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Brain controlling WORM !!

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Yes you heard right .There is a worm commonly called Horse Hair worm which is scientifically called  Nematomorpha   which can control the brain of many insects. It is commonly found in damp areas  such as watering troughs, swimming pools, streams, puddles, and cisterns.There are many interesting facts about this worm. The name “horsehair worm” refers to the old belief that they came from horse hairs that fell into water and came to life.     The adult worms are free-living, but the larvae need a host for maturation.The larvae parasites on grasshoppers,crickets,cockroaches and some kind of beetles.When they mature they leave the host body to lay eggs.But the reliefing fact is that they are harmless for humans,pets and livestocks.   They control the brain of insects to reach some places where water is available.This worm will turn the insects into sucidal maniacs!!    A ccording to parasitologist Ben Hanelt of the University of New Mexico,o nce the ...
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A story about an extincted animal

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       In course of evolution of Earth many species have been extincted.There are many reasons for this extinction.Such as climatic condition,human exploitation,scarcity of food and water ,competition etc.We all know one such animal called Dinosaurs ,which was extincted due to volcanic erruptions as some say.But here I am not talking about dinosaurs , rather I am talking about STELLER'S SEA COW.   Sea cow is a mammal , which is now extinct,  that once  inhabited  nearshore areas of the  Komandor Islands  in the  Bering Sea .They were first discovered by Arctic explorers.It belonged to the order sirenian ,which is an order of four leg aquatic mammal. The order Sirenia was named after the  Sirens  of  Greek mythology , and sirenians are believed to be the basis for the  mermaid   myth . Modern sirenians have two front limbs in the form of flippers but no hind limbs; even the pelvis is vestigial, and there are ...
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Interesting Discovery about HUMAN vision

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      Eye is a highly complex and evolved sensory organ of human beings.It helps us to see the world by recieveing light and sending the visual information to our brain.   Retina is the organ on which the image is formed.Now a days many researches are going about "How the vision of our eyes evolved?"Recent study revealed that Human vision has been evolved from BACTERIA. What !!! How can it be possible?      Scientists claimed that human vision is evolve from bacteria.Eye is a complex organ of our body.It has been taken a long time to evolve to this stage. The vision of eye has been partly caused by a gene which is found in bacteria. In a  study  published in the  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , researchers used software to study the evolution of human genes, in turn discovering genes that originated from bacteria.    The human retina's ability to respond to light came from a gene that was acquired from bacter...
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BIO-LUMINESCENCE ; An astounding sight at beaches!!

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      By seeing this picture some of you might think as it is an edited picture .But it is not,it is a biological phenomenon called BIO-LUMINESCENCE . Again a biological term whose meaning is very simple 'light produced by a living organism'.Yes !! you heard me right.It is due to some marine organisms ,sometimes due to some fungi or bacteria.            Now we will try to know the reason behind this astounding sight which can also be seen in the beaches of Gokarna.It occurs through a chemical reaction that produces light energy within an organism's body.For this reaction to occur ,the organism must have a chemical named LUCIFERIN,which when reacts with oxygen to produce light. Bioluminescence is found in many marine organism like bacteria ,algae,jellyfish,starfish,etc.In fish alone there are about 1500 species known that luminiscence.     A question may come to our mind Why do they light up? It is not for our enchantment.For so...
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The History of CELLS

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    Cells are th e basic unit of life . Every living organisms are made up of cells.Human body is made up of trillions of cells .Everyday many cells are dying and regenerating in our body without our acknowledge.We never think about the microscopic changes or events happening in our body . Cells house the biological machinery that makes the proteins, chemicals, and signals responsible for everything that happens inside our bodies. Discovery of cell   As we all know Robert Hooke discovered cells .But we don't know the story behind the discovery.The main reason behind the discovery of cells is due to improvement in compound microscope. His  microscope  used three lenses and a stage light, which illuminated and enlarged the specimens.       He observed a piece of cork under this microscope.He then observed many compartments like structures and called it ' CELLS '. Hooke detailed his observations of this tiny and previously unseen world in his bo...
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HYPNIC JERK ; a horrible experience during sleep !!

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    It is a common experience of all during the afternoon naps or sometimes during night to feel this horrible thing called HYPNIC JERKS.By reading this term we all get confused what am I talking about.It is nothing but the feeling of as if the foot slips or sometimes sense of sudden fall from somewhere during the initial stage of sleep.Then we awake suddenly and our heartbeat increases, we start to sweat profusely.    It is also called as Sleep starts which is an involuntary muscle contractions.Most of the times it is painless ,although some people do report a painful sensation. What are the causes ?    Various factors like emotional stress, physical exercise and excess use of caffeine and other stimulants,bright lights ,sudden noise causes sleep strarts.   A study at the University of Colorado suggested that it is evolutionary, stretching back to our primate ancestors." A reflex of the brain's misinterpritation of muscle relaxation with the onse...
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TEARS, A Wonderful drop of water

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        Cr ying is an important safety valve, largely because keeping difficult feelings inside — what psychologists call repressive coping — can be bad for our health. Studies have linked repressive coping with a less resilient immune system, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension, as well as with mental health conditions , including stress, anxiety, and depression. Crying has also been shown to increase attachment behavior , encouraging closeness, empathy, and support from friends and family .       Scientists divide the liquid product of crying into three distinct categories: reflex tears, continuous tears, and emotional tears. The first two categories perform the important function of removing debris such as smoke and dust from our eyes, and lubricating our eyes to help protect them from infection. Their content is 98% water.      As the water in the tears evaporate, a beautiful never ending...
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