186 posts · 33,750 views
I am the owner and editor of SayPeople.com; Science, technology, research, business and Islamic blog. I completed my M. Phil. in Pharmaceutics in 2008.
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- June 17, 2013
- 11:27 AM
- 33 views
Mars have building blocks of life as shown by the Martian rock from Antarctica
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Scientists studied Martian meteorite obtained from Antarctica and found potential building block of life in it.
Published in:
PLoS ONE
Study Further:
Scientists have found good amount of boron in the rock. Boron is considered as the important element in the development of ribonucleic acid or RNA, which a nucleic acid that contains the sugar ribose. It is found in all living cells, and is essential for the manufacture of proteins according to the instructions carried by........ Read more »
Stephenson, J., Hallis, L., Nagashima, K., & Freeland, S. (2013) Boron Enrichment in Martian Clay. PLoS ONE, 8(6). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064624
- June 15, 2013
- 11:11 AM
- 59 views
Mesothelioma and other cancers could better be targeted by improving immune system
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Researchers from Western Australia are working to improve immune system, so that we can defeat cancers such as mesothelioma and lung cancer.
Published in:
Aging Cell
Study Further:
It has already been found that in late stages of life, immunity decreases and that could be the reason for increased chances of cancer in that part of life.
In order to understand the relation between decreasing immunity and the start of mesothelioma and other cancers, researchers from Cu........ Read more »
Jackaman, C., Radley-Crabb, H., Soffe, Z., Shavlakadze, T., Grounds, M., & Nelson, D. (2013) Targeting macrophages rescues age-related immune deficiencies in C57BL/6J geriatric mice. Aging Cell, 12(3), 345-357. DOI: 10.1111/acel.12062
- June 13, 2013
- 12:01 PM
- 47 views
Blinkers and non-blinkers have differences in attentional blink
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Blinkers and non-blinkers have individual differences in selective attention and the ability of the non-blinkers to sense the targets presented in close temporal succession might be due to fairly quicker and exact target selection process.
Published in:
PLoS ONE
Study Further:
Many people are unable to respond to the second target when presented in close time to the first (200-500 ms interval) and this phenomenon is known as attentional blink (AB). This concept is in r........ Read more »
Willems, C., Wierda, S., van Viegen, E., & Martens, S. (2013) Individual Differences in the Attentional Blink: The Temporal Profile of Blinkers and Non-Blinkers. PLoS ONE, 8(6). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066185
- June 11, 2013
- 11:16 AM
- 31 views
Medicinal substances from African plants could stop cancer growth
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Researchers have reported that benzophenones derived from plants originating in Cameroon, country in west central Africa, could work effectively against cancers that are resistant to multi-drug.
Published in:
Phytomedicine
Study Further:
Multi-drug resistance is one of the most unwanted problems in the case of cancer as it reduces the chances of survival very much.
In the present study, researchers examined more than 100 spices and plants in Cameroon for their cance........ Read more »
Kuete, V., Tchakam, P., Wiench, B., Ngameni, B., Wabo, H., Tala, M., Moungang, M., Ngadjui, B., Murayama, T., & Efferth, T. (2013) Cytotoxicity and modes of action of four naturally occuring benzophenones: 2,2′,5,6′-Tetrahydroxybenzophenone, guttiferone E, isogarcinol and isoxanthochymol. Phytomedicine, 20(6), 528-536. DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2013.02.003
- June 5, 2013
- 11:31 AM
- 33 views
“The Lizard King” named after “The Doors” Singer Jim Morrison
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Barbaturex morrisoni is the name of the extinct 6-foot long lizard thought to be present about 36-40 million years ago in South East Asia and this name has been taken from the name of “The Doors” rock singer Jim Morrison.
