Author: Vydehi Pongalil

A new study conducted by the researchers of Northwestern Medicine shows that the neurons present in a particular area of the brain that influence the memory was considerably larger in SuperAgers than the rest of their contemporaries.  Super neurons or entorhinal cortex, which are responsible for memory, are detected in people who are aged above 80 years. Compared to their contemporaries who are 20-30 years younger and those who are diagnosed with an early stage of Alzheimer’s, the SuperAgers have larger neurons and thus much better memory. Tau tangles, the nerves that are prominent in Alzheimer’s disease, were surprisingly nonexistent…

Global warming appears to have a negative impact on the space observatories situated all around the globe. Climate change has affected our view of the cosmos as all that we get will be of low quality and mostly obscured. Global warming affects not only our lives on Earth, but also those in space. Ground-based telescopes used for astronomical observations are really very sensitive to local atmospheric conditions. This has been proven in a study published by a group of scientists at the University of Bern and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS in the journal Astronomy &…

Covid-19 pandemic has not just affected our immune system but all other vital organs including the heart and liver. The nightmare called Covid-19 is pretty adamant to follow us to our graveyards as our hearts are also now vulnerable to the lingering effects of the virus. Covid-19 has escalated the occurrence of heart attacks and other diseases associated with it. Prof. Rajesh Vijayvergiya from the Cardiology Department, PGI, explained that the infection has adverse effects on the heart by decreasing its pump capacity and thus causing acute blockage of coronary arteries. “Due to the pandemic, there was a surge in…

British health officials have warned the citizens of a possible outbreak of flu and Covid-19 during the looming winter. Twindemic proves to be a major concern for Britain ever since the beginning of coronavirus in 2020. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has announced to the public to take the vaccines for Covid and flu as soon as possible. If not, the pressure will be two-fold for the already tensed National Health Service (NHS). “There are strong indications we could be facing the threat of widely circulating flu, lower levels of natural immunity due to less exposure over the last…

Studies have shown that drinking 2-3 cups of coffee daily will reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) as well as the mortality rate in humans, in contrast to avoiding coffee altogether.  The coffee should be either ground, instant, or decaffeinated as they are associated with the curtailing of arrhythmia and atrial fibrillation. According to a study, it also prevents coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, and ischaemic stroke. A person should have a mild to moderate consumption of coffee, as it is considered as a part of healthy lifestyle. The Study was conducted by the Baker Heart and Diabetes Research Institute, Australia,…

Khosta-2, the new virus is spreading fear and concern among scientists as they prove to be resistant towards current vaccines against Covid. In recent years, hundreds of viruses belonging to the category of sarbecovirus has been identified predominantly in the Asian subcontinent. Among those, most of them are incapable of infecting human cells. The new virus detected in Russian bats is efficient enough to affect humans. The major concerns on the virus according to scientists lies in the fact that the current vaccines used for the prevention of Covid occurred to be ineffective on the new one. The researchers at…

The past week has seen famous and successful missions to space, starting from Russia’s new ISS crew launch to the International Space Station to five other launches by the US and China. 

The Japanese space probe, Hayabusa 2, has successfully retrieved specks of dust from asteroid Ryugu which is approximately 300 million kilometers from Earth.     It is not just the dust particles that is of importance but the presence of water found in it that has surprised the scientists.    “The surprising content was a drop of water”, scientists said on Friday.   Former theories have implied that life on Earth might be originated from outer space. The recent discovery of water droplets further lends support to it.   “This drop of water has great meaning, many researchers believe that…

Artemis 1, the unmanned space mission is one of NASA’s greatest achievements as it is a stepping stone toward possible human deep space travel.     After a series of test failures, Artemis 1 is finally ready for its launch. During the previous launch attempt, the engineers came across a massive hydrogen leak which they are able to fix successfully so that they can continue with the plan.   Furthermore, the team has established a new cryogenic loading mechanism and ground automation so as to prevent any leaks caused by sudden fluctuations in temperature and pressure.   “The liquid hydrogen leak…

Amidst thighing pressure between Russia and the US over the ongoing Ukraine war, the space agencies of both countries have joined hands for the new mission.     The International space station (ISS) gladly received 3 astronauts after the successful launch of Russia’s Soyuz MS-22. The mission took two Russian astronauts and an American to the space station. This proves that the two countries, despite the tensions over the war, wanted peaceful collaboration in space.   The team consists of Frank Rubio, an American astronaut, along with Russians Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin. For Rubio, this would be his first…