My Science School

A malleable toy. it helps strengthen the muscles of the hand and wrist.

 A stress ball is a small malleable toy that is squeezed in the hand to relieve stress and muscle tension it can also be used as a physical therapy tool that helps strengthen the muscles of the hand and wrist.

There are different types of stress balls, depending on the materials used to make them. In the U.S., the most common variety is the beanbag type, while in Australia, the foam type is used. The most popular design of the foam stress ball is the bright yellow-coloured smiley, giving it a cheerful appearance.

Many companies gift stress balls to their employees and clients. They can easily be used in an office, giving your hands a good workout. They also give a welcome break to those who are constantly typing.

When we're stressed, our body releases cortisol, a hormone. This leads to constriction of blood vessels, making it difficult to get enough oxygen and it also impairs circulation. This in turn causes physical fatigue. Pressing and releasing a stress ball helps the muscles to dilate and improves oxygen and blood circulation. Endorphins, hormones which minimise cortisol and improve your overall mood, are also secreted.

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Earwax which is scientifically referred to as cerumen, protects the ear. How? Read on to find out..

Earwax is vital to the problem-free working of the ears. It is produced by two glands present in the skin of the outer ear canal; the sebaceous glands and apocrine sweat glands. The former exude sebum, an oily substance, which mixes with the secretions of the apocrine glands to make earwax. The scientific name for earwax is cerumen.

Earwax collects the dead skin cells, loose hair follicles and dust that accumulate inside the ear. The ear canal is convoluted, so this waxy debris requires the help of unique migrating cells in the ear to be pushed out. These cells move continuously from the inside of the canal to the outside. They push along the earwax assisted by the natural movements of our jaws when we speak, eat, sneeze and cough. The earwax keeps the canal smooth and prevents harmful microbes from entering the ear. It is also mildly acidic so it holds bacteria and fungi at bay. Earwax discourages small insects from using the ear canal as a suitable dwelling!

Other animals also produce earwax and some, like the blue whale, never throw it out. Scientists discovered a plug of earwax the size of a banana in a blue whale. When it was analysed, it was found to contain 16 different environmental pollutants, such as pesticides.

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Millions of people all over the world are affected by the contamination of groundwater with arsenic. Most of them live in South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Nepal and Vietnam.

 A study in 2017 revealed that over 60 million Pakistanis who live in the Indus River Valley are at risk from arsenic poisoning their drinking water.

Arsenic is a chemical element that has no odour or taste, making it difficult for a lay person to detect. Trace quantities of arsenic are essential in the human diet, but is dangerous in large amounts. Long-term exposure can lead to skin lesions, cancer, developmental defects, heart disease and diabetes.

While 10 mcg per litre is the safe limit recommended by WHO, in the Indus Valley, the concentration exceeded 200 mcg in many places!

Arsenic occurs naturally in the Earth's crust, but it stays locked in the rocks and sediment. When people draw too much water from underground aquifers, it causes the water tables to drop drastically. The water deep down is often tainted by arsenic.

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Did you know exposure to parabens from a number of personal care products could contribute to many health problems?

Parabens are synthetic compounds used as preservatives in many pharmaceutical, cosmetic and make-up products such as moisturizers, shampoos, toothpastes and deodorants. They stop the growth of fungus, bacteria and other harmful pathogens. They were first commercialised in the 1950s.

Individual products usually have small amounts of parabens within safe limits. But these days, many people use a lot of personal care products. Public health advocates worry that cumulative exposure to parabens from a number of different products could lead to an increase in the amount of these chemicals in our bodies, beyond safe limits, contributing to many health problems. Parabens can penetrate the skin and have been linked to skin imitation, reproductive neurological and immunological problems. A major health concern is that parabens disrupt hormone function, an effect which is linked to heightened risk of breast cancer.

The European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have prohibited the use of five types of parabens in cosmetic products.

