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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 11, 2015 at 7:33am

New hominid species discovered in South Africa
Researchers have discovered a brand new species of human ancestor buried deep inside a South African cave system. The fossils uncovered included 15 partial skeletons, making it the biggest single discovery of its kind in Africa.

But what's most exciting is that this new ancestor, named Homo naledi, may have been one of the first members of our genus, and may change our understanding of human evolution forever. The mass discovery also suggests that the species may have been ritualistic - a trait thought to be unique to humans ( I think, this is a controversial statement without evidence - Krishna).
H. naledi could have lived in Africa up to 3 million years ago ( yet to be confirmed).

The species walked upright at a height of around 150 centimetres.
Despite their height, they also had a tiny brain only slightly larger than a chimpanzee's, with a volume of around 450 to 550 cubic centimetres.
The skeletons suggest that H. naledi wasn't carrying much body weight, with researchers estimating an average weight of around 45 kg. Their bodies also appear to have been built to walk long distances.
H. naledi had small, modern-looking teeth and feet similar to humans, but more primitive fingers.
It's believed ( but there is no evidence) the bodies of these individuals were buried in the chamber intentionally, possibly as some type of burial ritual. No evidence of that kind of behaviour has been seen in such a primitive human ancestor before.
The fossils exhibit a combination of primitive features that bring to mind our ancient australopithecine predecessors (including Lucy and her ilk) and features that are associated with Homo. For instance, the pelvis has a flared shape like that seen in Australopithecus, whereas the leg and foot resemble those of Homo sapiens. Likewise, the skull combines a small braincase with a cranium that is otherwise built like that of early Homo. The teeth, meanwhile, are small like those of modern humans, yet the third molar is larger than the other molars—a pattern associated with australopithecines. And the upper limb pairs an Australopithecus-like shoulder and fingers with a Homo-like wrist and palm. Standing about 1.5 meters tall, with a small brain, clever hands and a body built for upright-walking as well as climbing, this creature possessed a unique mosaic of traits that Berger and his co-authors think reveals a new species of human. Given the many Homo-like traits evident in the bones—particularly in those regions that contact the environment (namely, feet, hands and teeth)—the team put the creature in the genus Homo, rather than Australopithecus, calling it H. naledi.

The fossils were discovered inside the Rising Star cave system, 48 km northwest of Johannesburg. They were named after the Dinaledi chamber where they were found.
Currently the researchers believe that H. naledi may sit between Homo habilis and Homo erectus on the family tree.
The species could be thought of as a "bridge" between primates and modern humans.
http://elifesciences.org/content/4/e09560

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 9, 2015 at 7:12am

You see a person on the road and wonder why he or she resembles your friend even though the person doesn't have any close relationship with the latter.

The word doppelgänger is often used in a more general sense to describe any person who physically or behaviorally resembles another person.

According to scientists the concept of having an unrelated identical twin is less a cool mysterious gift this beautiful world gives us and more a boring genetic math probability game.

The idea behind this theory was posed by Michael Sheehan, an assistant professor of neurobiology and behavior, and explained in an interview with LiveScience.

Sheehan says although there are large amounts of aesthetic variables our genetic makeups can churn out, at the end of the day there are only a finite amount of possibilities.

This means while there are billions of ways we can all look different, there are only just that: billions of ways we can look different.

Sheehan told LiveScience,

There is only so much genetic diversity to go around… If you shuffle that deck of cards so many times, at some point, you get the same hand dealt to you twice.

More bluntly, Sheehan believes there is a high probability of people in this world having doppelgängers because there are only so many ways faces can be structured.

Dr. Arthur Beaudet, a professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, told LiveScience because how we look is decided based off of our genetic makeups, doppelgängers could actually be distant relatives, whether the pairs know it or not.

http://www.livescience.com/52103-does-everyone-have-a-look-alike.html

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 8, 2015 at 10:15am

Egyptian method filters seawater in minutes
The technology is based on salt-attracting membranes and vaporising heat

The membranes are made of cellulose acetate powder which is cheap to make

Even remote communities could use the technique – with just membranes and fire
http://www.scidev.net/global/water/news/egyptian-filters-seawater-e...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 8, 2015 at 10:13am

A natural cooking oil additive, invented by Malaysian scientists and claimed to make palm oil healthier, is not all itclaims to be, other researchers say.

