Day: 03/31/2016

The Bermuda Triangle mystery may have been solved, Scientists find new evidence!!

Posted by

0


Call it mystery! Call it myth! Call it the Devil’s Triangle, or what you may! But, there’s no escaping the fact that the famous Bermuda Triangle has perplexed humanity for the last 165 years.

Almost since 1950, the Bermuda triangle has plagued scientists with the mysterious phenomenon of disappearing ships and planes and the loss of more than 8000 lives. The region deemed supernatural by some, encompasses part of the North Atlantic Ocean just off the island of Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Miami.

Linked to alien intervention, scientists have revealed a possible explanation in what appears to be circulating as a major news around the world that the Bermuda Triangle mystery may have been solved.

1A Total of 8127 People Have Disappeared In the Bermuda Triangle

Since 1851, the mysterious and terrifying Bermuda triangle plagued ships and planes flying close to the island of Bermuda. In total 8127 people have disappeared along with a significant number of ships and airplanes, one of them being the famous training bomber flight 19 which disappeared on 5th December 1945. What could have made all those vessels disappear, alien beings? Well that was the most plausible explanation!

Now scientists may have solved the mystery. It is now being claimed that explosive methane gas may be the cause behind the mysterious disappearance of all those lost in the Bermuda triangle.

A Total of 8127 People Have Disappeared In the Bermuda Triangle

Einstein, Darwin and Hawking Battle Each Other With Superpowers in New Video Game

Posted by

0


Some of the greatest minds in history are being given superpowers in an awesomely addictive new game called Science Kombat.

PHOTO: Science Kombat is a web based game that pits some of historys greatest minds against each other.

Let’s take it a step further: Imagine those great minds were then pitted against each other in a hand-to-hand combat game with their superpowers used to battle each other.

The web-based game, which was released by Brazilian magazine Superinteressante, stars eight geniuses: Pythagoras, Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, Alan Turing and Stephen Hawking, the only virtual contestant who is still alive today.

PHOTO: Science Kombat is a web based game that pits some of historys greatest minds against each other.

Each scientist’s superpower is based on their contributions to the scientific world, so Stephen Hawking can sneak into a worm hole or fire a black hole at his opponent. Marie Curie can shoot polonium and radium with her hands, while Pythagoras can unleash a powerful Pythagorean theorem-style jump, sliding down the hypotenuse of the triangle and ambushing his opponent.
PHOTO: Science Kombat is a web based game that pits some of historys greatest minds against each other.

Eat Protein In The Morning To Burn Fat

Posted by

0


Toast eaters, it’s time to change your ways. A new study in the International Journal of Obesity shows that eating tons of protein in the morning—think at least double what you’re eating now—can help you consume 400 fewer calories throughout the day and burn more fat over time.

protein at breakfast

How much protein are we talking about here? The overweight young adults in the study who experienced the perk ate high-protein breakfasts with 350 calories and 35 g of protein—that’s the protein equivalent of almost 6 eggs—for 12 weeks. Those who ate an average breakfast with about 13 g of protein or skipped the morning meal altogether didn’t fare so well, eating 400 more calories throughout the day while experiencing more hunger and, overall, gaining more body fat.

 

The likely reason for the high-protein perk? Improved glycemic control, says Heather Leidy, PhD, study author and assistant professor in the department of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri. Basically, these people had more stable blood sugar, which contributes to reduced desire to eat and improved body composition.

But do you really need 35 g of protein to reap all those benefits? Fortunately, recent data suggests that a more doable range of 24 to 30 g of protein in the morning will have similar positive effects, says Leidy. Here are 3 delicious—and speedy!—ways to achieve just that.

Omelet in a Mug: 30 g protein
Spray a large mug with cooking spray. Add 2 to 3 whisked eggs; 2 oz sliced deli ham, chopped; 2 Tbsp diced bell pepper; and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir and break up any large chunks with a fork, then cook again on high until eggs are set, about a minute. Top with a sprinkle of cheese.

