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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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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-wi thout-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-ca re 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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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 11, 2020 at 6:11am: Big 'particle accelerator' in the sky!

The Earth's magnetic field traps high-energy particles. When the first satellites were launched into space, scientists led by James Van Allen unexpectedly discovered the high-energy particle radiation regions, which were later named after its discoverer: the Van Allen Radiation Belts. Visualized, these look like two donut-shaped regions encompassing the planet.

Now, a new study led by researchers from GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences shows that electrons in the radiation belts can be accelerated to very high speeds locally. The study shows that magnetosphere works as a very efficient particle accelerator, speeding up electrons to so-called ultra-relativistic energies.

To better understand the origin of the Van Allen Belts, in 2012, NASA launched the Van Allen Probes twin spacecraft to traverse this most harsh environment and conduct detailed measurements in this hazardous region. The measurements included a full range of particles moving at different speeds and in different directions, and plasma waves. Plasma waves are similar to the waves that we see on the water surface, but are invisible to the naked eye. They can be compared to ripples in the electric and magnetic field.

Recent observations revealed that the energy of electrons in the belts can go up to so called ultra-relativistic energies. These electrons, with temperatures above 100 billion degrees Fahrenheit, move so quickly that their energy of motion is much higher than their energy of rest given by Einstein's famous formula E=mc². They are so fast that the time significantly slows down for these particles.

Scientists were surprised to find these ultra-relativistic electrons and assumed that such high energies can be only reached by a combination of two processes: the inward transport of particles from the outer regions of the magnetosphere, which accelerates them, and a local acceleration of particles by plasma waves.

However, the new study shows that electrons reach such incredible energies locally, in the heart of the belts, by taking all this energy from plasma waves. This process turns out to be extremely efficient. The unexpected discovery of how acceleration of particles to ultra-relativistic energies operates in the near-Earth space may help scientists understand the fundamental processes of acceleration on the sun, near outer planets, and even in the distant corners of the universe, where space probes cannot reach.

Hayley Allison, Yuri Shprits: "Local heating of radiation belt electrons to ultra-relativistic energies" Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18053-z

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-giant-particle-sky.html?utm_source=nw...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 11, 2020 at 6:05am: Study finds humans are behind costly, increasing risk of wildfire to millions of homes

People are starting almost all the wildfires that threaten U.S. homes, according to an innovative new analysis combining housing and wildfire data. Through activities like debris burning, equipment use and arson, humans were responsible for igniting 97% of home-threatening wildfires, a University of Colorado Boulder-led team reported this week in the journal Fire.

Nathan Mietkiewicz et al, In the Line of Fire: Consequences of Human-Ignited Wildfires to Homes in the U.S. (1992–2015), Fire (2020). DOI: 10.3390/fire3030050

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-humans-costly-wildfire-millions-homes...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 11, 2020 at 5:47am: At least 28 extinctions prevented by conservation action in recent decades

Conservation action has prevented the global extinction of at least 28 bird and mammal species since 1993, a study has shown.

The species include Puerto Rican Amazon Amazona vittata, Przewalski's Horse Equus ferus, Alagoas Antwren Myrmotherula snowi, Iberian Lynx Lynx pardinus, and Black Stilt Himantopus novaezelandiae, among others.

an international team of scientists have estimated the number of bird and mammal species that would have disappeared forever without the efforts of conservationists in recent decades.

The researchers found that 21-32 bird and 7-16 mammal species extinctions have been prevented since 1993, with the ranges reflecting the uncertainty inherent in estimating what might have happened under hypothetical circumstances.

Bolam, F.C, Mair, L., Angelico, M., Brooks, T.M, Burgman, M., McGowan, P. J. K & Hermes, C. et al. (2020). How many bird and mammal extinctions has recent conservation action prevented? Conservation Letters (2020). DOI: 10.1111/conl.12762

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-extinctions-action-decades.html?utm_s...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 11, 2020 at 5:43am: Quirky response to magnetism presents quantum physics mystery

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-quirky-response-magnetism-quantum-phy...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Quirky-response-to-mag... - check %%

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Researchers reveal a much richer picture of the past with new DNA recovery technique

Researchers at McMaster University have developed a new technique to tease ancient DNA from soil, pulling the genomes of hundreds of animals and thousands of plants—many of them long extinct—from less than a gram of sediment.

The DNA extraction method, outlined in the journal Quarternary Research, allows scientists to reconstruct the most advanced picture ever of environments that existed thousands of years ago.

The researchers analyzed permafrost samples from four sites in the Yukon, each representing different points in the Pleistocene-Halocene transition, which occurred approximately 11,000 years ago.

This transition featured the extinction of a large number of animal species such as mammoths, mastodons and ground sloths, and the new process has yielded some surprising new information about the way events unfolded, say the researchers.

Tyler J. Murchie et al, Optimizing extraction and targeted capture of ancient environmental DNA for reconstructing past environments using the PalaeoChip Arctic-1.0 bait-set, Quaternary Research (2020). DOI: 10.1017/qua.2020.59

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-reveal-richer-picture-dna-recovery.ht...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 10, 2020 at 6:37am: The Most Common Pain Relief Drug in The World Induces Risky Behaviour, Study Suggests

Acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol and sold widely under the brand names Tylenol and Panadol, also increases risk-taking, according to a new study that measured changes in people's behaviour when under the influence of the common over-the-counter medication.

https://academic.oup.com/scan/advance-article/doi/10.1093/scan/nsaa...

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-most-common-pain-relief-drug-in-th...

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Researchers document the 'life cycle' of a volcano

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-document-life-volcano.html?utm_source...

