Curiosity Burster | Let your curiosity know what's trending

MadStuffWithRob|Pogo|Youtuber|

2021-10-01T22:08:00.000+05:30

Do you still remember-

the hyper creative artistic ‘Rob’ from POGO TV series M.A.D?

Our childhood days would have been totally incomplete without this super creative and imaginative illustrator and artist.

Millions of kids like me spent all their childhood days, watching his TV series M.A.D., where he was the hero of the show.

This show has introduced children the joy of art and craft, and probably sow the mind of art seeds in many kids like me. He is a trained animation filmmaker, illustrator, artist and designer.

We are now all grown up and he is somewhere in our memories, but yes, we somehow lost him as we have grown up into adults. Maybe because eventually we lost the track of communication with him i.e. the POGO channel, as we moved ahead from watching cartoon channels to many other things.

But, now we are in an YouTube generation, and anything and everything we want to see and learn and entertain ourselves is found in just one click in YouTube.

And here lies the good news that Rob is also running a YouTube channel, so we can still rejoice our leftover lockdown days by bringing back our summer childhood days.

Robert Harun, popularly known as Rob, was the host and creative director of the popular TV show M.A.D, which aired on Pogo. He was the man who could bring alive a picture with a mere swish of his brush. He hosted the show for the age group of four to fourteen, introducing them to the world of art and crafts, till 2014. He also hosted an interactive magic show called ‘Magicskool’ for the channel from 2011.

Later on, he partnered with Sony Music to create a YouTube channel called ‘Mad Stuff With Rob’. In 2018, he launched another channel ‘Rob in the Hood’ on YouTube to feature his vlogs.

He is currently active on YouTube with his channel ‘Mad Stuff With Rob’ which crossed 2 Million subscribers. He also runs a Facebook page and owns an application with 4.0 ratings and over 50k+ downloads.

Check out |

Twitter Account: MadStuffWithRob

Google PlayStore App: com.sonymusic_mad_stuff_with_rob

Facebook Page: Facebook.com/MadStuffWithRob

Instagram Account: www.instagram.com/MadStuffWithRob

YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/MadStuffWithRob

Do support him, and spread his contents and skills so that the new upcoming generations may also taste their childhood days like we all did and enjoyed.

Even after growing into a 23 year old adult, I still watch those videos and recently, I made something by watching one of his YouTube video.

https://youtu.be/nOY-HUPRJYE

Why has the Among Us game become so popular recently?

2020-09-29T10:29:00.008+05:30

Why has the Among Us game become so popular recently?

During this period of pandemic and restriction movement, we tend to spend most of the time at our homes. We are used to avoid social meetings, rather try to invest our time in social media and the internet.

Psychologically we tend to do those things which results in Dopamine release in our brain. We want to make ourselves engage in things which make us happy.

So, most youths love to play games to engage themselves in this pandemic time.

There are some important factors which led to the exponential growth of the popularity of this game in a few months.

1. PUB-G Ban in India created a lot more audience to this game. India has the largest population of youths engaged in gaming. After the official declaration of PUB-G ban in India, people started to look for something else. Popular Indian Gaming streamers like Mortal too started to play this game ‘Among Us’.. And it seemed really fun. So mass audience of such popular Streamers shifted from PUB-G to Among Us.

ALSO WATCH: What happened to Mad Stuff with Rob of POGO channel?

2. The second most important reason for its increase in popularity is its unique concept of gameplay.

It has an interesting and unique concept that it attracts players just after hearing the game play.

It has Concept of Solving of Murder mystery by having a discussion among friends in a meeting.

About where were they, did you saw something when this happened, do you suspect someone, and here Imposters tries to defend himself as good as possible?

If he succeeds then the team votes out one of the crewmates instead of Imposter but if the judgment is correct then Imposter is voted out.

This mystery gives a sense of victory and fear of defeat which makes the game more interesting.

3. Youtubers and Steamers played an important role to make this game so popular.

Moreover, Memes on Among Us is continuously flooding the internet, making it more interesting to try at least once.

Frequently asked questions on Google about the game ‘Among Us’| Facts on Among Us

2020-09-25T21:22:00.005+05:30

Frequently asked questions on Google about the game ‘Among Us’| Facts on Among Us

Is Among Us a free game?

Among Us is free for mobile use -android and ios. Among Us can be downloaded from Google Play Store or App store. However, the free version of Among Us is currently supported by advertisements.

But, the game costs about 380 Indian Rupees or 5$ to play on PC via Steam or itch.io without emulator.

Can I play Among Us without downloading?

No, this is not possible. It’s an application which needed to downloaded in your phones before playing.

What kind of game is Among Us?

Among Us is an American science-fiction murder mystery game developed and published by Innersloth. It was available for Android and IOS users from June 15,2018 and for PCat Steam from August 18,2018.

The game starts with a group of crewmates not less than 4 and not exceeding 10 members, among which has 1-3 imposters, who tries to kill everyone. The crewmates should vote to find out the murderer amongst them and eject them out to win the game.

How popular is the game Among Us?

Among Us is even more popular than you are thinking right now.

According to sensorTower, Among Us earned 2.4 million downloads in July and 18.4 million mobile downloads in August, i.e. increment of 8 times. The game then suddenly got more popular in September by earning 41.9 million downloads, showing the exponential growth in the last two months.

Why has the Among Us game recently so popular?

Is Among Us 2 cancelled?

In response to the game's sudden huge popularity, a sequel, Among Us 2, was announced in August 2020. But, the team has not set a release date yet. However, a recent source says that ‘Innersloth has announced cancellation of the update version due to the overwhelming popularity of the game, they have decided to cancel the development of Among Us 2 to better support the original game.’

Is Among Us available on Xbox?

At present, Among Us is not available to play on either PS4 or Xbox One, and the development team behind the hit game has explained why. While Among Us on PC, Android and iOS devices can work easily with the touchscreen command or keypads available, consoles like PS4 uses controllers.

Among Us memes on the Internet

Among Us Memes on the Internet

2020-09-22T09:00:00.004+05:30

Among Us Memes on the Internet

Among Us is an American science-fiction murder mystery game developed and published by Innersloth. It was available for Android and IOS users from June 15,2018 and for PCat Steam from August 18,2018.

However, there are many memes on Among Us, flooding the internet with its popularity.

1. It is very irritating when someone hits the emergency button right at the start, when you are about to complete a task.

2. This happened to me a few minutes back and it really pissed me off.

3. Did this happen with you?

4. Sometimes a particular color always gets the imposter's role and it gets fixed in your mind like- 'Green is sus'.

5. This Among Us meme is recently getting viral, so thought of bringing it to here.

Also read:

Apps to replace Chinese Apps with download links and ratings

6. When you are sus and you need to prove them wrong.

7. We tend to doubt everybody standing still as the imposter has nothing to do.

8. Self reporting and then making eeryone to suspect another one.

9. Are you a student, playing Among Us during online class?

10. Among Us memes and jokes

11. How dare you to skip?

12. That's the difference between playing private and public.

13. And I hate if someone steals away my color- yellow.

Weed v/s Alcohol in Ayurveda

2020-09-18T19:42:00.002+05:30

What Ayurveda says about Marijuana and Alcohol?

You will be surprised to know that ancient scriptures eloquently talk about weed and alcohol, discussing both pros and cons of them.

Talking about weed in Ayurvedic perspective, some texts refer to it as ‘Vijaya’ i.e. one that conquers.

Bhavaprakasa Nighantuh defines marijuana as ‘Madakrt’ i.e. that which causes intoxication. It is also said to be ‘Kamada’ which increases sexual desire, and ‘Ruchya’ which increases sensation of taste.

Weed also increases digestion and induces sleep. It has a long history of use in Ayurveda.

Cannabis has been used treatment of anxiety, body pains, hysteria, IBS, UTI, impotency, Insomnia, Leprosy in Ayurveda.

However, Marijuana has also been classified in Ayurveda as ‘Upa Visha’ which is mildly poisonous for the body.

