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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 June 19, 2020 at 6:13am: Studying the Neandertal DNA found in modern humans using stem cells and organoids

Studies have found that about 2% of the genomes of modern humans from outside Africa are composed of Neandertal DNA. This archaic DNA is a result of mating between the two groups tens of thousands of years ago.

In the new study, the team used resources from the Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Initiative (HipSci), an international consortium that provides data and cell lines for research. Nearly all of the data and cell lines in HipSci are from people of UK and Northern European descent. The researchers analyzed this cell line resource for its Neandertal DNA content and annotated functional Neandertal variants for each of the cell lines.

"Some Neandertal alleles have relatively high frequency in this population," Camp explains. "Because of that, this iPSC resource contains certain genes that are homozygous for Neandertal alleles, including genes associated with skin and hair color that are highly prevalent in Europeans."

Camp's team used five cell lines to generate brain organoids and generated single-cell RNA sequencing data to analyze their cell composition. They showed that this transcriptomic data could be used to track Neandertal-derived RNA across developmental processes

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-neandertal-dna-modern-humans-stem.htm...

tem Cell Reports, Dannemann et al.: "Human stem cell resources are an inroad to Neandertal DNA functions" www.cell.com/stem-cell-reports … 2213-6711(20)30190-9 , DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2020.05.018

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 19, 2020 at 6:05am: Do you know these things about thorns?

The thorns help protect against hungry animals that like to munch on the plants.

Where do they come from?

This is for non-botanists: Many plants have sharp, spiky armour that can be classified as thorns, prickles or spines.

Now get surprised: Rose bushes do not have thorns; they have prickles, as do raspberry and blackberry bushes. Prickles are like thick hairs on your arm, and in roses and other prickly plants, the prickles grow from their epidermis, or "skin".

Other plants, including cacti, have spines, another type of sharp, pointy weaponry that forms instead of leaves. Thorns arise from shoots in plants such as bougainvillea, hawthorn and citrus.

Scientists have found that in citrus plants, thorns arise from the plants' stem cell populations. Unlike typical stem cells in animals or plants, which continue to divide, thorn stem cells undergo a programmed arrest. The scientists found that two regulators of stem cell production, TI1 and TI2, gradually shut down stem cell activity in the developing thorn, so that it tapers off until nothing is left but the sharp pointy end.

When the researchers genetically eliminated the two regulators, stem cell activity continued, and instead of thorns, the citrus plants produced new branches.

The insight could lead to orchards of orange trees with more fruit-bearing branches—ones that pose less danger to labourers who pick the fruit.

Source: Report in the June 18 issue of Current Biology

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-scientists-thorny-problem.html?utm_so...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 18, 2020 at 9:36am: Liver perfusion could save 7 in 10 rejected donor livers

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-liver-perfusion-donor-livers...

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-light-activated-crispr-trigg...

Light-activated 'CRISPR' triggers precision gene editing and super-fast DNA repair

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https://theconversation.com/healthier-food-can-contain-more-contami...

Healthier food can contain more contaminants

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https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/slimy-mudflat-biofilms-f...

Slimy Mudflat Biofilms Feed Migratory Birds—and Could Be Threatened

The highly nutritious, shimmering goo is a vital source of energy for long-distance fliers

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https://www.the-scientist.com/the-literature/gut-microbiome-composi...

Gut Microbiome Composition Linked to Human Behavior

A study uncovers connections between the bacteria in our guts and our social lives.

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https://www.asianscientist.com/2020/06/health/east-asian-diabetes-g...

The Unique Genetics Of Diabetes In Asians: Researchers have found 61 new genetic variants that are linked to type 2 diabetes in East Asians, which could help to personalize treatment for the chronic disease.

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-scientists-decode-brain.html...

Scientists decode how the brain senses smell

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 18, 2020 at 9:33am

https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/female-medical-research?reb...

Science research still focuses mostly on men

In spite of a government mandate, women are often treated as afterthoughts in scientific research. $$

A new study finds that though more women are included in experiments, sex-specific data often goes un-analyzed.
Only about a third of studies analyzed published participant breakdown by sex.
Some researchers say considering women more fully as research subjects is logistically too challenging.

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-06-photo-longer.html?utm_source=nw...

What jumps out in a photo changes the longer we look at it

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-physical-million-early-death...

Physical activity prevents almost four million early deaths worldwide each year

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 18, 2020 at 7:09am: Quasar jets are particle accelerators thousands of light-years long

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-quasar-jets-particle-thousands-light-...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-lab-space-discovery-molecule-interste...

Discovery of a new organic molecule in an interstellar molecular cloud

Discovery of a new organic molecule in an interstellar molecular cloud: called propargylimine this chemical species may play a fundamental role in the formation of amino acids, among the key ingredients for life as we know it.

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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15610419/

Biotechnology Applied to Cultural Heritage: Biorestoration of Frescoes Using Viable Bacterial Cells and Enzymes

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https://theconversation.com/is-the-k-number-the-new-r-number-what-y...

What you need to know about the K number in epidemiology ....

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** https://theconversation.com/why-are-black-and-asian-people-at-great...

Why are black and Asian people at greater risk of coronavirus? Here’s what we found

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https://theconversation.com/in-the-future-your-phone-could-test-you...

In the future, your phone could test you for coronavirus – here’s how

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 18, 2020 at 6:21am: How Toxoplasma parasites glide so swiftly

Toxoplasma gondii parasites can be transmitted through contaminated food, water or cat feces. Now, scientists have studied how these microscopic parasites glide so swiftly through the body.

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-toxoplasma-parasites-glide-swiftly.ht...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 18, 2020 at 6:12am: $$ Study sheds light on a classic visual illusion: this phenomenon relies on brightness estimation that takes place before visual information reaches the brain's visual cortex, possibly within the retina.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-classic-visual-illusion.html...