Published in:
Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Study Further:
"I was listening to The Doors quite a bit during the research," Jason Head of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said in a statement. "Some of their musical im........ Read more »
Head, J., Gunnell, G., Holroyd, P., Hutchison, J., & Ciochon, R. (2013) Giant lizards occupied herbivorous mammalian ecospace during the Paleogene greenhouse in Southeast Asia. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 280(1763), 20130665-20130665. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.0665
- May 31, 2013
- 12:00 PM
- 71 views
Astronauts on Mars would face a high dose of radiation
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
NASA’s Mars Curiosity has confirmed that the astronauts on Mars would be hit by a high dose of radiation that would be more than the current safety limits.
Published in:
Science
Study Further:
To find the radiation, scientists used the data of the number of high-energy space particles attacking the rover in the eight-month journey on Mars. They found that the radiation dose is too high that would result in the development of fatal cancer beside other problems.
........ Read more »
Zeitlin, C., Hassler, D., Cucinotta, F., Ehresmann, B., Wimmer-Schweingruber, R., Brinza, D., Kang, S., Weigle, G., Bottcher, S., Bohm, E.... (2013) Measurements of Energetic Particle Radiation in Transit to Mars on the Mars Science Laboratory. Science, 340(6136), 1080-1084. DOI: 10.1126/science.1235989
- May 30, 2013
- 11:39 AM
- 46 views
Neutron Star with a newly discovered “anti-glitch” property
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Astronomers from NASA have found a spinning neutron star, 1E 2259 586 that is slowing down, which would help them in understanding these celestial objects in detail.
Published in:
Nature
Study Further:
Introduction to Neutron Star:
Neutron star is a heavenly body consisting entirely of a very dense compact mass of neutrons, the remnant of a star that has collapsed under its own gravity and exploded as a supernova. Neutron stars have trillion times stronger magnetic ........ Read more »
Archibald, R., Kaspi, V., Ng, C., Gourgouliatos, K., Tsang, D., Scholz, P., Beardmore, A., Gehrels, N., & Kennea, J. (2013) An anti-glitch in a magnetar. Nature, 497(7451), 591-593. DOI: 10.1038/nature12159
- May 29, 2013
- 11:17 AM
- 48 views
MERS-CoV virus is "a threat to the entire world"
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), a newly discovered SARS-like virus also known as novel coronavirus (nCoV), is spreading in the world with 49 total cases (latest update).
Study Further:
Although the coronaviruses cause illnesses such as common cold and SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, among others but the new virus is not SARS that is why World Health Organization (WHO) called it as Middle East respiratory symptom coronavirus, or MERS-CoV.
........ Read more »
de Groot, R., Baker, S., Baric, R., Brown, C., Drosten, C., Enjuanes, L., Fouchier, R., Galiano, M., Gorbalenya, A., Memish, Z.... (2013) Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV); Announcement of the Coronavirus Study Group. Journal of Virology. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.01244-13
- May 26, 2013
- 06:47 AM
- 79 views
Nearly 40% of medical students are unaware of their anti-fat bias
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Researchers have found that nearly two out of five medical students have an unintentional bias against obese people and slightly less than one out of five medical students showed unintentional bias against thin people - at least in southeastern United States.
Published in:
Academic Medicine
Study Further:
“Previous research has shown that on average, physicians have a strong anti-fat bias similar to that of the general population. Doctors are more likely to assum........ Read more »
Miller, D., Spangler, J., Vitolins, M., Davis, S., Ip, E., Marion, G., & Crandall, S. (2013) Are Medical Students Aware of Their Anti-obesity Bias?. Academic Medicine, 1. DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e318294f817
- May 24, 2013
- 12:26 PM
- 161 views
People with higher IQ have the ability to get rid of distractions
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Researchers have found that people with higher IQ have the ability to get rid of large non-essential background information i.e. distraction. Moreover, they can detect small moving objects.
