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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'

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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 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

You can see mentally challenged animals if you observe them carefully

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

Q: Why don't we see mentally challenged animals?Krishna:Cognitive specialization makes cross-species comparisons more complex, while potentially identifying human cognitive uniqueness that is…Continue

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

Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 21 hours ago. 15 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

What comes next after death is just recycling of matter and energy, as directed by science. Period!

Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday. 1 Reply

Q: The fact that I was born because I never existed in the first place suggests that, if I never existed after death, I may eventually exist again in the future. But what about the uncertainty of…Continue

Possessing Intelligence and having sensors to detect things around are different things

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Q: Humans are thousands times more intelligent and prudent than animals and birds. But why do animals and birds sense natural disasters, earthquakes and storms before they occur? Why don't humans…Continue

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 3, 2024 at 12:12pm

The real reason behind gout

 

Gout is often associated with drinking too much or not eating healthily enough, but new research suggests genetics play more of a factor in developing the arthritic condition than previously thought. The research, carried out by an international team of scientists, looked at genetic data collected from 2.6 million people across 13 different cohorts of DNA data. That number included 120,295 people with "prevalent gout".

By comparing the genetic codes of the people with gout against the people without, the team found 377 specific DNA regions where there were variations specific to having the condition – 149 of which hadn't been previously linked to gout.

While lifestyle and environmental factors are certainly still in play, the findings suggest genetics play a major role in determining whether or not someone gets gout – and the researchers think there may be more undiscovered genetic links still to be found, too.

Gout takes hold when there are high levels of uric acid in the blood, which then form sharp crystal needles in the joints. When the body's immune system starts to attack those crystals, it leads to significant pain and discomfort.

Genetics is important in every stage of that process, the researchers suggest. Particularly, it affects the likelihood of the body's immune system attacking the crystals, and in the way uric acid is transported around the body.

Gout can come and go, but there are treatments available – and the authors behind the new study think misconceptions can put people off getting those treatments. That's a real problem with cases of the condition rising and rising.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-024-01921-5

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 2, 2024 at 11:44am

Drone with its own 'nervous system' trialed by scientists

Scientists are testing a drone fitted with its own "nervous system" which they claim can keep it operating in the sky for longer. The system, made of optical fibers, reduces the frequency it needs to land for inspection.

Cargo-carrying drones are required to make regular pitstops for manual safety checks, which limits its use and can increase operating costs.

The optical fiber system developed by researchers makes drones more efficient by continuously monitoring its structural health just like nerves in the body.

This is a kind of nervous system for drones. 

It sends back real-time information using light—rather than electricity—which avoids problems that electronic systems have with interference from radio frequencies.

This system not only reduces the burden on ground crews but also ensures that drones can operate more safely and efficiently.

The system uses a unique technique called optical speckle which projects specific images dependent on what the optical fiber nervous system feels. These can be interpreted using AI to assess the health of the drone.

This speckle system keeps track of the stresses and strains on the drone, helping ground crews spot issues early without needing to land the drone as often for inspections.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 2, 2024 at 11:26am

This is important because it tells us that government leaders do have the power to reduce crop burning. If they had more resources, they would probably be capable of reducing pollution to a larger extent."

The problem of air pollution from crop burning is especially prevalent at the border between India and Pakistan, where there is a lack of coordination between jurisdictions, the researchers added.

As part of the study, the researchers also examined the effects of crop-burning pollution on infant and child mortality and estimated that that 1.5 to 2.7 deaths per 1,000 children could be prevented if action were taken to reduce crop fires.

The researchers hope that this paper can contribute to the public debate on how to address this widespread problem and how to solve this selfishness problem.

Government leaders can explore punishment, incentives, information campaigns and many other initiatives that will encourage farmers to find alternative solutions to burning if they leave their "I, me , myself" thoughts .

Gemma Dipoppa et al, Bureaucrat incentives reduce crop burning and child mortality in South Asia, Nature (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08046-z

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 2, 2024 at 11:23am

This is selfishness at its peak!

Government interventions can reduce deadly air pollution in South Asia, study finds

Air pollution, driven in large part by practices like crop burning, contributes to 2 million deaths a year in South Asia and persists as a public health emergency. But a new study co-led by Brown University researcher Gemma Dipoppa found that government incentives may be able to curb the illegal practice of crop burning, according to a study published in the journal Nature.

In South Asia, farmers often burn leftover material from harvesting crops to clear their fields for the next planting season. The method is efficient and cost-effective but has devastating effects on air quality and health and contributes to 40% to 60% of the total air pollution in the region during the winter harvest season.

