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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: 13 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

Discussion Forum

The very certainty that science progresses with time should be the basis for trust, not the other way round.

Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 13 hours ago. 1 Reply

Q: Why do people say you can't trust science because it changes, and how does that contrast with religious beliefs?Krishna: “Because it changes” - if you don’t understand why the changes occur, you…Continue

Maternal gut microbiome composition and preterm births

Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Thursday. 1 Reply

Maternal gut microbiome composition may be linked to preterm birthsPeople associate several things regarding pregnancy to eclipses and other natural phenomenon. They also associate them with papaya…Continue

Our understanding of lightning has been driven by fear and shaped by curiosity

Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Tuesday. 1 Reply

Playwright Tom Stoppard, in "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," provides one of the…Continue

The words ‘Just believing’ are not there in the dictionaries of science

Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa Sep 6. 1 Reply

Q: Why do some people find comfort in the idea of being "recycled" into nature rather than believing in an afterlife?Krishna: Because ‘"recycled" into nature’ is an evidence based fact and people…Continue

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You need to be a member of Science Simplified! to add comments!

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 10, 2020 at 10:16am

Pesticides in contact with plastic mulch take longer to degrade

The use of plastic mulch (plastic covering on crop lines) is a widespread technique used in agricultural regions in order to increase the profitability of the crops. According to the European Commission, 100,000 tons of plastic mulch was used per year in the European Union in 2016. Taking these figures into account and the fact that after the harvest some plastic usually remains in the soil, the accumulation of plastic in territories of intensive agriculture is an environmental problem that is of concern in the sector and also for public administration.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 10, 2020 at 10:10am

Why did Mount Everest's height change?

The world's highest mountain is now officially a little higher. China and Nepal presented a new official figure of 8,848.86 meters (29,031.69 feet) above sea level. 

China and Nepal agreed this week on a new standard height for Mount Everest. Geological changes, the complicated business of measuring a mountain and varying criteria for determining the world's highest peak will likely ensure the question isn't settled for good.

The mountain's height changes. The movement of tectonic plates can lift it up ever so gradually, while earthquakes can bring it down.

The countervailing forces may help maintain a degree of stability over time.

--

There's more than one way to measure a mountain.

Last year, a Nepalese team set up a satellite navigation marker on Everest's peak to gauge its exact position via GPS satellites. A Chinese team undertook a similar mission this spring, though it used the Chinese-made Beidou constellation of navigation satellites, along with other equipment.

At the same time, Nepalese crews took measurements with modern, laser-equipped versions of instruments called theodolites, first used to gauge the mountain's height in 1856 by measuring angles using trigonometry.

The Nepalese team also used ground penetrating radar to measure the amount of snow and ice that sits on top of its highest rock.

The new height is 0.86 meters (more than 2 feet) above the higher of the countries' two previous figures, that given by Nepal. The two had diverged for year over the mountain's actual height.

Measuring the height above sea level has always been tricky because ocean levels vary considerably depending on tides, magnetism and other factors. Rising sea levels are creating another factor for future measurements.

How high above  is just one way of measuring a mountain's height. One reason Everest wins the prize is that its base sits high up on already lofty foothills.

As measured from the Earth's core, Ecuador's Mount Chimborazo is the world's highest, standing more than 2,072 meters (6,800 feet) above Everest. Because the Earth bulges in the middle, mountains along the equator are farther from the core.

Measuring from the foot of the mountain to the peak, Hawaii's Mauna Kea is the tallest. Most of it, however, is under the sea.

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-mount-everest-height.html?utm_source=...

**

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 10, 2020 at 10:03am

Manmade mass now outweighs life on Earth: study

For the first time in history manmade materials now likely outweigh all life on Earth, scientists said recently in research detailing the "crossover point" at which humanity's footprint is heavier than that of the natural world.

The  of roads, buildings and other constructed or manufactured materials is doubling roughly every 20 years, and authors of the research said it currently weighed 1.1 teratonnes (1.1 trillion tonnes).

As mankind has ramped up its insatiable consumption of natural resources, the weight of living biomass—trees, plants and animals—has halved since the agricultural revolution to stand at just 1 teratonne currently, the study found.

Estimating changes in global biomass and manmade mass since 1990, the research showed that the mass of human-produced objects stood at just three percent of the weight of biomass at the start of the 20th century.

But since the post-World War II global production boom, manufacturing has surged to the extent that humans now produce the equivalent of the weight of every person on Earth every week on average.

Global human-made mass exceeds all living biomass, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-3010-5 , www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-3010-5

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-manmade-mass-outweighs-life-earth.htm...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 10, 2020 at 8:40am

Space weather discovery puts 'habitable planets' at risk

A discovery that links stellar flares with radio-burst signatures will make it easier for astronomers to detect space weather around nearby stars outside the Solar System. Unfortunately, the first weather reports from our nearest neighbour, Proxima Centauri, are not promising for finding life as we know it.

Astronomers have recently found there are two 'Earth-like'  around Proxima Centauri, one within the 'habitable zone' where any water could be in liquid form. 

Proxima Centauri is just 4.2 light years from Earth.

But given Proxima Centauri is a cool, small red-dwarf star, it means this  is very close to the star; much closer in than Mercury is to our Sun.

Some present research shows is that this makes the planets very vulnerable to dangerous ionising radiation that could effectively sterilise the planets. astronomers have for the first time shown a definitive link between optical flares and radio bursts on a star that is not the Sun. The finding, published today in The Astrophysical Journal, is an important step to using radio signals from distant  to effectively produce space weather reports.

 Astrophysical Journal (2020). DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/abca90

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-space-weather-discovery-habitable-pla...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 9, 2020 at 11:06am

It's Not Just Humans. Sparrows Have Been Seen Using Preventative Medicine

 we might not be the only species that knows certain things in nature can help treat our ills.

