reports (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15900-5www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-15900-5

Part 2

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 29, 2022 at 11:49am

Just add water to activate a disposable paper battery

A water-activated disposable paper battery is presented in a proof-of-principle study in Scientific Reports. The authors suggest that it could be used to power a wide range of low-power, single-use disposable electronics—such as smart labels for tracking objects, environmental sensors and medical diagnostic devices—and minimize their environmental impact. The battery, devised by Gustav Nyström and colleagues, is made of at least one cell measuring one centimeter squared and consisting of three inks printed onto a rectangular strip of paper. Sodium chloride salt is dispersed throughout the strip of paper and one of its shorter ends has been dipped in wax. An ink containing graphite flakes, which acts as the positive end of the battery (cathode), is printed onto one of the flat sides of the paper while an ink containing zinc powder, which acts as the negative end of the battery (anode), is printed onto the reverse side of the paper. Additionally, an ink containing graphite flakes and carbon black is printed on both sides of the paper, on top of the other two inks. This ink connects the positive and negative ends of the battery to two wires, which are located at the wax-dipped end of the paper. When a small amount of water is added, the salts within the paper dissolve and charged ions are released. These ions activate the battery by dispersing through the paper, resulting in zinc in the ink at the negative end of the battery releasing electrons. Attaching the wires to an electrical device closes the circuit so that electrons can be transferred from the negative end—via the graphite and carbon black-containing ink, wires and device—to the positive end (the graphite-containing ink) where they are transferred to oxygen in the surrounding air. These reactions generate an electrical current that can be used to power the device.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 29, 2022 at 11:44am

Promising evidence of deuterium forming into a metallic state at high pressure

A trio of researchers at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission has shown promising evidence of deuterium forming into a metallic state at high pressure. In their paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters, researchers describe the process they used to pressurize a deuterium sample and test it for a transition state. Theory suggests that all elements should transition to a metallic state if subjected to strong enough pressure. This is because at some point, their electrons will become delocalized. But modeling, much less demonstrating, such transition points has proven to be difficult. Early research looking for the transition state of hydrogen led to theories that it would reach a metallic state when hydrogen molecules disassociated completely. That led to many efforts to see if such theories were true—sadly, none were successful. Then in 2000, a team at Cornell University calculated that hydrogen should transition at 410 GPa. In 2020, the researchers of the current study used a diamond anvil cell to compress a sample of hydrogen to 425 GPa and used synchrotron infrared absorption and Raman spectroscopy to measure the band gap of the material. They found a sudden drop from 0.6eV to 0.1eV at 80K, comprising promising evidence of hydrogen forming into a metallic state as theorized. A short time later, physicist Alexander Goncharov suggested that transitions should happen more easily under conditions where quantum motion could allow for some atoms to tunnel from one place to another. Noting that deuterium nuclei are heavier than hydrogen, the researchers reasoned that they should be less delocalized than protons and thus should require more pressure to transition. To find out if that was the case, the team reran their 2020 effort, only this time, they used deuterium instead of hydrogen. They found the band gap decreased in ways similar to the hydrogen experiment, but it did so at 460 GPa, possibly confirming the theory. The researchers noted that they also saw nothing that would indicate molecular disassociation had occurred in either experiment.

Paul Loubeyre et al, Compression of D2 to 460 GPa and Isotopic Effects in the Path to Metal Hydrogen, Physical Review Letters (2022). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.035501

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 29, 2022 at 11:30am

Alarm as Earth hits 'Overshoot Day' Thursday: NGOs

Mankind marks a dubious milestone Thursday (yesterday), the day by which humanity has consumed all earth can sustainably produce for this year, with NGOS warning the rest of 2022 will be lived in resource deficit.

The date—dubbed "Earth Overshoot Day"—marks a tipping point when people have used up "all that ecosystems can regenerate in one year", according to the Global Footprint Network and WWF.

From January 1 to July 28, humanity has used as much from nature as the planet can renew in the entire year. That's why this July 28 is Earth Overshoot Day.

The Earth has a lot of stock, so we can deplete Earth for some time but we cannot overuse it for ever. It's like with money; we can spend more than we earn for some time until we're broke."

It would take 1.75 Earths to provide for the world's population in a sustainable way, according to the measure, which was created by researchers in the early 1990s.

Global Footprint Network said Earth Overshoot Day has fallen ever sooner over the last 50 years.

Source: News Agencies

 

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