A JELLICIOUS STORY

 SLEEPING JELLY BEAUTY

                                                          DATE :- 08.07.21

Jellyfish doesn't have the so called brain but still they are able to show the sleeplike state on a particular time of the day which is revealed in a new research findings. 

They don't have brains, or even anything more than a rudimentary nervous system, but jellyfish apparently do have bedtimes.

New research finds that jellyfish enter a sleep-like state. If the study, published in the journal Current Biology, is confirmed by future studies, jellyfish are the first-ever animals with no central nervous system to have been observed sleeping. That finding could bolster the theory that sleep is an emergent property of neurons — in other words, sleep might be something that nerve cells connected in a network just do, even without complex organization. 

ORIGIN OF SLEEP IN THE CONTEXT OF JELLY FISH

One research scholar from CALTECH ; Michael Abrams, happened to be cultivating jellyfish in the lab of biologist Lea Goentoro at the same time for an entirely unrelated project. He noticed that one genus, Cassiopea, or the upside-down jellyfish, seemed to become less active at night. Cassiopea spends the vast majority of its time sitting upside down on the ocean or tank floor, pulsing its bell about once a second, Abrams told Live Science. This sedentary behavior makes the upside-down jellyfish an easy animal to track behaviorally.

SNOOZING JELLIES

Abrams and Nath joined forces with Benbrook to investigate just what the jellies were doing. They knew that to show that the jellyfish were sleeping, they'd have to prove that their behavior met the standard criteria for sleep: decreased activity that is rapidly reversible, unlike a coma or unconsciousness; reduced responsiveness to stimuli compared to a waking state; and homeostatic regulation, meaning there is some sort of innate "drive" toward sleep and that the animal needs sleep to function.

AN EXPERIMENT 

To measure activity, the researchers counted the rate of the bell's pulsation in 23 jellyfish for six straight days and nights. They found that the rate dropped by 32 percent at night, going from about 1,155 pulses per 20 minutes during the day to 781 pulses per 20 minutes at night. When the researchers put a little midnight snack in the water column, the jellies perked up and started pulsing at daytime rates, indicating that this quiescent period was easily reversible.

Cassiopea jellyfish, known as upside-down jellyfish for their preferred position, appear to sleep at night. (Image credit: Caltech)

LIFE CENTRIC

 Looking through the glass of water

                                        DATE :- 05.07.21

We genuinely call nature as mystery, yes it is. But for me nothing can be more mysterious than human being. Not only I am taking the references of their behavior if you imagine their thought process on any situation makes a keen observer more curious than anything else. Our life had started in the water it is almost confirmed ( at least for now), ya so nothing can be so long and tiring journey than life is which is the ultimate truth. In this long journey nothing is constant, your love respect worth even it can even be like "the upturn glass" depending on situation. You can try to put a barrier like we keep the water in glass but what we see in the glass that is not the reality, the water is much more expanded as so the life is. 

Water can fall from the glass if we are not aware enough then it knows no bound and then we have no control on it.  

" Sorry my majesty your time is over!"

But the things can be different also if we take the life as our hard task Mistress who always reminds you about your things to do. 

Life is also not like an evenly poised something rather they are entangled with situations which makes a human to human being itself. What is the most special thing about it is the versatility of looking on the situations. Here are three categories :- one who is always happy whatever the situation is, rather we can say optimistic. Are the happiness and satisfaction same?  Well I don’t know  Pundit's verdict but for me it is not that. Happiness provides you positive motivation and self actualization to proceed forward to become more satisfied, which have actually no limit. There are some peoples who are saturated or supersaturated they follows the linear curve of life. I have no problem or it should not be also. But do all the unsaturated people are in relentlessly  negative?  It may not be. Here comes the question of dissatisfaction ; when a person is not fully satisfied on his / her current state so there is always a wake up call inside that person. And who is unsatisfied means probably the situation is not made for you, left and thrive for excellence ( as for you). 

Now look upon the glass of water it is almost empty but not null means a state of unsatisfactory state of mind. 

On the other hand the level of water goes down from the mark means some sorts of dissatisfaction. 

Though situation matters and then decision matters the most but the relentless authority is still on the Time who writes " Odyssey of life ". We should not be like unseeded pedestrian. 

When a seed germinates it has the aim of not only big but also for a fruitful tree. Quality of fruit is not the same but obviously unique for that tree and also important for the tree.