A new correspondence paper has put forward the idea that russet sparrows (Passer cinnamomeus) in China are using wormwood (Artemisia verlotorum) leaves in their nest as a preventative medicine, to reduce parasites and help their babies get bigger.

The conclusion that animals can use medicinal plants to their benefit is not necessarily new
 Pregnant elephants in Kenya eat a particular leaf to induce birth, while many other mammals use medicinal plants to self-medicate – sometimes to prevent disease or just generally feel better from an ailment.

But it's still pretty amazing that a tiny sparrow might know that some plants are more important than others for protecting against disease.

"In China, russet sparrows incorporate wormwood leaves into their nests around the same time that local people hang wormwood from their doors as a traditional custom during the Dragon Boat Festival

The belief that this behaviour confers protection against ill health is supported by the description of anti-parasite compounds in wormwood. It has been suggested that the incorporation of fresh wormwood leaves into nests may serve a similar function for sparrows. the birds actively seek out nest locations close to the available wormwood and resupply established nests with fresh wormwood leaves gathered based solely on the leaves smell.

The nests containing wormwood leaves had lower parasite loads. By decreasing the number of parasites such as mites, the sparrows that add more wormwood leaves to their nest produce heavier and healthier chicks.

Sparrows use a medicinal herb to defend against parasites and increase offspring condition

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(20)31525-6

https://www.sciencealert.com/sparrows-have-been-seen-using-preventa...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 9, 2020 at 9:37am

Using targeted microbubbles to administer toxic cancer drugs

New research has shown how microbubbles carrying powerful cancer drugs can be guided to the site of a tumour using antibodies.

Microbubbles are small manufactured spheres half the size of a red blood cell—and scientists think they can be used to transport drugs to highly specific locations within the body.

Scientists have targeted microbubbles through the use of a 'navigational aid' - antibodies attracted to the growth hormone found in high levels in the blood vessels supplying a tumour.

The antibodies were attached to the microbubbles—and as a result of being attracted to the growth hormone, the microbubbles became concentrated at the site of the tumour. A pulse from an ultrasound device was used to burst open the microbubbles, and that released the anti-cancer agent.

One of the big problems with cancer drugs is that they are highly toxic to the rest of the body too. Microbubble technology allows us to use these very powerful drugs with precision and that reduces the risk of the drug damaging healthy cells nearby.

This work is about finely focused drug delivery. The animal-based study also revealed that by attaching the drug directly to the microbubbles allowed it to circulate in the body for longer, increasing delivery into the tumour—in effect making the drug more potent. As a result, the scientists were able to slow cancer growth with a much smaller drug dose.

Nicola Ingram et al, Ultrasound-triggered therapeutic microbubbles enhance the efficacy of cytotoxic drugs by increasing circulation and tumor drug accumulation and limiting bioavailability and toxicity in normal .tissues, Theranostics (2020). DOI: 10.7150/thno.49670

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-microbubbles-toxic-cancer-drugs.html?...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 9, 2020 at 9:30am

**Elementary particles part ways with their properties

Yakir Aharonov and Daniel Rohrlich What is nonlocal in counterfactual quantum communication?, Physical Review Letters, Accepted Manuscript. journals.aps.org/prl/accepted/ … bc9200223328b0ab042b

Arxiv: arxiv.org/abs/2011.11667

--

**Research: Millions of smart devices vulnerable to hacking

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-12-millions-smart-devices-vulnerab...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 8, 2020 at 11:35am

Scientists Discover an Unexpected Structure Hidden Inside Plant Cells

A team of researchers has just published a paper describing a surprising structure existing within an organelle – one that has remained hidden in plain sight for decades.

The organelle is called a peroxisome – a bubble-like single membrane filled with a granular protein matrix called a lumen. They aren't the most important cell machinery (not exactly a mitochondria or nucleus) but these very, very tiny cell organs have key roles in breaking down and synthesising molecules. Inside the peroxisomes of plant cells, researchers were surprised to find vesicles – something we didn't think the organelles had. Peroxisomes float around the cells of all multicellular organisms removing reactive molecules containing oxygen and helping break down fats. In humans and other mammals, they're only 0.1 micrometres – small enough that even with high power microscopes, there's not much to see. "Peroxisomes in yeast and mammalian cells are smaller than the resolution of light.

With fluorescence microscopy, you could only ever see a dot. That's just the limit that light can do.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-20099-y

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-discover-surprise-structure...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 8, 2020 at 9:29am

The first observation of three massive gauge bosons produced in proton-proton collisions

The Standard Model, the most exhaustive existing theory outlining fundamental particle interactions, predicts the existence of what are known as triboson interactions. These interactions are processes in which three-gauge bosons are simultaneously produced from one Large Hadron Collider event.

Triboson interactions are incredibly rare, often up to hundreds of times rarer than Higgs boson events, as they typically take place once every 100 billion . Although the Standard Model predicts their existence, physicists had so far been unable to observe them experimentally.

The CMS Collaboration, a large group of researchers from numerous physics institutes worldwide have recently observed the production of three massive gauge bosons in proton-proton collisions for the first time ever. Their paper, published in Physical Review Letters, offers the first experimental evidence of the existence of triboson interactions, opening up new possibilities for the study the interactions between fundamental massive gauge bosons, namely the W±, Z, and Higgs boson.

Observation of the production of three massive gauge bosons at √s=13  TeV. Physical Review Letters(2020). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.151802.

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-triple-threat-massive-gauge-bosons.ht...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 8, 2020 at 9:21am

Reviving puppetry for science, technology communication

https://www.freepressjournal.in/bhopal/madhya-pradesh-reviving-pupp...

 

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