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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 6, part-10, part-11, part-12, part 14 , part- 8,

part- 1, part-2, part-4, part-5, part-16, part-17, part-18 , part-19 , part-20

part-21 , part-22, part-23, part-24, part-25, part-26, part-27 , part-28

part-29, part-30, part-31, part-32, part-33, part-34, part-35, part-36, part-37,

part-38, part-40, part-41, part-42, part-43, part-44, part-45, part-46, part-47

Part 48, part49, Critical thinking -part 50 , part -51, part-52, part-53

part-54, part-55, part-57, part-58, part-59, part-60, part-61, part-62, part-63

part 64, part-65, part-66, part-67, part-68, part 69, part-70 part-71, part-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-wi thout-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-ca re 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

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 2, 2020 at 6:32am: Discovery shines light on how cancer cells could protect themselves

Researchers have found cancer cells can repair their DNA by using 'cables' in their nucleus. The findings open new possibilities for designing future cancer treatments. They have made an unexpected discovery about cancer cells and how they harness 'cables' in a cell's nucleus to aid DNA repair and replication.

This discovery revealed an unexpected function for the protein actin. Actin is well known as the protein that interacts with another protein called myosin to make muscles contract. Actin also forms cables inside cells that connect up and function like girders in a building, contributing to the structure and shape of cells.

While scientists have known for decades that actin plays this critical role in the main body of the cell, its role in the cell's control center, the nucleus, has been controversial.

For cancers to grow, cancer cells need to make many new copies of themselves. Every time this happens, the DNA in the cancer cells' nuclei must be replicated.

DNA replication in a cancer cell is like an old car traveling at its top speed—it frequently breaks down and has to get restarted. Cancer chemotherapy exploits this weakness in cancer cells by making the process break down even more frequently in an attempt to destroy them.

Researchers found that when cancer cells encounter problems replicating their DNA, actin cables form inside the nucleus. This allows the nucleus to change shape and increases the ability of the cancer cell to repair its DNA and restart the replication process.

Using advanced super resolution microscopy, the researchers showed that damaged DNA slides along the actin network to move to areas in the nucleus where repair occurs most efficiently. Scientists were previously unaware that cancer cells protected themselves in this way. Critically, this research found that actin performed these unexpected functions in response to treatment with chemotherapy and helped cancer cells resist the treatment.

Noa Lamm et al. Nuclear F-actin counteracts nuclear deformation and promotes fork repair during replication stress, Nature Cell Biology (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41556-020-00605-6

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-12-discovery-cancer-cells.html?...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 2, 2020 at 6:26am: AI predicts which drug combinations kill cancer cells

When healthcare professionals treat patients suffering from advanced cancers, they usually need to use a combination of therapies. In addition to cancer surgery, the patients are often treated with radiation therapy, medication or both.

Medication can be combined with drugs selected for specific cancer cells. Combinatorial drug therapies often improve the effectiveness of the treatment and can reduce the harmful side-effects if the dosage of individual drugs can be reduced. However, experimental screening of drug combinations is very slow and expensive, and therefore, often fails to discover the full benefits of combination therapy. With the help of a new machine-learning method, it is possible to identify the best combinations that selectively kill cancer cells with specific genetic or functional makeup.

developed a machine learning model that accurately predicts how combinations of cancer drugs kill various types of cancer cells. The new AI model was trained with a large set of data obtained from previous studies that investigated the association between drugs and cancer cells. "The model learned by the machine is actually a polynomial function familiar from school mathematics, but a very complex one. The model gives very accurate results.

Heli Julkunen et al. Leveraging multi-way interactions for systematic prediction of pre-clinical drug combination effects, Nature Communications (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19950-z

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-12-ai-drug-combinations-cancer-...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 2, 2020 at 6:17am: New device offers faster way to detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Bacterial infections have become one of the biggest health problems worldwide, and a recent study shows that COVID-19 patients have a much greater chance of acquiring secondary bacterial infections, which significantly increases the mortality rate.

