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(5D) digital data by femtosecond laser wri ng. The data is recorded via self-assembled nanostructures created in fused quartz. The self-assembled nanostructures change the way light travels through glass, modifying polarisa on of light that can then be read by combina on of op cal microscope and a polariser. The informa on encoding is realized in fi ve dimensions: the size and orienta on in addi on to the three dimensional posi on of these nanostructures,” reports the university website.

The storage has been labeled as “superman memory crystals” and it would obviously be a boon to libraries, archives, museums, scien fi c ins tu ons and even for countries that want to back-up their en re data for eternity.

So, have we ul mately found the data and informa on storage that mankind has been looking for? At the moment, it appears so. Only me will tell.

Contributed by Dr. G. Mahesh, currently Commonwealth Professional Fellow, EDINA, University of Edinburgh. He is also Head, National Science Library, CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR).

WHAT would be an ideal medium for recording and storing informa on? One that can store copious amounts of informa on, is easily transportable, not destroyed easily and most importantly, one that can last forever.

Over the years, several materials including animal hides, stones, metals, leaves, barks, clay tablets, paper, microfi lms, CD-ROMs, magne c disks and many more have been tried, tested and used. Some survived, some did not. Paper invented in 2 B.C., has by far been one of the most widely used mediums, more for recording and dissemina ng informa on, rather than for archiving informa on for posterity.

When op cal disks in the form of CD-ROMs came into being in the 1990s, they were touted as the medium that mankind has been on the lookout for. It is easily portable, can store large amounts of informa on in mul ple formats, and is robust as compared to paper. But CDs and DVDs too have their limita ons.

Around the corner now is a storage medium that can store unimaginable volumes of informa on and can actually, hold your breath, last forever!

In February 2016, scien sts at UK’s University of Southampton’s Optoelectronic Research Centre reported the development of an eternal 5D data storage that is capable of surviving for billions of years. The university website reported the unprecedented proper es of the new storage that includes 360 terabytes of data (equivalent to 75,000 DVDs), thermal stability up to 1,000°C and that can last 13.8 billion years at 190°C and virtually unlimited life me at room temperature. The university has saved documents such as Universal Declara on of Human Rights (UDHR), Newton’s Op cks, Magna Carta and Kings James Bible on the new medium and, which reportedly, could survive the human race!

“Using nanostructured glass, the scien sts have developed the recording and retrieval processes of fi ve dimensional

ETERNAL STORAGE:ETERNAL STORAGE: STORING STORING INFORMATION FOREVER!INFORMATION FOREVER!

Eternal 5D data storage (Source:http://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2016/02/5d-data-storage-update.page)

The storage has been labeled as “superman memory crystals” and it would obviously be a boon to libraries, archives, museums, scientifi c institutions and even for countries that want to back-up their entire data for eternity.

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TAKE THE STAIRS FOR A YOUNGER BRAIN

TAKING the stairs is normally associated with keeping your body strong and healthy. But new research

shows that it improves your brain’s health too — and that educa on also has a posi ve eff ect.

In a study recently published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging, researchers led by Jason

Steff ener, a scien st at Concordia University’s PERFORM Centre, show that the more fl ights of stairs a

person climbs, and the more years of school a person completes, the “younger” their brain physically

appears. The researchers found that brain age decreases by 0.95 years for each year of educa on, and by

0.58 years for every daily fl ight of stairs climbed — i.e., the stairs between two consecu ve fl oors in a

building. “There already exist many ‘Take the stairs’ campaigns in offi ce environments and public

transporta on centres,” says Steff ener. “This study shows that these campaigns should also be

expanded for older adults, so that they can work to keep their brains young.”

For the study, Steff ener and his co-authors used magne c resonance imaging (MRI) to non-invasively examine the brains of

331 healthy adults who ranged in age from 19 to 79.

They measured the volume of grey ma er found in par cipants’ brains because its decline, caused by neural shrinkage and

neuronal loss, is a very visible part of the chronological aging process. Then, they compared brain volume to the par cipants’

reported number of fl ights of stairs climbed, and years of schooling completed.

The results were clear: the more fl ights of stairs climbed, and the more years of schooling completed, the younger the brain.

