ibtimes.co.in - Hiroshima and Nagasaki stand as a testament to what would happen if a nuclear bomb was ever detonated over a populated area and why it should never be used again in war. A new research has now found out how much radiation victims of the "cruel bomb" experienced.
This study is based on research that started in the 1970s, notes a report by ScienceAlert. Sergio Mascarenhas from the University of Sao Paulo found that X-ray and gamma irradiation led human bones to become "weakly magnetic", this phenomenon was then named paramagnetism.
A jaw bone from a Hiroshima victim was obtained and studied by Mascarenhas in the 1970s to find out how much radiation the bones had absorbed. The recent study also took samples from the same jaw, but used modern methods including electronic spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, notes the report. To get a more accurate measure of the radiation levels the unidentified victim of the bombing experienced, the samples were irradiated back to their original level of radiation that the bone was put through.
"We then constructed a curve and extrapolated from that the initial dose, when the signal was presumably zero. This calibration method enabled us to measure different samples, as each bone and each part of the same bone has a different sensitivity to radiation, depending on its composition," said the study's co-author Oswaldo Baffa, from the University of Sao Paulo.
After scientists completed their analysis, they found that the victim's jaw bone had taken 9.46 grays (Gy) worth of radiation. It only takes 5 Gy to kill a human, noted Baffa. This figure also matches up with the radiation levels recorded in the brick and roof tiles in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the bombings.
"We used a technique known as electron spin resonance spectroscopy to perform retrospective dosimetry. Currently, there's renewed interest in this kind of methodology due to the risk of terrorist attacks in countries like the United States," Baffa said.
"Imagine someone in New York planting an ordinary bomb with a small amount of radioactive material stuck to the explosive. Techniques like this can help identify who has been exposed to radioactive fallout and needs treatment."
The study titled 'Electron spin resonance (ESR) dose measurement in the bone of Hiroshima A-bomb victim' was first published in the journal PLOS One. ContinueReading
Monday, April 30, 2018
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Ancient Warrior Woman Statue found by Curiosity Rover, hints life on Mars
- Curiosity rover has sent latest images from Mars and it suggests that an extra-terrestrial army once roamed Earth’s neighbouring planet. A sharp-eyed amateur astronomer spotted a curious-looking statue that looks similar to a head of an ancient warrior woman.
Joe White, a space video journalist from Bristol spotted the statue and being a keen observer, the amateur astronomer says it has all the earmarks of being the head of an ancient Egyptian warrior woman.
“I have found what seems to be a small feminine looking statue head on Mars in Gale Crater in this recent Curiosity Rover image from NASA. Only a few inches in size or less. It resembles a carved depiction of a female warrior wearing a helmet similar to some found on Earth from the Middle Ages,” the 45-year-old video journalist said.
“It has a possible emblem on the forehead and some very interesting facial features that look almost Egyptian in artistic style. This is one of hundreds of similar artefacts that I have found on Mars in recent years and may go further to show that there was an ancient and artistic civilisation on Mars in the past,” he added.
A month ago, Barry DiGregoria, an astrobiologist at the University of Buckingham had similar viewpoint about the statue image, and he claimed that Mars had experienced life in the past years.
NASA has been streaming photos from Mars ever since their robot Curiosity landed in August 2012.
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Alfie Evans, Toddler At Centre Of Court Battle Over Treatment, Dies
- The parents of Alfie Evans said they were “heartbroken” as they confirmed their son died in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The 23-month-old, who was being treated at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool died at 2.30am, Kate James and Thomas Evans said on Facebook.
The youngster was at the centre of a legal battle over his treatment that touched hearts around the world.
The post on Facebook said: “Our baby boy grew his wings tonight at 2:30 am. We are heart broken. Thank you everyone for all your support.”
Evans, 21 and James, 20, had fought to take their son to a foreign hospital for treatment for a degenerative medical condition, but lost a final court appeal on Wednesday.
Doctors had removed Alfie’s life-support following a High Court judge’s ruling on Monday, however he continued to live.
