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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: 3 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

The Parallax Effect

Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 3 hours ago. 1 Reply

Q: Why an airplane flying in the sky  appears to be stationary at the same time while we are traveling in a vehicle?Krishna: Yes, when  you are travelling in a car and suddenly look out the window…Continue

What is a three body problem?

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

Q: What is a three body problem?Krishna: I don't know about  science fiction or movies that are made based on the theme, but I will tell you what it is based on science.  Systems with two objects…Continue

Your Biological Age Can Be Different From Your Actual (Chronological)Age!

Started by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa. Last reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa yesterday. 6 Replies

Recently I have seen an old lady teasing an young girl who became breathless after climbing up a few steps.  "Look I am 78. But still I can climb steps with ease. I can go anywhere I want without any…Continue

How Soil Microorganisms Can Combat Desertification

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

 Soil Microbiology is the specialized subject I studied during my Post…Continue

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

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 4, 2022 at 11:56am

p53: meet the anticancer protein

The tumour-suppressing protein p53 acts as the guardian of the genome by providing important protection against cancer — when it is active, that is. Many malignant cells exhibit p53 dysfunction, and several clinical trials of agents intended to restore p53 to working order are now underway.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 4, 2022 at 11:49am

Putting stem cells on pause

People now are having children later than ever before.

But time is tough on our bodies and our reproductive systems. For instance, as animals age, our stem cells are less effective at renewing our tissues. This is particularly true for germline stem cells, which turn into sperm and eggs.

What if there were a way to pause this process?

Biologists  have published a study on the ability of fruit flies to extend the longevity of their germline stem cells. The paper, released in Nature Communications, describes a process that halts egg production in female flies. The scientists found that nearly every step was put on hold, extending the stem cells' viability. The insights could inform future medical discoveries.

When fruit flies emerge in their adult form into cold, dark conditions, they enter a dormancy called diapause. It's a seasonal response to save energy for reproduction when success is more likely: in warmer times of the year. Diapause can double a fly's lifespan and significantly extend their reproductive period. Flies in diapause eat less, are less active and suspend their reproductive processes; however, they don't actually hibernate.

Scientists have investigated this phenomenon before, but mostly from a behavioral perspective. Female flies under stress will pause oogenesis—the production of egg cells—at a specific stage of egg development. Scientists found this during diapause as well, but it went beyond just this stage. The arrest of oogenesis was much more complete during diapause than under other stressful situations, like when predators were present or protein was scarce. Not only was the arrest more complete, but recovery of reproductive capacity was stronger as well.

If growing egg cells is like installing new software, then the stress response is like pausing the download to take care of an errand. In contrast, diapause is like quitting the installation and restarting the process at a later point.

 Sreesankar Easwaran et al, Enhanced germline stem cell longevity in Drosophila diapause, Nature Communications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28347-z

https://phys.org/news/2022-03-stem-cells.html?utm_source=nwletter&a...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 4, 2022 at 11:34am

Scientists are 'training' corals to make them tolerate heat stress

A new study  researchers found that corals that underwent a stressful temperature treatment in the laboratory for 90 days were more tolerant to increased water temperatures.

These findings offer coral restoration scientists with a new approach to potentially increase the success rate of planting nursery-raised staghorn coral onto degraded reefs as climate change continues to warm ocean temperatures, resulting in more frequent coral bleaching events. Researchers were able to demonstrate that this temperature treatment can boost the corals' stamina to heat stress.

Allyson DeMerlis et al, Pre-exposure to a variable temperature treatment improves the response of Acropora cervicornis to acute thermal stress, Coral Reefs (2022). DOI: 10.1007/s00338-022-02232-z

https://phys.org/news/2022-03-corals-tolerate-stress.html?utm_sourc...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 4, 2022 at 8:42am

Discovery may explain why more females than males get knee osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis is the most common joint problem, affecting an estimated 250 million people worldwide, including 14 per cent of females older than 60 and 10 per cent of males in the same age group.

Female astronauts could avoid knee injuries during space flight — and better tests, prevention and treatments could be developed for knee osteoarthritis in women here on Earth — based on newly published research on the sex differences in knee meniscus tissue.

Knee osteoarthritis is more common in females than in males, but hormones alone are not enough to explain the difference. The new research identifies a genetic difference in the meniscus that makes about 50 per cent of females more vulnerable to developing osteoarthritis than males or other females.

Researchers carried out the experiments in part by simulating low-gravity conditions in space, which mimics the damage that can happen to the meniscus due to lack of exercise.

Some of the genes that were found in the females that responded more to simulated space microgravity were also associated with the development of knee osteoarthritis.

Meniscus is a kind of cartilage in the knee that acts as a load distributor for the body’s full weight. At one time, it was thought to be like the appendix: you wouldn’t miss it if it were gone. But now it’s known that just a small tear in the meniscus — usually caused by a sports injury — increases the risk of osteoarthritis later in life, even if the damaged tissue has been removed.

On the other hand, lack of use can also lead to deconditioning of the meniscus and increase arthritis risk. You’ll notice the short-term effect of deconditioning when you get out of bed in the morning and feel stiff, but then your joints loosen up once you’ve moved around for a while. It’s the same thing that happens to astronauts in space, unless they use specially designed resistance equipment to make up for the lack of weight-bearing exercise in microgravity.

Zhiyao Ma et al, Engineered Human Meniscus in Modeling Sex Differences of Knee Osteoarthritis in Vitro, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (2022). DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.823679

https://researchnews.cc/news/11920/Discovery-may-explain-why-more-f...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 3, 2022 at 11:34am

This statistical model provides a basis for accommodating what has previously been a thorn in the side of theorists such as Darwin.

Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection predicts gradual and incremental changes to organisms occurring over very long timespans. But the fossil record  frequently shows very abrupt changes in the sizes, shapes, colors and other features of organisms, and these have been used for at least fifty years to challenge the Darwinian orthodoxy.

--

Many of these abrupt changes occurred around 60-70 million years ago, a period that saw the rise of many different mammal groups from earlier forms. For example, over a 100,000 year period an early small grazing animal (Conacodon entoconus), ancestral to today's modern cows, antelopes, and giraffes, increased in size over 70-fold. More recently, the  (e.g., humpback, blue and sperm whales) have increased over 100-fold in size from a small dolphin-like ancestor in the same amount of time (~ 7 million years) that separates modern humans from their common ancestor with the chimpanzees.

General statistical model shows that macroevolutionary patterns and processes are consistent with Darwinian gradualism, Nature Communications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28595-z

https://phys.org/news/2022-03-gradual-evolution-darwinian-theory.ht...

Researchers show in this paper that even these abrupt changes are easily explained as cases of what is known as 'directional selection'—when natural selection strongly pulls a trait in one direction. No special extra-Darwinian mechanisms are required.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 3, 2022 at 11:27am

Gradual evolution is back: Darwinian theory of gradual process explained in new research

Abrupt shifts in the evolution of animals—short periods of time when an organism rapidly changes size or form—have long been a challenge for theorists including Darwin. Now a newly published research paper supports the idea that even these abrupt changes are underpinned by a gradual directional process of successive incremental changes, as Darwin's theory of evolution assumes.

Published in Nature Communications recently, evolutionary biologists propose a new statistical model which seeks to explain these sudden changes and long periods of stasis that have been seen in the evolutionary history of some species.

Researchers developed a statistical model that reconstructed the body-size changes which occurred throughout the 170-million-year history of more than 2800 .

The authors found that despite there being periods for some mammals during which abrupt changes in size occur, these occurrences can be understood as 'normal' changes that draw on the natural variability that evolution routinely adds to natural populations.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 3, 2022 at 11:18am

Cas9 protein redesigned to make 

Gene editing safer

One of the grand challenges with using CRISPR-based gene editing on humans is that the molecular machinery sometimes makes changes to the wrong section of a host's genome, creating the possibility that an attempt to repair a genetic mutation in one spot in the genome could accidentally create a dangerous new mutation in another.

CRISPR-based gene-editing tools are adapted from naturally occurring systems in bacteria. In nature, a Cas9 protein floats around in the environment, searching for DNA with a very specific sequence of 20 letters, like the X on a pirate map that indicates "dig here." Sometimes, when most of the letters are correct, except those in spots 18 through 20, Cas9 still goes ahead and digs in. This is called a mismatch, and it can have disastrous consequences in gene editing.

But now, scientists  have redesigned a key component of a widely used CRISPR-based gene-editing tool, called Cas9, to be thousands of times less likely to target the wrong stretch of DNA while remaining just as efficient as the original version, making it potentially much safer. The work is described in a paper published today in the journal Nature.

So far, the researchers have demonstrated the use of SuperFi-Cas9 on DNA in test tubes. They're now collaborating with other researchers who plan to test SuperFi-Cas9 for gene editing in living cells. They're also working to develop still safer and more active versions of Cas9.

David Taylor, Structural basis for mismatch surveillance by CRISPR–Cas9, Nature (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04470-1www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04470-1

https://phys.org/news/2022-03-gene-safer-redesigned-cas9-protein.ht...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 3, 2022 at 8:41am

No, you cannot ‘devaccinate’ yourself with snake venom kits, bleach or cupping

Claims you can “devaccinate” yourself have been circulating on social media, another example of extreme and dangerous misinformation about COVID vaccines.

Methods said to remove COVID vaccines from the body include using snake venom extractors or a type of traditional therapy known as “wet cupping”.

If you encounter claims like this online, you need to ask yourself four questions, to figure out whether these claims really are too good to be true.

https://theconversation.com/no-you-cannot-devaccinate-yourself-with...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 2, 2022 at 11:26am

 “Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate”  = Science is revered everywhere

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 2, 2022 at 10:02am

Solar panels developed to pull in water vapour to grow crops in the desert

Using a unique hydrogel, scientists created a solar-driven system that successfully grows spinach by using water drawn from the air while producing electricity. The proof-of-concept design, described March 1 in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, offers a sustainable, low-cost strategy to improve food and water security for people living in dry-climate regions.

The system, called WEC2P, is composed of a solar photovoltaic panel placed atop a layer of hydrogel, which is mounted on top of a large metal box to condense and collect water. The researchers  developed the hydrogel in their prior research, and the material can effectively absorb water vapour from ambient air and release the water content when heated.

The researchers used the waste heat from solar panels when generating electricity to drive absorbed water out of the hydrogel. The metal box below collects the vapor and condenses the gas into water. Alternatively, the hydrogel increases the efficiency of solar photovoltaic panels by as much as 9% by absorbing the heat and lowering the panels' temperature.

Peng Wang, An Integrated Solar Driven System Produces Electricity with Freshwater and Crops in Arid Regions, Cell Reports Physical Science (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2022.100781www.cell.com/cell-reports-phys … 2666-3864(22)00048-0

https://techxplore.com/news/2022-03-solar-panels-vapor-crops.html?u...

 

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