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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: 15 seconds 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

Vaccine woes

Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 15 seconds ago. 12 Replies

Recent measles outbreak in the California state of the US ( now spread to other states too) tells an interesting story.Vaccines are not responsible for the woes people face but because of rejection…Continue

Ask any astronaut whether what he is sensing in space is objective reality or subjective reality.

Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 50 minutes ago. 1 Reply

Q: What is the definition of subjective reality? What is the definition of objective reality?Krishna: A person asked me this question sometime back:Why does our thinking differ so much? We are from…Continue

Burns and fireworks injuries: What to do when seconds count

Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 2 hours ago. 1 Reply

This is what experts advice....From a barbecue explosion to a severe firework injury, a lot can go wrong when celebrating.When it does, minutes—even seconds—can significantly impact the extent of the…Continue

What might happen when you take lots of medicines...

Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 3 hours ago. 18 Replies

What might happen when you take lots of medicines...One of our uncles died of liver cirrhosis ten years back. He never touched alcohol in his life. He didn't have any viral infection to cause this.…Continue

Comment Wall

Comment

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

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 26, 2020 at 5:10am

New imaging technique helps resolve nanodomains, chemical composition in cell membranes

Jin Lu et al. Single‐Molecule 3D Orientation Imaging Reveals Nanoscale Compositional Heterogeneity in Lipid Membranes, Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2020). DOI: 10.1002/anie.202006207

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-imaging-technique-nanodomains-chemica...

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Nanoengineered biosensors for early disease detection

Researchers have developed a cheaper, faster and ultrasensitive biosensors that use nanoengineered porous gold which more effectively detect early signs of disease, improving patient outcomes. This new diagnostic technique allows for direct detection of disease-specific miRNA, which wasn't previously possible.

This is especially important for patients at an early stage of a disease such as cancer, who do not have detectable amounts of other biomarkers, but may have a detectable quantity of exosomal miRNA biomarker.

The platform was nanoengineered by the team to read samples of blood, urine, saliva or plasma through a surface covered in a gold film, which has millions of tiny pores.

Hyunsoo Lim et al. A universal approach for the synthesis of mesoporous gold, palladium and platinum films for applications in electrocatalysis, Nature Protocols (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41596-020-0359-8

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-nanoengineered-biosensors-early-disea...

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Physicists discover new two-dimensional ferroelectric material just two atoms thick

Two-dimensional materials are ultrathin membranes that hold promise for novel optoelectronic, thermal, and mechanical applications, including ultra-thin data-storage devices that would be both foldable and information dense.

Ferroelectric materials are those with an intrinsic dipole moment—a measure of the separation of positive and negative charges—that can be switched by an electric field.

Salvador Barraza-Lopez et al. Water Splits To Degrade Two-Dimensional Group-IV Monochalcogenides in Nanoseconds, ACS Central Science (2018). DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.8b00589

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-physicists-two-dimensional-material.h...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 25, 2020 at 8:16am

The False Logic behind Science Denial

Those who argue that COVID-19 isn’t a real threat are mirroring bogus attacks on global warming and evolution

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-false-logic-behind-s...  

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How Birds Evolved Their Incredible Diversity

An analysis of 391 skulls shows that birds evolved surprisingly slowly, compared with their dinosaur forerunners

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-birds-evolved-their-...

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Origami-inspired miniature manipulator improves precision and control of teleoperated surgical procedures

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-08-origami-inspired-miniature-prec...

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** 'Earth breathing': mountain erosion a missing piece in the climate puzzle

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-earth-mountain-erosion-piece-climate....

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Digging your own digital grave: How should you manage the data you leave behind?

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-08-digital-grave.html?utm_source=n...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 25, 2020 at 7:59am

Scientists Are Figuring Out What Happens in The Skin When You Have Eczema

Scientists have pinpointed a bunch of processes that go wrong in the skin for people who have eczema (also known as atopic dermatitis), and it could help us figure out how to combat this chronic condition.

Earlier, researchers found a strong link between people lacking in a certain skin protein, and the risk of developing eczema. And in 2017, scientists built on those results to show exactly what goes wrong, and their results could even take us closer to an eczema cure.

For the past decade, scientists have known that eczema is associated with a genetic lack of filaggrin (filament aggregating protein) in the skin. This protein helps shape individual skin cells, and plays an important role in our skin's barrier function.

If a person has a genetic mutation that prevents proper filaggrin supply, they can develop skin conditions such as eczema or ichthyosis vulgaris, where skin cells don't shed, and instead pile up in a pattern that looks like fish scales.

But until recently, researchers weren't sure how eczema actually develops when filaggrin is lacking.

The breakthrough came in 2016, when scientists from Newcastle University in the UK in collaboration with GSK Stiefel tracked down a series of proteins and molecular pathways that lead to this insufferable skin problem.

