Indian scientist discovers why most cardiac arrests occur in morning hours

The heart generates its own electrical signal (also called an electrical impulse) which is critical to the steady, regulated heartbeat. The electrical impulse triggers the heart muscle to contract in the correct sequence, thus coordinating each heartbeat and assuring that the heart works as efficiently as possible. If there is any complication in these electrical impulses reaching the heart's cells, the heart's pumping chambers suddenly begin to beat erratically in a way that stops the flow of blood to the brain and body. This condition is known as 'ventricular fibrillation' which causes sudden cardiac death (SCD). Sudden cardiac death is immediately fatal unless the victim is treated with a defibrillator – a medical device to artificially send regulated electric shock to the heart to make it beat steadily again.

Most sudden cardiac death cases occur in morning hours, typically between 6 am and 10 am. Scientists have been busy researching possible causes for this. They somehow suspected a connection between SCD and the 24-hour body clock. The 24-hour body clock governs cycles of sleep and wakefulness called 'circadian rhythms'.

Dr. Mukesh Jain, MD, and his group have discovered that low levels of a protein called KLF15, which helps regulate the heart's electrical activity, can cause SCD in morning hours.

Source

Dreams of an Indian Renaissance

Did our legendary leaders blunder somewhere during their struggle for freedom? Did they only yearn for freedom and failed to take necessary steps to build a truly independent India? Did they ever wonder, even for a moment, that this nation – proud of its religious, cultural and linguistic diversities, would live in harmony and peace once liberated from the oppressive British rule? Was it a mere show of patriotism and an urge to uphold freedom ignoring what worse situations this nation might have to face after oppression was over and freedom was earned?

Somehow I feel we were better off under the oppressive British rule than we are today in this 'free India'. We might fail to notice it because human beings are highly adaptive to changing socio-economic conditions, but we are living in conditions that are miserable. The rising costs of living, the declining standards of it, the ever spreading corruption, the ever growing feelings of hatred and intolerance, terrorism – from both outside and within, the rife feeling of helplessness. Has anything really changed since 1947?

Yes, we have become a "sovereign, socialist, democratic republic". Or have we? Whatever those words mean, they mean something wonderful and colourful and add to our sense of patriotism, don't they? But what is this thing called 'patriotism'? Sure, we feel great thrill in shouting "Bharat Maata Ki Jai!" and "Vande Maataram!" or in holding and waving the tri-colour flag. But that's it. Patriotism ends there. We go home and pick a fight with a neighbour who belongs to a certain caste or religion, honk incessantly on roads because we need to get somewhere fast, chew tobacco and spit on roads, get drunk and behave like animals, throw garbage on roads or in other people's unused land, pollute wells and rivers, vote for a certain man in elections because he belongs to our caste or religion or to a party to which our family has pledged allegiance, go online and take part in a gross debate over whether it is Hinduism or Islam that is great, say bad things about Pakistan because doing so instantly makes us feel more patriotic, and on the eve of Independence Day, stay awake till midnight to feel the moment of freedom, listen to "Jana Gana Mana" or even sing it at schools and offices in the morning without as much caring about which language it is written in and what the words actually mean.

Democracy doesn't work in India because we lack judgment and discretion and our opinions are either borrowed from others or are a result of stereotyped thinking. It doesn't work in India because religions and languages still rule over people's hearts and minds. It doesn't work in India because we feel content and satisfied by simply arguing over scams and scandals our ministers and bureaucrats commit on a regular basis. Democracy is for people who can dare say and do something against some long standing norms and traditions when those norms and traditions stop making sense.

Unfortunately, this is not the image of just one whole problem but rather a knot in a complex system of problems. As such, there is no single solution to it. We as a nation need to undergo a series of changes and reformations and bring about a renaissance which we then need to sustain for a longer period of time until all mess is cleaned up. Of course, that can't happen overnight. It's a slow process, almost unnoticeable, like evolution. But we need to find a way to start it. We can begin by rethinking "patriotism" and understanding that mere shouting of slogans, blaming of politicians and making fun of a certain country doesn't amount to being patriotic. We should then ask ourselves if we can give up all sentiments of religion, caste and language for the greater good – for one strong, unified "sovereign, socialist democratic republic" and we will know that we can do it if we are truly patriotic.

