SCI-ART LAB

Science, Art, Litt, Science based Art & Science Communication

Information

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: 12 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

How much CO₂ does your flight really produce? How to know if carbon footprint claims are accurate

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

When two people book the same flight, they can get wildly different carbon footprints from online calculators. Many carbon calculators leave out big chunks of climate impact or rely on oversimplified…Continue

The importance of snakes in our eco-systems

Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Wednesday. 5 Replies

Crawly creepy creatures. Big eyes and protruding tongues. Hissing sounds and hoods in ready to attack poses.What would people do if they came across such things? Take a stick and hit them repeatedly…Continue

Humans are evolved for nature, not cities, say anthropologists

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

This mismatch is creating lots of problems for us and we need to change our thinking and behaviour.A new paper by evolutionary anthropologists argues that modern life has outpaced human evolution.…Continue

Phytomining: A fern that makes rare earth elements!

Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa Nov 14. 1 Reply

Credit: Environmental Science & Technology (2025). DOI:…Continue

Comment Wall

Comment

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

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 14, 2020 at 10:17am

** 


Blood Transplants from Active Mice Give Brain Boost to Others


The researchers behind the results propose that an exercise-induced protein in circulation is responsible for the benefits.

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/blood-transplants-from-a...

--


Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 14, 2020 at 9:04am

 What happens if you ignore science, fall prey for conspiracy theories, think what scientists say are hoax theories? 

A man learnt the lesson in his final moments .... sadly at the cost of his life. 

'I thought this was a hoax': Patient in 30s dies after attending 'COVID party'

Coronavirus Is What You Get When You Ignore Science

https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/i-thought-this-was-a-hoax-pa...

--

https://theconversation.com/one-vaccine-to-beat-covid-sars-mers-and...

 One vaccine to beat COVID, Sars, Mers and common cold – possible?

--

The next pandemic: The warnings are clear – more diseases will follow the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.scidev.net/global/spotlight/the-next-pandemic.html?utm_...

--

 Wriggling Roundworm Found in Woman's Tonsil After She Ate Sashimi

Eating raw meat of any kind carries with it a risk of parasites, but few are as well known as those found in sashimi. The Japanese delicacy can infect the eater with a number of unpleasant aquatic parasites.

https://www.sciencealert.com/a-wriggling-moulting-roundworm-was-fou...

--

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 14, 2020 at 8:58am

Controlling COVID 19 in flats ....

To prevent droplet spread in a locked down residential building:

  • keep at least 1.5 metres away from others

  • allow only essential personnel in the building

  • residents should keep to their own apartment

  • people servicing the building can wear gloves and masks, but it’s important they be trained in their proper use

  • infected/symptomatic residents should wear a mask (and be aware of how to handle these correctly so as not to increase the risk of infection)

  • avoid shared spaces, for example shared laundries; limit numbers in lifts/stairwells at any given time

  • if movement is required, adopt staggered, rostered times to move through the building

  • if the structure allows it, utilise separate entry and exit points and one-way pathways through the building

  • practise good respiratory etiquette (such as coughing into your elbow). This can reduce the number of people each infected person passes the virus to.

To reduce spread via contaminated objects:

  • everyone who lives in or is visiting the building should frequently wash or sanitise their hands. Sanitiser should be available at entry and exit points and shared areas

  • avoid touching your face and your food unless your hands have been freshly cleaned

  • regular cleaning of shared spaces is important, including lift buttons, handrails, and door handles

  • rubbish bins should be kept in separate areas to other supplies to avoid cross-contamination.

Additional measures to reduce airborne spread include:

  • plumbing and ventilation systems should be maintained to ensure they’re operating effectively, particularly as buildings age

  • HEPA filters in air conditioners may help to filter out the virus.

https://theconversation.com/we-could-have-more-coronavirus-outbreak...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 14, 2020 at 8:52am

 Coronavirus: Llamas provide key to immune therapy

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53369103

--

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 14, 2020 at 8:40am

 Why Some Birds Are Likely To Hit Buildings

Birds that eat insects, are on migrations or that usually live in the woods are most likely to fly into buildings that feature a lot of glass.

Billion birds die from flying into buildings each year. Suspicions have been that birds may perceive the open areas behind glass as safe passageways. Or they may mistake the reflected foliage for the real thing.

Most migratory species travel at night, when lights near buildings can distract or disorient them. insect-eating birds might be attracted to buildings because their insect prey is attracted to the lights. woodland species get fooled by the reflections of trees and shrubs in the windows.

journal Conservation Biology. [Jared A. Elmore, et al. Correlates of bird collisions with buildings across three North Ame...]

By understanding which birds are more likely to collide with buildings, researchers can perhaps determine the best way to modify buildings, or their lighting, to help prevent such accidents. And by knowing risks along with migration timing and behavior, building managers can better anticipate when birds are at their greatest danger—and modify lighting strategies accordingly.

 https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/why-some-birds-a...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 14, 2020 at 7:23am

Crop plants are taking up microplastics

Scientists  recently found that microplastics are indeed contaminating edible plants, including vegetables we eat.

Microplastics (MPs), i.e., tiny plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in length, can now be found throughout the ocean and other aquatic ecosystems, and even in our seafood and salt. As MPs have become ubiquitous, scientists have become concerned about the transfer of MPs from the environment to the food chain and the potential impact of MPs on human health.

Most MPs are emitted to the terrestrial environment and accumulate in large amounts in soil. In addition, secondary particles are formed by the degradation of plastics. Wastewater, an important source of water for agricultural irrigation, also contains small-sized MPs.

