.

Yoga Changes the Brain: The ancient practice promotes growth in brain regions for self-awareness

Yoga seems to bestow mental benefits,

such as a calmer, more relaxed mind.

Now research by Chantal Villemure and

Catherine Bushnell of the National Center

for Complementary and Alternative Medi-

cine in Bethesda, Md., may explain how.

Using MRI scans, Villemure detected

more gray matterbrain cellsin certain

brain areas in people who regularly prac-

ticed yoga, as compared with control sub-

jects. We found that with more hours of

practice per week, certain areas were more enlarged, Villemure says, a finding that hints that yoga was a

contributing factor to the brain gains.

Yogis had larger brain volume in the somatosensory cortex, which contains a mental map of our body, the

superior parietal cortex, involved in directing attention, and the visual cortex, which Villemure postulates

might have been bolstered by visualization techniques. The hippocampus, a region critical to dampening

stress, was also enlarged in practitioners, as were the precuneus and the posterior cingulate cortex, areas

key to our concept of self. All these brain areas could be engaged by elements of yoga practice, Villemure

says. The yogis dedicated on average about 70 percent of their practice to physical postures, about 20 per-

cent to meditation and 10 percent to breath work, typical of most Western yoga routines. Villemure present-

ed the work in November 2013 at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego.

July, 2015

.

2

Prof. Sivadas honoured with

the P.T. Bhaskara Panicker

Emeritus Fellowship for

Science Communication

Science International Forum Kuwait

is proud to have had the opportunity

to host Prof. Sivadas who has been

honoured with the P.T. Bhaskara

Panicker Emeritus Fellowship for

Science Communication.

He is a well-known writer of science

literature. He retired as the Head of

the Dept. of Chemistry from CMS

College, Kottayam.. He has won sev-

eral awards and honours. To men-

tion a few, he has won Kerala Sahitya

Academy Award for Children's Liter-

ature in 1973, National Award of Na-

tional Council for Science & Tech-

nology in 1990, N.C.E.R.T. Award for

Children's Literature in 1997, Kerala

Sahitya Academy Award for the best

travelogue in 1997 and Millennium

Children's Literature Award of Govt.

of Kerala in 2001.

Human Head Transplant : 'We're Making Science' Read how its done!!!!!!!!

Russian Valery Spirodonov suffers from a muscle wasting disease

and is set to undergo the world's first head transplant.

A man set to have the world's first head transplant has told that the

operation does not worry him, adding: "We are making science."

Spirodonov met an Italian neurosurgeon who claims he can perform

a head transplant. Dr Sergio Canavero wants to transplant Mr Spi-

rodonov's head onto another body as soon as 2017. The proposal has

been widely condemned by other doctors. Some have suggested the

plan is an elaborate hoax. Mr Spiridonov and Dr Canavero spoke at

the American Academy of Neurological and Orthopedic Surgeons in

Annapolis, Maryland.

Dr Canavero has already outlined his strategy for the operation in the

scientific journal Surgical Neurology International. He will cool

Mr. Spiridonov's head with ice to help the brain survive once it is re-

moved from its old blood supply. The head will then be cut off and

reattached to the donor body in stages.

The biggest challenge will be fusing the spinal cord, something that

has never been achieved before. Dr Canavero will drench the two

ends of the cord in a chemical called polyethylene glycol, which may

encourage the fatty sheath around nerve cells to stick together. The

blood vessels and muscles would then be stitched into place.

Mr. Spiridonov would spend the next three to four weeks in an artifi-

cial coma to immobilize his head. But, according to Dr. Canavero, he

should be able to walk within a year. He plans to test the technique

on brain-dead organ donors.

Dr Canavero has admitted he may struggle to win ethical approval to

carry out the operation in the West.

.