His parents said that the youngster had defied doctors’ expectations and they took their case to the Court of Appeal, but the application to take him abroad was rejected.
Tom Evans said their lives had been “turned upside down” by the “intense focus” his case had received.
“Our little family along with Alder Hey has become the centre of attention for many people around the world and it has meant we have not been able to live our lives as we would like,” he said.
The attention and emotion garnered by Alfie’s plight and his parents’ determined public campaign to get the treatment they believed he needed led to high tensions between supporters and staff at Alder Hey.
The 23-month-old, who was being treated at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool died at 2.30am, Kate James and Thomas Evans said on Facebook.
The youngster was at the centre of a legal battle over his treatment that touched hearts around the world.
The post on Facebook said: “Our baby boy grew his wings tonight at 2:30 am. We are heart broken. Thank you everyone for all your support.”
Evans, 21 and James, 20, had fought to take their son to a foreign hospital for treatment for a degenerative medical condition, but lost a final court appeal on Wednesday.
His parents said that the youngster had defied doctors’ expectations and they took their case to the Court of Appeal, but the application to take him abroad was rejected.
Tom Evans said their lives had been “turned upside down” by the “intense focus” his case had received.
“Our little family along with Alder Hey has become the centre of attention for many people around the world and it has meant we have not been able to live our lives as we would like,” he said.
The attention and emotion garnered by Alfie’s plight and his parents’ determined public campaign to get the treatment they believed he needed led to high tensions between supporters and staff at Alder Hey.
Friday, April 27, 2018
North, South Korea agree to goal of 'complete denuclearisation' of Korean peninsula
SEOUL (Reuters) - The leaders of North and South Korea signed a declaration on Friday agreeing to work for the “complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula”.
At their first summit in more than a decade, the two sides announced they would seek an agreement to establish “permanent” and “solid” peace on the peninsula.
The declaration included promises to pursue military arms reduction, cease “hostile acts,” turn their fortified border into a “peace zone,” and seek multilateral talks with other countries, such as the United States.
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Narendra Modi-Xi Jinping meet: China is 'wooing' India because Donald Trump's moves have left it no choice
- As Narendra Modi lands in Wuhan for a much-anticipated one-on-one with Xi Jinping, it is worth exploring the motivations that have driven China to the discussion table. It is a stretch to assume that Beijing, which refuses to consider India as its equal and never fails to be condescending about the economic and military power differential, would suddenly warm up to its neighbour out of "goodwill". China doesn't do "goodwill".
Its actions (not just under Xi but specially under him) are guided by a pragmatic cost-benefit ratio, and are based on a Sino-centric geopolitical strategy that seeks — through assertive maritime, expansionist and revisionist policies — to restore the Middle Kingdom to its "lost glory".
As Stratfor contributor Zhixing Zhang writes in Forbes: "Beijing's assertive maritime policy is an attempt to secure its access to overseas markets and prevent a challenger from emerging to threaten its multiplying interests around the world. And like the Han and Tang dynasties before it, China today will run up against other empires as it pursues its geopolitical strategy in the surrounding region and farther afield.
A 'great power aspirant' that aims to challenge and eventually replace America's global dominance in every field from ideology, culture, geopolitics, military, technology to political system and economy — replacing the dollar with renminbi as the premier mode of global exchange for one — it is inconceivable that China would court 'middle power' India out of goodwill. Xi is more likely to interpret such a gesture as weakness.
India should be under no illusion that this "reengagement" or "reset" (whatever it's called) is borne out of China's desire to listen to India or try and understand its concerns and red lines in the path of mutual growth and development. These might be good slogans for framing the dialogue but we should look for motivations elsewhere. A good starting point would be the flux in international order and two recent developments that have thrown a challenge at Xi and diminished his ability to play the power broker in Korean Peninsula.
The first one pertains to Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on Chinese imports to correct an imbalance in bilateral trade. North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un's decision to suspend all testing of nuclear weapons ahead of his proposed meeting with the US president presents the second challenge for Xi. Both developments are inextricable and demand a set of hard choices from the Chinese president.
