Science facts

1. Saturn’s rings are made up of particles of ice, dust and rock. Some particles are as small as grains of sand while others are much larger than skyscrapers.

2. The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is a hurricane-like storm system that was first detected in the early 1600′s.

3. Comet Hale-Bopp is putting out approximately 250 tons of gas and dust per second. This is about 50 times more than most comets produce.

4. The Sun looks 1600 times fainter from Pluto than it does from the Earth.

5. There is a supermassive black hole right in the middle of the Milky Way galaxy that is 4 million times the mass of the Sun.

6. Asteroids and comets are believed to be ancient remnants of the formation of our Solar System (More than 4 billion years ago!).

7. Comets are bodies of ice, rock and organic compounds that can be several miles in diameter.

8. The most dangerous asteroids, those capable of causing major regional or global disasters, usually impact the Earth only once every 100,000 years on average.

9. The largest found meteorite was found in Hoba, Namibia. It weighed 60 tons.

10. The risk of a falling meteorite striking a human occurs once every 9,300 years.

11. A piece of a neutron star the size of a pin point would way 1 million tons.

12. Europa, Jupiter’s moon, is completely covered in ice.

13. Light reflecting off the moon takes 1.2822 seconds to reach Earth.

14. There has only been one satellite destroyed by a meteor, it was the European Space Agency’s Olympus in 1993.

15. The International Space Station orbits at 248 miles above the Earth.

16. The Earth orbits the Sun at 66,700mph.

17. Venus spins in the opposite direction compared to the Earth and most other planets. This means that the Sun rises in the West and sets in the East.

18. The Moon is moving away from the Earth at about 34cm per year.

19. The Sun, composed mostly of helium and hydrogen, has a surface temperature of 6000 degrees Celsius.

20. A manned rocket reaches the moon in less time than it took a stagecoach to travel the length of England.

 

Sneha Reddy, Student Representative, Science Forum

SCIENCE SLOGANS

Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science.

No one should approach the temple of science with the soul of a money changer.

if you’re not part of the solution; you’re part of the precipitate.

Nature composes some of her loveliest poems for the microscope and the telescope.

Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition.

Science is a cemetery of dead ideas.

Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.
Science does not know its debt to imagination.

Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity of imagination.

Science has made us gods even before we are worthy of being men.

Scientists should always state the opinions upon which their facts are based.

Accumulation of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones in a house.

Whenever science makes a discovery, the devil grabs it while the angels are debating the best way to use it.

Physics is imagination in a straight jacket.

Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one’s living at it.

The great men of science are supreme artists.

Science is the topography of ignorance.

Darwin has interested us in the history of nature’s technology.

Observations always involve theory.

The scientist is not a person who gives the right answers; he’s one who asks the right questions.

Facts are not science – as the dictionary is not literature.

Men are probably nearer the central truth in their superstitions than in their science.

In comparing religious belief to science, I try to remember that science is belief also.

For every fact, there is infinity of hypotheses.

Ethics and Science need to shake hands.

Life preys upon life.  This is biology’s most fundamental fact.

when gravity calls, something falls.

Every science begins as philosophy and ends as art.

Science, in the very act of solving problems, creates more of them.

Science is always wrong.  It never solves a problem without creating ten more.

The most remarkable discovery made by scientists is science itself.

                                         Sneha Reddy, Student Representative, Science Forum

Why can’t you tickle yourself?

Most of us have a ticklish spot somewhere on our bodies, and it is usually pretty easy to find. For some, it’s just above the knee, for others it’s the back of the neck, and some of us go into fits of laughter if someone grabs our sides. Laughing when another person tickles you is a natural reaction. Scientists have discovered that the feeling experienced when we are tickled causes us to panic and is a natural defense to little creepy crawlers like spiders and bugs. Slight tickles from insects can send a chill through your body letting you know something is crawling on you.