But in countries like the U.S. and India, no such law exists. However, consumers in these countries can exercise other options. Several natural and organic cosmetic companies have found alternatives to parabens in beauty products. Some companies have even created preservative-free products which have a shorter shelf life than conventional products.

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The European Space Agency announced that space organisations around the world are considering how best to keep time on the moon. The need is for an internationally accepted lunar time zone.

How do you keep track of time on the moon?  What is the lunar reference point? The moon needs to be given its own time zone, the European Space Agency announced recently. As the race to the moon begins and more and more lunar missions are getting deployed, it is become, pertinent to come with a common refer time.

The European Space Agency announced that space organisations and the world are considering how best to keep time on the moon. The idea took out at a meeting in the Netherlands last year in such the participants agreed on the imminent need to set up    “ a common lunar reference time” Pietro Giordana, a navigation system engineer of the space agency said.

“A joint international effort is now being launched towards achieving this, “Giordano said in a statement.

As of now, a moon missions on the time of the country that is operating the spacecraft. The need is for an internationally accepted lunar time zone. This will be easier for all space-faring nations as mare countries and even private companies are aiming for the moon. The NASA is also getting art to send astronauts there.

 The question of time confounded NASA as it was designing and building the international Space Station, fast approaching the 25^th anniversary of the launch of its first pierce. The space station doesn’t have its a time zone, But it runs on Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC which is meticulously based on atomic clocks. This ensures in splitting the time difference between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, and the other partnering space programmes in Russia, Japan and Europe.

Debate is going on among the international team looking into lunar time on whether a single organisation should set and maintain time on the moon.

When it comes to keeping time on the moon, there are technical issues involved. One being that clocks run faster on the moon than on Earth, gaining about 56 microseconds each day, according to the space agency. Also, ticking occur differently on the lunar surface than in bar orbit.

The lunar time will have to be practical for astronauts there, noted the space agency’s Bernhard Hufenbach. NASA is gearing up for its first flight to the moon with astronauts in more than a half-century in 2024, with a lunar landing as early as 2025.

“This will be quite a challenge” with each day lasting as long as 29.5 Earth days, Hufenbach said in a statement. “But having established a working time system for the moon, we can go on to do the same for other planetary destination.” Mars standard Time, anyone?

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When we think of pollen, what we associate the most with it are perhaps pollination and bees. And, rightly so! All three are so deeply interconnected and without bees, there will be no pollination in so many plants across the world that our ecosystems will collapse, leaving human survival in question. But did you know that bees actually do more with pollen than just help in pollination? Come, let’s find out what it is.

It is common knowledge that food does more than just help end hunger. It provides us with vital nutrition to keep our body functioning. This is no different for any creature, including the honey bees. Just like humans, the "honey bee’s basic nutritional requirements are similar to those of humans; namely, they need proteins (amino acids), carbohydrates (sugars), minerals, fats/lipids (fatty acids), vitamins, and water. In order to meet their nutritional requirements, honey bees collect nectar, pollen, and water”. While honey bees collect water from any number of sources-from ponds and leaky taps to bird baths, they are dependent on flowers for both nectar and pollen. Nectar, which bees convert to honey, is their main source of carbohydrates. Without nectar, honey bees will perish in a matter of days. And pollen is the primary source of protein, which both adult and young honey bees require.

A honey bee, covered in millions of tiny hairs on its body, has pollen stuck to it when it visits flowers. It gathers the pollen and deposits it with a bit of its saliva and nectar into a tiny basket found on each of its back legs. When the baskets are full, the honey bee flies back to its hive and leaves the pollen- now called bee bread-in one of the open cells where it becomes food to other bees, particularly the young ones. This helps in their growth and development.

Did you know?

Different plant species produce different kinds of pollen. “Some plants may produce an abundance of pollen, but the pollen may be of poor quality, whereas others may produce very little but high quality pollen." Apart from this, even the content of the pollen-such as water, starch, lipids, etc.-varies. Which is to say, "all pollens are NOT equally nutritious to the bees".

