Science and Technology

Scientists Solved the Mystery behind Bengal White Tigers

Scientists from Peking University, Beijing in May 2013 discovered that a change in single amino acid (A477V) in one pigmentation relate gene (SLC45A2) is the cause of white fur or sepia brown stripes in some tigers.
The scientists studied 16 captive white tigers from three different parents to come up with the conclusion. As per the scientists, two types of melanin namely pheomelanin and eumelanin are used for identifying the color of fur, eye and stripes of the tiger. In case of the white tigers, pheomelanin that produces red and yellow color is affected. As per the research, the point mutation in the amino acid blocks a particular channel partially; as a result of this blockage yellow pigment forming process is affected. Same type of mutation in pigmentation-related gene (SLC45A2) causes light skin colour in modern Europeans as well as mouse, chicken and horse too. As per the study, human often force the tigers to inbreed for increasing the number of white tigers in zoos. This type of forced inbreeding may create some health side effects in the tigers as it has been a reason of health ailments in humans. In tigers this forced inbreeding has resulted in human-induced inbreeding has resulted in premature death, stillbirth and deformities. White tigers are a part of the genetic diversity of the tigers, which is caused due to mutation and are worth conserving. The findings of the research was published in Thursday in the Current Biology journal. The study was conducted under the leadership of Shu Jin Lau of Peking University.

Robo-Fly

US Scientists at the Harvard University created a robot of the size of fly which can perform fast manoeuvres of omnipresent insects. The robot called Robo-Fly is built from the carbon fibre which weighs just a fraction of the gram and also has super-fast electronic muscles that are used to power the wings. The developers of the robot described that the tiny robots like these could be used in various rescue operations. For example, such a kind of the robot could be used for navigating through the tiny spaces in buildings which have collapsed.
Dr Kevin Ma of Harvard University as well as his team which was led by Dr Robert Wood described their creation as the world’s smallest flying robot. The fly-like agility that this robot encompasses, allows it to evade the fastest human efforts to swat them. This ability came because of precise wing movements. The robot has the ability to perform immediate evasive manoeuvres as well as hover, by constant adjustment of the effect of lift and thrust which acts on the body at extremely high speed. Like any real fly, the flexible and thin wings of the robot can beat around 120 times per second.
This high speed of the wings can be achieved with the help of a special substance known as piezoelectric material. This material contracts each time with the application of the voltage to it. The scientists switched on and off the voltage very rapidly and this helped them in making the material behave like tiny muscles which make the fly’s wings beat very fast. The scientists explained that the primary goal of this research was not to build the useful robot, but understand the flight working of the insects. However, now, with the development of the robot, there could be various uses of the machine. These robots could also be used for the monitoring of the environment by being dispersed into habitat for sensing trace chemicals or certain other factors. Dr Ma also explained that these robots were able to behave like the real insects and could also help in pollination of crops. At present, the model of robo-fly is small, off-board power source. However, in the next step, it would be created as the completely wireless flying robot.

Mars Rover Studied about Rock Esperance Weathered by Water

Mars Rover, Opportunity of NASA in the third week of May 2013 completed examining the fractured rocks on Mars, the red planet those were altered by water. The rover was searching for the evidences of the wet ancient environment that possibly favoured the life of the planet. Now the Opportunity has been driven towards a new study area after finishing 20 months on the dubbed Cape York location. The scientists from NASA gave several weeks to study and get the measurement of the fractured rock named Esperance, which was important for them from many aspects. Esperance was spotted by the team of NASA, while exploring a portion of Cape York, where the Compact Reconnaissance Spectrometer for Mars on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter detected the clay mineral. After studying the area, the rover team found an outcrop called Whitewater Lake that has a small amount of clay altered due to its exposure to clay.

IBM Released World’s Smallest Stop Motion Film Called a Boy and His Atom

The IBM scientists on 1 May 2013 released the smallest movie of the world called A Boy and His Atom. The movie tracks movement of the atoms which are magnified 100 million times. The movie, A Boy and His Atom, is a story of the character called Atom who in turn befriends the single atom and then follows him on journey of bouncing and dancing which helps in explaining the science behind the data storage. A scientist at IBM Research, Andreas Heinrich explained that positioning, shaping and capturing the atoms in order to create the original motion picture on atomic level was completely first-of-its-kind and precise science. The movie is actually a fun-filled way of sharing the atomic-scale world.