Weed vs Alcohol- Which one is better in Modern Science?

Ayurveda warns that habitual use of weed leads to the imbalance of all the three ‘Doshas’ namely ‘Vata’, ‘Pitta’ and ‘Kapha’, causing impotence, depression, poor digestion and body wasting.

In perspective of alcohol, Ayurveda says that the properties of alcohol and venom are exactly the same. They differ only in the effects, as the effects of venom are much more potent.

‘Charak Samhita’ chapter-24 says that the properties of alcohols are completely opposite to ‘Ojas’. Further it says that alcohol if mishandled can cause complete breakdown of the human system.

However, Ayurveda doesn’t ask to completely forbid alcohol.

It is also said that alcohol is best when consumed in the dead of winter after a long day in evening. It is strictly not to be consumed in excess as with any medicine.

Alcohol is strictly forbidden in the windy months and the heat of summer.

Thus, Ayurveda is firm that both weed and alcohol are intoxicating and are recommended for medicinal use. If used recreationally, proper care has to be taken according to one’s own body type.

Weed v/s Alcohol in Modern Science

2020-09-15T15:05:00.012+05:30

Weed v/s Alcohol| Which one is better in Modern Science?

While a lot of research has been conducted on the effect of alcohol on the body, very little is known about Marijuana as it remained mostly illegal.

Modern Science says that marijuana and alcohol has mind-altering compounds that affect both your brain and body, altering cognitive ability, reflexes and judgements.

The main psychoactive ingredient in alcohol is ethanol while in weed is THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol).

The short term effects of weed and alcohol are different and can also vary from person to person.

However, Modern Science’s limited research on marijuana portrays it as safer and less addictive than alcohol.

In fact, CDB, a compound found in Marijuana was recognized by the FDA in June 2018 for the treatment of a certain form of Epilepsy.

Apart from these, some studies says that weed may help relieve chronic pain, increase sexual desire, reduce inflammation and anxiety.

However, Modern Science doesn’t propose that marijuana is harmless. Smoking weed also deposits tar in the lungs, just like tobacco does.

Consuming weeds habitually for a prolonged period of time has serious side effects.

Severe lack of motivation, hallucinations, erectile dysfunction, blood shot eyes and chronic cough are some of the long term effects of weed.

On the other hand, alcohol is much more dangerous. Binge drinking on alcohol increases so much toxicity in the body that it takes a long period of time to recover.

According to WHO, alcohol consumption contributes to 3 million deaths each year globally due to harmful consumption of alcohol.

So, Modern Science recommends 1-2 small drinks per day as safe.

However, alcohol has been used as a medicine since ancient times. Hippocrates said-

“WINE is an appropriate article for mankind, both for the healthy body and for the ailing man.”

There are many recreational less damaging alcohols in the market- champagne, red wine, white wine, tequila etc.

What Ayurveda says about marijuana and Alcohol?

Thus, Modern Science recognizes both weed and alcohol to be intoxicating and addictive. But the effects of alcohol are more damaging.

However, both do have medicinal usage but recreationally it considers moderate use of both weed and alcohol as ok.

Who will be the first Woman on the Moon|Mission 2024|NASA

2020-09-11T18:00:00.007+05:30

Who will be the first Woman on the Moon?

Out of the 12 people who have walked on the moon, zero has been women. It has been a dream for the woman community to see a woman placing her foot on the ground of the Moon surface.

NASA is hoping to land a woman on the moon, which will inspire generations to dream big, especially women to work hard for such a great milestone.

Woman is always seen inferior to man in all aspects and the ratio never fails to define it. Till date, only 64 of the 566 people who have flown to space have been women.

Also read: What is the reason behind the appearance of Aurora?

With the ambitious goal to launch the lunar mission by 2024, people have started to speculate about who might be the first woman to walk on the moon.

Out of the 38 active astronauts in NASA's astronaut corps, 12 are women, and another five are in the class that wrapped up astronaut training for a total of 17 potential moonwalkers.

Bridenstine, NASA administrator, had said that the first woman to walk on the moon will be someone already in the astronaut corps and someone who has already worked aboard the International Space Station.

However, out of the 12 women currently on active spaceflight duty, not all of them have flown to the space station yet.

Check this out: Astronomical events occured in August 2020

What is the difference between flying dragon and bird?

2020-09-08T21:27:00.008+05:30

What is the difference between flying dragon and bird?

The key difference between flying lizard and bird is that the flying lizard or dragon is a reptile while the birds are aves.

The flying lizards are ectothermic while the birds are endothermic.

Also, the flying lizards have a three-chambered heart but the birds have a four-chambered heart.

Also read:

What are flying lizards?

Characteristics of flying dragon

Reptiles do have teeths while birds are toothless.

Moreover, forelimbs of birds are modified to wings while they are not modified to wings in flying lizards.

There are scales without any feathers throughout the flying lizard’s body while feathers and scales cover the bird’s body.

Even if both can fly in the air, but the flying lizard is not flying, it is just gliding in the air.

This is a major difference between flying lizard and bird.

There are about 8000 species belong to the reptile group while there are about 10000 species of birds.

Reference:

1.“Bird.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 July 2018. Available here
2.“Draco (Genus).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 July 2018. Available here

Characteristics of flying dragon

2020-09-04T13:00:00.001+05:30

What are the characteristics of flying dragon?

Darting across the forest floor, where predators keep sneaking, it is quite dangerous and risky for such a lizard to move around.

So over thousands of years, the Draco lizard evolved and has taken the ground movement out of the equation by adapting the capacity for flight.

These flying dragons reach about 8 inches long, including tail. They have a set of elongated ribs, which can be extended and retracted.

Image by- A.S.Kono - Own work

They also have a flap of skin on the bottom of their necks called a dewlap.

The flattened body, mottled brown in color, also aid in their flight.

Between these ribs are folds of skin that rest flat against the body when not in use, but act as wings when unfolded, allowing the Draco to catch the wind and glide through the thin air.

Photo by David S. McLeod.

The lizards use their long, slender tails to steer themselves, and each sortie can carry them up to 30 feet.

This is a defensive characteristic of this lizard.

The undersides of their wings are blue in males and yellow in females. The dewlap is bright yellow in males and bluish gray in females.

Also read:

What are flying lizards?

Are wrap around spiders dangerous?

Difference between flying dragon and birds

Image courtesy:

’Draco spilonotus’By A.S.Kono – Own work, (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

Recharchgate-flying-lizard

What are flying lizards?

2020-09-01T11:13:00.010+05:30

What are flying lizards?

COMMON NAME: Draco Lizard (Flying Dragon)

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Draco volans

TYPE: Reptiles

DIET: Insectivore

SIZE: Up to 8.4 inches (female: including tail)

They are also known as flying dragons or gliding lizards. They belong to the Draco genus.

These lizards are capable of gliding flight. Their ribs and their connecting membrane may be extended to create wings. Their hind limbs are flattened and wing-like in cross-section. The neck serves as a horizontal stabilizer and is sometimes used in warning to others.

Also read:

Characteristics of flying dragon

Difference between flying dragon and birds

How water striders walk on water?

One lizard is considered to be only around 20 cm (7.9 in) in total length, including tail.

They glides as long as 60 m (200 ft) have been recorded, over which the animal loses only 10 m (33 ft) in height.

Are 'Wrap around spiders' dangerous?

2020-08-28T13:44:00.001+05:30

Are ‘Wrap around spiders’ dangerous?

If you are an arachnophobe like me, then you better know about this species before going out for hiking.

The Wrap around spider is a creature of nightmares. The creature seems to be creepy and poisonous.

We may expect this to be venomous, isn’t it?

But no! The wrap around spider’s venom is not dangerous to humans.

The spider belongs to the family of Araneidae. Some species of this family are known to be venomous but the wrap around spider is said to poison free.

Due to the ring-like patterns on its body, the wrap around spider is also known as the Leopard spider.

The spider as a special ability to blend with its surrounding. This kind of camouflage is called mimesis.

Also read:

How biosyntheic spider silk are obtained artificially?