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You must have often read about genetically modified organism (GMO) in newspapers. Let us know about it.

What is GMO?

GMO is an animal, plant, or microbe whose DNA has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. Genetically modified animals are mainly used for research purposes, while genetically modified plants are common in today's food supply.

The specific targeted modification of DNA using biotechnology has allowed scientists to improve the genetic makeup of an organism without unwanted characteristics.

History

For thousands of years, people have been using breeding methods to modify organisms. Corn, cattle, and even dogs have been selectively bred to have certain desired traits.

The conventional methods- selective breeding and crossbreeding-can take a long time. Meanwhile, these methods often produce mixed results, with unwanted traits appearing alongside desired characteristics.

In last few decades, modern advances in biotechnology have allowed scientists to directly modify the DNA of microorganisms, crops, and animals. Genetically modified foods were first approved for human consumption in the U.S. in 1994.

Present day

GMOS produced through genetic technology have become a part of everyday life, entering society through agriculture, medicine, research, and environmental management.

Today, approximately 90% of the corn, soybeans, and sugar beets in the market are GMOS.

Pros and cons

While GMOs have been a benefit to human society in many ways, the production of GMOs remains a highly controversial topic in many parts of the world.

Genetically engineered crop produce higher yields, have a longer shelf life, are resistant to diseases and pests, and even taste better. These benefits are plus for both farmers and consumers.

However, genetic engineering raises the possible risk of unexpected allergic reactions to some GMO foods.

Also, genetic engineering changes an organism in a way that would not occur naturally scientists insert genes into an organism from an entirely different organism.

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There are times when we run short of coins, which are used for various purposes such as small transactions/purchases at stores and wayside shops, and will be asking others if they have any to spare. We may or may not be successful in getting them. To enhance the accessibility to coins and to improve its distribution among the public, the Reserve Bank of India has announced a pilot launch of QR code-based Coin Vending Machine (QCVM) How does the machine function and how will we have access to coins? Let’s find out

Cashless coin dispenser

The announcement was made by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das during the Monetary Policy Committee meeting recently. The QR code-based Coin Vending Machine is intended to dispense coins in a simple way similar to how we withdraw cash from ATMs now. That is, we do not have to tender currency notes at banks in exchange of coins, instead the machine will dispense the required quantity and denomination of coins (for example, you need coins of 25 denomination for 1.000) against debit to our account using the UPI (Unified Payments Interface) QR code.

The UPI is a payment system that allows users to link their bank account in a smartphone app and make fund transfers. With the UPI linked to your account, as you enter the pin, the vending machine verifies your bank account and issues coins debiting the value of the coins directly from your account. This will not only help meet demand for coins but also save time and minimize effort.

The first phase

This QCVM project is to be rolled out at 19 locations in 12 cities in the first phase. The machine will be installed at public places such as markets, malls, and railway stations. The RBI has not yet announced the names of banks which will be involved in the project. Coins of denomination 1 to 20 will be made available in QCVM.

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A team of international astrophysicists has discovered many mysterious objects that were hidden in images from the James Webb Space Telescope. These include six potential galaxies that should have emerged so early in the history of the universe and are so massive that they should not be possible under current cosmological theory.

These candidate galaxies may have existed roughly 500 to 700 million years after the Big Bang. That places them at more than 13 billion years ago, close to the dawn of the universe. Containing nearly as many stars as the modern-day Milky Way, they are also gigantic. The results of the study have been published in the journal Nature in February

Not the earliest discovered

 Launched in December 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope is the most powerful telescope ever sent into space by us. The candidate galaxies identified this time from its data, however, aren’t the earliest galaxies observed by Jams Webb. Another group of scientists spotted four galaxies observed that likely formed 350 million years after the Big band. Those galaxies, however, were nowhere as massive as the current findings.