3

Science Doyens Laud 'India's Best-kept Secret IISc For Its Role in Strategic Sectors In a session on Contribution of IISc to Strategic Sectors, leaders from Indian science and technology

elaborated on how the institute has played an important role in the development of many technologies of na-

tional importance. Dr Kiran Kumar, chairperson of the Space Commission and an IISc alumnus, said, If

ISRO exists today, its mostly because of its connections with IISc. He spoke about the stalwarts of Indias

space programme, Prof Brahm Prakash, Prof B L Deeshatulu, Dr S Srinivasan and others, who were from

IISc. The architects of the Indian space programme, Dr Vikram Sarabhai and Prof Satish Dhawan, had close

connections with IISc. Prof Dhawan also served as the Director of IISc from 1962 to 1981.

Prof Ramakrishna Ram Akella of the University of California, Berkeley, told Express, IISc is the best

-kept secret in the country. The essence of IISc is its excellent work and the modest and low-key culture of its

people. The govt of India must channel more funds into it to make it an outstanding institution on par with

MIT and Harvard. Dr Bhujanga Rao, Director General, DRDO (naval systems and management) said, IISc

has contributed a lot in the form of talent. Many leaders of DRDO studied at IISc. Elaborating on the long

history of partnership since 1970s, he said a lot of basic research critical for DRDO gets done at IISc. Prof

V K Atre, former head of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), told Express, The

best place for our missiles is under the ground, but it is good to have the technologies. My group is making

sensors so that we do not have to import them. Centre for nanoscience at IISc (CeNSE) and the Dept of Elec-

trical Communication with Prof Anurag Kumar is doing a lot of work in the area. Many other projects are

classified and cannot be talked about.

Rao mentioned Prof Bhagavantham, C N R Rao and Prof V K Atre for helping bring sonar technology

to the country. Prof Saraswat was the first to introduce the surface-to-surface missile Prithvi into the armed

forces while Dr P Rama Rao started the first full-fledged ordnance factory. Technology for missiles, electronic

warfare systems, submarines, torpedos and materials for making soldiers lives better with smart materials,

stealth materials, nanotubes etc were all developed with maximum contribution from IISc, said Dr Rao.

Dr Baldev Raj, director, National Institute of Advanced Studies, spoke about the role of IISc in the de-

velopment of atomic energy technologies in India. He said, Without Prof Brahm Prakash, we could not talk

about our mastery over platinum, uranium, titanium etc used in nuclear reactors. India cannot manage 800 gi-

gawatts of electricity by 2100 without nuclear and renewable energy. Dr Homi Bhabha, the father of atomic

energy programme, extensively used his connections with IISc, observed Dr Baldev Raj. Dr Kota Harina-

raya, former chief, LCA Programme, explained how IISc played a crucial role in the development of Indias

first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Tejas. He said, IISc has nourished the LCA programme, and the Depart-

ment of Aerospace of Engineering virtually built it.

.

4

Forgotten mathematics legend Dr. Vashishtha Narayan - India's Living John Nash

Vashishtha Narayan Singh was a poor village

boy who went on to earn a doctorate from a

US university. But before his genius could

fully blossom, the mathematics prodigy's

mind tragically became a victim to schizo-

phrenia. Yet his legend lives on.He is India's

own John Forbes Nash, the schizophrenic ge-

nius on whose life was based the elegiac Hol-

lywood film, A Beautiful Mind. Both men

share a striking life story, of early recognition

of their intelligence and a brilliant record in academics and work and then the descent into delusionary depths.

But while Nash has recovered adequately enough and at 85 today continues to earn the respect of mathemati-

cians, the cloud has yet to lift from 71-year-old Singh's mind.

Dr. Vashishtha Narayan Singh was born as the first son of Late Lal Bahadur Singh and Smt. Lahaso Devi in

Village Basantpur, under Sadar Block of Dist. Bhojpur on 2nd April 1942. His father was working as a police-

man in the state Police Dept.. Vashishtha Babu had his primary education in the village school. Thereafter, he

went to Netarhat School in class VI. In the year 1962, he passed his matriculation examination, topping in the

entire state of Bihar.

After his school education, he got admission in the prestigious Patna Science College. During that time, Dr. P.

Nagendra, a great mathematician, was the principal of Science College. He truly realized the hidden talent in

young Vashishtha. Coincidentally, at the same time, the great American scholar Prof.John L. Kelley HOD,

University of California-Berkeley was also present. Prof.Kelley is known for writing a Superb Book ON To-

pology- GENERAL TOPOLOGY, which any serious Mathematician must have read at some point of time.