This is a very clear health emergency, and researchers wondered, 'Why isn't the government able to address this challenge, which is visible and extremely damaging for people?'

They  decided to study the aspect of government intervention and in particular the administration of the state that is in charge of reducing air pollution from a big-picture point of view.

Through their analysis of a decade of wind, fire and health data from satellites and surveys, Dipoppa and Gulzar found that government officials in India and Pakistan were more likely to reduce crop residue burning when its negative effects were felt in their own jurisdictions rather than outside of them: crop-burning fires increased by 15% when wind was most likely to direct pollution to neighboring jurisdictions and decreased by 14.5% when it polluted their own, the study found.

The researchers found that government-led actions against burning, such as fines for those violating the law, deterred future polluters and reduced fires by an additional 13%, a finding that contradicted a common perception that the widespread problem is impossible to control.

"Government officials are already acting on this issue, but they are doing it only in times and places where it is incentive-compatible for them, including when the pollution affects their own jurisdictions and not neighboring areas, the researchers conclude.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 2, 2024 at 10:35am

Scientists successfully reverse liver fibrosis in mice

Cirrhosis, hepatitis infection and other causes can trigger liver fibrosis—a potentially lethal stiffening of tissue that, once begun, is irreversible. For many patients, a liver transplant is their only hope. However, new research may offer patients a glimmer of hope. Scientists who worked on this say they've successfully reversed liver fibrosis in mice.

Reporting in the journal Nature Communications, the team say they've discovered a genetic pathway that, if blocked, might bring fibrosis to a halt.

The three genes involved in this fibrotic process are called FOXM1, MAT2A and MAT2B.

The new  findings suggest that blocking any of these gene-produced proteins might be useful in treating this condition.

FOXM1, is present in liver cells called hepatocytes and can trigger liver cancer, inflammation and fibrosis if it becomes overactive. The two other genes, MAT2A and MAT2B, are active within a second kind of liver cell called stellate cells, which also play a role in fibrosis. All three genes code for different proteins necessary for the fibrotic process, the scientists explained.

Scientists discovered that these proteins 'talk' with each other inside liver cells. They even influence nearby cells through extracellular vesicles—fat molecules filled with genetic fragments, proteins and other biological materials that act as messengers between cells. Working together, that is how these proteins stimulate each other, driving liver inflammation and fibrosis

What if production of even one of the proteins produced by the genetic trio was interrupted?

To find out, the research group first induced liver inflammation and fibrosis in lab mice.

They then treated those mice with a substance known as FDI-6 that blocks the protein produced by the FOXM1 gene.

The result was impressive: Not only did this therapy put a halt to further fibrosis, it seemed to reverse some of the stiff fibrotic scarring of the mouse liver tissue that had already taken place.

The team noted that mice and humans share all three of the genes that are the focus of this research. Still they stressed that only further research can determine if treatments like FDI-6 might help people.
 Bing Yang et al, The role of forkhead box M1-methionine adenosyltransferase 2 A/2B axis in liver inflammation and fibrosis, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52527-8
Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 1, 2024 at 11:31am

The link between hepatitis and kidney damage

The hepatitis E virus affects the liver. But infected liver cells secrete a viral protein that reacts with antibodies in the blood and may form complexes that can damage the filter structure of the kidneys, as researchers have shown for the first time.

The hepatitis E virus infects some 70 million people every year. This infection is the most common form of acute hepatitis and a major global health problem.

In the majority of cases, the infection is asymptomatic or mild. However, sometimes it not only involves serious damage to the liver, but also to the kidneys.

The infected liver cells produce an excess of a viral protein that can bind with other viral proteins to form a viral envelope. Because the virus's genetic material replicates to a far lesser extent, the vast majority of the envelopes remain empty when they are secreted by the liver cells. This is how they enter the bloodstream, where they are detected by the immune system, which then forms antibodies that stick to the viral proteins.

These viral envelope-antibody complexes are then deposited in the filter structures of the kidneys, known as the glomeruli. If the complexes accumulate more quickly than they are removed, they can damage the glomeruli, triggering what is known as glomerulonephritis—a pattern of damage that in the worst case can lead to kidney failure.

The researchers discovered this mechanism when they were examining the cause of death of a patient who had received a new kidney years earlier. From the patient's medical record, it was clear that his chronic hepatitis E had not been diagnosed straight away. This is not uncommon as the disease still receives too little attention in some parts of the world.

This  discovery will help to raise awareness of hepatitis E and its link to kidney damage. 