They found that this deficiency alone could trigger a host of molecular changes in important regulatory mechanisms in the skin. This affected things like cell structure, barrier function, and even how cells got inflamed and responded to stress

They found that several of the proteins they detected were similarly altered in only those with eczema - just like the lab-based model had demonstrated.

Once scientists know for sure what goes on in the skin if you have the faulty filaggrin gene, they can start looking for drugs that can stop that from happening.

The study was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-are-figuring-out-what-happe...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 25, 2020 at 7:53am

Researchers find method to regrow cartilage in the joints

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered a way to regenerate, in mice and human tissue, the cushion of cartilage found in joints. 
 Loss of this slippery and shock-absorbing tissue layer, called articular cartilage, is responsible for many cases of joint pain and arthritis, which afflicts millions around the world .
Researchers now figured out how to regrow articular cartilage by first causing slight injury to the joint tissue, then using chemical signals to steer the growth of skeletal stem cells as the injuries heal.  
Cartilage has practically zero regenerative potential in adulthood, so once it's injured or gone, what we can do for patients has been very limited. It's extremely gratifying to find a way to help the body regrow this important tissue.
Source: Matthew P. Murphy et al. Articular cartilage regeneration by activated skeletal stem cells, Nature Medicine (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-020-1013-2

Deshka S. Foster et al. Elucidating the fundamental fibrotic processes driving abdominal adhesion formation, Nature Communications (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17883-1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 25, 2020 at 7:41am

Covid-19 news: Researchers find first case of coronavirus reinfection

Researchers say they have detected the first case of coronavirus reinfection

A 33-year-old man from Hong Kong was infected again 4½ months after he first caught the coronavirus

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong say they have documented the first case of a person being reinfected with the coronavirus. The team analysed virus samples taken from a man when he first tested positive for the coronavirus in late March, and again when he tested positive for a second time in mid-August. They discovered several differences in the sequences of the virus from the first and second infections, suggesting the man had been infected with two separate strains of the virus, rather than one long-lasting infection. Their findings have been accepted for publication in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal.

Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2237475-covid-19-news-research...

https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-confirmed-case-reinfection....

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** Could COVID-19 in wastewater be infectious?

International Study Led by Researchers at Ben-Gurion University Indicates Wastewater Containing COVID-19 May Be A Serious Threat

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-08/aabu-cci082320.php



Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 25, 2020 at 7:26am

**Using a smartphone and audio software to pick a physical lock

A trio of researchers has found a way to pick an ordinary physical lock using a smartphone with special software

With traditional locks, such as those found on the front doors of most homes, a person inserts the proper (metal) key and then turns it. Doing so pushes up a series of pins in the lock by a certain amount based on the ridges on the key. When the pins are pushed in a way that matches a preset condition, the tumbler can turn, retracting the metal piece of the  assembly from its berth, allowing the door to open. In this new effort, the researchers have found that it is possible to record the sounds made as the key comes into contact with the pins and then as the pins move upward, and use  to recreate the conditions that produce the same noises. Those conditions can be used to fabricate a metal key to unlock the door. The result is a system the team calls SpiKey, which involves use of a smartphone to record lock clicks, decipher them and then create a key signature for use in creating a new  key.

Soundarya Ramesh et al. Listen to Your Key, Proceedings of the 21st International Workshop on Mobile Computing Systems and Applications (2020). DOI: 10.1145/3376897.3377853 . PDF.

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-08-smartphone-audio-software-physi...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 25, 2020 at 7:22am

Locust swarm could improve collision avoidance

Plagues of locusts, containing millions of insects, fly across the sky to attack crops, but the individual insects do not collide with each other within these massive swarms. Now a team of engineers is creating a low-power collision detector that mimics the locust avoidance response and could help robots, drones and even self-driving cars avoid collisions.

Mechanism of locusts: Locusts are unusual because they use a single, specialized neuron, called the Lobula Giant Movement Detector (LGMD), to avoid collisions.

The neuron receives two different signals. An image of an approaching locust falls on the avoiding locust's eye. The closer the invading locust gets, the larger the image and the stronger this excitation signal becomes. The other input is the change in angular velocity of the invading locust with respect to the avoiding locust.

Because the neuron has two branches, the locust computes the changes in these two inputs and realizes that something is going to collide.  So the avoiding locust changes direction.

The researchers developed a compact, nanoscale collision detector using monolayer molybdenum sulfide as a photodetector. They placed the photo detector on top of a programmable floating gate memory architecture that can mimic the locust's  neuron response using only a tiny amount of energy.