Despite the prevalence of MPs throughout the environment, the matter of MP uptake by crop plants has not received much attention.

For decades, scientists believed that plastic particles were simply too large to pass through the physical barriers of intact plant tissue. But this new study disproves this assumption.

Cracks at the emerging sites of new lateral roots of lettuce and wheat crops can take in MPs from the surrounding soil and water. Those MPs can then be transferred from the roots up to the edible parts of the crop.

The MPs identified in this study were spherical plastic particles up to 2 micrometers in size with a small degree of mechanical flexibility. These features allowed the MPs to squeeze into the small apoplastic space of plant root cells.

"Another mechanism is that at the lateral root emergence sites there are small cracks, and then the particles go through those cracks and enter the xylem vessels. Thus it is even possible that particles larger than the ones we studied might also be taken up by plants.

Li, L et al. Effective uptake of submicrometre plastics by crop plants via a crack-entry mode. Nat Sustain (2020). doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-0567-9

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-crop-microplastics.html?utm_source=nw...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 14, 2020 at 7:18am

Using math formulas to predict earthquakes

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-math-formulas-earthquakes.html?utm_so...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-fluorine.html?utm_source=nwletter&...

**How much fluorine is too much fluorine?

--

** The new tattoo: Drawing electronics on skin

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-07-tattoo-electronics-skin.html?ut...

--

** 

Earth-shaking science in the freezer: Next generation vibration sensors at cryogenic temperatures

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-earth-shaking-science-freezer-vibrati...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-chemicals-faster-reactions.html?utm_s...

Spinning chemicals for faster reactions

**scientists have devised a new way of making reactions up to 70 times faster by using state-of-the-art equipment to spin chemicals around.

They found that efficient mixing within a chemical reaction could be achieved by spinning chemicals and catalysts around in a small tube, causing the reactions to happen much quicker.

The new findings could have a profound influence on the way that chemicals are made in a wide variety of industries, from drug development to agriculture and fragrances.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 14, 2020 at 7:11am

Scientists have discovered a new physical paradox

Scientists have discovered a new physical paradox: Researchers have discovered and theoretically explained a new physical effect: amplitude of mechanical vibrations can grow without external influence.

A new physical phenomenon of 'ballistic resonance," where mechanical oscillations can be excited only due to internal thermal resources of the system has been demonstrated: that heat spreads at abnormally high speeds at nano and micro levels in ultrapure crystalline materials. This phenomenon is called ballistic heat conductivity.

The discovered phenomenon describes that the process of heat equilibration leads to mechanical vibrations with an amplitude that grows with time. The effect is called ballistic resonance.

The scientific group offered their explanation on how to eliminate the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou paradox.

Vitaly A. Kuzkin et al, Ballistic resonance and thermalization in the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou chain at finite temperature, Physical Review E (2020). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.101.042209

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-scientists-physical-paradox.html?utm_...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 14, 2020 at 6:59am

Human sperm stem cells grown in lab, an early step toward infertility treatment

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-human-sperm-stem-cells-grown.html?utm...

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-materials-extra-thin-chips.html?utm_s...

New materials for extra thin computer chips

--

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-micro-lab-chip-blood-minutes.html?utm...

A micro-lab on a chip detects blood type within minutes

--

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 14, 2020 at 6:57am

Turning off 'junk DNA' may free stem cells to become neurons

For every cell in the body there comes a time when it must decide what it wants to do for the rest of its life. In an article published in the journal PNAS, NIH researchers report for the first time that ancient viral genes that were once considered "junk DNA" may play a role in this process. The article describes a series of preclinical experiments that showed how some human endogenous retrovirus (HERV-K) genes inscribed into chromosomes 12 and 19 may help control the differentiation, or maturation, of human stem cells into the trillions of neurons that are wired into our nervous systems.

Over the course of evolution, the human genome has absorbed thousands of human endogenous retrovirus genes. As a result, nearly eight percent of the DNA that lines our chromosomes includes remnants of these genes. Although once thought to be inactive, or "junk", recent studies have shown that these genes may be involved in human embryonic development, the growth of some tumors, and nerve damage during multiple sclerosis.

Previously, researchers showed that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be linked to activation of the HERV-K gene. In this study, the team showed that deactivation of the gene may free stem cells to become neurons.

The researchers performed most of their experiments on , drawn from healthy volunteers at the NIH's Clinical Center, that they genetically transformed into induced , which can then turn into any cell type in the body. Surprisingly, they found that the surfaces of the stem cells were lined with high levels of HERV-K, subtype HML-2, an envelope protein, that viruses often use to latch onto and infect cells. These proteins progressively disappeared as the cells were served two rounds of "cocktails." One round nudged the cells into an intermediate, neural stem cell state followed by a second round that pushed the cells into finally becoming neurons. The researchers sped up this process by turning off HERV-K, HML-2 genes in the stem cells or by treating the cells with antibodies against the HML-2 protein. In contrast, they delayed neural differentiation by artificially overloading the cells with the HML-2 genes. Finally, the team discovered that interactions on the stem cell surfaces between HML-2 and another immune cell protein called CD98HC may restrain differentiation by triggering internal chemical reactions that are known to control cell growth and tumors. In the future, the team plans to explore how HERV-K genes may shape the wiring of a nervous system.

Wang, T. et al., Regulation of stem cell function and neuronal differentiation by HERV-K via mTOR pathway, PNAS (2020). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2002427117

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-junk-dna-free-stem-cells.html?utm_sou...

 

Members (22)

 
 
 

Badge

Loading…

Birthdays

© 2025   Created by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service