Protein-Boosted Overnight Oats: 24 g protein

In a jar with a lid, combine ½ cup rolled oats, ¾ cup milk, 1 scoop whey protein (we like Source Organic Whey Protein Concentrate), and toppings like blueberries, slivered almonds, and cinnamon. Mix well and store in the refrigerator, covered, overnight.

protein rich overnight oatmeal recipe

Cottage Cheese Breakfast Parfait: 30 g protein
In a mason jar or mug, layer ½ cup cottage cheese, 2 Tbsp berries, and 1 Tbsp chopped nuts. Repeat layers once, and top with a drizzle of honey.

How to Fall Asleep Fast

Posted by

0


Learn from the masters and you’ll never lie awake at night again BY KRISTEN
Sleep doctors toss and turn sometimes—but it’s never for long. That’s because they use scientifically-sound methods to lull themselves into dreamland. Steal their techniques so you can fall asleep fast.

(For 2,000+ more tricks to live a healthier, stronger, and more fulfilling life, check out The Better Man Project, the brand-new book from the Editor in Chief of Men’s Health!)

How to Fall Asleep Fast

It sounds ridiculous, but blowing a few bubbles—like the kind that come in a plastic bottle that you played with as a kid—right before bed can help you fall asleep faster, says Rachel Marie E. Salas, M.D., a professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

It’s like a deep breathing exercise, which helps calm your body and mind, she says. And since it’s such a silly activity, it can also take your mind off any potential sleep-thwarting thoughts.

No way you’re doing this? Try this instead: Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and focus on counting your breaths for 3 to 15 minutes.

When your mind wanders (and it will), start counting your breaths from one again. Researchers from Nepal found that doing this form of meditation for just a few minutes a day can lower your blood pressure and heart rate, reducing anxiety and helping you sleep better.

Sidetrack your mind
You may have heard that you should use your bed for only two things: sleeping and screwing. But reading at bedtime is OK, too, says Janet K. Kennedy, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist based in New York City.

“Tossing and turning is stressful and it causes the body to release adrenaline, making it harder to fall asleep,” Kennedy says. “Distracting your mind with a good book allows the body’s fatigue to take over.”

Another option: Hypnotize yourself. Imagine sinking 50 free throws or teeing off on your favorite par 3. “Visualization reduces anxiety and lets your brain’s sleep mechanism engage,” says Men’s Health sleep advisor W. Christopher Winter, M.D.

Tune out
Listening to soft, calming music not only helps you fall asleep faster, but also extends the length and depth of your sleep, says James Maas, Ph.D., author of Sleep for Success! Everything You Must Know about Sleep but Are Too Tired to Ask.

Research shows that downtempo tunes lower your heart rate and blood pressure, helping you chill out. Listening to waves gently crashing or rain softly falling works as well.

Exercise in the evening
Hitting the gym after work can help you fall asleep faster, says Orlando Ruiz-Rodriguez, M.D., a sleep doctor at South Seminole Hospital in Orlando.

One recent Swiss study suggests that completing an intense workout 90 minutes before bed may help you fall asleep faster by reducing your levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

And you don’t even have to leave your house. You can get a great total-body workout right in your living room with Bodyweight Cardio Burners, a cutting-edge fitness DVD that packs three intense 20-minute workouts that require zero equipment.

Shun the clock
Once you turn out the lights, don’t check the time again—even if you wake up in the middle of the night, says Nathaniel F. Watson, M.D., M.Sc., president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

If you do, you’ll start thinking about how long you’ve been in bed or how much time is left until you have to wake up, Dr. Watson says. If I fall asleep right now, I can get 5 hours and 21 minutes of sleep. This just creates anxiety, which may keep you up even longer.

Avoid the urge to glance at the time by using a clock that doesn’t light up or turning the digits away from your bed. If you use your phone as a watch, put it in your bedside drawer so it’s harder to reach.