Limiting the irritants in India-China bilateral ties may result in a more manageable relationship, which in turn should allow China more legroom to exploit the world's fifth largest and fastest growing major economy. Xi's decision to sit across the table with Modi arises primarily from this compulsion.
To a certain extent, Trump's faith in direct threats than quiet diplomacy has constrained China's hands and squeezed Xi's bargaining space. The US President's move to slap tariffs worth $50 billion on Chinese imports and threats to slap another $100 billion unless China gives better market access to American firms and allows the US to export more cars, aircraft, soybeans and natural gas into China to remedy the $375 billion deficit has prompted a conflicting response from China.
Xi has made some conciliatory noises on lowering tariffs on American cars and opening the domestic market but he has simultaneously moved to impose a retaliatory $50 billion tariff on American goods, raising the spectre of a trade war.
A set of action and reactions have followed. The US has announced that it is ready to talk to China over the issue and accordingly a meeting was set up in Beijing between Xi, vice-president Wang Qishan and Chinese officials on one side and US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Economic Council head Larry Kudlow on the other on 3 and 4 May. Latest reports, however, indicate that a resolution might not be in sight. Trump has added two more hawks to the US delegation amid a buzz of "more action" against Beijing. ContinueReading
Its actions (not just under Xi but specially under him) are guided by a pragmatic cost-benefit ratio, and are based on a Sino-centric geopolitical strategy that seeks — through assertive maritime, expansionist and revisionist policies — to restore the Middle Kingdom to its "lost glory".
A 'great power aspirant' that aims to challenge and eventually replace America's global dominance in every field from ideology, culture, geopolitics, military, technology to political system and economy — replacing the dollar with renminbi as the premier mode of global exchange for one — it is inconceivable that China would court 'middle power' India out of goodwill. Xi is more likely to interpret such a gesture as weakness.
India should be under no illusion that this "reengagement" or "reset" (whatever it's called) is borne out of China's desire to listen to India or try and understand its concerns and red lines in the path of mutual growth and development. These might be good slogans for framing the dialogue but we should look for motivations elsewhere. A good starting point would be the flux in international order and two recent developments that have thrown a challenge at Xi and diminished his ability to play the power broker in Korean Peninsula.
The first one pertains to Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on Chinese imports to correct an imbalance in bilateral trade. North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un's decision to suspend all testing of nuclear weapons ahead of his proposed meeting with the US president presents the second challenge for Xi. Both developments are inextricable and demand a set of hard choices from the Chinese president.
Limiting the irritants in India-China bilateral ties may result in a more manageable relationship, which in turn should allow China more legroom to exploit the world's fifth largest and fastest growing major economy. Xi's decision to sit across the table with Modi arises primarily from this compulsion.
To a certain extent, Trump's faith in direct threats than quiet diplomacy has constrained China's hands and squeezed Xi's bargaining space. The US President's move to slap tariffs worth $50 billion on Chinese imports and threats to slap another $100 billion unless China gives better market access to American firms and allows the US to export more cars, aircraft, soybeans and natural gas into China to remedy the $375 billion deficit has prompted a conflicting response from China.
Xi has made some conciliatory noises on lowering tariffs on American cars and opening the domestic market but he has simultaneously moved to impose a retaliatory $50 billion tariff on American goods, raising the spectre of a trade war.
A set of action and reactions have followed. The US has announced that it is ready to talk to China over the issue and accordingly a meeting was set up in Beijing between Xi, vice-president Wang Qishan and Chinese officials on one side and US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Economic Council head Larry Kudlow on the other on 3 and 4 May. Latest reports, however, indicate that a resolution might not be in sight. Trump has added two more hawks to the US delegation amid a buzz of "more action" against Beijing. ContinueReading
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Eating Dark Chocolate Will Make You Smarter, Says Best Study Ever
thedailymeal.com - Today in Studies We Want to Believe: Eating dark chocolate can make people smarter, according to two studies by scientists at Loma Linda University. Researchers at the School of Allied Health Professions did EEGs to measure brain activity after feeding five people 48 grams of 70 percent cacao.