Are water striders dangerous?

The wrap around spider is known to hide during the day and build large vertical webs during the night.

So, if you stroll or go out for hiking in an adventurous spot, you may find these species. Just look out the branches before you touch.

Source: BioKIDS

Arachne.org.au

How do water striders move?

2020-08-25T16:56:00.000+05:30

How do water striders perform 'skating', 'rowing' and 'darting'?

Water striders have specially featured legs. They not only repel water but also configured to allow efficient and rapid movement across the surface.

Like all other insects, they also have three pairs of long legs.

Image by|Sweetaholic

The front legs are much shorter, and allow the water strider to quickly grab prey on the surface.

The middle legs act as paddles. The hind legs are the longest and provide additional power, and also enable the strider to steer and brake.

Image by|Ddzphoto

The long legs spread the insect body weight evenly on the water surface.

They move by skating in a slow, graceful glide or darting in a quick, spurting motion.

Skating is done when moving upstream against a current or getting to food and other striders. Gliding is done by ‘rowing’ with the middle legs.

Image by|analogicus

Water striders can dart a distance of 100 body lengths in a second. Darting is done whenever quick movement is needed, like to escape danger, pursue prey, or grab females.

How biosynthetic spider silk are made?

How water striders walk on water?

Are water striders dangerous?

Are water striders dangerous? What do they eat?

2020-08-21T14:55:00.000+05:30

Are water striders dangerous? |What do they eat?

Water striders have the unique ability to walk on water and so they are also known as ‘Jesus Bugs’ because they appear to ‘walk’ on water.

Researchers say that there are around 500 species of water striders all over the world. Around 50 species are estimated to live in North America.

Image by|Jggrz

Water striders are generally predators, so people doubt-

‘Are water striders dangerous?’

Water striders survive by capturing and feeding on other creatures. But they are not dangerous.

Infact, they are considered as beneficial to people as they prey on other harmful insects including mosquito larvae.

Image by|Toadienaulls

They are known to be medically harmless. They do not bite but may leave a minor sting that goes away without treatment. The sting may leave a small red mark for several hours, but do not require medical attention.

What do water striders feed on?

Water striders are aquatic insects. So, they eat newly hatched tadpoles and mosquito larvae that float to the surface.

They often eat dead insects. Sea skaters depend on finding floating fish eggs and other sources of protein also.

Image by|Analogicus

When land – dwelling insects falls on water, they get caught on the water surface. While the insects struggle to survive after falling on water, they send ‘communication ripples’ over the water surface.

These signals are detected by the water striders through their sensory tips of their legs.

Then, they dart quickly to grab the insect prey with their strong front legs.

They pierce the prey and inject it with digestive juices. The juices dissolve and liquefy internal organs allowing the water strider to suck out nourishment.

How do water striders skate, glide and dart?

How water striders walk on water?

What happens when water striders get drowned?

How water striders walk on water? What will happen if they get drowned?

2020-08-18T14:00:00.004+05:30

How do water striders walk on water without sinking?

| What will happen if water striders get drowned?

Water striders are one of the most interesting insects.

The Gerridae are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders.

Water striders are also known as water skaters, water scooters, water bugs, pond skaters, water skippers, Jesus bugs, or water skimmers.

They are found widely in lakes, creeks, urban ponds, water features and even mud puddles.

How do water striders walk on water?

Water striders are mostly seen skipping water very rapidly with their long legs.

They are very light weight insects whose legs are covered with millions of microscopic hairs with tiny groves.

These groves trap air bubbles which increases buoyancy of this insect.

Photo by Tanguy Sauvin via unsplash

How does it make the insect float?

The intermolecular attraction between like-molecules is known as ‘cohesion’.

Water molecules attract one another very strongly through cohesive forces. The resultant force acts downwards on the surface of water.

Image uploader: Karlhahn via WikipediaCommons

The attractions between the water molecules in the surface layer create a film on which water striders walk without sinking.

This effect is called ‘surface tension’.

Hence, water striders use the surface tension of water to their advantage so they can walk on water without sinking.

Also read:

Are water striders dangerous?

What do water striders eat?

What will happen if water striders get drowned?

The characteristic position of keeping the majority of the body above the water surface is called an epipleustonic position.

When they get submerged, the tiny hairs captures air bubbles which bring them to the surface of the water again.

How do water striders skate, glide and dart?

Disadvantages of Potatoes-How to make it healthier?

2020-08-14T09:00:00.028+05:30

5 Disadvantages of Potatoes |Health|

|How to make potatoes healthier?|

Potato is known as the king of vegetables.

It is consumed in variety of dishes all over the world; especially it goes well in all types of Indian dishes. Indian cooking is incomplete without potatoes. It has become a staple food.

While many people consider potatoes to be healthy, potatoes have managed to stir up some controversy with its disadvantages.

In our last post, we discussed about 10 benefits of potatoes, from skin to health related advantages.

But, potato sometimes may become unhealthy if we do not consume it properly.

So, here is a list of 5 disadvantages of potatoes we all should know.

At the end, we are also providing some reference tips to make potatoes healthier.

1. Potatoes contain Glycoalkaloids

Glycoalkaloids are a potentially toxic family of chemical compounds found in the solanaceae family of plants.

Green potatoes, are especially high in glycoalkaloids and so are harmful for human consumption.

Image by|Freepik

One animal study showed that the glycoalkaloids found in potatoes could affect digestive health and may even aggravate inflammatory bowel disease.(1)

Other symptoms of glycoalkaloid toxicity includes drowsiness, increased sensitivity, itchiness and digestive symptoms.(2)

2. Too much Calories

Excess calories, regardless of the food source, can lead to weight gain. One medium (6.1 ounces or 173 grams) Russet baked potato, including the flesh and skin, contains 168 calories.(3)

Image by|Rythik

However not all types of potatoes contain equal amount of nutrients.

Like, Red potatoes contain less calories than Russet potatoes and processed potatoes.

3. High carbohydrate content

Potatoes are rich in carbs but it cannot be the the reason to eliminate it from our diets.

Potatoes with its high starch content is classified as a complex carb and eating them in moderation is not unhealthy.

Image by|Pixzolo

But, excess consumption of potatoes will cause high intake of carbohydrates. So, to lessen the intake of carbs, we have to lessen the consumption of potatoes but not eliminate it completely.

4. Increase in Blood sugar level

Potato glycemic index (above 80) is very high, so people who are obese or are suffering from diabetes are asked to avoid excessive consumption of potatoes.

Image by|Kate

Increased consumption of potato increases complications such as blood sugar imbalance; type 2 diabetes.

Diabetic patients are advised to maintain caution while eating any potato dishes. However, non-diabetics can counteract the sugar spike by combining potato with low GI.

5. May contribute in weight gain

A study conducted in 2009 followed 42,696 participants over a 5-year period.

Image by|Obi Onyeador

It found that eating potatoes was associated with an increase in waist circumference in women, which shows some potatoes may contribute to increase in weight.(4)

Also read| 10 benefits of Potatoes-Health and Skin

Diet during covid-19

How to make Potatoes healthier?

1.Peeling the potato can remove a significant portion of the fiber and mineral content, contained in the skin.(5) (6)

2. Selecting a healthy cooking method is also important.(7)

3. Frying potatoes can increase their fat and calorie content, compared to other cooking methods like baking or boiling.

4. When enjoyed in moderation quantity, potatoes can be a nutritious addition to your diet.

5. Processed potato products are also less nutrient dense and contain more calories, fat and sodium than whole potatoes.

6. Storing potatoes at lower temperatures, away from sunlight, can prevent glycoalkaloid formation.(8)

Image by|Hgartley

Do potatoes deserve a second chance?

What I found out that, although potatoes have some disadvantages, but in general, it is a healthy nutritious vegetable.

Proper intake and right quantity of consumption is necessary to avoid its disadvantages.

However, there are a lot of myths on potatoes which is needed to be eliminated.

So, you can think, whether to take this rich vegetable in your diet or not.