Make a to-do list
Got a lot on your mind? If you struggle to block out stressful thoughts at the end of the day, write down a list of tasks you need to accomplish tomorrow, says Andrew J. Westwood, M.D., a professor of neurology atColumbia University.

When you have a lot of worries, your brain can’t shut down because it’s trying to process all of the information. Writing them down on a piece of paper, however, helps you feel more in control so your brain can finally relax, he says.

Major study confirms moms’ smoking changes fetal DNA

Posted by

0


Doctors have long warned women to avoid cigarettes while pregnant because smoking can lead to stillbirth.
Despite warnings, as many as 12 per cent of pregnant women in the United States continue to smoke. (Photo: Pixabay)

 Despite warnings, as many as 12 per cent of pregnant women in the United States continue to smoke.
Women who smoke while pregnant may harm their babies by chemically altering the DNA of the developing fetus, a major study including more than 6,000 women and children found today.

Doctors have long warned women to avoid cigarettes while pregnant because smoking can lead to stillbirth, or babies born with cleft palate, lung disease, or neurobehavioral problems.

Despite these warnings, as many as 12 per cent of pregnant women in the United States continue to smoke, exposing their fetuses to chemicals in cigarette smoke that pass through the barrier of the mother’s placenta.

Experts have not known much about how these changes to DNA take root in the fetus, so they performed a meta-analysis of 13 prior, smaller studies, some of which had suggested links between smoking and chemical modifications to DNA, also known as methylation.

Of the 6,685 babies in the meta-analysis, 13 per cent were born to mothers who smoked regularly while pregnant. Another 25 per cent had mothers who smoked occasionally while pregnant or had quit early in pregnancy.

Among the sustained smokers, researchers identified “6,073 places where the DNA was chemically modified differently” than in the newborns of non-smoking moms. “About half of these locations could be tied to a specific gene,” said the study, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

“Many signals tied into developmental pathways,” said co-author Bonnie Joubert, an epidemiologist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), noting that changes were seen in genes relating to lung and nervous system development, smoking-related cancers, and birth defects
such as cleft lip and cleft palate.

The DNA changes were documented in samples of umbilical cord blood drawn after birth. Such changes were less apparent in mothers who smoked less
frequently during pregnancy. A separate analysis found that some DNA modifications remained apparent in a group of hundreds of older children —
those with an average age of six — whose mothers had smoked while pregnant.

THIS Smart Window Keeps Heat & Light Out And Privacy In!

Posted by

0


The invention of windows that could regulate the light or heat coming in, has long been in place. Many variations of these have been created, but none that could block just heat or, just the light. Blocking of heat would invariably lead to the obstruction of light partly, or completely.

windows

But recently a team at the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has developed a “smart window” technology that allows the passage of light while blocking heat, or vice versa.

self-darkening glass- anna llordés, lawrence berkeley national lab.

This idea had emerged with Delia Milliron and her team when they build a smart glass coating that could block visible light, near-infrared light (NIR), or both. This had been achieved by embedding indium tin oxide (ITO) nanocrystals in glass, imbued with niobium oxide. An electrochromic material had thus been created, that was able to transmit or block light depending on the electric potential applied.

Further building of this original invention, has led to the introduction of electrochromic materials which can let one of the energy form in, while keeping the other out successfully. The cool mode permits light and blocks heat, and the heat mode does the exact opposite. These materials have proved effective screening 90% NIR and 80% visible light. Switching back and forth between modes, is a matter of seconds. There is also a bright mode that allows normal window function.

Residential-Window-Tinting

The mechanism behind this, is the use of a single, porous penetrating network that comprises of all the components. This design opens channels for both ionic and electronic change, which allows for selective blocking of heat and light. Low-cost production is currently being focused on.

Best Foods for Detoxing

Posted by

0


Almonds for Liver

shutterstock_97357556

The liver is one of the most crucial organs when it comes to living as it is this vital organ that is responsible for flushing out harmful toxins – which makes it a great candidate to begin your cleansing with. For the liver to (repair itself and) function at its full potential, it must get sufficient amounts of 1) protein – because protein is a quintessential component required for you to re-build damaged tissues and maintain immunity, 2) antioxidants – because they help eliminate free radicals harmful to the liver, and 3) healthy unsaturated fats – because they help reduce bad cholesterol in your body and aid in preventing harmful fatty deposits on your liver.