While looking at a stamp-sized section of an image that looked deep into a patch of sky close to the Big Dipper (a constellation, also known as the Plough), a researcher spotted fuzzy dots that were way too bright and red. In astronomy, red light usually equals old light. As the universe expands the light emitted by celestial objects stretches, making it redder to human instruments.

Based on their calculations, the team was also able to suggest that the candidate galaxies they had discovered were also huge. Containing tens to hundreds of billions of sun-sized stars worth of mass, these were akin to our Milky Way.

Might rewrite astronomy books

As current theory suggests that there shouldn't have been enough normal matter at that time to form so many stars so quickly, proving it might rewrite astronomy books. And even if these aren't galaxies, then another possibility is that they are a different kind of celestial object, making them interesting.

For now, the discovery has piqued the interest of the researchers and the astronomical community. More data and information about these mysterious objects from James Webb is what is being sought after to confirm that these candidate galaxies are actually as big as they look, and date as far back in time.

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Exactly 100 years ago, on March 12, 1923, American inventor Lee de Forest conducted a public demonstration of his Phonofilm at a press conference. Even though it wasn’t a great financial success, it heralded on era in movie production as it synced sound with the moving image.

When we think about successful inventors whose inventions have heralded a new era, we imagine that they would have enjoyed considerable personal financial success from it as well. This, however, isn't always the case as some of them turn out to be bad at business. American inventor Lee de Forest was one of them. Even though he contributed immensely to the broadcasting industry and had plenty of scientific successes, he gained little from it all personally.

Unusual upbringing

Born in lowa, the U.S. in 1873, de Forest had an unusual upbringing for his time. Following his family's move to Alabama, they were avoided by the white community. This was because his father had taken the presidency of the Talladega College for Negroes and was involved in efforts to educate blacks.

Despite his unusual circumstances, de Forest grew up as a happy child unaware of the prejudices he was being meted out making friends with the black children in the town. He was drawn towards machinery and by the time he turned 13, he was already making gadgets at will. This is why he took the path towards the sciences, rather than become a clergyman as planned by his father.

Invents first triode

Even though education wasn't easy as he had to do odd jobs to meet expenses in addition to those covered by his scholarship and allowance from parents. de Forest completed his Ph.D. in physics in 1899. By 1906, he presented the audion - the first triode - and it went on to become an indispensable part of electronic circuits.

For several decailes, Inventors including American great Thomas Edison, had been trying to bring together the 3 phonograph (a device for recording and reproducing sound) and the moving picture. De Forest, working alongside fellow inventor Theodore Case, first became interested in the idea of sounds for films in 1913.

The patented system that he called Phonofilm began as a drawing in 1918. Over the next couple of years, he earned a number of patents pertaining to the process as he perfected it along the way. On March 12, 1923, he conducted a successful demonstration for the press and presented his Phonofilm.

Sound on film

The technological advance that de Forest brought about was to synchronise sound and motion. He did this by placing the sound recording as an optical soundtrack directly on the film. This meant that sound frequency and volume were represented in the form of analog blips of light.

In the weeks that followed, a number of short films premiered using the Phonofilm. As synchronising the sound of human voice with the lips that moved on screen was still rather difficult, the first sound films that the public viewed still haut dialogue titles, but were accompanied by music.

Below-par fidelity

While de Forest did equip nearly 30 theatres around the world with Phonofilm, he couldn't get Hollywood interested in his invention. De Forest had a solution for the sound-sync issue with his Phonofilm, but the fidelity (how accurately a copy reproduces its source) on offer didn't meet the expectations of the age.

 In the following years, the motion picture industry shifted to talking pictures and the sound-on-film process was similar in principle to that used in de Forest’s Phonofilm. De Forest, however, was a failed businessman who was bad at judging people. He was defrauded by his own partner, had to pay for lengthy legal battles for his patents, and even had to sell many of these patents, which were then employed profitability

For all his efforts, de Forest at least finished as an Oscar winner. In 1959, two years before his death in 1961, the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences awarded de Forest an honorary Oscar for the "pioneer invention which brought sound to the motion picture”.