Prof. John L.Kelley was visiting Patna to participate in the World Mathematics Conference. Prof. P.Nagendra

arranged an interview of Vashishtha with Prof. John L. Kelley. Prof. Jonh L. Kelley quizzed the young student

with various types of questions and Vashishtha answered all his questions correctly. Seeing the immense tal-

ent in Vashishtha Babu, Prof. John L. Kelley expressed his desire to teach him in America under his guidance.

Dr. P.Nagendra showed promptness and immediately arranged for a special examination for Vashishtha Babu

and he cleared this examination with cent percent marks. Prof. Kelley got impresses and requested him to

come to Berkeley for further study.

continued...

.

5

Dr.Singh told him that it would be difficult for him to come to USA on his own. Prof. Kelley promised all the

help and kept the word. Prof. Kelley arranged for Visa and flight ticket and got him into UCB (University of

California-Berkeley). Thus, in 1963, he went to California, USA as a research scholar. Prof.John L.Kelley

took good care of Vasistha Narayan Singh at UCB as Vashishtha Narayan Singh is a shy person. Vashishtha

Narayan Singh didnt let down HOD and did his PhD with style and went on to work for NASA. There, he

conducted research on the Cycle Vector Space Theory / Reproducing Kernels and Operators with a Cyclic

Vector and his research work catapulted him to great heights in the world of Science.The Mathematician

(Dr.Singh) who challenged works of great Scientist Albert Einstien.

After completing his research, Vashishtha Babu came back to India, but he was destined to return soon to

America. During his second stint in the USA, he was appointed an Associate Professor of Mathematics in

Washington. It was rumoured that Dr.Vashishtha Narayan had an affair with daughter of his HOD at UC-

Berkeley and wanted to marry her but parental pressure and idealistic dream of doing India proud took prece-

dence and he came back to India. It is also rumoured, that he had started taking some durgs when he was in

Berkeley and it continued when he came back to India. He returned to India in 1971 and was appointed a pro-

fessor in IIT Kanpur. After spending barely eight months at IIT Kanpur, he joined as a professor in Tata Insti-

tute of Fundamental Research. After a year, in 1973, he was appointed as permanent professor in Indian Sta-

tistical Institute, Calcutta.

In the same year (1973), he was married to Vandana Rani, an Army Officers daughter of Dr. Deep Narayan

Singh who hailed from a prestigious family of Khalpura, Dist, Saran. According to Vashishtha Babus mother,

three days after the marriage, after the ceremony of chauthari, Vandana went to her fathers place to appear for

her B.A. examination and Vashishtha Babu returned to Calcutta. His colleagues in ISI Calcutta were jealous

of Vashishtha Babu. It was here that he suffered his first attack of mental breakdown. His family members ar-

ranged for his treatment as per their capacity. NOBA (Netarhat Old Boys Association) played an active role

and with their efforts he was admitted to the Mental Hospital in Ranchi in 1976.

During the rule of Karpoori Thakur, he was admitted to the private David Clinic in Ranchi. There his condi-

tion started improving fast. But as soon as the Congress Govt. took office in Bihar, the govt. started showing

disinterest in incurring the expenditure on his treatment. Dr.Singh has been suffering from SCHIZONFRA-

NIA since 1976. (To understand this disease and to understand cure of this disease, you must watch the film

Beautiful Mind. Dr.John Nash presently a professor at Princeton University had the same disease : Medica-

tional help is not much of help in this disease) As a result, he had to be shifted from David Clinic back to Ran-

chi Mental Hospital, which has the right environment to turn even normal people into lunatics!

continued...

.

6

In the meanwhile, Vashishtha Babu suffered another mental agony due to his divorce. At that time, doctors

attributed his mental unbalance to this unfortunate happening. Dr. Vashishtha needed an Arundhati (A sages

wife) but he got a woman who said, You may be a worthy person, but you are not worthy of me. These cru-

el words of his wife broke the heart of a brilliant scientist.