That same ticklish feeling sends us into a state of panic and elicits a response of uncontrollable laughter if a person tickles us. It’s the moment that you least expect to be tickled and are that causes you to feel extremely uneasy and panicked, which leads to the most intense ticklish feeling. Even if you do know that you are about to be tickled, the fear and unease of someone touching and possibly hurting you causes you to laugh. Some people are so ticklish that they begin laughing even before they are touched.

So, if someone else’s touch can tickle us, why can’t we tickle ourselves? Much of the explanation for this question is still unknown, but research has shown that the brain is trained to know what to feel when a person moves or performs any function. We aren’t aware of a lot of the sensations generated by our movements. For example, you probably don’t pay much attention to your vocal cords when you speak. For the same reason, we can’t tickle ourselves. If we grab our sides in an attempt to tickle ourselves, our brain anticipates this contact from the hands and prepares itself for it. By taking away the feeling of unease and panic, the body no longer responds the same as it would if someone else were to tickle us.

Brain scientists at the University College London have pinpointed the cerebellum as the part of the brain that prevents us from self-tickling. The cerebellum is the region located at the base of the brain that monitors our movements. It can distinguish expected sensations from unexpected sensations. An expected sensation would be the amount of pressure your fingers apply to your keyboard while typing. An unexpected sensation would be someone sneaking up behind you and tapping you on the shoulder. While the brain discards the sensation of typing, it pays a lot of attention to someone tapping on your shoulder. The difference in reactions from expected to unexpected is a built-in response that probably developed in early human history to detect predators.

                                            Deepak Albert, Student Representative, Science Forum

Science Songs

Bacteria

Oh, lacking any nucleus, you do have a cell wall
You live in water, air, and soil, and anywhere at all
You reproduce by fission, and you do so very fast
And under harsh conditions in an endospore do last

For decomposing things that die, a saprophyte we need

But some are parasitic: on a living host will feed
For taking nitrogen from air, and fixing it into
The soil for plants to use, I’m sure they’re all grateful to you

In dairy products you have shown yourself a cultured friend
And to genetic engineers, your DNA you lend
You even help to fight diseases caused by your brethren
You make antibiotics which destroy or weaken them

Though most of you are helpful in some of these mentioned ways
There are a few who have to do a bit with some disease
Producing toxin, or the cells attacking directly:
Diphtheria, pneumonia, strep throat, tetanus, and TB

We do appreciate you and your praises we do sing
Yet some of you make life so hard with troubles that you bring
Our food you spoil, our crops you rot, our animals attack
With botulism, different rots, cholera, and anthrax

Source: Lyrical Learning

Molecules

Everything is made of something.
Everything has basic parts.
Everything is made of molecules.
That’s where things all start.

Molecules are made of atoms.
Each one has a special shape.
Molecules are small particles
Of all things they are great!

Fish and rocks, and trees
The mountains and the seas
Tables, cars and cheese
All have molecules!

Molecules can be organic
And they help form living things.
There are also inorganic molecules
In many things.

Molecules move when they’re heated.
When they’re cold they move so slow.
They’re a part of our Earth’s chemistry.
Now everybody knows!

Broccoli, flies and fleas
Roads and glass and peas
Even you and me
All have molecules!

Everything is made of something.
Everything has basic parts.
Everything is made of molecules.
That’s where things all start.
- Ron Brown

Sound

Sound, sound, sound,
What is sound? What is sound?
Sound, sound, sound,
It’s a vibration travelling around.

The sounds we hear are everywhere
Moving in waves through the air.
Travelling through solids and liquids too,
So many sounds old and new.

Sound, sound, sound,
What is sound? What is sound?
Sound, sound, sound,
It’s a vibration travelling around.

Some sounds are high
And some are low
If the vibration is fast or slow.
The fast sound high, the slow sound low.
When you hear the pitch,
You will know.

Sound, sound, sound,
What is sound? What is sound?
Sound, sound, sound,
It’s a vibration travelling around.

The sounds you hear from far and near
Vibrate the bones inside your ear.
The message travels to your brain
And the sound you hear is explained.

Sound, sound, sound,
What is sound? What is sound?

Ron Brown

　Aravind R,  Student Representative, Science Forum

What is Fields Medal???