Conveniently, nuts are a great source that meets each of these requirements – plus the array of vitamins and minerals and fiber that come along are also fantastic. We suggest almonds because other nuts like Walnuts and Brazil Nuts are much higher in calories and in cholesterol (yes, good cholesterol but you still do not want to consume more than your body needs); their serving size is much lower compared to almonds and eating them more than the serving is quite easy.

Avocados for Digestive System

shutterstock_146681096

Avocados have become quite a trendy fruit in recent years – titled “superfood” by many dietitians –yet many are still unaware of its benefits. Avocado has shown to be a great natural way of reducing bad cholesterol (LDL) and is known to benefit brain’s functioning also; but the wonders it does on your stomach are even better. First, avocados are fairly high in fiber – anywhere from 9-17 grams depending on the size and origin. Next, it acts as an anti-inflammatory in your stomach and intestines allowing you to absorb significantly more nutrients from your meals. Lastly, eating it with meals can help reduce the spikes in your blood sugar; which will prevent you from enduring type-2 diabetes.

 

White Tea for Blocking Belly Fat and Weight Gain

shutterstock_72653404

Of all different teas in the market, white tea may be the one you haven’t tried yet. White tea, compared to other teas like black, green, and oolong, etc., is the least processed (and maintains more nutrition) and its the most aromatic of all. Like all teas, white tea has all the benefits like antiviral, antibacterial, anti-cancerous, and fat burning properties. But, what makes it better is that it’s significantly higher in nutrition and comes with a unique taste that you can enjoy without the addition of sugar and/or milk. Plus, it has much lower amounts of caffeine so you can have some towards the second half of the day.

 

Turmeric for Liver Detox

shutterstock_140598805

Turmeric is a spice not too many westerners are aware of. It’s mainly seen in South Asian cuisines – particularly in India. Turmeric is a very powerful natural healer – it is known to be a very strong painkiller and an anti-inflammatory ingredient; it can be of great benefit in tackling from something as basic as a headache or wound to helping to cope with severe conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Fibromyalgia.

Along with this, Turmeric serves as a great tool for detoxing your liver. Turmeric has also shown signs of eliminating cancerous cells from our system as well as preventing more to form. You can easily introduce turmeric to your diet by purchasing it in powdered form or as a supplement in pill form.

 

Asparagus for Hangover Cure

shutterstock_133571717

Asparagus cures hangovers by stimulating the enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)- which are responsible for breaking down ethanol in our livers. Although, eating asparagus works during the aftermath of the fun night, better results are seen when it is consumed prior to the escapades.

 

Collard Greens: Cholesterol Blocker and All Around Detox

shutterstock_215313352

Collard greens are usually the green leafy vegetables we tend to ignore on the dinner tables but maybe understanding its importance will change your attitude on them. Collard greens are packed with tons of antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals that play a crucial role in sustaining a healthy body. They are one of the best sources for not only blocking cholesterol to form in your system, but also helping in eliminating years of old deposits. Also, they appropriately aid your system in eliminating toxins from all over your body.

 

Lemon Water: All Around Detox

shutterstock_81290380

Lemon water is great for eliminating toxins from all over your body. It does so by helping improve digestion  and allows for more nutrients to be properly absorbed. It is best to have a glass of warm lemon water first thing in the morning , on an empty stomach even before the breakfast. Many sources on the web suggest that you limit your diet to lemon water to get the most benefits but we highly recommend that you do not try that; the body needs a wide variety of nutrients for it to function properly and limiting yourself to just lemon water will take away from your goal of remaining healthy.