In the year 1989, after the demise of his father, Vashishtha Babu visited his village, where he also gave a

speech. He was quite normal at that time. After the funeral rites of his father, he returned to Ranchi. There,

after discussing with doctors, his younger brother Ayodhya Prasad started for Pune along with Vashishtha

Babu by Bhagalpur Janata Express. On the way, Vashishtha Babu got down from the train quietly at Gad-

arwara Station in Madhya Pradesh. His brother tried his best to locate him, but in vain. His family and village

reconciled with the fate, giving him up for dead. However, one day in 1993 Vashishtha Babu suddenly ap-

peared in Doriganj in Saran District. His whole village gathered to welcome this beloved son of Basantpur.

Vashishtha Babu was sent to NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences), Banga-

lore for treatment on Govt. expenditure. He stayed in the hospital from Feb. 1993 to June 1994, but could not

recover. Doctors at NIMHANS are of the opinion that he should be sent to USA for treatment. There is no

treatment for him in India. Or he should be kept in a good family atmosphere. Since then, Dr. Vashishtha Na-

rayan is spending his time in the village. Doctors say that the deep impact on his brain can be treated only

with the balm of loving family care.

According to Vashishtha Babus mother and brother, with their limited means, they cannot afford to send him

to USA for treatment. So, it is the governments duty to arrange for the treatment of a person of his stature by

sending him to the USA.

Even now, Vashishtha Babu keeps writing something or the other. We saw that he had scribbled some formu-

lae, some dohas (couplets) from Ramayan and some abuses to the government. He said So many people

have come and gone, but what have they done for me?

Since 1993, whenever anyone visits him, why does he ask him for money. When Mr. Laloo Prasad visited

him, he asked him for a rupee. It is a matter of investigation by psychologists, why does he ask for money

from everyone? Mr.Shatrughan Sinha (former Health

Minister and famous Actor) came to his house once.

He even arranged a Job for his (brothers) Son in

somewhere in Health Ministry in New Delhi. Due to

that employment, now they are able to get medicines

at discounted rates. He says,even then, it takes

Rs.1200/-per month for his medicines.

Hello Kiddies, Here is your Answers!!!

1. Inwards

2. South Africa

3. Smell

4. Honey

5. Botany

.

7

A computer that operates using the unique physics of

moving water droplets has been developed by an In-

dian-origin scientist and his team. The computer is

nearly a decade in the making, incubated from an

idea that struck Manu Prakash, an assistant professor

of bioengineering at Stanford University, when he

was a graduate student. The work combines his ex-

pertise in manipulating droplet fluid dynamics with a

fundamental element of computer science an oper-

ating clock In this work, we finally demonstrate a

synchronous, universal droplet logic and control,

Prakash said. The droplet computer can theoretically

perform any operation that a conventional electronic

computer can crunch, although at significantly slow-

er rates. We already have digital computers to pro-

cess information. Our goal is not to compete with

electronic computers or to operate word processors

on this, Prakash said. Our goal is to build a com-

pletely new class of computers that can precisely

control and manipulate physical matter.

Imagine if when you run a set of computations that

not only information is processed but physical matter

is algorithmically manipulated as well. We have just

made this possible at the mesoscale, Prakash said.

Prakash wondered if he could use little droplets as

bits of information and utilize the precise movement

of those drops to process both information and phys-

ical materials simultaneously.

Prakash decided to build a rotating magnetic field

that could act as clock to synchronize all the drop-

lets. He and his team built arrays of tiny iron bars on

glass slides that look something like a Pac-Man

maze. They laid a blank glass slide on top and sand-

wiched a layer of oil in between.

Then they carefully injected into the mix individual

water droplets that had been infused with tiny mag-

netic nanoparticles. Next, they turned on the magnet-

ic field. Every time the field flips, the polarity of the

bars reverses, drawing the magnetized droplets in a

new, predetermined direction. A camera records the

interactions between individual droplets, allowing

observation of computation as it occurs in real time.