Life is like a tree of events and occurrences. Here also you should sprinkle the water ( values of life)  not drown it ( over ethical situations) when it is in the form of sapling ( time of development), who will care if the root is got rotten?  Literally no one. 

Only we relish some moments nothing else ; no one will have that propeller of your life except you yes someone can inspire you, love you, admire you or can disrespect or hate you not more than that.

The glass is still there, it has spoken a lot you may not hear it but if you feel it then the Earth will be your oyster. Even in captivity of glass outside you can feel the taste of water ; the life. 

( The KB)

About a famous rock from Bulgaria

BELOGRADCHIK ROCK 

Date:- 01.07.2021  

The Belogradchik Rocks (Bulgarian: Белоградчишки скали, Belogradchishki skali) are a group of strangely shaped sandstone and conglomerate rock formations located on the western slopes of the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina) near the town of Belogradchik in northwest Bulgaria. The rocks vary in color from primarily red to yellow; some of the rocks reach up to 200 m in height. Many rocks have fantastic shapes and are associated with interesting legends. They are often named for people or objects they are thought to resemble. The Belogradchik Rocks have been declared a Natural Landmark by the Bulgarian government and are a major tourist attraction in the region. They are the only habitat of the critically endangered Bulgarian endemic plant Hieracium belogradcense.

Geography:-

The Belogradchik Rocks are spread over the western part of the Balkan Mountains and cover an area of 50 km² (19 sq mi). They extend from the village of Rabisha in the west to the village of Belotintsi in the east.

The central group of rocks is situated just to the south and adjacent to the town of Belogradchik. Located here are several notable formations: Adam and Eve, the Mushrooms, the Schoolgirl, the Bear, the Dervish, the Shepherd Boy, the Lion, the Camel, the Madonna, the Horseman, the Monks, the goddess Bendida, the Rebel Velko, and many other stone figures.

The second group of rocks lies to the west of Belogradchik. The rocks are of the Alpine variety and are surrounded by steep precipices. The most famous of these rocks are Zbegovete, Erqupriya, and Boritch.

The third group of rocks lies 4 km (2.5 mi). to the east of Belogradchik and includes the rocks around the Latin Gate and the Lipenik Cave.

Geology:-

Many rock figures and small valleys with steep vertical slopes have formed over hundreds of millions of years as a result of the natural processes of erosion, denudation, growth of mosses and lichens, and other natural factors.

The formation of the Belogradchik Rocks started during the Permian period, about 230 million years ago,^[when the tectonic cycle was folding to create the Balkan Mountains and elevating the region of Belogradchik.

Later, during the Triassic period, the region became the floor of a shallow sea. At the same time, the destruction of the earlier Paleozoic rocks formed enormous quantities of gravel, sand and clay, which were deposited by the rivers into the sea basin. The sediment piled up and gradually became thicker layers of conglomerates and sandstone, with the conglomerate pieces becoming well rounded over time by the forces of water.

Tourism:-

The Belogradchik Rocks are a major tourist destination in northwest Bulgaria, along with the town of Belogradchik and the Belogradchik Fortress, which incorporates the rocks as part of its natural defense, and the nearby Magura Cave, situated near the village of Rabisha. Another tourist attraction in the area is the Baba Vida medieval fortress in the nearby town of Vidin on the Danube river.

Legends of Madona:-

The Madonna – Once there were a monastery and nunnery amongst the Belogradchik Rocks. There lived a beautiful nun, who was secretly envied by all for her beauty. More than once, the old Mother Superior reminded the nun not to forget that even though she was young and pretty, that she had taken the veil and was vowed to God. During the Petrovden celebration, a young patrician came to the festival on his white horse. Immediately, when she saw him, the nun recognized the man of her dreams. She could not resist her heartache and secretly met him, but the nun's illicit love was eventually discovered by the cries of her young child. The Mother Superior decided to severely punish the nun by all monastic canons, and even the monks from the monastery were summoned to pass judgment on her. It took a long time for the white bearded monks to draw a punishment, but at last they decided to expel her and her child out of the priory. The poor nun was doomed to a life worse than death itself. Ordinary people would treat her like a leper, and no one would dare talk to her, let alone give her shelter or food. The nun was ready to have her life taken rather than be chased out of the nunnery. As heartbreaking as her sincere plea for mercy was, it did not move the monks. As the nun was exiting the monastic gates, a miracle happened. The day became night and a frightening thunder was heard. The rocks opened up and the monastery and nunnery were both driven into the ground, and the Monks, on their retreat back to the cloister, the Madonna, bending over her child, and the Horseman, riding to his beloved on his white horse, were all turned to stone.