The additive is an extract derived from plants of the citrus family, and has been developed and patented by researchers at the Institute of Bioscience at the University Putra Malaysia. It is sold under the commercial name Afdhal, and is marketed as a way of reducing oil consumption.

“A better solution would be to find ways to reduce the consumption of fried foods, rather than re-use oil and maintain or increase consumption of fried foods.”
But other scientists say they are sceptical about the product’s properties without seeing the data.
The claims detailed in the product’s patent application are not based on sound scientific research, says Ibrahim, who is also a researcher in medicinal and natural products chemistry at University Kebangsaan Malaysia. “In fact it mentioned that the actual mechanism oil of adsorption by the product was not fully understood,” he says.
Reusing oil is not the solution to protect human health or the environment, says Bronwen Powell, a researcher in forests and food security at the Centre for International Forestry Research in Indonesia.
“A better solution,” she says, “would be to find ways to reduce the consumption of fried foods, rather than re-use oil and maintain or increase consumption of fried foods”.

The studies that back up the claims about Afdhal have not been published in peer-reviewed publications, however. This is in order to keep the information about the plant’s extracts secret, says one of its inventors, Suhaila Mohamed, a research fellow at the Institute of Bioscience.
Reusing oil is not the solution to protect human health or the environment, says Bronwen Powell, a researcher in forests and food security at the Centre for International Forestry Research in Indonesia. “A better solution,” she says, “would be to find ways to reduce the consumption of fried foods, rather than re-use oil and maintain or increase consumption of fried foods”.
-scidev.net

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 3, 2015 at 6:01am

Researchers led by Ian Mitchell, a psychologist at the University of Birmingham in England, conducted a meta-analysis, which reveals that both oxytocin and alcohol reduce fear, anxiety and stress while increasing trust, generosity and altruism. Yet both also increase aggression, risk taking and “in-group” bias—favoring people similar to ourselves at the expense of others, according to the paper published in August in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews.
The scientists posit that these similarities probably exist because oxytocin and alcohol act at different points in the same chemical pathway in the brain. Oxytocin stimulates release of the neurotransmitter GABA, which tends to reduce neural activity. Alcohol binds to GABA receptors and ramps up GABA activity. Oxytocin and alcohol therefore both have the general effect of tamping down brain activity—perhaps explaining why they both lower inhibitions.

Clinical trials have uncovered further interplay between the two in demonstrating that a nasal spray of oxytocin reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms in alcoholics. These findings inspired a new study, published in March in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, which suggests oxytocin and alcohol do more than just participate in the same neural pathway: they may physically interact.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 1, 2015 at 10:36am

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 1, 2015 at 10:35am

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 1, 2015 at 10:07am

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 1, 2015 at 10:04am

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 1, 2015 at 5:42am

Smart windows that can block heat but allow sunlight!

Yes, you heard it right! By using this material in "smart windows", you could reduce home energy use by taking full advantage of both the heat and the visible light provided by the sun each day. Researchers have developed a material that can do just that.

The material is a type of dual-band electrochromic material. "Dual-band" refers to the two types of nanocrystals contained within the material itself. In this case, the first nanocrystal allows you to block visible light while the second targets heat-producing infrared light. "Electrochromic" means that you can flip between light- and heat-blocking modes using a jolt of electricity.

This material was first described by researchers, including University of Texas Chemical Engineering Prof. Delia Milliron, in an article in Nature in 2013. This month, Milliron and her team published a new article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, which explores how an advanced version of this material could be built into a film for use on windows.

According to this paper, a window coating containing a single component ­— doped titania nanocrystals - can selectively block visible light or infrared radiation. It can also switch from heat- to light-blocking mode using a weak jolt of electricity in a matter of minutes (previous versions of the material could take hours to switch). All told, this material can block up to 80% of visible light or 90% of near-infrared light.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7462/full/nature12398.html

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jacs.5b04933?journalCode=jacsat

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