The presence or absence of a droplet represents the

1s and 0s of binary code, and the clock ensures that

the entire droplets move in perfect synchrony, and

thus the system can run virtually forever without any

errors. Prakash said the most immediate application

might involve turning the computer into a high-

throughput chemistry and biology laboratory. In-

stead of running reactions in bulk test tubes, each

droplet can carry some chemicals and become its

own test tube, and the droplet computer offers un-

precedented control over these interactions.

Indian-origin scientist develops computer that operates on water droplets

.

8

Indian Science, Government and Key

Challenges

In a piquant message to the researchers and aspiring

students Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked them

to Dream, Imagine and Explore. During the inau-

guration of 102nd Annual Science Conference Modi

refrained from making eloquent promise of en-

hanced funding but apprised scientists of crucial

challenges- water, energy and health care. Almost

80% of Indias imports include energy supplies.

Therefore India government at the helm of affairs

was keen on making India self-reliant in terms of

energy. It had set an ambitious goal of developing

100 gigawatts solar energy by 2020. Accordingly, it

has been aggressively pushing forward the projects

to jump start from the existing capacity of 3.7 giga-

watt solar-capacity which is 1.4% of Indias total

electricity generation. Some analysts were apprehen-

sive about the feasibility of such ambitious ap-

proach.

Systemic problems of Indian science

Indian science is abetted by problems like poor-

quality education, interference of bureaucracy and

inadequate funding. These stifling conditions

prompted numerous budding scientists to leave the

country for greener pastures. Consequentially India

has been conspicuously losing its intellectual treas-

ure trove. Successive governments vouched to in-

crease funding to research and development to 2% of

GDP (gross domestic product). Unfortunately even

the latest budget allocation too remained at a stag-

gering low of less than 0.9% of GDP.

Government officials quips back scientists demand

saying that India on an average spends around

$150,000 per scientist per year which is comparable

to other countries. Unable to stem the systemic prob-

lems plaguing the system and vie with its peer na-

tions- whose financial allocation hovers around 2%

of GDP, India lags behind in BRIC group. Two dec-

ades ago the proportion of GDP allocated to research

and development (GERD) in India was more than

China but now it is half of China.

Despite its huge population India has the lowest

number of engineers and scientists in the world. In

terms of absolute numbers India has four full-time

researchers per 10,000 people and China has 18 re-

searchers, in developed countries the number is 80.

Another major stumbling block in Indian Universi-

ties is over-bureaucratization and entrenched red-

tape leading to inordinate delays in obtaining equip-

ment and material for research.

The collaboration between universities and industry

is abysmally low and consequently the most prosper-

ous business model of Laboratory (research)-

industry- Market (innovation) is failing to find its

foot hold in India. Further the burden of funding the

research has to be borne by government as the in-

vestment of private companies in R&D is barely sig-

nificant.

.

9

Deteriorating standards of education

While some scientists are hopeful of a bright future

for Indian science others expressed great resentment

over the sub-standard education. Appallingly, India

is the only BRICS nation whose universities failed to

make it to the top 200 institutions of the world.

There are over 700 universities in India which in-

clude the elite institutions funded by the central gov-

ernment, 300 state universities and 200 private insti-

tutions.

The national scientific research Institutes and elite

institutions are doing world-class research and pub-

lishing in high impact journals providing major fillip

to Indias reputation. These institutes account for a

major leap in Indias research output. But the state

universities which are cash-starved account for ma-

jority of the science undergraduates. Unfortunately

these institutes suffer from shortage of quality facul-

ty, libraries and equipped laboratories.

While there is a sharp rise in the number of students

pursuing higher education, institutions neither have

the infrastructure nor financial support to harness the

aspirations of the students. Beacons of hope The two

major areas of crowning glory for Indian Science are

the meticulously designed space missions and the

incredibly low-priced vaccines.

The silver lining for Indian science in the recent past

has been the resounding success of the ISROs

(Indian Space Research Organization) space pro-

grammes. Established in 1969, bracing failures dur-

ing early days of inception ISRO has transformed

into an epitome for exceptional alacrity, precision

and deftness.