Reference:

(1) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12479649/

(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3153292/

(3) https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2550/2

(4) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19631041/

(5) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3064541/

(6) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19960391/

(7) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20331422/

(8) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3507005/

Other Sources:

Food NDTV

Healthline.com

Healthsupport042.blogspot.com

10 Benefits of Potatoes

2020-08-11T11:24:00.004+05:30

10 Benefits of Potatoes | Health and Skin

The potato is a root vegetable native to the Americas, a starchy tuber of the plant Solanum tuberosum. It belongs to the family ‘Solanaceae’ and genus ‘Solunum’.

The potato was originally believed to have been domesticated by the indigenous people of Americas. It was domesticated around 7,000-10,000 years ago.

Also read| Diet during Covid-19

Potatoes were introduced to Europe from America within the last half of the 16^th century by the Spanish.

The most rapid expansion in production over the past few decades has occurred in southern and eastern Asia. As of 2018, China and India became the leading countries in the overall production.

Today, it is regarded as the essential crop in Northern and Eastern Europe and gradually became the staple food in many parts of the world.

Image by DiViArt

The vegetative and fruiting parts of the potato contain the toxin solanine which is dangerous for human consumption.

Normal potato tubers that are grown and stored properly produce glycoalkaloids in small amounts which is enough to be negligible to human health, but if green sections of the plant (sprouts and skins) are exposed to light, the tuber can accumulate a high concentration of glycoalkaloids which is enough to affect human health.

That is why, it is always said not to consume any green parts of the potato.

Image by|Katrin Hauf

Potatoes contain a ‘Wealth of health benefits’. So, we are providing here the 10 Benefits of this world famous vegetable.

1. Prevent Heart Diseases

Besides vitamins and minerals, potatoes contain some substances called ‘Carotenoids’ (lutein and zeaxanthin).

Carotenoids are known as good for the heart health and functioning of our internal organs.

Image by| Rebeca g. sendroiu

However, over-consumption of potatoes may cause high pressure on your heart due to several factors, so you must be careful about how often you use potatoes.

So, it is not recommended for diabetic or obese patients to prevent heart disease by consumption of potatoes.

2. Treat Diarrhoea

Potatoes are an excellent component of energy rich diet for those suffering diarrhea as they are east to digest and contain mild roughage.

Image by|Monika Stawowy

However, eating too much potato may also be the cause of diarrhea due to excessive ingestion of starch.

3. Treat Kidney Stones

Kidney Stones refer to ‘Renal calculi’, also caused by an increase of uric acid in blood. Iron and Calcium may also cause stones.

Foods which increase uric acid in blood must be avoided in such cases, like meat, spinach, certain beans etc.

Image by|Chad Elliott

Potatoes contain both Iron and Calcium for which it is not a good method to prevent kidney stones but, it also contains Magnesium, which inhibits the accumulation/deposition of Calcium (calcification) in kidney and other tissues.

Thus, it has been proved beneficial for the medical management of renal calculi.

4. Protect and Moisturize the Skin

Vitamin C and B and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, phosphorous and zinc, functions as promoters of skin.

Well crushed potatoes, mixed with honey are said to cure pimples and spots on skin.

Image by|Retha Ferguson

This paste applied on burns and wounds, results quick relief and faster healing.

Smashed potatoes also help in softening and cleaning dark skin, especially round the elbows.

5. Aid in Weight Gain

Potatoes mainly contain carbohydrates and proteins and are low in fat.

Combined with cheese, cream and butter, it becomes a perfect diet for lean and thin people like me who wants to gain weight.

Image by|Monika Grabkowska

The vitamin content also helps in proper absorption of carbohydrates.

6. Easy to Digest

Potatoes contain high level of carbohydrates and fibres which makes it easier to digest and also helps in digestive process.

Hence it is a good diet for babies and also for those who cannot digest hard food.

Image by|Xxolaxx

However, consumption of too many potatoes may also cause acidity.

7. Reduce Inflammation

The various properties of potatoes help in reducing both internal & external inflammation.

Potatoes can relieve any inflammation in the intestines and the digestive system.

They are a very good dietary element for those who have mouth ulcers.

Image by|Alexas Fotos

8. Treat Scurvy

Potatoes are rich in vitamin C and Carotenoid, which can help in preventing scurvy.

9. Lower Blood Pressure

Potatoes can be used to relieve high blood pressure due to tension.

They can also treat indigestion due to presence vitamin C and fibers. Fibers also help in lowering cholesterol and improving functioning of insulin, which aids in lowering blood pressure.

10. Aid in cognitive process

Image by|PublicDomainPictures

Potatoes contain glucose, vitamin B complex components and certain hormones, amino acids and fatty acids such omega-3, which help in cognitive process.

They maintain good level of glucose which keeps your cognitive activity and performance high.

Reference: Health and Nutrition

Medical News Today

What are the Astronomical Events waiting for you in August 2020?

2020-08-07T10:00:00.002+05:30

Stargazing Events of August 2020

With the appearance of Comet NEOWISE, July was the best month loaded with many astronomical events for stargazing.

However August is no less than July with its perfect stargazing weather and dark skies. If you also missed to spot the NEOWISE like me, you will get many other chances in this month.

Although I should have posted this article before starting this month, but it’s not that late to watch the remaining events in the early August.

So, check out these space events of August 2020 and let me know in the comment section, 'which one is the most curious event you are waiting to see?'.

Also read: Who will be the first Woman on Moon?

August 1-Triangle of Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn

Image Courtesy of Starry Night Education

On August 1st, the Moon made a lovely triangle with Jupiter and Saturn low in the southeast after sunset. The trio was visible all night, rising to its highest point in the south.

If you did miss them, there's another chance at the end of the month, on August 28th, as the Moon swings back around in its orbit to join the planetary pair.

August 3-Full green corn Moon

Image Courtesy of Starry Night Education

The August full moon, also known as the "Sturgeon Moon", "Red Moon", "Green Corn Moon", and "Grain Moon", was fully illuminated on August 3 because it was positioned opposite the sun in the sky, causing the moon to rise at sunset and set at sunrise.

August 4-Reiner Gamma Lunar Swirl

The Reiner Gamma Lunar Swirl is a small, high-albedo area located just inside the western edge of Procellarum.

The swirl has one of the strongest magnetic anomalies on the moon. At high magnification, its complex, swirling shape can be seen.

August 6-Comet NEOWISE close to Messier

On Thursday Aug. 6, in the western sky after dusk, the path of fading Comet (NEOWISE) carried it closely past the globular star clusters Messier 53 and NGC 5053.

Image Courtesy of Starry Night Education

August 9-Waning Moon meets Mars

The waning gibbous moon will be positioned only two finger widths to the lower right bright, reddish Mars before dawn on Aug. 9.

The conjunction between the moon and Mars will take place at 4am EDT, but the duo will be close to each other starting when Mars rises around 11pm.

August 12-Perseids Meteor Shower

The Perseid meteors come from a comet called Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 133 years.

The spectacular Perseid meteor shower, which runs annually between July 17 and Aug. 26, will peak before dawn on Wednesday, Aug. 12 and will be no different this year.It delivers up to 100 meteors per hour at the peak.

Image Courtesy of Starry Night Education

So, are you excited for the ‘fireballs’?

August 13-Venus at greatest western elongation

Venus is the brightest object we see everynight in sky, other than the moon and the sun. On Thursday, Aug. 13, Venus will reach its highest separation, 46 degrees west of the sun, for its morning appearance.

August 14-Ganymede’s Shadow and the Great Red Cross Jupitar

At 10:30 pm EDT on Aug. 14, observers in the Central Time zone, and east of there, can watch both Ganymede's large shadow and the Great Red Spot travel across Jupiter's northern and southern hemispheres, respectively.

Image Courtesy of Starry Night Education

August 15-Venus close to crescent Moon

On August 15th, before dawn, Venus in the east will appear just a couple of finger widths apart from the crescent Moon.

The duo will be seen surrounded by a ring of bright stars that morning before getting bright.