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In the animal kingdom, you will see that there are animals and insects with scales or shells. These help the animals protect themselves from predators. Animals both on land as well as in sea can have scales or shells. Let us take a look at some such animals.

GILA MONSTER

The Gila monster is a tough, heavily bodied lizard whose body is covered with beadlike scales called osteoderms. The scales cover all of its body except the belly. The lizard is known for its strong and venomous bite. When it bites its prey, the lizard doesn't loosen its grip for several seconds and this allows the venom to flow into its prey. These lizards live in desert and semi-desert areas and are large-bodied, with short, fat tails.

PANGOLIN

Solitary, nocturnal creatures, pangolins are known for their body covered in an armour of scales. These scales help in protection. When threatened, the pangolin will use its front legs to cover its head and expose its scales. It can roll itself into a ball when it is touched. Pangolins are called scaly anteaters because of their diet which includes ants, termites, and larvae. They have no teeth and use their tongues to gather food. They live on the ground while some can climb trees. As many as eight species are found, with a distribution of four species each in Asia and Africa.

SEA URCHINS

 Sea urchins are spiny marine invertebrate animals. These sea animals live in tidal areas and the deep ocean and are seen on the seafloor. They are noted for their round-shaped spiked shell called "test". They move across the ocean floor using their tube feet, which are small anatomical features seen on their undersides. The spines stretch out of the test and are used to move when they come across obstacles such as rocks. The largest urchin is the Sperostoma giganteum and is seen in Japan. As many as 950 species of sea urchins exist.

ARMADILLO

Armadillo is Spanish for "little armoured one". The name refers to the bony, armour-like plates that the animal has. The set of plates covering the animal's body is called the carapace. An animal found in the tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America, the armadillo lives in open areas such as grasslands while some live in forests. In all, over 20 species of armadillo exist. Did you know that two species of armadillo are able to roll up completely into a ball? The animal uses this technique to protect itself.

DIABOLICAL IRONCLAD BEETLES

With an extremely tough outer shell that justifies their name, the diabolical ironclad beetles are considered to withstand a lot of pressure and are almost unbreakable. The outer wing case of these beetles are called elytra. They inhabit the woodlands of western North America. They live under tree bark and cannot fly. Their elytra is fused together tightly and from a shield. When compression tests were carried out by scientists to test how much force the shield could withstand without cracking, it was found that force up to 149 newtons could be withstood by their shields.

LONGHORN COWFISH

The Longhorn cowfish is known for its uniquely shaped body. Its cubical body is encased in a protective hard shell called carapace and is made up of hard, bony plates. It is a solitary species and is found among seagrasses, reefs, harbours, estuaries, and so on. Its tiny fins and tail jut out from its shell. It received its name from the pair of horns that project from its eyes.

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Meaning: The word bedazzle is used when the outstanding ability or striking appearance greatly impresses someone. It is also used to denote decorating or personalising clothing or accessories using beads, glitter, etc

Origin: The word, which has been in use since the 1590s, was first used to mean "blind by excess of light". It is arrived at by combining "be" with "dazzle”. Dazzle acquired the figurative sense of "overpower or excite admiration by brilliancy or showy display" from 1560s.

Usage: Bedazzled by our gadgets, we seem to have completely lost ourselves to these devices.

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Meaning: A noun, plaque refers to the bacterial accumulation on teeth. It also refers to a tablet in metal, marble or clay with writing on it, placed near a monument to commemorate a person or an event.

Origin: The term is borrowed from French plaque meaning plate or patch. It's derived from Dutch plac meaning "tablet" which in turn comes from plakken meaning "to stick or stain". It has been in use in English since the mid-19th Century.

Usage: The dentist said there is a severe build-up of plaque on my mom's teeth.

The artery walls have been narrowed by plaque.

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