Showing posts with label human. Show all posts
Showing posts with label human. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Scientists Discover Ways to Generate Electricity From the Human Body


The human body could be turned into a power station, scientists have discovered.

As strange as it may seem, it’s unbelievably true.

So how is it possible?

Scientists have in the past found ways to harness electricity from the wind, human waste, solar energy, among others. They have even discovered alternative ways in which we can charge our smartphones.

One of their latest discoveries is piezoelectricity which is electricity resulting from pressure. In this form of electricity, small amounts of energy are produced when pressure is pushed out of shape.

According to scientists, one way to utilize this form of electricity is through artificial pacemakers. Artificial pacemakers typically turn off after a few years when their batteries run out. However, scientists say it’s now possible for pacemakers to operate for a lifetime if it harnesses energy from the heartbeat.

Scientists have revealed that the same innovative technology could be used to generate electricity outside the body.

According to Professor Zhong Lin Wang of Georgia Institute of Technology, a flexible, foldable, and wearable power source could allow people to generate electricity from their own bodies while walking.

A wearable power source referred to as a “power shirt” is currently being developed. The power shirt is woven from pairs of coated fibres including some tiny strips of gold and zinc oxide.

During movement, these fibers rub against each other, thus producing electric currents.

Pizzicato energy is another form of energy produced when a device consisting of a central hub and an outer ring is fixed onto the knee. As a person walks, the outer rings continuously rotate and the 72 spectra around it swiftly pluck four piezoelectric arms on the central hub, generating an electric current.

Scientists have also discovered the possibility of harnessing electrical energy from our own footsteps.

Enough Electrical Energy to Power iPhone 5C

In theory, electricity generated from our brains could charge an iPhone 5C In 70 hours.

While there are no proven ways to harness electricity from our minds, it would be a huge breakthroughs for scientists should this incredible technology become a reality.

How can the Brain Can Produce Electricity?

According to scientists, the human brain consists of 100 billion electrically conductive “wires” (neurons) and that 1% of these wires are firing at any moment.

Therefore, should the 100 billion neurons fire at the same exact time, about 0.0085 Watts of electrical power would be produced. This is enough electricity to power an energy-saving LED bulb.

iPhone 5C holds a charge of 5.7 4 Watt hours. This simply means that it would take approximately 70 hours to fully charge the iPhone.

Of course, this is not the most efficient way of charging the handset considering it takes less than 3 hours to charge it. However, it’s a clear that our bodies hold a significant amount of electrical charge that can be utilized in various ways.

It may not seem like the most effective and efficient way to harness electricity but with more research, this could become beneficial in many ways.

For example, a model in the Science Museum’s Atmosphere gallery indicates the possibility of harnessing electricity from footsteps in the walkway leading to the Olympic park- enough electricity to light the walkway eight hours each day.

The future certainly looks bright.

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Neanderthals and Humans Interbreeding- First Solid Evidence


Humans mated with their now-extinct relatives, Neanderthals much earlier and more frequently than it was earlier presumed, a new gene study has revealed. The Neanderthals were a species or subspecies of archaic humans in the genus Homo.

According to the study, traces of human DNA found in Neanderthal genome clearly suggest that we started relating with our extinct relatives approximately 100,000 years ago.

One evidence linking to this claim is the ancient remains of a female Neanderthal found in a remote cave located in the Altai Mountains in Siberia. A comprehensive genetic analysis conducted revealed that bits of human DNA were found within her genome, thereby providing evidence that interspecies mating actually took place 100,000 years ago.

Intermingling First Took Place in the Middle East

The recent study further reveals that the Neanderthal-human mating apparently took place in the Middle East, not in Europe as it had earlier been suspected. This was shortly after they left Africa and spread to the rest of the world, about 60,000 years ago.

These findings did not come off as a surprise to Erik Trinkhaus, an anthropologist whose earlier claims of Neanderthal-modern human interbreeding found to contradict DNA evidence, appear to have been validated by the new gene study.

According to Trinkhaus, “They have finally seen the light...because it has been obvious to many of us that this actually happened.” The anthropologist further claims that it's highly possible that most living humans have much more DNA than the new gene study suggests.

According to him, 1%-4% is minimum- it could be 10%, 20%, or even more.