Combatting the infections is no easy task, though. When antibiotics are carelessly and excessively prescribed, that leads to the rapid emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant genes in bacteria—creating an even larger problem.

One factor slowing down the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria is the amount of time needed to test for it. The conventional method uses extracted bacteria from a patient and compares lab cultures grown with and without antibiotics, but results can take one to two days, increasing the mortality rate, the length of hospital stay and overall cost of care.

To effectively treat the infections, we need to select the right antibiotics with the exact dose for the appropriate duration. There's a need to develop an antibiotic-susceptibility testing method and offer effective guidelines to treat these infections.

A new technique 's developed now that relies on the same principles as the batteries: Bacterial electron transfer, a chemical process that certain microorganisms use for growth, overall cell maintenance and information exchange with surrounding microorganisms. Researchers leverage this biochemical event for a new technique to assess the antibiotic effectiveness against bacteria without monitoring the whole bacterial growth.

A medical team would extract a sample from a patient, inoculate the bacteria with various antibiotics over a few hours and then measure the electron transfer rate. A lower rate would mean that the antibiotics are working.

"The hypothesis is that the antiviral exposure could cause sufficient inhibition to the bacterial electron transfer, so the readout by the device would be sensitive enough to show small variations in the electrical output caused by changes in antibiotic effectiveness. The device could provide results about antibiotic resistance in just five hours, which would serve as an important point-of-care diagnostic tool, especially in areas with limited resources.

Yang Gao et al, A simple, inexpensive, and rapid method to assess antibiotic effectiveness against exoelectrogenic bacteria, Biosensors and Bioelectronics (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2020.112518

https://phys.org/news/2020-12-device-faster-antibiotic-resistant-ba...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 1, 2020 at 1:13pm: How Bats Can Transmit Viruses | Virus Hunters

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 1, 2020 at 12:20pm: Scientists develop 'more accurate, fast Covid test' method to detect single virus particles

For identifying single virus particles, scientists have developed a new method based on changes in electrical current when they pass through ultrasmall pores, an advance which they claim may lead to new rapid coronavirus tests.

The study, which has been published in the journal ACS Sensors, demonstrated a new system for identifying single virus particles using an algorithm trained to detect changes in the current passing across silicon nanopores.

According to the scientists, including those from Osaka University in Japan, the work may lead to fast and accurate screening tests for diseases like COVID-19 and influenza.

In the new method, the scientists said a layer of the compound silicon nitride just 50 nanometres (nm) thick has tiny nanopores added.

The layer is suspended on a silicon wafer, they said, adding that when a voltage difference is applied to the solution on either side of the wafer, ions travel through the nanopores in a process called electrophoresis.

According to the study, the motion of the ions can be monitored by the current they generate, and when a viral particle enters a nanopore, it blocks some of the ions from passing through, leading to a transient dip in current.

Each dip reflects the physical properties of the particle, such as volume, surface charge, and shape, the scientists said, adding that this measure can be used to identify the kind of virus.

Using artificial intelligence (AI), the research team built a classification algorithm trained with signals from known viruses to determine the identity of new samples.

The scientists said the computer can discriminate the differences in electrical current waveforms that cannot be identified by human eyes, which enables highly accurate virus classification. By combining single-particle nanopore sensing with AI, scientists were able to achieve highly accurate identification of multiple viral species. The researchers believe coronaviruses are especially well suited for this technique since their spiky outer proteins may even allow different strains to be classified separately.

https://www.livemint.com/science/news/coronavirus-scientists-develo...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 1, 2020 at 8:51am: Fingerprints' moisture-regulating mechanism strengthens human touch: study

Human fingerprints have a self-regulating moisture mechanism that not only helps us to avoid dropping things, but could help scientists to develop better prosthetic limbs, robotic equipment and virtual reality environments, a new study reveals.