That will be the beginning of the Indian Renaissance – the onset of a dream coming true, of transforming India into a truly free country where, as envisioned by Tagore, "the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where the world is not broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls, where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit".

The boy who can see in the dark?

"A boy has stunned medics with his ability to see in pitch black with eyes that glow in the dark," claims a recent post on a Facebook page. The story goes like this:

A Chinese boy named Nong Youhui has bright blue eyes that glow in the dark like those of a cat. His father was assured by the doctors that the boy's eyes would become and look normal once he grew up but that did not happen. Later, a series of medical tests were claimed to have been conducted confirming that the boy could see clearly (even read) in complete darkness.

It appears that there is some truth in this story. Nong Youhui does have bright blue eyes. In fact, he received some media attention way back in 2009 but it's only recently that his eyes are being talked about all over the Web. If the claims that he can see and read in the dark are also true, then he would be an interesting subject for analysis by vision scientists, evolutionary biologists, and genetic engineers alike.

However, according to the experts, such an ability would require multiple genetic mutations, which don't just happen all at once. "Evolution happens incrementally, not by leaps and bounds," say the experts. But having said that, no authentic tests have been conducted on Youhui's eyes yet and the claims to the boy's supernatural ability to see in the dark have not been entirely dismissed. I hope we will hear more on this soon because if the claims are proved true, then we may have to redefine a couple of terms – mutation and evolution.

"Pencil vs Camera" – 3D art in a whole new dimension

Ben Heine is a 30 year old Belgian multidisciplinary artist who became widely popular for his "Pencil vs Camera" – a unique experiment in which he mixed drawing with photography, illusion with reality. Below here is one of his works. The man sitting with a pencil in his hand is not a 3D illusion. He is Ben Heine, the artist himself. The whole thing becomes more clear if you look at the four images below it that show the sketch in progress.

Visit here for "Pencil vs Art" gallery.

Bees are dying. We will too!

Honeybees have a great influence on human population and the ecosystem, but not many people realize that. The existence and survival of honeybees is critical to our own. Albert Einstein declared long ago: “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live. No more bees, no more pollination, no more men."

Besides making honey, honeybees have a very important job to do – facilitate pollination. A decline in honeybee population would greatly affect the process of pollination, reducing plant growth and eventually, would make everyone starve. Today, their life worldwide is threatened and to some extent we are responsible for it.

There are many natural causes that can endanger bees – pests, parasites, bacterial and fungal diseases, and environmental changes, for example, and we are contributing to the ill fate of the bees with our use of pesticides. Scientists have identified a complex set of factors that increases the honey bee’s stress and reduces its immune system. As a result the worker bees either die or abandon their hive in what is now known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). We might not have noticed yet but it has been reported that honeybees are disappearing, especially in North America, and this could soon become a global epidemic.

While scientists are working hard to understand this phenomenon better, and we must thank them for that, let's do what we can to save honeybees. Let's begin by first respecting them. Let's not shoo them off when we find that they have built a hive in a tree in our gardens, and instead let's be grateful that they have. Let's not value these creatures only because they make honey. Let's bear in mind that our survival depends on theirs.
SAVE HIVES. SAVE LIVES!

Ideal diet for optimal brain function

A brain-healthy diet is one that encourages good blood flow to the brain, is rich in anti-oxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, have enough minerals like Vitamin C, E, B12 and folate and is low in fat and cholesterol. Like the heart, the brain needs the right balance of nutrients, including protein and sugar, to function well. A brain-healthy diet is most effective when combined with physical and mental activity and social interaction.

Source: Quora.com
For a detailed article, click here

Smiley, Friendly Dolphins

Despite world wide protests and dolphin conservation campaigns, hundreds of dolphins are brutally hunted every year in many places in what is known as Dolphin Drive Hunting – a frenzied dolphin massacre. Peru, Faroe Islands (near Denmark), Solomon Islands (a country to the North East of Australia) and Taiji (Japan) are the leading places where this hunt is done.

Dolphins being sociable creatures do not get alarmed by the presence of people near them and that makes them an easy prey.

But how could we do this?

More on dolphin drive hunt here.