Published in:
Current Biology
Study Further:
In the study, researchers showed the short video clips of black and white bars to the 53 people, who were also tested for intelligence. The bars were moving across the screen, where some clips were small present in the center of the scree........ Read more »
Melnick, M., Harrison, B., Park, S., Bennetto, L., & Tadin, D. (2013) A Strong Interactive Link between Sensory Discriminations and Intelligence. Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.04.053
- May 23, 2013
- 12:00 PM
- 51 views
Very beautiful findings related to Down syndrome
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Researchers, in 2011, reported that the parents, siblings and even the people with Down syndrome reported positive experiences about their life and relations.
Published in:
American Journal of Medical Genetics
Study Further:
Down syndrome refers to the condition in which the extra genetic material in the body causes the slow development of the child, mentally and physically. It affects 1 in every 800 babies born in United States.
Researchers, in three different stud........ Read more »
Skotko, B., Levine, S., & Goldstein, R. (2011) Having a son or daughter with Down syndrome: Perspectives from mothers and fathers. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A, 155(10), 2335-2347. DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.34293
Skotko, B., Levine, S., & Goldstein, R. (2011) Having a brother or sister with Down syndrome: Perspectives from siblings. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A, 155(10), 2348-2359. DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.34228
Skotko, B., Levine, S., & Goldstein, R. (2011) Self-perceptions from people with Down syndrome. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A, 155(10), 2360-2369. DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.34235
- May 22, 2013
- 11:58 AM
- 52 views
RNA was able to do some complex tasks in the start of Life on Ancient Earth
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Scientists have found that the complex biochemical changes through RNA may have been occurred in the start of the life on early Earth.
Published in:
Nature Chemistry
Study Further:
RNA (full form: ribonucleic acid) is a nucleic acid that has the sugar ribose, is found in all living cells, and is essential for the manufacture of proteins according to the instructions carried by genes. RNA also acts instead of DNA as the genetic material in certain viruses.
RNA is tho........ Read more »
Hsiao, C., Chou, I., Okafor, C., Bowman, J., O'Neill, E., Athavale, S., Petrov, A., Hud, N., Wartell, R., Harvey, S.... (2013) RNA with iron(II) as a cofactor catalyses electron transfer. Nature Chemistry, 5(6), 525-528. DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1649
- May 20, 2013
- 12:25 PM
- 60 views
Cancer increases the chances of bankruptcy - a new study on Americans
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Points:
Researchers have found that the cancer patients in America are more than two times more likely to go bankrupt than the healthy people. I think this is the case not only in America but everywhere in the world.
Published in:
Health Affairs
Study Further:
Researchers collected data in Washington State from about 400,000 adults and found that the patients of cancer have more chances of bankruptcy, i.e. 2.65 times more chances, even if they have the health insurance as the........ Read more »
Ramsey, S., Blough, D., Kirchhoff, A., Kreizenbeck, K., Fedorenko, C., Snell, K., Newcomb, P., Hollingworth, W., & Overstreet, K. (2013) Washington State Cancer Patients Found To Be At Greater Risk For Bankruptcy Than People Without A Cancer Diagnosis. Health Affairs. DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2012.1263
- May 16, 2013
- 12:07 PM
- 95 views
Good News or Bad News - Skin cancer and Alzheimer’s disease
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Researchers have found that the people, who develop skin cancer, may have less chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease in the older ages.
Published in:
Neurology
Study Further:
Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative disorder that affects the brain and causes dementia, especially late in life.
In this new study, researchers worked on 1,102 volunteers with an average age of 79. They were studied for about 3.7 years. In the beginning of the study, 109 peop........ Read more »
White, R., Lipton, R., Hall, C., & Steinerman, J. (2013) Nonmelanoma skin cancer is associated with reduced Alzheimer disease risk. Neurology, 80(21), 1966-1972. DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182941990
- May 15, 2013
- 12:09 PM
- 77 views
Why women live longer than men?
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Researchers have found that the immune system of the women declines more slowly than men and this could be one of the reasons for the longer life of women - at least in Japan.