The new gene study actually showed that Neaderthal DNA is 99.7% identical to that of humans compared to for example, 98.8% of modern humans and chimps. This is sure evidence that modern humans have such a closely related genetically, which further proves the possibility of mating.

The study also revealed that all modern ethnic groups in exception of Africans, carry some traces of Neanderthal DNA in their genomes. This was quite puzzling considering that the non-extinct human species was thought to have originated from Africa- although no fossil evidence was found.

This is clear indicator that modern humans were actually having sex with Neanderthals outside Africa 100,000 years ago, specifically because they were not found there. They had left the continent way before the large dispersal that took place about 40,000 years ago.

This revelation actually sheds some light on the history of human migration.

The study also found that although the Chinese and Melanesians are closely related to Neanderthals, the species never inhabited China or Papua New Guinea. It could be that the human migration played a huge role in this.

It’s not actually known how these matings happened as there are many possibilities ranging from one group stealing females or raiding another, peaceful exchanges of partners to adopting orphaned or abandoned babies.

All in all, regardless of how it happened, it's pretty exciting to learn that we at least have a strong connection with our now-extinct relatives.

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Jellyfish Stings And Their Trailing Tentacles


Jellyfish are free-swimming aquatic animals with gelatinous umbrella shaped bell and trailing tentacles. The bells assist them in movement by propelling them forward. Though they may seem harmless from outside, their tentacles can be used against their predators to inject toxins in the body of others, resulting in painful stings.

Jellyfish have special cells along their tentacles called cnidocytes. Attached with these cells are harpoon like structures full of venom, called nematocysts, which are a whip like hollow tubule and lies coiled under high osmotic pressure. When mechanical or chemical stimuli activate an external trigger, the lid of the cell pops open and sea water rushes in. This forces a microscopic harpoon, i.e, the nematocysts to shoot out and penetrate the skin of the victim in lesser time than what it takes for us to blink. The main cause of this discomfort is a type of protein called porin found in the venom of all jellyfish.

The Nematocysts can continue to fire even when the jellyfish becomes dead. So, it is quite important to remove them. Also, each cell can only fire once, so that they do not release nematocysts at every object that crosses their paths. The cnidocytes have both mechanical and chemical receptors that control the discharge. Hair cells detect touch while chemo-receptors sense the chemicals released by predators and prey. When the jellyfish encounters something that doesn’t have the appropriate chemical composition, the nematocysts does not fire. This adaptation ensures that they do not sting themselves.


While Jellyfish do not actively attack humans, when their tentacles come in contact with human flesh, stingers are released as a part of their natural defence mechanism. Most of the stings injected by these creatures are harmless to humans & do not possess any serious threats. But still, it is important to know methods in which its effect could be minimised in least time. Some remedies for jellyfish stings are described below.

The most easily available remedy for the stings is vinegar. Rinsing it with vinegar will usually render un-discharged nematocysts and make them inactive. Seawater can also help to remove residual nematocysts. But, we should be careful not to use freshwater, as any change in salt balance alters the osmotic pressure outside the nematocysts and will trigger the venom to fire. While most of the jellyfish stings are painful, some can be deadly too, for example the Sea-wasp Jellyfish.

So, keeping the above facts in mind, be careful , the next time you go to the shore.

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Effects Of Bluetooth On Humans


Bluetooth technology allows people to carry on with a without wire way of life. With Bluetooth, we can synchronize minor headsets to our phones so we can talk without hands. We can likewise adjust various types of PC innovation to clear our work spaces without stressing over stumbling over or incidentally unplugging basic wires. For instance, remote mice and printers are accessible. We can even match up our Smartphones to talk through our auto's stereo framework when companions call.

Positive Effects

Utilization of portable information

Bluetooth gives the chance of utilizing the portable information in various applications. Bluetooth makes remote correspondence between the two gadgets in a restricted range of a room of office or home effectively. Bluetooth innovation utilizes radio-based connections and every one of the associations between the gadgets.

Accessible

The Bluetooth technology is accessible universally. Bluetooth innovation works in the 2.4 GHZ, one of the unlicensed, mechanical and logical radio groups. Bluetooth innovation is for nothing out of pocket administration, however, your cell phones set ought to bolster the GSM and CDMA innovation.