New species of  Dragonfly in Goa

Researchers in the Month of May 2013 discovered a new species of dragonfly from a wildlife sanctuary in Goa. The new species was spotted at Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife sanctuary at Collem in south Goa by researchers Parag Rangnekar and Rohan Naik in collaboration with Dr K A Subramanian, the scientist with Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata. The species is scientifically named as (Idionyx Gomantakensis), and is restricted to evergreen forest. As per the researchers, most of the species of this genus are known from South India, while Goa has two. It is important here to note that, the research was conducted under the banner of Mineral Foundation of Goa and supported by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of Goa. The government wild be conducting focused surveys could result in discovery of more species from the state.
Some Points to Remember about Dragonfly

·         Dragonflies and Damselflies belong to the Order Odonata.

·         This group of insects is dependent on water for completion of their life-cycle and hence the quality of water defines the species composition.

·         The group was an excellent indicator of the health of a water body and can be effectively used in bio-monitoring.

Bilateral Mastectomy is not a Foolproof Method

The link between harbouring deleterious mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes and the risk to breast cancer and ovarian cancer, is not absolute. This means if 100 ladies have the same deleterious mutation, only 50-80 of them would develop breast cancers during their life time and 30-50 would develop ovarian cancers. This indicates that 20-50 of these women may not develop the breast cancer during their life time. This is proof that other factors modulate the risk of developing the breast cancer — these could be genes, the environment and lifestyle related. At this point in time, we do not know all the risk factors. It is true that we still do not know a lot about cancer. However, as in any science we are learning and the newer technologies are helping to this end. About 10 per cent of breast cancer cases are hereditary in nature. Of the 10 per cent, BRCA1 and BRCA2 would account for 20-30 per cent. Hence there are other genes which could be involved but not at the same level of penetration as these two genes. These intermediate risk genes are now being included to widen the scope of detection. We also need to know which other genes increase or decrease the risk of BRCA-associated breast cancers. Newer technologies with properly designed studies can help provide these answers.
There are several options with regard to preventative measures for reducing the risk in those carrying the deleterious mutation. First, bilateral mastectomy (removal of both breasts) helps but is not a foolproof method. Normal breast tissue extends over a wide region and potential for some tissue being left behind is possible. Second, removal of both the fallopian tubes and ovaries (bilateral salphingo-oopherectomy) can be done in women who have completed their family and are menstruating. This removes the risk of cancers arising in the ovaries (and fallopian tubes). In addition, by removing the ovaries, the major source of oestrogens that can induce the malignant change in the breast is eliminated. Studies have shown that this approach can reduce the risk of development of breast cancer by nearly 50 per cent. Third, drugs can be used to reduce the breast cancer risk.
Tamoxifen has been used in the past but has major side effects including the development of uterine cancer and clotting in blood vessels. Trials have been undertaken to evaluate drugs that can reduce the risk. Finally, lifestyle modifications can cut the risk. A healthy balanced diet consisting of plenty of fruits and vegetables, reducing dietary fat content, avoiding red meat, avoiding junk food, minimising fried food, regular exercise (minimum 45 minutes of brisk walk every day), practising yoga especially pranayams and cutting body mass index (BMI) to less than 25 would help. Mrs. Angelina Jolie opted for bilateral mastectomy; it was her decision. Individuals who have seen their loved ones suffer and die due to cancer are more likely to choose this option. It is essential to understand our limitations, and at the same time not belittle the scientific advances which have saved lives. Predictive gene testing refers to testing a woman who has not developed breast cancer but whose first- or second-degree relatives have cancer and have been found to carry a deleterious mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. Predictive testing should never be done if we do not have a strategy to reduce the risk of development of cancer. Fortunately, preventative strategies and early detection approaches are available in the case of hereditary breast and ovarian cancers. These tests are indeed expensive. But without being patronising, I would like to mention that Cancer Institute, Chennai provides these tests free of cost to eligible patients.

World’s Smallest Droplets

Scientists from Switzerland created the smallest drops of liquid ever made in the lab. Scientists carried out a series of experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest and most powerful particle collider located at the European Laboratory for Nuclear and Particle Physics (CERN) in Switzerland. Evidence of the tiny droplets was obtained following the collision of protons with lead ions at velocities approaching the speed of light.
These short-lived droplets are the size of three to five protons-that is about one-100000th the size of a hydrogen atom or one-100000000th the size of a virus according to scientific calculation. These small droplets flow in a same manner as quark-gluon plasma does. It can be defined as a state of matter that is a mixture of the sub-atomic particles that constitutes protons and neutrons and only found at extreme temperatures and densities. Scientists proposed that the whole universe once consisted of this strongly interacting elixir for fractions of a second after the Big Bang when conditions were dramatically hotter and denser than today’s conditions.