A low-power biomimetic collision detector based on an in-memory molybdenum disulfide photodetector, Nature Electronics (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41928-020-00466-9 , www.nature.com/articles/s41928-020-00466-9

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-08-locust-swarm-collision.html?utm...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 25, 2020 at 7:17am

**Study suggests hot nights pose greater threat to public health th...

Hong Kong has been experiencing hotter summers and more scorcher days in recent years due to climate change and heat island effect. Amid the increasing number of "hot nights," it is found that consecutive "hot nights" are more detrimental to human health than "very hot days," although the actual temperature does not reach the level of daytime, according to a collaborative research conducted by the Institute of Future Cities at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), as well as researchers from the University of Hong Kong. The research also identified that lack of urban greenery and poor air ventilation in a high-density context are factors that lead to more "hot nights" than "hot days" in some areas. The team suggests that better urban planning and building design are long-term mitigation measures.

 Amid the increasing number of "hot nights," it is found that consecutive "hot nights" are more detrimental to human health than "very hot days," although the actual temperature does not reach the level of daytime, according to a collaborative research . The research also identified that lack of urban greenery and poor air ventilation in a high-density context are factors that lead to more "hot nights" than "hot days" in some areas. 

Apparently consecutive "hot nights" brought more health problems compared with "very hot days," especially for five or more consecutive "hot nights." It was also found that when consecutive "very hot days" were joined with consecutive "hot nights," such as two consecutive "very hot days" with three "hot nights," the health impact was significantly amplified, compared with only consecutive "very hot days." Moreover, females and older adults were determined to be relatively more vulnerable to extreme hot weather.

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-hot-nights-pose-greater-threat.html?u...

Restricting sleep may affect emotional reactions

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 25, 2020 at 7:12am

Ocean hitchhiker's sucker mechanism offers potential for underwater adhesion

A new study has revealed how remora suckerfish detach themselves from the surfaces they've clung to—and how the mechanism could provide inspiration for future reversible underwater adhesion devices.

Marine organisms mainly use two methods of adhesion in submerged environments: chemical adhesion and suction adhesion. Remora's hitchhiking behaviour uses suction adhesion and requires these fishes to be capable of both attaching and detaching regularly, but their detachment remains poorly understood.

Understanding detachment is essential in studying biological adhesive systems. It is also becoming increasingly important in many engineering applications such as surface peeling (surface painting, coating and transfer printing). Researchers  explored how a remora detaches to expand the understanding of this biological system, and to see how it could be applied to artificial adhesion mechanisms.

Siqi Wang et al. Detachment of the remora suckerfish disc: kinematics and a bio-inspired robotic model, Bioinspiration & Biomimetics (2020). DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/ab9418

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-ocean-hitchhiker-sucker-mechanism-pot...

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 25, 2020 at 6:37am

Adapting ideas from quantum physics to calculate alternative interventions for infection and cancer

Findings from a new study show for the first time how ideas from quantum physics can help develop novel drug interventions for bacterial infections and cancer.

demonstrated that principles of quantum control, a field of quantum physics used in computing applications, can be translated and applied to biological problems. They constructed a mathematical algorithm  that can be used to design and speed-up specific interventions to prevent or overturn drug resistance.

Typically cells in the presence of drugs evolve according to Darwinian natural selection: mutants that are resistant to the drug can outcompete their susceptible neighbors, dominating the population. Counterintuitively, one can also co-opt this process to achieve the opposite result, ultimately defeating drug resistance. For example, a mutation that causes resistance to one drug may cause extreme susceptibility to another, a phenomenon known as collateral sensitivity.

"If that mutant is initially only a small fraction of the population, we can use the first drug to encourage its dominance, and then apply the second drug to rapidly wipe out the infection

we also know that the first stage can be slow: mutations occur at random times, and waiting long enough until the mutant fully takes over could compromise treatment effectiveness and patient outcomes. The time it takes to ensure these interventions are successful has been a significant limitation to adopting evolutionary medicine into clinical practice.

Speeding up this process is where quantum physics can provide inspiration. "The randomness of mutations in evolution has intriguing mathematical parallels to the randomness of quantum phenomena,

This randomness makes it challenging to reliably and quickly drive a quantum system from one state to another. Solving this driving problem is an essential ingredient in certain kinds of quantum computing. Our new study exploits these parallels, translating a particular quantum technique known as counterdiabatic driving into the language of evolutionary biology

The researchers created a mathematical algorithm to calculate this intervention in evolutionary medicine applications. The algorithm's output is a prescription for dynamically altering the drug dosages or types to stay on the target path. The team demonstrated their technique by using it to manipulate evolution in simulations of living cells. These simulations were based on experimental data from an earlier study on a set of mutants showing varying degrees of resistance to anti-malarial drugs.

Controlling the speed and trajectory of evolution with counterdiabatic driving, Nature Physics (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-020-0989-3 , www.nature.com/articles/s41567-020-0989-3

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-ideas-quantum-physics-alternative-int...

 

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