Fields Medal

The Fields Medal is a prize awarded to two, three, or four Mathematicians not over 40 years of age at each International Congress of the International Mathematical Union, a meeting that takes place every four years.

The Fields Medal is often viewed as the top honor a Mathematician can receive. It comes with a monetary award, which in 2006 was C$15,000 (US$15,000 or €10,000), founded at the behest of Canadian Mathematician, John Charles Fields. The medal was first awarded in 1936, to Finnish Mathematician Lars Alford and American Mathematician, Jesse Douglas, and has been periodically awarded since 1950. Its purpose is to give recognition and support to younger mathematical researchers who have made major contributions.

Aravind R, Student Representative, Science Forum

The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann

{for their discoveries regarding the activation of innate immunity}

Ralph M. Steinman

{for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity}

This year’s Nobel Laureates have revolutionized our understanding of the immune system by discovering key principles for its activation.

Scientists have long been searching for the gatekeepers of the immune response by which man and other animals defend themselves against attack by bacteria and other microorganisms. Bruce Beutler and Jules Hoffmann discovered receptor proteins that can recognize such microorganisms and activate innate immunity.  Ralph Steinman discovered the dendritic cells of the immune system and their unique capacity to activate and regulate adaptive immunity, the later stage of the immune response during which microorganisms are cleared from the body.

The discoveries of the three Nobel Laureates have revealed how the innate and adaptive phases of the immune response are activated.

Their work has opened up new avenues for the development of prevention and therapy against infections, cancer, and inflammatory diseases.

There are basically two types of immunity: the innate immunity and adaptive immunity.  The first line of defense, innate immunity, can destroy invading microorganisms and trigger inflammation that contributes to blocking their assault. If microorganisms break through this defense line, adaptive immunity is called into action. With its T and B cells, it produces killer cells that destroy infected cells.

Our adaptive immune system maintains an immunologic memory that allows a more rapid and powerful mobilization of defense forces next time the same microorganism attacks. These defense lines of the immune system provide good protection against infections but they also pose a risk. If the activation threshold is too low, or if endogenous molecules can activate the system, inflammatory disease may follow.

            Jules Hoffmann made his pioneering discovery in 1996, when he investigated how fruit flies combat infections. They had access to flies with mutations in several different genes including Toll, a gene found to be involved in embryonal development. When Hoffmann infected his fruit flies with bacteria or fungi, he discovered that Toll mutants died because they could not cause effective defense. He was also able to conclude that the Toll gene was involved in sensing pathogens. Toll activation was needed for successful defense against them.

            Bruce Beutler was searching for a receptor that could bind the bacterial product, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which can cause septic shock that involves over stimulation of the immune system. In 1998, Beutler and his colleagues discovered that mice resistant to LPS had a mutation in a gene that was quite similar to the Toll gene of the fruit fly. This Toll-like receptor (TLR) turned out to be the elusive LPS receptor. When it binds LPS, signals are activated that cause inflammation These findings showed that mammals and fruit flies use 3 similar molecules to activate innate immunity when encountering pathogenic microorganisms. The sensors of innate immunity had finally been discovered.

            Ralph Steinman discovered, in 1973, a new cell type that he called the dendritic cell. He speculated that it could be important in the immune system and went on to test whether dendritic cells could activate T cells, a cell type that has a key role in adaptive immunity and develops an immunologic memory against many different substances. In cell culture experiments, he showed that the presence of dendritic cells resulted in vivid responses of T cells to such substances. Signals arising from the innate immune response and sensed by dendritic cells were shown to control T cell activation. This makes it possible for the immune system to react towards pathogenic microorganisms while avoiding an attack on the body’s own endogenous molecules.

Noble Soul That Got The Nobel Prize

On October 3, 2011, the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine announced that he had received one-half of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for “his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity”.

However, the committee was not aware that he had died three days earlier, on September 30, from pancreatic cancer. This created a complication, since the statutes of the Nobel Foundation stipulate that the prize is not to be awarded posthumously.  After deliberation, the committee decided that as the decision to award the prize “was made in good faith”, it would remain unchanged.