“If you’re looking for a rationalization or justification for eating more chocolate, you’re probably going to find it in this study,” Dr. Jen Ashton said on Good Morning America.
But, really, aren’t we all looking for justification in unwrapping a bar after a meal or as an afternoon pick-me-up? If making a change as small as switching from milk chocolate to 70 percent dark can help improve mood or brain function — well then that’s an easy switch..
“For years, we have looked at the influence of dark chocolate on neurological functions from the standpoint of sugar content — the more sugar, the happier we are,” said Dr. Lee S. Berk, the associate dean of research affairs for Loma Linda’s School of Allied Health Professions and the principal investigator for both studies. “This is the first time that we have looked at the impact of large amounts of cacao in doses as small as a regular-sized chocolate bar in humans over short or long periods of time, and are encouraged by the findings. These studies show us that the higher the concentration of cacao, the more positive the impact on cognition, memory, mood, immunity and other beneficial effects.”
Sure, cutting back on alcohol and sugar consumption or increasing exercise could also provide a positive impact on brain function – but that’s not as easy as unwrapping a Ghirardelli.
In other studies — with sample sizes larger than five — dark chocolate has previously been shown to be an antioxidant and have a positive impact on heart health. ContinueReading
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Toronto Man Faces 23 Charges After Van Attack Leaves 10 Dead
bloomberg.com - A Toronto man was charged with 10 counts of first degree murder and 13 of attempted murder after a van struck dozens of pedestrians on a busy sidewalk Monday afternoon in the worst mass attack in Canada in almost three decades.
Alek Minassian, 25, appeared in a Toronto court on Tuesday to formally face the charges after a Monday rampage that left 10 people dead and more injured, according to broadcaster CP24.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident a “senseless attack,” while saying there’s no evidence of a national security risk or reason to change the country’s threat level. “At this time, we have no reason to suspect that there is any national security element to this attack, but obviously the investigations continue,” Trudeau said in Ottawa on Tuesday.
Monday’s incident marked the worst mass killing in Canada since Marc Lepine killed 14 women at a Montreal engineering school in 1989 before turning the gun on himself. It comes on the heels of several other vehicle attacks around the world, including one in a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12, a van attack in Barcelona that left 13 dead, and the truck loaded with arms that drove into a late-night crowd in Nice, France, in 2016, killing 80 people. A vehicle attack in Edmonton, Alberta, last year injured four pedestrians and a police officer.
Police are still notifying families of the victims and won’t publicly confirm identities until that’s complete, likely not before at least Wednesday, Toronto Police spokeswoman Constable Caroline de Kloet said Tuesday. Police expect to provide an update on the case later in the day, she said. ContinueReading
Alek Minassian, 25, appeared in a Toronto court on Tuesday to formally face the charges after a Monday rampage that left 10 people dead and more injured, according to broadcaster CP24.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident a “senseless attack,” while saying there’s no evidence of a national security risk or reason to change the country’s threat level. “At this time, we have no reason to suspect that there is any national security element to this attack, but obviously the investigations continue,” Trudeau said in Ottawa on Tuesday.
Monday’s incident marked the worst mass killing in Canada since Marc Lepine killed 14 women at a Montreal engineering school in 1989 before turning the gun on himself. It comes on the heels of several other vehicle attacks around the world, including one in a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12, a van attack in Barcelona that left 13 dead, and the truck loaded with arms that drove into a late-night crowd in Nice, France, in 2016, killing 80 people. A vehicle attack in Edmonton, Alberta, last year injured four pedestrians and a police officer.
Police are still notifying families of the victims and won’t publicly confirm identities until that’s complete, likely not before at least Wednesday, Toronto Police spokeswoman Constable Caroline de Kloet said Tuesday. Police expect to provide an update on the case later in the day, she said. ContinueReading
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