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https://sciencex.com/news/2020-06-schrdinger-cat.html?utm_source=nw...

Schrödinger's cat explained!

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-expose-powerful-magnetic-fields-after...

Experiments expose how powerful magnetic fields are generated in the aftermath of supernovae

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-physicists-theory-bose-einstein-conde...

Physicists develop a new theory for Bose-Einstein condensates

Bose-Einstein condensates are often described as the fifth state of matter: At extremely low temperatures, gas atoms behave like a single particle. The exact properties of these systems are notoriously difficult to study.

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Science in Action - The medical complexity of Covid -19 - BBC Sounds

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-scientists-unusual-underwater-rivers-...

Scientists discover unusual underwater rivers along Australia's coastline

Scientists have discovered underwater rivers along most of Australia's continental shelf that are unique and do not occur at this scale anywhere else in the world.

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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chemical_elements_naming_co...

List of chemical elements naming controversies

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 17, 2020 at 8:47am: Why Do People Avoid Facts That Could Help Them?

Several studies suggest that individuals widely prefer to remain ignorant about information that would benefit them when it’s painful—and sometimes when it’s pleasurable

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-people-avoid-fact...

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https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/specially-shaped-artific...

Specially Shaped Artificial Particles Detoxify Blood

Camouflaged nanoparticles can soak up toxins like red bloods cells do

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https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/in-south-africa-covid-19...

COVID-19 Breath Test Trial Set for June

If proven successful, the five-minute test could be a good temporary indicator before a confirmatory PCR test.

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-nanosponges-intercept-coronavirus-inf...

Nanosponges could intercept SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection and neutralize the virus

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-hard-eggshells-evolved-dinosaur-famil...

New study suggests that hard eggshells evolved at least three times in dinosaur family tree

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-knock-knock-coral-symbiotic-algae.htm...

How coral let symbiotic algae in

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Soap bubbles pollinated a pear orchard without damaging delicate flowers: Soap bubbles may present a low-tech complement to robotic pollination technology designed to supplement the work of vanishing bees.

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-soap-pollinated-pear-orchard-delicate...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 17, 2020 at 8:27am: How deadly is the coronavirus? Scientists are close to an answer

Public-health researchers use the infection fatality rate to gauge how to respond to a new disease, but it’s tricky to calculate.

Researchers use a metric called infection fatality rate (IFR) to calculate how deadly a new disease is. It is the proportion of infected people who will die as a result, including those who don’t get tested or show symptoms.

“The IFR is one of the important numbers alongside the herd immunity threshold, and has implications for the scale of an epidemic and how seriously we should take a new disease.

Calculating an accurate IFR is challenging in the midst of any outbreak because it relies on knowing the total number of people infected — not just those who are confirmed through testing. But the fatality rate is especially difficult to pin down for COVID-19.

That’s partly because there are many people with mild or no symptoms, whose infection has gone undetected, and also because the time between infection and death can be as long as two months. Many countries are also struggling to count all their virus-related deaths, he says. Death records suggest that some of those are being missed in official counts.

Data from early in the pandemic overestimated how deadly the virus was, and then later analyses underestimated its lethality. Now, numerous studies — using a range of methods — estimate that in many countries some 5 to 10 people will die for every 1,000 people with COVID-19. “The studies I have any faith in are tending to converge around 0.5–1%,” says Russell.

But some researchers say that convergence between studies could just be coincidence. For a true understanding of how deadly the virus is, scientists need to know how readily it kills different groups of people. The risk of dying from COVID-19 can vary considerably depending on age, ethnicity, access to healthcare, socioeconomic status and underlying health conditions. More high-quality surveys of different groups are needed, these researchers say.

IFR is also specific to a population and changes over time as doctors get better at treating the disease, which can further complicate efforts to pin it down.

Getting the number right is important because it helps governments and individuals to determine appropriate responses.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01738-2?utm_source=Natur...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on June 17, 2020 at 8:08am: Do you know your behaviour on social media could be limiting the quality of your news feeds?

More than half the world's population use social media to keep up with the latest news and find a source of truth. But are they getting the facts and the right information? NO!

Some content is hidden from you while some news is made available to you based on your ‘mental make up’. So you are made to believe only a part of the world that suits you exist and that you are on the right path to seek it!

A lot of people may be unaware of the extent their news feed is altered by the click of a button when they dislike a post, or opt to see less of something on their news feed.

Throughout social media, a series of complex algorithms are in place to keep users engaged and visiting social media sites as long as possible. They want the user to have the feeling of 'you're right' so content is tailored to that person. This creates an environment of like-minded users who reinforce that person's opinions rather than providing balanced information.

So experts are making specific recommendations to empower individuals online, drawing on two approaches from behavioural sciences: nudging and boosting.

Nudging aims to steer people's behaviour by highlighting important information without imposing rules or bans. Nudging could be used, for example, to indicate whether content meets certain quality criteria—such as whether it stems from trustworthy sources.

Some sites recently took a step in this direction and started flagging some tweets with a fact-check warning.

The researchers say another possibility would be to make it more difficult for users to share information when an article fails to cite external references. For example, users might be required to click past a pop-up window.

Another option is what is called boosting, to enhance user competence in the long-term. This could, for instance, mean teaching people to determine the quality of a news item by looking at a set of variables, such as the sources being cited, that determine its likely quality.

It 's important to strengthen the Internet's potential to inform decision-making processes in democratic societies, bolstering them rather than undermining them.

'It's important for people to have autonomy to be able to control the content they receive, but at the same time be aware of the trustworthiness of their feeds and have more control over what information is provided.

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-06-behaviour-social-media-limiting...