August 15-Uranus stands still

On Saturday, Aug. 15, the distant blue-green planet Uranus will cease its eastward motion through the distant stars of southern Aries and commence a retrograde loop that will last until January next year.

However, the planet is visible only through a pair of binoculars in the dark sky.

August 22-Rare double shadow transit on Jupiter

Image Courtesy of Starry Night Education

Amongst the four Galilean Moons, Lo and Ganymede will cast their shadows on Jupiter on August 22. The pair will cross Jupiter together for nearly two hours, until Lo's shadow moves off Jupiter.

August 28-Ceres at its closest approach to Earth

On Aug. 28, the dwarf planet (formerly asteroid) Ceres will reach opposition, its closest approach to Earth for the year.

August 29-Bright Moon passes Saturn

The planet Saturn will appear near the waxing gibbous Moon, with the brighter planet Jupiter also appearing nearby on Aug. 29.

August 30-Sinus Iridum’s Gold

Image Courtesy of Starry Night Education

On Sunday night, the terminator on the waxing gibbous moon will fall just west of Sinus Iridum, the Bay of Rainbows.

SOURCE:Thrillist Astronomical events

NASA Skywatching

Seasky Astronomy Calendar

The reason behind the appearance of Aurora

2020-08-03T23:36:00.028+05:30

Unravelling the phenomenon of those artistic natural lights : AURORA

Aurora, an amazingly beautiful graphical paint on nature’s sky have reasonably inspired tons of myths and saga over the years.

Like, the Vikings worshiped Odin as the main god and regent of Asgard. They believed that he was preparing for Ragnarök the end of the gods and beginning of a new world.

According to legends, Ragnarök was destined to become Odin’s biggest battle. Female mounted warriors, the Valkyries armed with armour and spears, had the task to escorting the warriors from earth to Odin.

The northern lights that illuminated the sky were believed to be the after scene of the Vikings, the reflections of the armour of these warriors. But, these all are wrong.

An aurora is the utterly spectacular and dazzling natural scientific phenomenon, display in the Earth’s sky, mostly seen in the high latitude regions. Aurora is a beautiful stuff mother earth is capable of.

The northern and southern lights, also called as the ‘Aurora Borealis’ and ‘Aurora Australis’ respectively; occur when the high energy particle from the sun collide with the atoms in Earth’s atmosphere.

What makes this happen:

‘Aurora Borealis’ is a Latin word mean Dawn of the North pole given by the famous astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei. But, it was 1896, a Norwegian scientist Kristian Birkeland figured out the causes of the northern light.

As we know, some hot molten irons are rolling around the centre of Earth under huge gravitational pressure which creates magnetic field from the centre of Earth through the crust into the space around the planet. Due to which, our planet possess magnetosphere.

The sun provide us lots of energy and small particle along with heat and light. When these particles encounter our magnetosphere, most of them bounce off. But some of them manage to get through at the places near the polar region.

The deflection by the magnetic field will deflect the electrons moving around the Earth and hits near the polar region. There the particles interact with the gases in our atmosphere which produces a spectacle of light that mankind has amazed at for centuries.

Video source- YouTube | Video by- National Geographic

What causes the colours?

A collision of oxygen atoms and charged particles decided the colours. When charged particles enter the Earth’s upper atmosphere, they come into contact with the gases there, particularly oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen. As they strike the atoms of these gaseous elements they excite them and as they calm down they release light.

The green colour of the aurora comes from colliding the charged particle with oxygen atoms; the red from both oxygen and nitrogen and the purple, pink, blues from nitrogen.

The best places to see the aurora:

These beautiful artistic lights can be seen usually closer to the Arctic Circle including Alaska, northern Canada, Iceland ,Greenland, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

During periods of particularly active solar flares, the light can also be seen at the top of Scotland and Northern England.

Also you can spot the southern lights in the southern hemisphere such as Tasmania, New Zealand and Antarctica.

Also read| Astronomical Events in August 2020

A CASE STUDY ON BIOSYNTHETIC SPIDER SILK

2020-07-31T10:00:00.001+05:30

Artificial Biosynthetic spider silk – from bacteria to plants to goats

Before we start discussing about the production of biosynthetic spider silk, we shall introduce to you-

Randy Lewis, a professor formerly at the University of Wyoming and now at Utah State University, who was also able to successfully breed spider goats in order to create artificial silk. As of 2012, there are about 30 spider goats at a university-run farm and he has been under this research since 90’s.

However, there were scientists and researchers who had worked on this before him.

Image by| fietzfotos

On 29^thof July, 2020, while working in the kitchen I suddenly found an old newspaper of August 23 2018 ‘The Assam Tribune’, where I found an interesting article on a bacteria which can produce synthetic spider silk.

I searched the research article in the international journal ‘Biomacromolecules’, and found many articles related to this.

On 30^thof July, 2020, after reading over 20 reports and articles on 10 different sites, I finally could summarize my findings and study on this topic.

What is Biosynthetic spider silk?

It is an artificial spider silk which has been engineered by the scientists by replicating to mimic the spider silk's strength, stretchiness and energy-absorbing capacity which is stronger than steel, tougher than Kevlar, completely biodegradable, affordable, and biocompatible.

What were the challenges found by the scientists?

Unfortunately, due to spiders' territorial and cannibalistic nature, it was not possible to mass produce proteins. Scientists tried spider farms but due to their nature, they started killing each other. Thus, it needed a different approach.

Image by| Arek Socha

Also, creating a bigger protein was the biggest challenge. The article in ‘Biomacromolecules’ revealed that – Tensile strength and toughness of spider silk remains positively correlated with its molecular weight -- the bigger the molecule, the stronger the silk.

How is Biosteel related?

Biosteel was a trademark name for a high-strength fiber-based material made of the recombinant spider silk -like protein extracted from the milk of transgenic goats, made by Montreal-based Company Nexia Biotechnologies, and later by the Randy Lewis lab.

What resulted from the Zhang’s lab?

Christopher Bowen, a PhD student in Zhang's lab, said that they modeled a DNA sequence after the sequence in spiders that is responsible for creating the silk protein.

According to his theory, the more repetitions of the sequence, the bigger the resulting protein. But after the DNA sequence reaches a certain size, the bacteria can't handle it and they chop the sequence into smaller pieces.

Image by| Gerd Altmann

So, Bowen and co-authors added a short genetic sequence to the silk DNA that promotes a chemical reaction between the resulting proteins, fusing them together to form an even bigger protein that has ever been produced and purified before.

How did Dr. Randy Lewis approach his research with spider goats?

Researchers from the University of Wyoming have experimented to incorporate spiders' silk-spinning genes into goats, allowing the researchers to extract the silk protein from the goats’ milk for a variety of applications.

Randy Lewis has been studying the properties of spider silk and developing methods for producing it synthetically for more than thirty years.

Lewis used different ways to produce these silks-starting with bacteria as they were easy and fast. His team also tried to see if they could grow it in plants like alfala or insert the spider-silk-laden bacteria into goats. But the most efficient method they discovered was silkworms and this is still being used.

In the 90s, his research team cloned the first spider silk gene and identified and sequenced the proteins of six different spider silks. They decided to put the spiders’ dragline silk gene into goats in such a way that the goats would only make the protein in their milk.

For instance, out of seven goat kids born in February 2010, three have tested positive for having the silk protein gene.

Image by| Fernando Gutierrez

What happened to those spider goats?

Nexia was the only company that has successfully produced fibers from spider silk expressed in goat's milk. The company was founded in 1993 by Dr. Jeffrey Turner and Paul Ballard and was sold in 2005 to Pharmathene.

Two transgenic goats (Spice and Sugar)were sold to the Canada Agriculture Museum after Nexia Biotechnologies went bankrupt.The museum said it purchased them in late 2009 and early 2010 to put them on display, but only for education purposes and not to produce the spider silk.

However, Lewis’ lab looks after over twenty goats capable of producing silky milk.

