Complexity behind Blood Clotting

Now let's talk about a different biochemical system of blood clotting. Amusingly, the way in which the blood clotting system works is reminiscent of a Rube Goldberg machine. The name of Rube Goldberg; the great cartoonist who entertained America with his silly machines, lives on in our culture, but the man himself has pretty much...

Science behind religious practices_7

Why Toe rings are worn by married women in Indian tradition? Toe rings are worn by many women these days. Actually, it is very much part of an Indian tradition. But nowadays, wearing toe rings is more of a style statement than a part of tradition. Married Indian women are expected to wear toe rings on both...

Proteins Challenge Chance

Proteins are giant molecules consisting of smaller units called "amino acids" that are arranged in a particular sequence in certain quantities and structures. These molecules constitute the building blocks of a living cell. The simplest is composed of 50 amino acids, but there are some proteins that are composed of thousands of amino acids. Evolution...

The miracle of the cell membrane

In order for a living being to survive, the cell needs to dispose off the waste products and take the nutrients and other products into the cell. This task is carried out by the cell membrane. However this is quite a hard task. The cell membrane is a layer consisting of lipid molecules. On the...

Learning in the womb

In Mahabharatha, when Subhadra was pregnant, Arjun told her the secret of entering the chakravyuh. When he was explaining the exit procedure, Subhadra fell asleep, so Arjuna stopped there. So Abhimanyu in Subhadra's womb learned only the entrance procedure and he never had the chance to learn the exit strategy. There was a time when people criticized...

Reading Sanskrit Improves Brain Functioning

The MUM Review, 6.Feb. 2002, by Brynne Sissom The physiological effects of reading Sanskrit are similar to those experienced during the Transcendental Meditation® technique, according to research recently completed by Dr. Fred Travis, director of the ERG/psycho-physiology lab of Maharishi University of Management in Fair field, Iowa, USA. Dr. Travis asked his test subjects to...

Polluted Ganga still has medicinal qualities

Sanjay Pandey, Lucknow, Deccan Herald News Service: Despite being polluted, the waters of the Ganges still possess ‘medicinal qualities’ and could pave the way for developing new ‘anti-microbial compounds’. According to a research conducted by a senior scientist of Lucknow-based National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), a prestigious CSIR laboratory, Dr Chandrashekhar Nautiyal, the Ganga waters...

Science behind religious practices_4

Why fasting is done during some festivals and some other specific days like Ekadshi (Ekadashi occurs on the eleventh day after the full moon and the eleventh day after the new moon)? Fasting in Sanskrit is called Upavaasa. Upa means "near" + vaasa means "to stay". Upavaasa therefore means staying near (the Lord), meaning the...