Steinman’s daughter said that he had joked the previous week with his family about staying alive until the prize announcement. Steinman said: “I know I have got to hold out for that. They don’t give it to you if you have passed away. I got to hold out for that.”

From fundamental research to medical use

The discoveries that are awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize have provided novel insights into the activation and regulation of our immune system. They have made possible the development of new methods for preventing and treating disease, for instance with improved vaccines against infections and in attempts to stimulate the immune system to attack tumors. These discoveries also help us understand why the immune system can attack our own tissues, thus providing clues for novel treatment of inflammatory diseases.

 Aravind R, Science Forum Representative

Chemistry Is Everywhere – Celebrating International Year of Chemistry

Cosmetics

 

Agar: It is also known as algae or carrageen. It’s usually added to moisturizers as an emollient or antioxidant.

Allantoin: It is used in skin creams and lotions and is a by-product of uric acid; it is an effective calming agent that also reduces skin irritation.
Aluminium chlorohydrate: It is one of the most common ingredients in antiperspirant. Technically it’s a salt, and when it reacts with the enzymes in sweat, it forms a temporary “plug” that sits in the pore and Aluminium chlorohydrate also acts as an astringent, causing the pores in the underarm to constrict so they can’t release more sweat.

Diethanolamine: like its cousin triethanolomine, sometimes goes by its initials DEA (or TEA, in the case of triethanolomine). It’s a solvent that’s added to cleansers to make them lather and foam.

Health

In the field of healthcare many chemicals are used in the manufacture of medicines like analgesics, antacids, tranquilizers and many other drugs. One such drug we can study about is Aspirin.

Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as an anti-inflammatory medication.

Aspirin is used for the treatment of a number of conditions including: fever, pain, rheumatic fever and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, pericarditis, and Kawasaki disease. It is used in the prevention of transient ischemic attacks, strokes, heart attacks, pregnancy loss, etc.

Plant extracts, including willow bark and spiraea, of which salicylic acid was the active ingredient, had been known to help alleviate headaches, pains and fevers since antiquity. The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, who lived sometime between 460 BC and 377 BC, left historical records describing the use of powder made from the bark and leaves of the willow tree to help these symptoms. On these lines of Hippocrates Modern medicine developed and the first company, Bayer AG, developed the Aspirin, which is now used world wide in relieving all sorts of discomfort related to human health.

Environmental Chemistry

Endosulfan

Endosulfan is an off-patent organochloride insecticide and was sprayed on Cashew Plantations in Kasargod in Kerala three times regularly from 1976 till 2001 annually. It resulted in a chemical disaster. Especially in children, it caused congenital abnormalities, metal disorders, physical deformities, etc and also caused innumerable deaths. Various commissions were appointed to study about this hazardous poison. There were about 4000 victims who were compensated by the government. Kerala’s new government began its tenure by making permanent ban on Endosulfan.

Materials

A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may exist as crystalline or amorphous in nature. The branch of chemistry that deals with ceramics is called Ceramic Chemistry.

In ceramic chemistry, fired glazes are viewed as composed of oxides (examples are SiO₂, Al₂O₃, B₂O₃, Na₂O, K₂O, CaO, Li₂O, MgO, ZnO, MnO, Fe₂O₃, CoO). Each oxide is known to contribute specific properties to the fired glass. Materials suppliers publish chemical analyses of their products that cite percentages of these oxides as well as volatiles (oxides that burn away during firing like H₂O, CO₂, SO₃).

Graphene is an allotrope of carbon, whose structure is one-atom-thick planar sheets of sp²-bonded carbon atoms that are densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice. Some applications are: transparent conducting electrodes, Integrated Circuits, can be used for Single Molecule Gas Detection, etc.

Glass – The main constituent of Flat Glass is SiO₂ (silica sand). This has a high melting temperature in the region of 1700 degrees C and its state at this temperature is like syrup on a very cold day. The basic building block of silica has a tetrahedral pyramid shape with silicon at its centre linked symmetrically to four oxygen atoms at its corners: it has the chemical formula SiO₄ and is negatively charged. As we all know, glass as a chemical material finds many applications in day-today life.