10 amazing facts every Indian must know before watching the movie 'SHAKUNTALA DEVI'

2020-07-28T11:46:00.001+05:30

Shakuntala Devi- the Human Computer

Mathematical genius, Shakuntala Devi was born on November 4, 1929 in a poor Kannada Brahmin family in Bangalore. She was popularly known as ‘Human Computer’ or ‘Mental Calculator’.

She was a primary school dropout, without having any formal education as her father could not afford her school fee of Rs 2.

But, despite of all hardships and obstacles, Shakuntala Devi excelled in here mathematical skills and created records after records by calculating complex mathematical problems within seconds.

She died in April 2013, at the age of 83 in Bengaluru.

So, here we bring to you 10 interesting facts every Indian must know before watching the movie:

1. Shakuntala Devi’s father was a Brahmin but he rebelled against the family ritual of becoming a temple priest.

Instead he worked as a circus performer (lion tamer, trapeze artist, tightrope walker, and magician) to earn a living for his family.

He discovered his daughter’s special ability to memorize and calculate numbers when she was 3 years old, while he was showing some card tricks. After this incident, he left the circus and started road shows with his daughter, showing her ability of calculations by solving math problems within seconds.

2. At age of 6, she showed her unique mathematical abilities at the University of Mysore.

She even demonstrated her talent at a younger age at Annamalai University, Osmania University and other varsities in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam.

In 1944, at the age of 15, she moved to London with her father and gradually acquired fame when she started appearing in International media.

3. BBC host Leslie Mitchell, in 1950, called her to his show and gave her a math problem to solve.

She solved it in seconds but the answers did not match. She confidently proclaimed in the show that she wasn’t wrong, it was the computer that made the mistake. Later, she was found precise and soon after this, she was bestowed with the title ‘Human Computer’.

4. Shakuntala Devi was a world traveller.

For more than six decades, she packed her suitcase for England, United States, Hong Kong, Japan, Sri Lanka, Italy, Canada, Russia, France, Spain, Mauritius, Indonesia and Malaysia.

She demonstrated her arithmetic talents in many countries, though not in Russia (then USSR) and China as they were communist countries. In her later years, she also visited this two countries and also attended interviews in their media channels.

5. Devi gave the answer of 23^rd root of a 201-digit number in 50 seconds.

This incident took place in 1977, at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Her answer 546,372,891 was confirmed by a special computer, for which a program had to be written to solve the calculation which took longer time than her (around 72 seconds).

6. Her name was recorded in the 1982 Guinness Book of Records.

On 18 June 1980, Shakuntala Devi demonstrated the multiplication of two 13 digit numbers at Imperial College of London.

She gave the correct answer in 28 seconds, which was the time taken for her to speak the answer.

7. Shakuntala Devi was an astrologer and also an Indian writer.

She has written many books on astrology, science of numbers, puzzles, cooking, and also has written novels.

In 1977, her book ‘The World of Homosexuals’ created buzz in India. This book is considered to be the first study of homosexuality in India. But it wasn’t allowed to reach more people and take the center stage.

8. Her life changed when she married a homosexual man.

In 1960, Devi married Kolkata-based IAS officer, Paritosh Bannerji. However, the marriage soon fell apart when Bannerji's homosexuality was revealed. But, this worked as a catalyst which helped her to write a book on homosexuals.

Finally after 19 years of married life, they both got divorced and Devi moved away with her daughter, Anupama Banerjee.

9. In 1980, she contested for Lok Sabha elections against Indira Gandhi.

She stood as an independent candidate from ‘Medak’ against then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. However she lost the election by acquiring only 6514 votes.

10. On 4^thNov, Google honoured her.

On her 84^thbirthday, Google honoured her with a Google doodle.

She was also awarded a title by Philippines University (1969) as a gold medalist, received ‘Ramanujan Mathematics Genius Award’ in Washington DC, and many other awards.

However, she never received India’s highest civilian awards and titles and recognition.

So before watching the biographical film on Shakuntala Devi, every Indians must know about the above facts about her.

This film was stated to be released on May 8, but due to covid-19 pandemic, the film will be streamed worldwide on Amazon Prime video on July 31, instead of a theatrical release.

Good wishes to the team.

WHICH COUNTRY STANDS WHERE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF COVID-19 VACCINE?

2020-07-24T12:12:00.009+05:30

Development of Covid-19 Vaccine-

The number of Covid-19 cases across the world has crossed 15 million, and over 617k died. The entire world is trying to find a vaccine to check the spread of Covid-19.
Many countries including US, China, Russia, India, UK, Germany, and Australia are working on vaccines in various stages of development.
More than 150 vaccines are under various stages of testing across the world.

|Also read: How to stay immuned during Covid-19?

Is Bubonic plague another pandemic?

CHINA:

China is speeding up to race in the development of vaccines with Sinovac Biotech’s experiment which became China’s second and world’s third vaccine to enter the final stage testing.

Even if China emerged as a sluggard in the covid-19 vaccine development, one of the vaccines amongst the four was recently found safe in the final stage human trial.

In order to speed up the experimental stage, China allowed Sinopharm and Sinovac to combine Phase I and Phase II trials. These vaccines mainly focus on inactivated vaccine technology. The Sinovac vaccine first dose was given to 15,000 registered volunteers in Abu Dhabi. After the second dose, The researchers saw development of antibodies in the bodies of the volunteers.

But China has to face a lot of challenges as not many countries are agreeing to conduct large scale vaccine trials with it. Recently, the Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) has given the approval to the last stage trial by the Chinese vaccine in their country.

|Click here: Sinovac Vaccine

UNITED KINGDOM:

UK is leading the list of vaccines with two candidates, out of which the vaccine developed by the Oxford University in partnership with AstraZeneca is currently in large scale Phase III human trials.

The vaccine developers published their first phase study data in the medical journal ‘The Lancet’.

According to Oxford researchers, the experimental vaccine provides ‘double protection’ from the novel coronavirus following early stage human trials. Scientists stated that the vaccine has shown results that it can both produce antibodies and cell-mediated immune responses.

In terms of development, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine is reviewed as the most advanced candidate against COVID-19. Scientists hope that this candidate will make the human body recognize and develop an immune response to the spike glycoprotein, which will help stop the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering the human cells.

The name of the vaccine is expected to be called ‘Covishield’ in the market which would be priced at 1000 or less as per the reports.

|Click here: Lancet journal-pdf

UNITED STATES:

After receiving approval to conduct the Phase II trials from FDA (US Food and Drug Administration), the Moderna biotech company is preparing to conduct final stage by July 27, as per source. This vaccine has already conducted Phase I trials in Seattle, which was tested on 45 healthy volunteers, injected 28 days apart.

The Novavax vaccine candidate has also shown promising results. After showing great results in baboons and mice, the biotech company will conduct human trials in Australia on 150 volunteers as per reports.

|Click here: Globenewswire-Novavax to Present COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate-2nd ISV COVID 19 Vaccines

RUSSIA:

While the rest of the world is working on the vaccines in limelight, Russia out of nowhere ventured into the list and outshines in the race.

A top Russian official stated that the country is racing to roll out a vaccine by September after knowing whether the vaccine candidate would work effectively or not at the end of the three months of trials.

The Moscow State Medical University reported that the trials started on June 18, the first batch of the volunteers were discharged on July 15 .

|Click here: RealReport-Twitter

sputniknews-clinical trials of russian covid-19 vaccine

sputniknews-second phase trial of russian covid-19 vaccine

INDIA:

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has permitted two indigenous vaccine candidates, developed in India- one by the Bharat Biotech International Limited and ICMR and another by Zydus Healthcare Limited, standing at Phase I and Phase II clinical human trials respectively.

India started the human trials of Covaxin which has been jointly developed by Bharat Biotech and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The Indian Government has also allocated Rs 100 crore from the PM-CARE funds to support the production of the vaccines.

Under the leading role of Indian pharmaceutical productions, SERUM Institute of India is planning to produce around 1-2 million of doses of the Oxford vaccine by August.

|Click here: @BharatBiotech-Twitter

clinicaltrialsarena news-zydus covid19

A CASE STUDY OF MODELS FOR CURBING ASSAM FLOOD HAVOC

2020-07-21T12:23:00.009+05:30

What Assam needs to control Flood?

