Met what is inside that skull yet?

 May be the most amazing feature of humans is that they always have the urge to move forward, in every aspect of every sector possible. Think about everything this smart species have accomplished. To the moon, sea bed, earth’s core and to the pillars of creation. Although humans also have waged countless wars, well, we will just avoid it for now. It's obvious that the human brain has anything to do with these amazing capacities of humans. Though it also has its own limitations, it gave humans the power to ask: why do we even exist?

Although the details of this spectacular organ are not always found, we can outline the very basic mode through which it works.

Suppose you were walking down the road and a couple just walked by. Then you begin to think about the way they were talking, their posture or even the color of their attire. How does the brain do it?

Let’s begin considering a few known facts- 

• Firstly, we all know about a cell type: Neurons. 

• Secondly, neurons have chemical compounds that can be used to command the next cell what it knows. 

• Thirdly, the neurons are connected to each other in a sequential way, having a receptor cell at the beginning of the chain. 

Now let’s visualize what is happening in your head. The couple is walking up to you. You see them so, your eyes or more precisely you Retina catches the picture of them and it turns the picture upside down. The picture is converted into a signal, electric signal and the signal is directed at a specific part of the brain, the Visual Cortex. The picture is then recognized. Below your conscious senses the brain asks itself what is the picture of? It’s a couple. Do I know them? No. Then the brain may keep on going- oh! They look happy, those shades look awesome or what does she see in him. And these are done using the logic (from Cerebrum of the brain) and the memory you have. But it also depends on your attention. You would not even bother about Sir Ananta with his wife was passing by if you have a presentation speech in mind. The brain filters signals and throws out redundant ones or make choices to prioritize one. It is quite amazing and necessary that the brain strikes out over 95% of all the signals it receives and sometimes it does not even get the signal. Our spinal cord performs a handsome number of basic functions or autonomic functions completely by itself. This diversion makes a thousand things happen in our nervous system.

Now if the couple was your ex and his/her new “special someone” things would have been very different. Your primitive brain regions would have been experiencing tremendous activity. Sorrow, despair and most importantly, anger would determine how you react. Here, the signal after being recognized initiates a cascade of hormonal discharge which is the process for you to feel emotions. Now all your judgments or actions will have to get the extra approval as your emotion is actively one of the major driving force. So you can imagine that your brain is juggling with so much data, input-outputs and logic that involves various parts of the brain. You might also consider consoling yourself: my relationship didn’t get that complicated. Thank God!

For explaining how the data processing is done there are several models, but none unanimously accepted. But the basic mechanism is that neurons make up a Neural Circuitry. These circuits are shaped by our previous experiences, priorities, etc. When a signal is to be dealt with the brain, it uses desired circuit. The circuit may include various outputs or motor functions such as hormone secretions, activation of muscles or storage tasks for the future.

     

The neurons secrete chemical signals for the other neurons up ahead. The transmission goes through the empty space called Synapse. This is where the signal can choose paths. And the signals do take different paths using a different set of neurons. Thus, various possible circuits emerge and we seem to be able to do whatever task is given to us.

Now you can explain why the brain is plastic. With time and experience your way of thinking and actions will change. Our brain can be taught new ways to think to act. We just produce new circuits. Isn’t this what takes place in a child’s brain? In the first 24 months the baby’s brain gets all it can and shapes a sort of operating system or a baseline for: how to react, what to say and when to be fussy. The same process goes on for your entire life, but only in minor extent. Think about a book which changed your outlook when you were a teen or even later. 

The brain holds the key to several answers yet we have to wait for a few more days. This amazing organ is only given to humans. You may debate that it's because of eons of evolution or it’s the miracle from above. But its ours to use at the moment.

 

Marine Disaster: Oil spill in World's largets Mangrove forest

While the month celebrating the joy of Victory hits, we fight the sorrow of our Pride and Heritage being endangered with Sundarban, world’s largest mangrove forests, today in danger.

Oil slick shore. Photo right: Web

“There is no clear relationship between the amount of oil in the marine environment and the likely impact on wildlife. A smaller spill at the wrong time/wrong season and in a sensitive environment may prove much more harmful than a larger spill at another time of the year in another or even the same environment. Even small spills can have very large effects. Thus, one should not merely compare figures — the size of an oil spill is certainly not the only factor of importance in terms of what environmental damage can be caused by the oil.” http://oils.gpa.unep.org/facts/wildlife.htm

An oil spill is known to harm the marine life in 2 ways: 

1.   From the Oil itself
2. Chemicals used in the cleanup process

For responders working on the operation, it is essential that they understand both the types in order to minimize the ecological impact and respond quickly.  The poisonous chemical constituents of the oil spilled are very harmful. This can affect organisms, both from internal exposure to oil through ingestion or inhalation and from external exposure through the skin and eye. Oil can suffocate the fishes and coat the feathers or furs of the birds and affect their ability to maintain their body temperatures.