The organization acclaimed international repute with

its exceptionally economical MOM (Mars Orbiter

Mission) or Mangalyaan. With space scientists mas-

tering the construction of formidable cryogenic en-

gines needed to lift-off satellites of over 4 tonnes,

India is poised to emerge as a super power in space

research. Rejuvenated by its successful debut of the

Mars Mission, with strengthened resolve ISRO sci-

entists are now gearing for launch of ASTROSTAT

satellite, Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2017, and Aditya

Mission 2018.

Chandrayaan-2, a follow-up of Chandrayaan-1 of

2008 has an ambitious agenda of studying of the

composition of Moon and intends to send a lander,

six wheeled rover and an orbiter to moon. Aditya

Mission will study Suns corona. Another precious

feather in Indias cap is the booming biotech indus-

try. The entrepreneurial Indian scientists with their

ingenuity achieved ground-breaking success in the

field of vaccine production. Affordable healthcare is

an elixir for a hugely a populated country like India.

The quintessential resources for a robust health care

system are vaccines. The task of manufacturing in-

digenous vaccines at nominal prices was accom-

plished by enterprising young Indian scientists. Bha-

rat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) reached

this milestone by developing Revac B+ hepatitis

vaccines for USD 3 a dose (currently available for

30 cents).

.

10

Subsequently, several Indian biotech companies contributed enormously towards reducing the burden of pub-

lic health care in India and other third world countries by developing affordable, quality vaccines against in-

fectious diseases. India is now fondly hailed as the Pharmacy of the developing World, by global charity

doctors without borders. Now India has attained marginal success in producing generic drugs through reverse

engineering.

In 2014 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued notices to some Indian companies that failed to

meet the quality standards and drug efficiency. But now these are being slowly sorted out. Indian science es-

pecially the department of biotechnology is upbeat about Indian companies due to significant rise in number

of small and medium sized biotech units.

Though Indian research is not completely bogged down by the institutional deficiencies but the quality of re-

search is not on par with advanced countries. Interestingly, in terms of output indicators like the number of

research papers published per the amount of money spent in dollars, India is one of the top performers in the

World.

Propitiously the proportion of Indian students graduating in US and returning back has increased considera-

bly offering a great hope for brighter prospects for research in India. Scientific publications have quadrupled

from 2000 to 2013. Indian Science with all its inherent deficiencies and exemplary accomplishments is

poised to reach new horizons is in dire need of visionary leaders to embark on a new journey

Hey, You Know Me?

I am the scientific term Absolute Zero !!!

Absolute Zero is the theoretical lowest temperature possible at which all molecular motion ceases. Absolute zero, 0 K or -273.15C, has never been reached.

Learn More in Coming Editions!

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11

Events Science Fantasy Writing Competition, Journey to Mars

Science International Forum (SIF) Kuwait announced science fanta-sy writing competition with the theme Journey To Mars. The contest will be held separate for students and adults. The student category comprises of Juniors from classes 5, 6, 7, 8 and Seniors from classes 9,10,11,12. Science fantasy stories written in English should be neatly typed in MS Word format with not more than 3 pages (1200 words) and a font size of 12. Participants are required to send the en-tries as email to sifkwt@gmail.com on or before 15 -July 2015 indi-cating your name, age, address and contact details with mobile num-ber. If the participant is a student, he/she should mention the class

and school details in your email.

More details at www.facebook.com/sifkuwait

Sastra Prathibha Contest, 2016

Science International Forum (SIF) Kuwait announced January 14, 2016, Thursday, as the exam date for the prestigious Sastra Prathibha

Contest for the academic year 2015-2016.

Progress is impossible without

change., and those who cannot

change their minds cannot change

anything.

George Bernard Shaw

Discover

VOLUME 01

ISSUE 03 JULY, 2015

Compiled & Edited By

Prasanth Nair

Reshmy Krishnakumar

Science International Forum, Kuwait

facebook.com/sifkuwait For subscription mail to sifkwt@gmail.com

Corporate Partner :

Do You Know!!!

1. Three kinds of medals awarded at Olympic Games?

2. Can frogs live in salt water ?

3. Water freezes at what temperature?

4. What is the longest river on Earth ?

5. Japanese word sakura means blossoming of what?

You have time till next edition