A case study with models to lessen the effect of monsoon flood.

While the people from other states are fighting against Corona virus, the people of Assam are dealing with the flood havoc alongwith the pandemic equally. Presently in Assam 33 lakh people are affected from flood over 26 districts and death toll rises to 86. Kaziranga National Park is also submerged in water reporting several animals dying due to this crisis. On the other hand, about 24k people are affected from Covid-19 and death pole rises to 58.

The low lying plain valley of Assam, formed due to continuous running of the mighty river Brahmaputra, is both a lifeline and a threat. There was a time when people used to welcome monsoon, welcome the first flood as it makes the soil more fertile. It is a part of their ecosystem. Earlier, the animals could easily move to higher grounds during flood. But now, most of the grounds are inundated including the higher grounds.

Assam flood has become a catastrophe now. This is something we face every single year during monsoon.

But, what is the reason behind this? Why Assam flood an annual affair?

Reasons:

1. Geographical Terrain:

Assam is one of the India’s most flood prone states. If we look around the map of northeastern region of India, we can see that it is surrounded by Himalayan Mountain Range.

The river Brahmaputra originates in the Angsi Glacier, located on the northern side of the Tibet. It flows eastwards parallelly to the Himalayan reaching Namcha Barwa Mountain in Arunachal Pradesh. From there it takes a ‘U’ turn and takes south and enters Arunachal Pradesh where it is called the river Dihang. The Dihang flows down and enters Assam with high intensity and high speed. Also, after entering Arunachal Pradesh the river Brahmaputra or Dihang turns into the greatest channel of small rivers.

During summer, glacier melts which coincides with monsoon. For this reason, when it rains heavily, water level intensifies, flowing towards the low lying Assam valley. Along with this there are several drains which join the river Brahmaputra, rising the water above the danger mark.

2. 1950s Massive Earthquake:

The Brahmaputra river has an unstable water flow. In 1950, an earthquake raised the river bed, making it shallow, causing more flood intensity. As such, the river could not sustain the immense volume of water which causes flood every year.

Moreover, the river tends to change its route periodically, flooding new regions every year.

3. Human Made Cause:

A] Deforestation: In the last few years, we have witnessed major flood issues due to the cutting of wide range of trees and forests. People have started constructing buildings, factories, houses on the floodplains due to which the water doesn’t have space to flow freely, which cause more soil erosion, flooding etc.

B] Improper construction of embankments: Improper construction of river embankments is a serious issue in Assam. Because whenever you try to restrict the flow of water, the speed, intensity and sedimentation increases which if not maintained properly, will cause “embankment breaching”. In Assam, there are about 450 embankments on the banks of the river in vulnerable conditions.

What Could Be The Solutions For This?

1.“Room for River ” Project (Netherlands):

Netherlands is the best country regarding flood control. They initiated a flood control program called “Room for River Project”. They examined the pattern of the water flow and constructed their infrastructure accordingly. They built embankments far away from the rivers, letting the river flow freely. Also, they started to plant more trees and forests beside the embankment. Along with this, they lowered the level of floodplains which provided more room to the river to flow.

Hence, Maintenance of the embankment and flood plain area must be given more attention to resolve this problem.

Image Source- Google |Image by- dutchwatersector

2. Develop a Sponge City (China Model):

The concept of Sponge City is retention of water and reuse of rainfall. This technique includes rooftop garden, permeable infrastructure of road which absorbs the water and that water would be collected and reused for other purposes like rainwater harvesting, rain garden etc. Implement of Sponge City concept can reduce the frequency of flood.

Image Source- Google | Image by-Faith Chan

3. Floating garden model of agriculture (Bangladesh case study):

Water hyacinth is used in Bangladesh to practice agriculture in flood affected areas or in water bodies. This project is called ‘floating garden’.

Farmers make heap with water hyacinth, which decays and make fertilizers for cropping. Many crops grow on these heaps which float in water bodies like floating fields, thus decreasing the loss of agriculture production by flood.

Image source- thedailystar

4. Information of flood focuses must reach to affected areas earlier (Orissa Model):

All of these must be addressed and must be implemented. Otherwise, again we’re going to have the same discussion next year on how to control ‘Assam Flood’.

Photo credit: Rajanav_kalita, Prateek_agarwal, Kausik_rajkhowa, Asif_Iqbal_Khan

WHAT TO STUDY AFTER 10th BOARD RESULT?

2020-07-17T13:17:00.031+05:30

Brief Career Counselling for 10^thPassed Students

This is a common question which haunts students after 10^thboard exam.

Most of the students who were guided and spoon-fed during their school years, experience a challenging situation at this crucial point of life. Sometimes, lack of proper counselling results in irresponsible choices which later on affects their futures.

So, here we are providing you some options which might help the students to make a wise decision for their future.

STEP 1: Selection of Board

After the class 10^th result, a student can continue the same board or can opt for a different board. In India, a student can choose CBSE/ICSE/state board or any other board.

If a student wants to change his/her board, it is better to research a bit and have some discussions with their elders, seniors and teachers. It is also recommended to prepare themselves for some challenges in the new board.

STEP 2: Have a proper thorough research

A good, proper research will help to know about their interests, about the courses and colleges, about the scopes and carrier prospects. It is very important to know about the field they would walk in the future and their potential to cope up in that field.

A good healthy conversation with their parents/seniors/teachers would help them to easily explore their potentials and discover which course can satisfy them till their future.

Right course counselling at the right time will help them to make a right wise decision.

STEP 3: Choose the right choice

There are variety of choices to choose the right course/stream for a 10^th grade passed student.

A student may take the following courses-

Class 11 / Class12
ITI certificate courses (Technical / Non technical)
Polytechnic Diploma courses in engineering

Diploma courses in vocational training
Skill training courses
Medical/Paramedical courses
Other opportunities

Class 11 / Class 12:

This is the most common course which most of the students and their guardians choose. It’s a two year preliminary course in a particular stream which is the base of their higher professional study in that stream.

Science Stream

It is the most preferred stream which many parents want their children to opt for it. If in future, a student don’t want to continue in this stream, he/she can easily switch to other stream while the other stream students are not that lucky.

In this stream, a student has to study PCM (Physics, Chemistry, Maths) along with Biology/Computer Science etc. In addition to this, languages are also added making it a 6 subject course.

A science student, after 12th may appear for NEET/JEE/CEE/AIMS/JIPMER etc. to get into medical/engineering courses. Students who do not prefer these courses may get in degree courses for graduation and further studies in a particular field.

Apart from these, there are many other options for science students.

Commerce Stream

Students enjoying economics in their school studies, mostly prefer this stream.
In this stream, the subjects needed to study are- Accountancy, Business Studies, Banking, Economics etc. Moreover, they need to gain knowledge in Languages, Maths/Informatics practice etc.

This stream has great scopes like in management, business, finance, chartered accountancy, etc. Moreover, students planning to run their family business mostly choose this stream.

Arts Stream
It is a very interesting stream with a wide range of carrier options.
Students need to study History, Economics, Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, Education, Literature, etc.
Students after 12^th generally opt for specialization in a particular subject or may join Law, Journalism, Fine Arts etc. This field provides an advantage to appear in Civil Service Examinations and such administrative exams by preparing themselves after degree.

ITI Course:

ITI training institutes are government training centers which train students to increase their man-power skills in industrial areas.

This course duration may vary from months to years which focuses on Mechanical work, Electronics, Automobile, Computer softwares etc.

This training provides a certificate and makes them ready to work in various industries and other fields.

Polytechnic Diploma Course:

Polytechnic courses are basically diploma in technical courses. Students can register themselves in these courses and later on can switch to B.E / B.TECH courses to pursue a carrier in the field of engineering. Students passing class 10 and class 12, both are eligible for this course.

Polytechnic courses increase the scope in mechanical, automobile, computer, information technology, etc.