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German study highlights carbon footprint of video streaming

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-german-highlights-carbon-footprint-vi...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 10, 2020 at 6:02am: Nobel prize-winning economics of climate change is misleading and dangerous – here’s why

https://theconversation.com/nobel-prize-winning-economics-of-climat...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-09-australia-environmental-scientists-si...

How Australia's environmental scientists are being silenced

https://theconversation.com/research-reveals-shocking-detail-on-how...

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How Bermuda Triangle became a mystery ....

https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-what-is-the-bermuda-triang...

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Nine mistakes we make about the pandemic

From false dichotomies — save lives or save the economy? — to the ‘prevention paradox’ that breeds complacency when public-health measures work, many of us suffer from conceptual errors when it comes to coronavirus.

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Space Could Be Littered With Eerie Transparent Stars Made Entirely of Bosons

https://www.sciencealert.com/there-could-be-transparent-stars-made-...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 10, 2020 at 5:30am: Sound waves replace human hands in petri dish experiments

Mechanical engineers have demonstrated a set of prototypes for manipulating particles and cells in a Petri dish using sound waves. The devices, known in the scientific community as "acoustic tweezers," are the first foray into making these types of tools, which have thus far been relegated to laboratories with specific equipment and expertise, available for use in a wide array of settings.

Acoustic tweezers are a powerful, versatile set of tools that use sound waves to manipulate bioparticles ranging from nanometer-sized extracellular vesicles to millimeter-sized multicellular organisms. Over the past several decades, the capabilities of acoustic tweezers have expanded from simplistic particle trapping to the precise rotation and translation of cells and organisms in three dimensions.

"Generating multifunctional acoustic tweezers in Petri dishes for contactless, precise manipulation of bioparticles" Science Advances (2020). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb0494

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-human-petri-dish.html?utm_source=nwle...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 10, 2020 at 5:26am: Gene activation discovery

Human genes spring into action through instructions delivered by the precise order of our DNA, directed by the four different types of individual links, or "bases," coded A, C, G and T.

Nearly 25% of our genes are widely known to be transcribed by sequences that resemble TATAAA, which is called the "TATA box." How the other three-quarters are turned on, or promoted, has remained a mystery due to the enormous number of DNA base sequence possibilities, which has kept the activation information shrouded.

Now, with the help of artificial intelligence, researchers have identified a DNA activation code that's used at least as frequently as the TATA box in humans. Their discovery, which they termed the downstream core promoter region (DPR), could eventually be used to control gene activation in biotechnology and biomedical applications.

The researchers made a pool of 500,000 random versions of DNA sequences and evaluated the DPR activity of each. From there, 200,000 versions were used to create a machine learning model that could accurately predict DPR activity in human DNA.

These results clearly revealed the existence of the DPR motif in human genes. Moreover, the frequency of occurrence of the DPR appears to be comparable to that of the TATA box. In addition, they observed an intriguing duality between the DPR and TATA. Genes that are activated with TATA box sequences lack DPR sequences, and vice versa.

Identification of the human DPR core promoter element using machine learning, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2689-7 , www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2689-7

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-machine-aids-gene-discovery.html?utm_...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 10, 2020 at 5:14am: How hydrogen becomes a metal inside giant planets

Dense metallic hydrogen—a phase of hydrogen which behaves like an electrical conductor—makes up the interior of giant planets. By combining artificial intelligence and quantum mechanics, researchers now have found how hydrogen becomes a metal under the extreme pressure conditions of these planets.

Researchers used machine learning to mimic the interactions between hydrogen atoms in order to overcome the size and timescale limitations of even the most powerful supercomputers. They found that instead of happening as a sudden, or first-order, transition, the hydrogen changes in a smooth and gradual way.

Hydrogen, consisting of one proton and one electron, is both the simplest and the most abundant element in the Universe. It is the dominant component of the interior of the giant planets in our solar system—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—as well as exoplanets orbiting other stars.

At the surfaces of giant planets, hydrogen remains a molecular gas. Moving deeper into the interiors of giant planets however, the pressure exceeds millions of standard atmospheres. Under this extreme compression, hydrogen undergoes a phase transition: the covalent bonds inside hydrogen molecules break, and the gas becomes a metal that conducts electricity.

Evidence for supercritical behaviour of high-pressure liquid hydrogen, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2677-y , www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2677-y

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-ai-hydrogen-metal-giant-planets.html?...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 10, 2020 at 5:11am: Massive halo finally explains stream of gas swirling around the Milky Way

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-massive-halo-stream-gas-swirling.html...

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Physicists explain mysterious dark matter deficiency in galaxy pair

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-physicists-mysterious-dark-deficiency...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Massive-halo-finally-e...; --check %%%%

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A gold nanoparticle nearly cloaked by a single molecule

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-gold-nanoparticle-cloaked-molecule.ht...

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New Hubble data suggests there is an ingredient missing from current dark matter theories

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-hubble-ingredient-current-dark-theori...

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Engineered 'nanobodies' block SARS-CoV-2 from infecting human cells

Researchers have designed a molecule that sticks tightly to the coronavirus spike protein, preventing the virus from infecting cells. The molecule might someday be used in an aerosolized drug to treat or prevent COVID-19. It's modeled after the simple, compact antibodies found in some animals such as llamas, alpacas, and camels.

Immune cells produce antibodies in response to infection, but it takes time for that response to develop. Lab-made antibodies could knock a virus out before it gains a foothold.

Michael Schoof et al. An ultra-potent synthetic nanobody neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 by locking Spike into an inactive conformation, (2020). DOI: 10.1101/2020.08.08.238469

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-nanobodies-block-sars-cov-infecting-h...