Industry

Most of the industries involve in some or the other aspects of chemistry in their production and management systems.

Chemical Industries comprises companies that produce chemicals. Polymers and plastics, especially polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene and polycarbonate comprise about 80% of the industry’s output worldwide. Some examples of chemical industry production are: Production of Ammonia, Nitrogen, Phenol, Sulphuric acid, etc.

Elastomers : An elastomer is a polymer with the property of viscoelasticity (colloquially “elasticity”), generally having notably low Young’s modulus and high yield strain compared with other materials. Many industries are involved in the manufacture of tires and usage of rubber has become very drastic. These industries involve in the usage of polyisoprene, polyurethane, neoprene etc.

Petroleum Industries: ethylene, propylene, benzene, styrene. Agrochemical Industries: Fertilizers, Insecticides, herbicides, etc are the various uses of chemistry in industrial life.

Sources of Energy

A lithium-ion battery (sometimes Li-ion battery or LIB) is a family of rechargeable battery types in which lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during discharge, and back when charging.

One of the major advantage is it has high open circuit voltage in comparison to aqueous batteries (such as lead acid, nickel-metal hydride and nickel-cadmium). This is beneficial because it increases the amount of power that can be transferred at a lower current.

Fullerene derivative are used in Photovoltaic Cells (PVCs). This is another chemical compound which helps in the conversion of optical energy into direct electricity.

The Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) uses doped solid oxide as electrolyte which has high efficiency and stability.

Textiles

1) Textiles get dyed due to the covalent bond formed between the molecule of the dye and that of the fiber.

2) Today dyes are made from coal tar and petrochemicals.

3) Dyes are colored organic compounds bearing a group called chromophore.

4) Dyes known to the ancients came from plants such as indigo and madder.

Radioactivity

RADIOACTIVE DATING

In 1898, Marie curie coined the term radioactivity to describe the natural emission of energy and subatomic particles from unstable forms, or isotopes, of chemical elements.

Radiometric, or isotopic dating is currently the most accurate method known for determining the age of fossils, rocks, and Earth itself. Uraanium 238 and uranium 235 are the most commonly used radioisotopes for dating rocks. Their daughter products are isotopes of helium and lead. While the helium is quickly lost into the atmosphere the lead remains behind and can be dated. Carbon 14 is the most accurate radioisotope for dating the remains of life forms up to 50,000 year old. its half life is 5,570 years!!

Your Body

Our body comprises of many chemical elements. Most of our bodily functions undergo chemical reactions. For example we can consider the process of digestion:

Casein      rennin        Paracasein

Paracasein          calcium         calcium paracaseinate (curdling)

Calcium Paracaseinate          pepsin           proteoses, peptones and polypeptides

Student Member, Science Forum

Energy Of A Graph (Best Article of The Year)

Energy of a Graph

The concept of graph energy arose in chemistry where certain numerical quantities, such as the heat of formation of a hydrocarbon, are related to total 12Ï€’> -electron energy that can be calculated as the energy of an appropriate “molecular” graph.

The energy of Graph G was first defined by Gutman in 1978 as the sum of the absolute values of its Eigen values: E(G) = 12i=1nλi’> .

The energy levels Ej of the π-electrons are related to the Eigen values λj of the graph G by the simple relation Ej = α+β λj ; j = 1, 2, . . . , n.

In short, a chemical molecule can be represented by a graph by taking each atom of the molecule as a vertex of the graph and making edges of the graph represent atomic bonds between the end atoms. Every graph has a corresponding matrix called Adjacency matrix for which we can calculate the Eigen values. Energy of a graph is the sum of the absolute values of its Eigen values.

Initially, the graph-energy concept did not attract any attention of mathematicians, but somewhere around the turn of the century they did realize its value, and a vigorous and world-wide mathematical research of E started. The current activities on the mathematical studies of E are remarkable: According to the records, in the year 2006 the number of published papers was 11. In 2007 this number increased to 28. In 2008 around 50 papers on graph energy were published.