Primates—including humans, monkeys and apes—have evolved epidermal ridges on their hands and feet with a higher density of sweat glands than elsewhere on their bodies. This allows precise regulation of skin moisture to give greater levels of grip when manipulating objects.

Fingerprints help to increase friction when in contact with smooth surfaces, boost grip on rough surfaces and enhance tactile sensitivity. Their moisture-regulating mechanism ensures the best possible hydration of the skin's keratin layer to maximize friction.

Primates have evolved epidermal ridges on their hands and feet. During contact with solid objects, fingerprint ridges are important for grip and precision manipulation. They regulate moisture levels from external sources or the sweat pores so that friction is maximized and we avoid 'catastrophic' slip and keep hold of objects. Understanding the influence of finger pad friction will help us to develop more realistic tactile sensors—for example, applications in robotics and prosthetics and haptic feedback systems for touch screens and virtual reality environments.

Ultrasonic lubrication is commonly used in touch screen displays that provide sensory 'haptic' feedback, but its effectiveness is reduced when a user has dry compared with moist finger pads. Moreover, being able to distinguish between fine-textured surfaces, such as textiles, by touch relies on the induced lateral vibrations but the absence of sliding friction inhibits our ability to identify what we are actually touching.

Fingerprints are unique to primates and koalas—appearing to have the dual function of enhancing evaporation of excess moisture whist providing a reservoir of moisture at their bases that enables grip to be maximized.

The researchers have discovered that, when finger pads are in contact with impermeable surfaces, the sweat from pores in the ridges makes the skin softer and thus dramatically increases friction. However, the resulting increase in the compliance of the ridges causes the sweat pores eventually to become blocked and hence prevents excessive moisture that would reduce our ability to grip objects.

Using hi-tech laser-based imaging technology, the scientists found that moisture regulation could be explained by the combination of this sweat pore blocking and the accelerated evaporation of excessive moisture from external wetting as a result of the specific cross-sectional shape of the epidermal furrows when in contact with an object.

These two functions result in maintaining the optimum amount of moisture in the fingerprint ridges that maximizes friction whether the finger pad is initially wet or dry.

Seoung-Mok Yum el al., "Fingerprint ridges allow primates to regulate grip," PNAS (2020). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2001055117

https://phys.org/news/2020-11-fingerprints-moisture-regulating-mech...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 30, 2020 at 11:05am: If the Earth is spinning all the time, why don’t things move around?

Curious Kids: If the Earth is spinning all the time, why don't things move around?

The Earth spins around its axis every day – but gravity keeps us firmly in place.

https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-if-the-earth-is-spinning-a...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 30, 2020 at 10:54am: Adaptive structures cut down buildings and infrastructures carbon footprint

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 30, 2020 at 10:48am: Sestrin makes fruit flies live longer

Reduced food intake, known as dietary restriction, leads to a longer lifespan in many animals and can improve health in humans. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the positive effects of dietary restriction are still unclear. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing have now found one possible explanation in fruit flies: they identified a protein named Sestrin that mediates the beneficial effects of dietary restriction. By increasing the amount of Sestrin in flies, researchers were able to extend their lifespan and at the same time these flies were protected against the lifespan-shortening effects of a protein-rich diet. The researchers could further show that Sestrin plays a key role in stem cells in the fly gut thereby improving the health of the fly. The health benefits of dietary restriction have long been known. Recently, it has become clear that restriction of certain food components.

The results in flies revealed Sestrin as a novel potential anti-ageing factor.

https://www.age.mpg.de/public-relations/news/detail/positive-effect...

https://researchnews.cc/news/3854/Sestrin-makes-fruit-flies-live-lo...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 29, 2020 at 9:47am: 12 examples of good science communication

12 examples of stunning science communication

We’re seeing more amazing science stories than ever before. Here's 12 of the best from around the world.

https://shorthand.com/the-craft/12-examples-of-stunning-science-com...

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**This is how we prevent future pandemics, say 22 leading scientists

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/covid-19-pandemics-nature-sc...