Curiosity April 2023

E42

Video here: https://youtu.be/zZexPBS3YdQ

From Latin verb aperire, “to open” when leaves of plants open in spring. First month of spring in NH while autumn in SH

Month of Daisy flower (Bellis perennis). Florigraphy: Language of flowers

Lifespan in India was 70.8 in 2020 (global: 73.4). 2022: Delhi down 10 years to 60.8, Haryana down 7 years (63.8), Punjab 6 years (64.8), all India 5 years (to 65.8), pollution to blame. | 2023 State of India’s Environment report.

Giant flying bug found at Arkansas Walmart turns out to be “super-rare” Jurassic-era insect giant lacewing, or Polystoechotes punctata

This month’s Discoveries

1. Study finds bee and butterfly numbers are falling, even in undisturbed forests| Native plants help immensely, but IAS everywhere like Parthenium, Hogweed, Lantana, Eichhornia | Science
2. Air pollution disrupts sexual communication in flies — females are less attracted to males, and males attempt to copulate with other males | Max Plank
3. Giant flying bug found at Arkansas Walmart turns out to be “super-rare” Jurassic-era insect giant lacewing, or Polystoechotes punctata
4. New study explores why we disagree so often: our concepts about and associations with even the most basic words vary widely, and, at the same time, people tend to significantly overestimate how many others hold the same conceptual beliefs
5. Exposure to PFAS chemicals Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances-found in drinking water and everyday household products may result in reduced fertility in women of as much as 40 percent
6. Physicists invented the “lightest paint in the world.” 1.3 kilograms of it could color an entire a Boeing 747, compared to 500 kg of regular paint. The weight savings would cut a huge amount of fuel and money
7. Shame makes people living in poverty more supportive of authoritarianism, study finds
8. Managers Exploit Loyal Workers Over Less Committed Colleagues| The more you’ll do the more they’ll expect you to do.
9. More magnesium in our daily diet (more than 550mg of magnesium each day) leads to better brain health as we age, and it could also help reduce the risk of dementia | “Examples of foods which were assessed and contain higher Mg levels include leafy green vegetables such as spinach, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains.”
10. Researchers have found that 11 minutes a day (75 minutes a week) of moderate-intensity physical activity — such as a brisk walk — would be sufficient to lower the risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke and a number of cancers. | Cambridge
11. Culling of vampire bats to reduce rabies outbreaks has the opposite effect — spread of the virus accelerated in Peru | Nature
12. For the first time, astronomers have caught a glimpse of shock waves rippling along strands of the cosmic web — the enormous tangle of galaxies, gas and dark matter that fills the observable universe.| they are “Fermi-like” shocks where you have magnetic fields and charged particles get accelerated in them. | Science
13. Time spent gardening is associated with better mental wellbeing and life satisfaction in Mid-to-late adulthood, especially in older adults
14. Researchers found that when they turned cancer cells into immune cells, they were able to teach other immune cells how to attack cancer, “this approach could open up an entirely new therapeutic approach to treating cancer”
15. Cancer researchers show introducing bacteria to a tumour’s microenvironment creates a state of acute inflammation that triggers the immune system’s primary responder cells to attack rather than protect a tumour.
16. High blood caffeine levels may reduce body weight and type 2 diabetes risk, according to new study| Imperial College

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Observances

• 5 Conscience
• 6 Pink Moon
• 7 Health
• 11 Mercury
• 16 Moon-Saturn Conjunction
• 20 Hybrid solar eclipse. Annular plus Total. Best E Timor. Next in October| Antumbra (Annular eclipse leading to ring of fire) + Umbra (Total eclipse)
• 21 Creativity and Innovation
• 22 Mother earth
• 23 English, Lyrid meteor shower, Moon-Venus conjunction
• 24 Pi-Puppid meteor shower
• 25 Malaria
• 28 Safety and health at work
• HAKUTO-R M1 landing on Lunar surface, late April

Opportunities

• MentX Mentor call is open now. Successfully supervising four or more interns (mentees) and submitting comprehensive report by them is what is expected. After successful mentoring, mentors will be inducted in YAI as lifetime fellows.
• National Call for Translation of Research And Commercialization’ (NC-TRAC 2023), 10th April
• DBT-Wellcome Trust Team Science grant, 21st April
• Clinical public health grants.
• DBT Wellcome Trust India Alliance Sr and Intermediate fellowships: 2 April
• HFSP International Human Frontier Science Program Organization PostDoc fellowships in France. 11 May
• Indo-Argentine joint call, 30th April
• Indo-Israel, 2nd May
• Indo-Russian, 15th June

100 Nuggets| Pearls of Wisdom, by Dr. Tozama Wwebani Ogunleye. 100 inspiring quotes on self-actualization with thorough explanation. Enlightenment, empowerment and encouragement. Positive psychology, motivation, creativity. Science leadership. Academy of Sciences of SA, ASSAf, Science Coordinator. 2011 DST Women in Science Award, 2016 Mail and Guardian Top 200 Young South African. SAYAS Co-Chair

My latest book “Life Skills” is now on sale, Rs. 435 only. Order here. YAI Fb page lists more exciting curiosity-driven research news every day, do subscribe.

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