 Anne-Laure Leblond et al, HEV ORF2 protein-antibody complex deposits are associated with glomerulonephritis in hepatitis E with reduced immune status, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-53072-0

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 1, 2024 at 11:11am

What is unusual is that women who are generally overweight and gain a lot of weight during pregnancy usually have an increased risk of giving birth to large babies. This also applies to women who develop gestational diabetes.

On average, women with PCOS have higher BMIs, gain more weight during pregnancy, and 25 percent develop gestational diabetes. However, the outcome is the opposite: these women give birth to babies who are smaller than average. We still don't know why, but we see that the placenta is affected in these women.
Even though the placenta in these women is smaller in size, it seems to deliver more nutrients relative to the baby's body weight compared to a normal placenta. It is a placenta in overdrive.
The placenta delivers nutrients to the baby through the umbilical cord. In women with PCOS, we see that the placenta is generally smaller in size. At the same time, it must provide everything the baby needs, so it has to work very hard to meet these demands. Sometimes, however, the placenta can't keep up, which can lead to placental insufficiency and, in rare cases, fetal death.
There are no definitive answers tot eh question "why"?
Previously, researchers thought the cause was linked to the high levels of male sex hormones, but they have not been able to fully connect the two. Researchers also know that women with PCOS have a slightly different immune profile during pregnancy.
The researchers have also followed up on some of the children when they were 7 years old. They saw that the children born to mothers with PCOS generally had more central obesity, meaning they were larger around the waist.

Other studies have shown that children born to mothers with PCOS are at higher risk of developing overweight and obesity at a young age. Research has also shown that low birth weight is linked to the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life.
We see differences in children as early as seven or eight years old, where children born to mothers with PCOS have a larger waist circumference and higher BMI.

Maren Sophie Aaserud Talmo et al, Growth Restriction in the Offspring of Mothers With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.30543

**

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 1, 2024 at 11:06am

Obesity combined with polycystic ovary syndrome in mothers poses risk to children

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and obesity are at a higher risk of giving birth to smaller babies in terms of birth weight, length, and head circumference, according to a recent study conducted.

 

One in eight women is affected by the hormone disorder PCOS. PCOS is commonly characterized by elevated levels of male sex hormones, infrequent or irregular menstrual periods, and the formation of small cysts on the ovaries.

In the study, 390 children born to women with PCOS were compared to around 70,000 children from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa).

The researchers found that on average, the babies born to mothers with PCOS weighed less, were shorter, and had a smaller head circumference  at birth. This was particularly the case when the mothers were obese, meaning they had a BMI over 30.

The findings are published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

PCOS is a disease that follows women throughout their lives and can trigger different metabolic diseases and problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. Women with PCOS are generally more likely to develop overweight and obesity.

In women of normal weight who have PCOS, researchers only find that their children have a lower birth weight compared to women who do not have PCOS. Instead, the group of children born to mothers with obesity stands out the most. These babies weigh less, are shorter and have a smaller head circumference. Obesity places an additional burden on mothers who have PCOS as well as their children.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 1, 2024 at 10:42am

Causal relationship seen between GERD and hypertension

There is a positive causal relationship between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hypertension, according to a study published online Sept. 23 in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine.

Researchers  investigated the causal  between GERD and hypertension using a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis.

The researchers reported that a total of 16  strongly associated with GERD were screened out, and the inverse variance weighting suggested a causal relationship between GERD and hypertension (odds ratio, 1.057). A similar relationship was seen using a weighted median (odds ratio, 1.051). No heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy was seen, suggesting a robustness of the outcome.

"Although the specific mechanism was not elucidated, this study provides another perspective on the risk factors for the development of hypertension," the authors write. "Timely diagnosis and treatment of GERD can significantly improve and reduce the development of associated hypertension and deserves further research and application."

Weige Li et al, Study of the causal relationship between gastroesophageal reflux disease and hypertension through two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis, Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2024.1326348

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 1, 2024 at 10:21am

Low sugar intake in utero and in early childhood found to significantly reduce risk of midlife chronic disease

A low-sugar diet in utero and in the first two years of life can meaningfully reduce the risk of chronic diseases in adulthood, a new study has found, providing compelling new evidence of the lifelong health effects of early-life sugar consumption.

Published in Science, the study finds that children who experienced sugar restrictions during their first 1,000 days after conception had up to 35% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and as much as 20% less risk of hypertension as adults. Low sugar intake by the mother prior to birth was enough to lower risks, but continued sugar restriction after birth increased the benefits.

 Tadeja Gracner et al, Exposure to sugar rationing in the first 1000 days of life protected against chronic disease, Science (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.adn5421

 

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