There are types of oil that will emphasize more on the type of damage that is caused;
“Fuel oils, such as gasoline and diesel fuel, are very "light" oils. Light oils are very volatile (they evaporate relatively quickly), so they usually don't remain for long in the aquatic or marine environment (typically no longer than a few days). If they spread out on the water, as they do when they are accidentally spilled, they will evaporate relatively quickly.
However, while they are present, light oils present two significant hazards. First, some can ignite or explode. Second, many light oils, such as gasoline and diesel, are also considered to be toxic. They can kill animals or plants that they touch, and they are also dangerous to humans who breathe their fumes or get them on their skin.
In contrast, very "heavy" oils (like bunker oils, which are used to fuel ships) look black and may be sticky for a time until they weather sufficiently, but even then they can persist in the environment for months or even years if not removed. While these oils can be very persistent, they are generally significantly less acutely toxic than lighter oils. Instead, the short-term threat from heavy oils comes from their ability to smother organisms, whereas over the long-term, some chronic health effects like tumors may result in some organisms.” http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/how-oil-harms-animals-and-plants.html

The effect; how it harms the marine life?

Photo rights: wn.com

On birds, the effect is often that oil destroys the feathers and skin that acts as a layer of insulation. The insulating effect of the plumage is destroyed by the oil, and the bird freezes to death (hypothermia). If a bird gets smeared with a lot of oil it may clog the bird's feathers making it impossible for it to fly. The bird may also lose its buoyancy (its ability to float on the water surface) and actually drown. The birds may inhale or ingest oil. It can further affect the reproductive system of the birds as oil from the feathers of a bird that is laying on eggs may pass through the pores in the eggshells and either kill the embryos or lead to malformations in turn, endangering the bird species.

Dead Dolphin. Photo rights: Dhaka Tribune

On other living beings, including mammals, fishes and dolphins; effects of oil on marine animals depend upon species may, in addition to hypothermia, include: toxic effects and secondary organ dysfunction due to ingestion of oil can occur and affect the oral cavity, respiratory surfaces, anal and urogenital orifices. This can cause corneal abrasions, conjunctivitis and ulcers. Consumption of oil-contaminated prey could lead to the accumulation of hydrocarbons in tissues and organs.

Is there any possible Recovery?

Although we know oil spill cleanup is hazardous and a less efficient process along with the fact that wave action and photo-oxidation (from sun) helps to break oil down, but are we just going to wait for a natural selection for probably 100 years to take place and watch our pride and responsibility die?
Instead, let’s have a look of what are some processes that are mostly suggested:

• Containment and recovery: Surround the oil with booms and recover the oil (for cleaning and reuse) with skimmers. This is the most widely used technique being less destructive, but it is only 10-15% efficient.
• Sorbents: Remove oil with absorbent sponges made from diaper-like substances. Local people may lend a hand by making Sorbents more available as they are also made from natural materials -- straw, grasses, coconut husks, or wood chips.
• Dispersants: These are chemicals that act like detergents to break oil up into tiny droplets to dilute the oil's effect and to provide bite-sized bits for oil-eating bacteria that occur naturally, particularly in areas that have had a history of oil spillage.
• Burning: Burning is usually 95-98% efficient, but causes black smoke. One gallon of oil burned this way creates the same pollutants as three logs in a fireplace or woodstove.
• Bioremediation: Enhancing natural biodegradation by natural oil-eating bacteria by providing them with needed fertilizers or oxygen.

Already steps are being taken to combat the situation where the entire nation is struggling to work as one. Meanwhile, one can hope that natural selection would favor the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Irrawaddy dolphins and around 400 Royal Bengali tigers to still survive and be the fittest in every form they exist.



References:

• Effects of Oil Pollution on Marine wildlife. Available at: http://oils.gpa.unep.org/facts/wildlife.htm (Accessed: 14 December 2014). 
• How Oil Harms Animals and Plants in Marine Environments. Available at: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/oil-spills/how-oil-harms-animals-and-plants.html (Accessed: 14 December 2014). 
• Oil Spill Basics. Available at: http://www.absorbentsonline.com/oilspillbasics.htm (Accessed: 15 December 2014).

Biocables are real!

 

Photo Rights- The Scientist

Well, hold your hearts there, we are not talking about the biocables all the way from the movie Spiderman you see. We are rather here talking about a great discovery of the Bacteria whose mode of nutrition is the pure form of Electron!

17:08, 16 July 2014 by Catherine Brahic, Magazine issue 2978 New Scientist released one of the most amazing and a news beyond belief. Bacteria that eats and breathes electricity in its purest form. Shewanella and Geobacter were already known and now biologists say that they can allure many more out of rocks and marine mud by attracting them with the greed of electricity. Experiments show that these bacteria on battery electrodes are eating and excreting electricity. In their natural habitat, the bacteria hunt free electrons from underground. In the lab, Kenneth Nealson of the University of Southern California is trying to grow them directly on electrodes and finding the possibilities of putting them to several uses.

We, the people dreaming of a world running and depending more on bioscience would now love it even more to have our daily lives depend on the organisms that fascinate us so much. Imagine the globalization turning in favor of biologists, imagine your vacuum cleaner running on bacterial excretions, imagine your cell phones being charged by living organisms. Well of course, let us not forget the electricity expenses going down once the sources are more than just common!

To know more about these mind-electrifying microorganisms, visit http://bit.ly/1ybOIsY or [New Scientist]