STRANGE CAMEL FROM ARABIAN PENNINSULA

CAMEL WITH 3 HUMPS

                                                                                                                                                      22.06.21                

An incredible discovery has just been made this week in the Rub al-Khali desert on the Arabian Peninsula. A three-humped camel colony has been spotted in Oman in Al-Wusta region near the Saudi border. The camelid, which has been given the name Tribocus camelus, is currently a biological enigma.

Two species of camels have been known until now: the Camelus bactrianus, or Bactrian camel, which has two humps and is of Asian origin and the Camelus dromedarius, commonly known as the camel of Arabia, which has a single hump and is widespread in Arabia as well as in North Africa. A hybrid of the two species exists: the Turkoman. This one has only one hump and is larger than the first two mentioned.

Although the origin of the three-humped camel is still unknown, two hypotheses are now being put forward by the scientific community to explain this discovery. The first is a recent genetic mutation. “It is possible that the colony appeared a few decades ago following a rare mutation in the genome of a camelid in the region,” says Meshal al-Jassim, a researcher at the Faculty of Science at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

If it is a genetic mutation, the cause could be global warming and the resulting natural selection, according to Meshal al-Jassim: “If the mutation is of natural origin, it could be explained by the rise in temperatures in the region and the need for camelids to have an additional hump to store more water and nutrients.”

An ancestral species

Ahmad al-Harthi, head of the Department of Archaeology at Sultan Qaboos University of Muscat, Oman, supports another hypothesis. According to him, the three-humped camel is a prehistoric species. “Several rock paintings dating from the second millennium BC and discovered on the Arabian Peninsula suggest that the men of the region used three-humped camels for agriculture and transport,” insists Ahmad al-Harthi.

Prehistoric rock paintings in the Arabian desert suggest that man used to use the three-humped camel in the past

But then how can we explain that the species has never been discovered before today? For al-Harthi, the answer is very innocuous. “Recently, an Aboriginal tribe was discovered in Brazil, in the Amazon forest,” he says. This tribe has probably lived for centuries without interaction with the outside world, in an area that is not accessible to man. The three-humped camel was found in the arid vastness of the Rub al-Khali desert where few men venture. It can be assumed that the species has survived all these centuries out of sight.”

MOTHER OF DNA DOUBLE HELIX MODEL

 THE KB                                                                                                                        30.05.21

CURIOUS CASES BEHIND ‘ PHOTO 51’ &  BEYOND

‘ Science for me, gives a partial explanation for life. In so far as it goes, it I based on fact, experience and experiment’ – this widely known famous quote was stated by an unsung hero, often less prioritized, supreme genius yet too much underrated ‘ The dark lady of DNA’ ( by Barbara Maddox) , a British chemist ; Rosalind Franklin.

It was evident very early when she first stepped in the King’s College of London on 1951 at the age of 31. Born in 1920; A passionate, dedicated, calm and composed yet rebellious, extremely brilliant with inventory thought depicts Rosalind Franklin the best. She was an enigma at that time. She started schooling previously at St. Pauls’ and completed her study from Cambridge University in Chemistry till 1938, worked in CURA(Coal utilization Research Association) till 1947 and learned X ray crystallography from Mareel Mathieu.

 

Her times in King’s College London was the most significant chapter of her life where she worked upon one of the ground breaking discovery of all time not only in science but also for humanity that is to reveal the double helix structure of DNA which was still under the mystery. She faced many facets of challenges of being woman and also being a jew but she was determined and disciplined on her work. She used to work intensely in the lab mostly on the X ray crystallography to reveal the actual structure of DNA double helix. She along with her assistant Gosling continued to excel in their work. The guide of Franklin was Maurice Wilkins who was envious on his research scholar, never gave the credit and also used to torture mentally to Franklin and unethically wanted to reveal all of her work to his close friend JD Watson who was also working on the same purpose in another place names as Cavendish Laboratory along with his senior Francois Crick, they were trying to reveal the DNA structure in theoretically and were perplexed about the position of H-bond in double helix structure. Rosalind Franklin was spending her time and as a true perfectionist she used to take the near perfect conclusive evident on the X ray crystallographic image of DNA double helix for 50 times and took 100 hours to make famous ‘photo 51’; the most perfect image was the 51^st one. That’s why the number 51 is very significant in Franklin’s life, as a full time researcher she started her work in King’s College on 1951 too. Unfortunately her tremendous hard work had been unethically robbed by Wilkins and helped Watson and Crick to solve the puzzle of DNA double helix model. Later in life Watson became a good friend of Franklin but at that time Watson also betrayed Franklin. Watson, Crick and Wilkins awarded Nobel prize on 1962 for the discovery of DNA double helix model and the ill fortunate Franklin died in ovarian cancer on 1958 at the age of 38 only. She was fallen ill during her work according to Gosling.