First Smart RFID-Enabled Paper

The scientists at the North Dakota State University developed a process called Laser Enabled Advanced Packaging (Leap) which can help embed the radio frequency identification (RFID) chips on the paper. This process is cheaper and faster as well as it offers a range of applications than the present method. This technique is useful for preventing fraudulent practices. It also gives a new meaning to paper trail. In this process, lasers are used to transfer as well as assemble the chips on the paper. The paper would thus be called a smart paper, which in turn can be used for various purposes such as smart labels, banknotes, tickets and legal documents.

These findings would be presented at Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers conference on RFID in Orlando, Florida. There are already some RFID-enabled papers in the market but chip are thicker, which leads to either bumpy surface or bulky paper. This means that such a paper would not be printed.
The chips are at first, thinned by the plasma etcher. The technology is yet to be patented. It makes use of the laser beam’s energy in order to transfer the ultra-thin chips precisely. Antennas are embedded by making use of the same method. Prof Val Marinov, the Head of the project explained that this process was twice faster than the present method of manufacturing. It is also cheaper because of less material used. Therefore, there is an extensive potential for this technology. Prof Val Marinov also explained that the European bank and Bank of Japan had hinted towards their intention for development of this technology, but they did not go for it. Therefore, the technology developed by the US scientists is the first one which demonstrates the functional RFID tag embedded in paper. The team that developed the technology is now looking for the commercial partners of this technology.

What is RFID?

RFID is expanded as Radio-frequency identification. RFID is primarily the wireless non-contact application of the radio-frequency electromagnetic fields for transferring data. It is used for automatic identification as well as tracking the tags which are attached to the objects. The tags are encompassed with electronically stored information. Some of these tags are powered as well as read at the short ranges through the electromagnetic induction or magnetic fields. Other tags make use of the local power source like battery, but they collect the energy from interrogating EM field.

New Keyboard  Called KALQ to Beat QWERTY

Researchers at St Andrews, the Max Planck Institute for Informatics in Germany and Montana Tech in the US created a keyboard layout, said to be great for the touchscreen devices like smartphones and tablets. The new keyboard, researchers claimed, can make thumb-typing faster and easier. Dr Per Ola Kristensson of the St Andrews University explained that the typical QWERTY keyboard trapped its users in suboptimal text entry interfaces. New design of the keyboard is called KALQ, in order of its keys on one line. The creators of this keyboard made use of the computational optimisation techniques in order to identify the best performance.
The virtual keyboard was created in alliance. This keyboard would be accessible to the users free of cost for the Android-based devices.
The research team explained that two-thumb typing becomes very different ergonomically in comparison to the typing on physical QWERTY keyboards. QWERTY keyboards in turn were developed in late 19th century by the typewriters. The researchers claimed that any normal user making use of the QWERTY keyboard on any touchscreen device could type just 20 words per minute, which is way too low than the normal physical keyboards available with the computers.
Researchers explained that a process by which optimization of a keyboard for two thumbs could be done, was by minimizing the long typing sequences which involved the use of single thumb only.
It was additionally imperative that the letter keys which were used frequently should be placed alongside in order to reduce the typing time. Optimal layout involved reducing the moving time of thumbs as well as enabling the typing on alternating sides of touchscreen device.
In the new keyboard, all vowels were placed in area which was assigned to right thumb, while the left thumb had more keys. With error-correction algorithm, the users who were trained could reach 37 words in a minute. KALQ provided better performance to users. The new keyword work of the researchers will now be presented at CHI 2013 conference (the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems) in Paris on 1 May 2013.

Using Gold Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery

Using bio-resources, scientists from the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, have synthesised eco-friendly gold nanoparticles which could be used as carriers for delivering anti-cancer drugs and also for diagnosing the disease. Developed from leaf extracts, the biocompatible nanoparticles have shown promising results and inhibited cancer cells proliferation in lung and breast cancer cell lines. In the first instance, they have used leaves of Bhringaraj (Eclipta alba ), a herbal plant. While gold nanoparticles could be developed by chemical methods, the inherent problem in that approach was of toxicity. “But here we are using a green chemistry approach. It is environmental-friendly because the solvent we are using is water. It is a simple, clean, efficient and low-cost method,” said Dr. Chittaranjan Patra, Scientist, Ramanujan Fellow, IICT. Explaining the importance of using gold, he said it has been used from time immemorial.
“We have a long history of using gold as a medicinal agent in Ayurveda. More than 1,000 years ago it was used as a nanoparticle ( swarnabhasma ). At that time, there were no sophisticated instruments and that is why people did not know that it was a gold nanoparticle,” he observed. He said the gold nanoparticle was bio-compatible, easy to synthesise and multiple cancer drugs could be loaded. It could reduce the toxicity of the anti-cancer drug, increase its efficacy and ensure better retention of the drug in the blood system. “When conjugated with gold nanoparticle, the anti-cancer drug could stay for more time in the tumour and enhance the therapeutic efficacy,” he added.