Published in:
Immunity & Ageing
Study Further:
Immune system is the system that recognizes and opposes disease. In the new study, researchers have reported that with the passage of time, men’s ability to oppose the disease decrease more rapidly as compared to women, resulting in increased w........ Read more »
Hirokawa, K., Utsuyama, M., Hayashi, Y., Kitagawa, M., Makinodan, T., & Fulop, T. (2013) Slower immune system ageing in women versus men in the Japanese population. Immunity , 10(1), 19. DOI: 10.1186/1742-4933-10-19
- May 14, 2013
- 11:45 AM
- 73 views
“Human frontal lobes are exactly the size expected for a non-human brain scaled up to human size”
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Researchers have found that the size of the frontal lobes of the brain is not the only crucial factor of human intelligence.
Published in:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
Study Further:
Frontal lobes, as the name suggest, are present at the front of each cerebral hemisphere - either of the two symmetrical halves of the front part of the brain.
Researchers have reported in the new study that size of the brain’s frontal lobe is not the onl........ Read more »
Barton, R., & Venditti, C. (2013) Human frontal lobes are not relatively large. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1215723110
- May 14, 2013
- 10:06 AM
- 78 views
First ever discovery of an alien planet with the help of Einstein's Theory of Relativity
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Scientists have found, for the first time, an alien planet, dubbed as "Einstein's planet", with the help of the Einstein's Theory of Relativity.
Published in:
The Astrophysical Journal
Study Further:
"Einstein's planet" is officially called as Kepler-76b and is the first planet found by this method. It is the latest of the 800 planets located beyond our Solar System.
This planet is 25% larger than Jupiter and is two times of its we........ Read more »
Simchon Faigler, Lev Tal-Or, Tsevi Mazeh, Dave W. Latham, & Lars A. Buchhave. (2013) BEER analysis of Kepler and CoRoT light curves: I. Discovery of Kepler-76b: A hot Jupiter with evidence for superrotation. The Astrophysical Journal. arXiv: 1304.6841v3
- May 13, 2013
- 02:06 PM
- 84 views
Earth's central part is rotating differently than the rest of the planet
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Scientists have found that the inner-core of the Earth rotates at a different and variable rate than the mantle - the central part of the Earth or another planet that is present between the core and the crust.
Published in:
Nature Geoscience
Study Further:
Scientists observed earthquake doublets - pairs of nearly identical earthquakes that can occur a couple of weeks to 30 or 40 years apart - over the last 5 decades to find the speed of the inner-core of the Earth.
........ Read more »
Tkalčić, H., Young, M., Bodin, T., Ngo, S., & Sambridge, M. (2013) The shuffling rotation of the Earth’s inner core revealed by earthquake doublets. Nature Geoscience. DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1813
- May 13, 2013
- 11:12 AM
- 69 views
A huge amount of DNA may not be needed for the creation of complex life
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Main Point:
Nearly 98% of junk DNA is present in the body and scientists have found that they may not be needed for the creation of complex life.
Published in:
Nature
Study Further:
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the substance in the living beings that carry genetic information that passes from one generation to the next generation.
The term “junk DNA” refers to the “noncoding DNA” and a huge amount of such DNAs have no known biological function in the b........ Read more »
Ibarra-Laclette, E., Lyons, E., Hernández-Guzmán, G., Pérez-Torres, C., Carretero-Paulet, L., Chang, T., Lan, T., Welch, A., Juárez, M., Simpson, J.... (2013) Architecture and evolution of a minute plant genome. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature12132
- May 12, 2013
- 08:35 AM
- 75 views
Electromicrobiology - One of the rapidly rising scientific fields
by Usman Paracha in SayPeople
Introduction:
Electromicrobiology is one of the rising subjects in the field of science. It combines the technology with biology.
In this subject, initially scientists found the transmission of electrical signals between the microbes. On a further note, in this subject, we study about the complex interaction between the microorganisms and technological devices while considering the novel electrical properties of the microorganisms i.e. accepting or donating the electrons from electrodes wi........ Read more »
Lovley, D. (2012) Electromicrobiology. Annual Review of Microbiology, 66(1), 391-409. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-092611-150104
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