 

So, this was the epitome of a tragic story of science, excellent researcher, amazing personality of Franklin. She got her credit after the death when whole scenario came in front, during her time she never got any recognition about her work. Now she is called as ‘ mother of DNA double helix model’. Very few people knows that she was very keen to study in the field of virology also, she described the 3D structure of TMV( tomato mosaic virus), depicted the structures of coal and graphite.

 

Confrontation when cornered was Rosalind’s tactic. The alternative- passive acquiescence in something she knew to be wrong – was intolerable, totally contradictory to her faith in the provable truth of science.

 

EMPTY ROAD…SPOTLESS MIND

T

he long way ; may be the longer…

Wait, wait, and further wait…

Let's see ; the unsown desires…

Like shadows are passing by…

To the empty road 

That unfinished journey, to the spotless end...

How can we stop?

There is no stop of stupidity... 

Dreadful  greed; bloody desires…

 

T

he dying mortality; degraded socialism…

Flying like shadowy imposters…

No respect, no grit, no matters to survive...

The divine images that are broken... 

Their kindlier souls of statuesque...

Breaks the soul of inspirations, soul of the greatness…

Imprisoned in the jail of evils; like a jail bird...

Way to the eternal sunshine to the spotless mind…

Still in a long…long…long…way...

The way of resurgence...

The gateway of wisdom and will power; the great pleasure.

 

THE KB

Human aDNA

 OPENSIVE MIND// THE KB

Due to the considerable anthropological, archaeological, and public interest directed toward human remains, they have received considerable attention from the DNA community. There are also more profound contamination issues, since the specimens belong to the same species as the researchers collecting and evaluating the samples.

Sources:-

Due to the morphological preservation in mummies, many studies from the 1990s and 2000s used mummified tissue as a source of ancient human DNA. Examples include both naturally preserved specimens, for example, those preserved in ice, such as the Ötzi the Iceman, or through rapid desiccation, such as high-altitude mummies from the Andes, as well as various sources of artificially preserved tissue (such as the chemically treated mummies of ancient Egypt). However, mummified remains are a limited resource. The majority of human aDNA studies have focused on extracting DNA from two sources that are much more common in the archaeological record – bone and teeth. The bone that is most often used for DNA extraction is the petrous bone, since its dense structure provides good conditions for DNA preservation. Several other sources have also yielded DNA, including paleo faeces, and hair. Contamination remains a major problem when working on ancient human material.

Ancient pathogen DNA has been successfully retrieved from samples dating to more than 5,000 years old in humans and as long as 17,000 years ago in other species. In addition to the usual sources of mummified tissue, bones and teeth, such studies have also examined a range of other tissue samples, including calcified pleura, tissue embedded in paraffin, and formalin-fixed tissue. Efficient computational tools have been developed for pathogen and microorganism aDNA analyses in a small (QIIME) and large scale (FALCON).

Results:-

Taking preventative measures in their procedure against such contamination though, a 2012 study analyses bone samples of a Neanderthal group in the El Sidon cave, finding new insights on potential kinship and genetic diversity from the aDNA. In November 2015, scientists reported finding a 110,000-year-old tooth containing DNA from the Denisovan hominin, an extinct species of human in the genus Homo.

The research has added new complexity to the peopling of Eurasia. It has also revealed new information about links between the ancestors of Central Asians and the indigenous peoples of the Americas. In Africa, older DNA degrades quickly due to the warmer tropical climate, although, in September 2017, ancient DNA samples, as old as 8,100 years old, have been reported.

Moreover, ancient DNA has helped researchers to estimate modern human divergence. By sequencing African genomes from three Stone Age hunter gatherers (2000 years old) and four Iron Age farmers (300 to 500 years old), Schlebusch and colleagues were able to push back the date of the earliest divergence between human populations to 350,000 to 260,000 years ago.