Diploma courses in Vocational Training:

These courses offer programs which lead to industry skill certificates or degrees.

It is a short term course which provides technical skills for various jobs. A student can opt for 3 year Diploma of Vocation under the NSQF (National Skill Qualification Framework) training program.

Skill Training Courses:
A student may also opt for skill training programs which includes courses in animation, food processing, sales executive, software development, etc.

Medical/Paramedical Courses:

Healthcare sector is a vast sector which has a lot of jobs apart from doctors and nurses. Medical/Paramedical courses train students to later work as health worker, technician, etc.
It provides huge opportunities in the health sector as there are lots of workers working behind the doctors and nurses in the health sector.

Other Opportunities:
Apart from the educational opportunities, there are many students who want to take a job opportunity.

Students of class 10^thpassed out may join in defence sector, government jobs, railway, police, clerk jobs, and many other.

HOW TO STAY IMMUNED DURING COVID-19?

2020-07-14T12:30:00.011+05:30

Healthy Balanced Diet during Covid-19

Covid-19 Pandemic has been a serious challenge to the human kind. Parallelly, it impacts upon the living style of people around the world. Starting from physical to mental activities as well as the food intake of people. It is definitely difficult to maintain a proper diet during this pandemic,as gratifying as before.During this Covid-19, taking a proper balanced nutrition apart from practicing a hygiene life is very important. Good nutrition will definitely keep us fit and help to make us more immune to prevent, fight and recover from infections.

According to WHO , the tips for maintaining a healthy diets are:

1.Eat plenty of seasonal fruits

Eating a variety of fruits always end up boosting your immunity. Fruits containing Vitamin-C like strawberries, oranges, pineapples,grapes etc have a lot of antioxidants to boost your immunity. Fruits like papaya will help you improve your digestion and enhance immunity as well.

2. Include green leafy vegetables, eg. spinach,curry leaves, cabbages etc

Because once they mix with the powerful stimulative spices, they become very effective to strengthen your immune system; which provide calcium, iron and other valuable nutrients which have an effective value in your body. Add vitamin-C and vitamin-D to yours diets.

3. Limit salt and sugar intake

Limit your salt intake to less than 5g and use iodized salt. Avoid foods which are high in salt and sugar which lower your risk of overweight, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

4. Eat moderate amounts of fats and oils

Prefer white meat over red meat. Avoid processed meats because they are high in fats and oils. Try to consume saturated fats like fish, avocado, nuts, olive oil, soy, canola, sunflower and corn oils. Also includes peanuts,sprouts.

5.Include legume and lentils everyday

These are easily available great source of proteins. They can be consumed everyday which definitely boost your immune system. Moreover have a meal having combination of beans and grams.

6. Stay hydrated

Start your day with taking 2-3 glass of lukewarm water.Drink at least 8–10 glass of water every day.Also you can add other drinks like fruits and vegetables which contains water.

7. Take a glass of Turmeric Milk everyday

Take a glass of milk everyday with some haldi in it which boost your immune level very high. Also, include Turmeric as much as you can in your food.

TIPS:

Avoid hazardous substances and harmful alcohol use.
Breastfeed babies and young children.
For snacks, raw vegetables and fresh fruits ranks the top.
Also, you can add black pepper and cumin in your diet as cumin helps to increase metabolism and improve digestion and black pepper cleanses the body entirely and help developing body's defense mechanism.

It has been found out that moderate intake of protein, vitamin C, vitamin D and other nutrients for COVID-19 patients who are still in the recovery phase or people having mild symptoms,is very helpful.
Lastly, "A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything". A good sleep is incredibly important for your health. A healthy adult needs between 7-9 hours of sleep per night for a good health.

Sources: #HealthyAtHome-Healthy Diet by WHO

Nutrition Advice by WHO EMRO

Unsplash

Is Bubonic Plague another pandemic? Check this out.

2020-07-10T11:00:00.002+05:30

‘Black Death’ is suspected to come over Corona Virus in China

According to WHO, bubonic plague is the most common form of plague which is spread via marmots and similar rodents.
It was known as the black death in the 14^thcentury, which took millions of lives.

|By Unsplash|

As China is trying to eradicate Covid-19 by lowering the cases to almost zero, a new pandemic is expected to come over with a warning. On July 1, the Chinese news agency ‘Xinhua’ reported two suspected cases of bubonic plague after consumption of marmot meat in western Mongolia.

BUBONIC PLAGUE

According to WHO, the bubonic plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, which is a rare but serious bacterial infection, spread by fleas from rodents and can kill an adult in less than 24 hours if not treated in time.

SYMPTOMS

An infected person with this disease will experience – swollen lymph nodes, which can be as large as chicken eggs, in the groin, armpit or neck.

Other symptoms include fever, chills, headache, fatigue and muscle aches.

Some people may experience pain in the abdomen or muscles, cough with blood, vomiting, nausea and shortness of breath.

TREATMENT

Experts say the disease can be treated with antibiotics if treated in time. But if the infection is not treated immediately, the bacteria can spread in the bloodstream. There is also a chance of lungs infection causing pneumonic plague. Hence urgent medical treatment with strong antibiotics may successfully cure the disease.

|By Unsplash|

Some common antibiotics used-

Ciprofloxacin, Levofloxacin, Doxycycline, Gentamicine

However, it is highly recommended to use these medicines under doctor’s supervision.

HISTORY

Black Death was amongst the worst global epidemic, resulting in the death of around 200 million people in Eurasia and North America. It was predicted that the plague have originated in Asia over 2000 years ago by trading ships. The plague never really ended, it reappeared every few generations for centuries.

TRANSMISSION

Mainly spread by infected fleas from rodents, the bubonic plague can be transmitted from person to person by airborne droplets.

According to CDC, the bacteria are mostly transmitted by the bite of an infected flea. Rodents, cats, dogs are the mostly the carrier of such fleas. Moreover, they said that contact with contaminated body fluids or tissue of a plague-infected animal is the most common cause in this plague. Infectious droplets through cough can spread this infection more easily.

PREVENTION

As it has no vaccine till now, it is better to stay protected.

Before travelling to Africa, Asia, or South America, check the CDC website for any kinds of traveler notices about such outbreaks.

If there is any case if this infection, use flea control sprays on your pets and try to keep them indoor. Use hand gloves before touching wild or outdoor animals. Stop any kinds of rodents, entering home.

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Healthy Balanced Diet during Covid-19

1.Eat plenty of seasonal fruits

Eating a variety of fruits always end up boosting your immunity. Fruits containing Vitamin-C like strawberries, oranges, pineapples,grapes etc have a lot of antioxidants to boost your immunity. Fruits like papaya will help you improve your digestion and enhance immunity as well.

2. Include green leafy vegetables, eg. spinach,curry leaves, cabbages etc

Because once they mix with the powerful stimulative spices, they become very effective to strengthen your immune system; which provide calcium, iron and other valuable nutrients which have an effective value in your body. Add vitamin-C and vitamin-D to yours diets.

3. Limit salt and sugar intake

Limit your salt intake to less than 5g and use iodized salt. Avoid foods which are high in salt and sugar which lower your risk of overweight, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

4. Eat moderate amounts of fats and oils

Prefer white meat over red meat. Avoid processed meats because they are high in fats and oils. Try to consume saturated fats like fish, avocado, nuts, olive oil, soy, canola, sunflower and corn oils. Also includes peanuts,sprouts.

5.Include legume and lentils everyday

These are easily available great source of proteins. They can be consumed everyday which definitely boost your immune system. Moreover have a meal having combination of beans and grams.

6. Stay hydrated

Start your day with taking 2-3 glass of lukewarm water.Drink at least 8–10 glass of water every day.Also you can add other drinks like fruits and vegetables which contains water.

7. Take a glass of Turmeric Milk everyday

Take a glass of milk everyday with some haldi in it which boost your immune level very high. Also, include Turmeric as much as you can in your food.

Also read| Is Bubonic plague another pandemic?

TIPS:

Is Bubonic Plague another pandemic? Check this out.