Student Member, Science Forum

Science Jokes

One day on the Tonight Show, Jay Leno showed a classified ad that read: “Do you have mole problems? If so, call Avogadro at 602-1023.”

Q: What is the chemical name of the following benzene-like molecule?

PhD    PhD

\    /

C – C

/      \

C        C

\      /

C – C

A: Orthodox

Q: What is the chemical formula for the molecules in candy?
A: Carbon-Holmium-Cobalt-Lanthanum-Tellurium or CHoCoLaTe

Q: Why is potassium an anti-social element?
A: Because, when you put three of them together, you get KKK.

A neutron walked into a restaurant and asked, “How much for a drink?” The waiter replied, “For you, no charge.”

Two atoms were walking across a road when one of them said, “I think I lost an electron!” “Really!” the other replied, “Are you sure?” “Yes, I ‘m absolutely positive.”

This is apparently a true story. It took place just outside of Munich, Germany.
Heisenberg went for a drive and got stopped by a traffic cop. The cop asked, “Do you know how fast you were going?” Heisenberg replied, “No, but I know where I am.”

It is reported that Copernicus’ parents said the following to him at the age of twelve: “Copernicus, young man, when are you going to come to terms with the fact that the world does not revolve around you.”

Source: Jupiter Science

- Aravind R, Science Forum Representative

Eco Club so far…

What does the future hold for us? Smog filled skies and polluted lakes? Well, it is we who have to change the scenario and take initiative to create and spread awareness to protect our environment. And this is what Prakruthi, The Eco Club of  CJC aims at.”Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand”. We members of the club involve ourselves in various activities organized by the club to do our bit for the environment.

 As part of the “International Year of Forest” the Eco- Club conducted a wide range of activities.

• The activities of the club commenced with a signature campaign and rally on account of  The International Day for Biological Diversity on 22nd May, 2011.
• A Class to Class campaigning was conducted, highlighting the importance of conservation of natural resources.
• The World Environment Day was celebrated by taking the Environment Oath proposed by A.P.J Abdul Kalam.
• The club also featured a documentary – ” The Last Hope – Extinction of Vultures“ along with a panel discussion with Mr. Neloy Bandyopadhyay to highlight the effects of a commercial drug on the extinction of vultures.
• The members of Prakruthi also took part in a seminar – ” Rush To Riches – War On Creation” conducted by Dr Rayappa A. Kasi, an eco-warrior and expert on Environmental Ethics.
• We also put up a small play in collaboration with Prerana ( The Language Association) during the 64th Independence Day celebrations. The theme of which was : Save Nature | Build Nation. The chief guest for the programme was Mr. Anil Kumble Cricketer and Vice – Chairman of State Board for Wildlife. 
• Planting a tree means planting a hope. On the 15th of September we planted about 10 tree saplings in our campus and we took good care of them.
• As part of the Biology Day of Science Week, the Eco Club put up a medicinal plant exhibition to highlight the uses of the natural, local medicines and how they can be used as substitutes for the synthetic, expensive medicines.
• Finally we also went on a field trip to the Indo American Plant Hybrid Seeds Pvt. Ltd and Trekking at Ramnagara Hills.
• There were also many competitions such as quiz, elocution and essay writing organized, the winners of which were felicitated on 17th December, the Valedictory of Clubs and Associations.

Thus this year 2011-12 was very eventful as we did our best to spread awareness. Thanks to all the active members – Prerana Narahari, Poushali Ray, Rida Shoaib, Tammana, Likith Kumar, Abdul Kader, Abhishek and Tenzin Tsomo – for their active participation. Thanks to Mr. Benjemen Bosco and Mrs. Jesna Jose – the co-ordinators of Prakruthi for their constant support and guidance. Looking forward to yet another energetic year filled with exciting activities!!!

Indra Priyadarsini S, Student Representative, Prakruthi, The Eco-Club