 

Wild Salmon: Artery Clearer

shutterstock_197301296

Protein is quite important in helping you rid toxins from your body – but the source of protein also matters. Fish is a great alternative to heart-unfriendly meat options – the fat and cholesterol in fish are beneficial to the body; especially the heart. Generally speaking, fish would seem like an odd entity to display in an article about detoxifiers – since most fish contains mercury (which is very toxic for human bodies) – but certain fish like Wild Salmon, Summer Flounder, and Wild Tilapia contain less amounts of mercury and yield the greatest benefits when taken moderately. Currently, the FDA recommends that you consume no more than 12 ounces of fish per week to utilize the full benefits – keeping the accumulation of toxic mercury in check and still receiving the benefits from the nutrients.

We hope these natural items will help you attain a healthy lifestyle in the coming year. It should be kept in mind that these items work the best when you combine them with a clean diet, proper exercise, and the right amount of sleep. Keeping away from toxic preservative filled foods and drinking the right amount of water is a must. We would love for you to share your thoughts or any experience you may have had by using the items we have listed – all suggestions regarding the items we have failed to mention are also welcomed!

The City States of Europe

Posted by

0


“The 21st century will not be dominated by America or China, Brazil or India, but by the city,” writes Parag Khanna (1). The author of several books on global strategy, Khanna argues that (some) cities, as islands of good governance in an increasingly unstable world, will become the cornerstone of a new world order.

European_cities

That new world order won’t be a “global village” of nation states, for globalisation is corroding national sovereignty. Rather, it will be a loose network of semi-independent city states, perhaps resembling the Hanseatic League and other medieval trading alliances.

One difference between the city states of the Middle Ages and those of the 21st century: the decreasing significance of Europe. Even though half the world already lives in cities, urbanisation is still speeding up — but mainly in Africa and Asia. Over the next 20 years, 275 million Indians are projected to move from country to city. By 2025, China will have 15 megacities with 25 million inhabitants each. Europe will have none.

Yet perhaps Europe too can already be understood as a network of city states, rather than a patchwork of nation states. It may lack urban megacities the size of Mexico or Mumbai, but its biggest cities transcend their anchor countries, and share more characteristics with similar metropolises than with their own hinterlands.

In all, Europe (2) counts 305 cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants, and 99 metropolitan areas with over 1 million people. The biggest of these metro areas have far outgrown their historical urban cores. Metro London has a population of around 13.6 million, of which only 24 percent live in Inner London. Of Metro Paris’ 11.9 million citoyens, no more than 19 percent live inside the historical boundaries of the ville de Paris. Numbers three and four are both in Spain: Madrid (6.4 million) and Barcelona (5.4 million). Five and six are German: the Ruhrgebiet and Berlin (both around 5 million).

This map (3) shows the largest of Europe’s conurbations. While maintaining the geographical shape of the continent, the map both erases national boundaries and shows with an immediate clarity which are Europe’s major urban centres: London, Paris, and Istanbul — all counting more than 10 million inhabitants. Then come the Spanish and German megacities. Athens and Italy’s three biggest cities are the only other larger conurbations. The rest of Europe is dominated by mid-sized metropolises such as Frankfurt, Birmingham, Budapest, or Lisbon, or smaller ones like Antwerp, Gdansk, or Bilbao.

For much of the 20th century, urban growth seemed a thing of the past, at least in Western Europe, where historical urban cores had been emptying out. Inner London lost 55 percent of its inhabitants between 1911 and 1991. The ville de Paris has shrunk by more than 25 percent compared to 1921. Copenhagen’s population diminished by 35 percent over a comparable stretch of time. Most of the population drained away into suburbs and exurbs, effectively extending urbanity to well beyond the core city (see also #534).

Since 2000, this “urban draining” has been reversed, largely as a result of migration from beyond national borders. However, not all urban areas are growing at the same speed — or are growing at all. All of Italy’s and Greece’s urban centres are losing inhabitants, as are the Ruhr and Katowice, Ostrava and Bucharest. Biggest winners? Istanbul and Ankara, plus two other Turkish cities, and Brussels and Amsterdam — all gaining more than 2 percent p.a. Growing more modestly, at 1 percent, are the English and Scandinavian cities, and a scattering of towns across Europe and Turkey.