Negative Effects

Electromagnetic Frequencies and Radiation

Electromagnetic frequencies and radiation hinder the common vitality stream inside the body by blocking typical cell development and operation. waves noticeable all around that transmit data, information, and radio flags through the air and strong masses to achieve the diverse gadgets. Bluetooth innovation works in an indistinguishable route from PDAs and microwaves- - through radiation; phones and microwaves have likewise raised some well being worries consistently.

Weight Gain

Rehashed introduction to gadgets that utilization dynamic EMFs interferes with the common vitality stream of the body. As per the King Institute, weight picks up is one of the undesirable reactions of rehashed presentation to this kind of radiation.

Brain Cancer

Bluetooth innovation is frequently connected with and utilized for sans hands mobile phone gadgets that append to the ear. People who wear these devices always persistently uncover that piece of their body ideal beside the cerebrum to ceaseless radiation, notwithstanding when they gadget is not being used. This radiation, even in little measurements, affects mind cells and impedes solid operation after some time.

Leukemia

The radiation originating from Bluetooth innovation isn't as solid as that radiation might have been, yet people should be aware of how frequently they open themselves to these unsafe radio waves, particularly those that are more powerless to sicknesses due to another terminal disease or a debilitated insusceptible framework.

Ear Pain

Ear pain is one of the well being dangers brought about by the continuous use of Bluetooth headsets. Bluetooth headsets enter into ear's outer segment cause torment because of their weight. The awkward set of Bluetooth headsets can likewise bring about ear-torment. You can utilize pads and weightless Bluetooth headsets to maintain a strategic distance from inconvenience.

Hearing problem

It is another symptom of Bluetooth headsets. Headset volume can be tuned to more elevated amounts however you ought to realize that sounds louder than 85dB can bring about hearing misfortune. To secure your listening ability capacity, keep the volume low.

Bluetooth radiation influences everybody in an unexpected way, yet all symptoms originate from the fundamental certainty that the microwaves hinder with the capacity of the cells to work and transmit vitality normally. Opposite symptoms that have been related to microwave radiation in Bluetooth advancements incorporate birth imperfections or unsuccessful labor, male pattern baldness, Alzheimer infection, neck torment, and cerebral pains.

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Wi-Fi - The Invisible Killer


We all know that ever since the emergence of Wi-Fi technology around the world, life has been more convenient. However a lot of people have started having doubts concerning the safety of our health amidst possible forces that roam invisibly around us. Wi-Fi technology has been introduced in 1997, and since then, dozens of researches have been conducted to know more about the health effects caused by Wi-Fi technology.

Wi-Fi Contributes to Insomnia

Have you ever wondered why you feel even more awake after using Wi-Fi? Do you experience going through those sleepless nights because of the internet? There have been so many reports about this phenomenon and a study in 2007 revealed that low-frequency modulations affect sleep. This means that sleeping near a phone or in a home with the Wi-Fi turned on or in an apartment with so much Wi-Fi signals can actually cause chronic problems in sleep, affecting sleeping patterns. Inadequate sleep further causes depression and hypertension.

Wi-Fi Impairs Child Development

Exposure to these low-frequency, non-thermal modulations from cellular phones and even Wi-Fi can damage normal development—most especially fetal development. Research suggests that these frequencies actually affect protein synthesis and growing tissues among children and the youth. In other words, children and pregnant women who bask into Wi-Fi signals actually increases the harmful risks against fetal and child development.


Wi-Fi Disturbs Proper Brain Functions

There also have been numerous studies concerning the impact of Wi-Fi and 4G radiations on the functioning of the brain. Through MRI technology, it has been found out that people who are exposed to these types of radiations have caused reduced activities in several areas of the brain. Furthermore, recent studies have proved that females who get exposed to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi signals for at least 45 minutes can cause noticeable changes in brain activity and energy levels.

More researches have been conducted that show that Wi-Fi signals indeed contribute to even more health risks such as fertility, cardiac stress and even tumor development—which leads to cancer. You can however protect yourself from these risks. Intake of proper dosages of L-Carnitine provides antioxidants for the nutrients in your body that get affected by 2.4 GHz (e.g. Wi-Fi) radiation. L-Carnitine doesn’t block exposure, but gives you ample nutritional defense. Furthermore, it is wise not to sleep beside your phones, tablets or laptops and computers to lessen your exposure to these kinds of radiations. Lastly, if you are not using your Wi-Fi router, turn it off as well.