15 Spiritual Lessons from Sachin Tendulkar

Posted by

0


Sachin Tendulkar is one person about whom a lot has been written. I mean a hell lot. He perhaps is the one in contemporary times who would surpass the ‘talked about’ person tag compared to anybody even politics. However, his personality has many hidden characteristics that a spiritual person might find beneficial. We will go through all of them one by one.

http://www.speakingtree.in/slideshow/15-spiritual-lessons-from-sachin-tendulkar

A programming language for living cells

Posted by

0


A programming language for living cells
MIT biological engineers have devised a programming language that can be used to give new functions to E. coli bacteria. 

MIT biological engineers have created a programming language that allows them to rapidly design complex, DNA-encoded circuits that give new functions to living cells.

 Using this language, anyone can write a program for the function they want, such as detecting and responding to certain . They can then generate a DNA sequence that will achieve it.

“It is literally a for bacteria,” says Christopher Voigt, an MIT professor of biological engineering. “You use a text-based language, just like you’re programming a computer. Then you take that text and you compile it and it turns it into a DNA sequence that you put into the cell, and the circuit runs inside the cell.”

Voigt and colleagues at Boston University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have used this language, which they describe in the April 1 issue of Science, to build circuits that can detect up to three inputs and respond in different ways. Future applications for this kind of programming include designing bacterial cells that can produce a cancer drug when they detect a tumor, or creating yeast cells that can halt their own fermentation process if too many build up.

The researchers plan to make the user design interface available on the Web.

No experience needed

Over the past 15 years, biologists and engineers have designed many genetic parts, such as sensors, memory switches, and biological clocks, that can be combined to modify existing cell functions and add new ones.

However, designing each circuit is a laborious process that requires great expertise and often a lot of trial and error. “You have to have this really intimate knowledge of how those pieces are going to work and how they’re going to come together,” Voigt says.

Users of the new programming language, however, need no special knowledge of genetic engineering.

“You could be completely naive as to how any of it works. That’s what’s really different about this,” Voigt says. “You could be a student in high school and go onto the Web-based server and type out the program you want, and it spits back the DNA sequence.”

The language is based on Verilog, which is commonly used to program computer chips. To create a version of the language that would work for cells, the researchers designed computing elements such as and sensors that can be encoded in a bacterial cell’s DNA. The sensors can detect different compounds, such as oxygen or glucose, as well as light, temperature, acidity, and other environmental conditions. Users can also add their own sensors. “It’s very customizable,” Voigt says.

The biggest challenge, he says, was designing the 14 logic gates used in the circuits so that they wouldn’t interfere with each other once placed in the complex environment of a living cell.

In the current version of the programming language, these genetic parts are optimized for E. coli, but the researchers are working on expanding the language for other strains of bacteria, including Bacteroides, commonly found in the human gut, and Pseudomonas, which often lives in plant roots, as well as the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This would allow users to write a single program and then compile it for different organisms to get the right DNA sequence for each one.

Biological circuits

Using this language, the researchers programmed 60 circuits with different functions, and 45 of them worked correctly the first time they were tested. Many of the circuits were designed to measure one or more environmental conditions, such as oxygen level or glucose concentration, and respond accordingly. Another circuit was designed to rank three different inputs and then respond based on the priority of each one.

One of the new circuits is the largest biological circuit ever built, containing seven logic gates and about 12,000 base pairs of DNA.

Another advantage of this technique is its speed. Until now, “it would take years to build these types of . Now you just hit the button and immediately get a DNA sequence to test,” Voigt says.

His team plans to work on several different applications using this approach: bacteria that can be swallowed to aid in digestion of lactose; bacteria that can live on and produce insecticide if they sense the plant is under attack; and yeast that can be engineered to shut off when they are producing too many toxic byproducts in a fermentation reactor.