“In comparison to many other forms of physical ac vity, taking the stairs is something most older adults can and already

do at least once a day, unlike vigorous forms of physical ac vity,” says Steff ener. “This is encouraging because it

demonstrates that a simple thing like climbing stairs has great poten al as an interven on tool to promote brain health.”

FEEDING THE CROPTHE CROP THAT FEEDS THE WORLD

RICE is a staple food for about half of the global popula on. This widely cul vated cereal is especially held in high esteem in India,

where a bride enters her new home by stepping on a pot of rice, and delicacies from biryani to kheer contain this important

ingredient. However, the rice plant has its own tales of poor nutri on and stunted growth. One such story is being told by a group of

researchers from the Indian Ins tute of Technology in Kharagpur, headed by Dr. Ashok Karan (results published in the Int. J. Agric.

Environ. Biotechnol. 8(3): 625-637).

Rice is a water-intensive crop, which means that it needs plenty of irriga on or rainwater to grow properly. A large por on of

rice produced in India is grown on laterite soils, which are poor in nutrients and can hold very li le water. Laterite soils are o en

acidic, which results in essen al nutrients like phosphorus (P) and sulphur (S) being withdrawn from the minute pores and channels

holding water and all dissolved nutrients in soil. P and S are macronutrients, each consis ng

of more than one percent of a plant’s dry weight and hence needed by the plant in large

amounts. On the lower side of the threshold, zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and boron (B) are examples

of micronutrients. Concentra ons of all these nutrients are subject to wetness of the soil, which

again depends on the technique of irriga on.

The researchers found that under con nuously fl ooded condi ons, S, Cu and Zn were much

less available than when the soil was alternately fl ooded and drained. These elements were

available in their highest quan es when the soil was holding water just at its maximum capacity

(or fi eld capacity). Availability of B was also lowest in fl ooded condi ons, but increased when soil

moisture was at fi eld capacity, and maximized under alternate fl ooding and drying.

The researchers “cured” the acidity of the soil by trea ng it with lime, which decreased the

availability of S, Cu and Zn but increased B availability. The highly intricate interac ons occurring among all these elements aff ect

the crop in unexpected ways. Though liming the soil led to lower availability of three nutrients, be er yield was obtained probably

due to higher P and B availability, and reduc on of toxic ions of aluminium (Al3+) and iron (Fe3+).

Similarly, lower nutrient availability in fl ooded soil was compensated by the abundance of water, which gave be er yield of rice

than soil holding water at fi eld capacity. However, alternate fl ooding and drying of fi elds gave the maximum yield, indica ng that a

delicate balance of resources is needed for op mum growth.

A third of the earth’s soils are lateri c, and the area is spreading due to degrada on of land by deforesta on in tropical regions

and accelerated climate change. So, the next me you inhale the aroma of a plate-full of steaming basma , spare a thought for the

dirty earth and the water it carries, both non-renewable resources which sustain all life.

Contributed by Ishita Paul, 3C Merlin Niket, 88C Baburam Ghosh Road, P.O. Regent Park, Kolkata-700040; Email: ipaul.biovolve24@gmail.com

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AN Indian Ins tute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru scien st recently announced the discovery of nto rangTM, a patent-pending, food-grade nucleic acid gel stain. The discovery was recently announced on 2 March 2016 at the Sa sh Dhawan auditorium, IISc, Bengaluru by Dr. Fathima Benazir who is also Cofounder and CEO, Azooka Life Sciences. Dr. Fathima completed her postdoctoral research from IISc.

“ nto rangTM is the fi rst ever food grade nucleic acid gel stain making it the safest op on currently available in the world,” said Dr. Fathima.

SELFIES are the norm today. You want them inside the house and out in the market, with friends and acquaintances and even with total strangers.

The fe sh for selfi es is now even being described as a syndrome. Broadly selfi e syndrome is divided into three categories – Borderline selfi e, Acute selfi e and Chronic selfi e. In Borderline selfi e, the user takes a minimum of three photographs every day and does not post it on social media; in Acute selfi e the user takes a minimum of three photographs every day and posts them immediately on social media. But in case of Chronic selfi e the user takes a minimum of six photographs every day and post them immediately on social media.

Selfi e syndrome has even created unknown dangers in the form of Selfi e

Anxiety and Selfi ts, with which our burgeoning young masses are grappling.

Selfi e Anxiety: It ranges from Dysmorphia, Video-Physiognmoic Dysphoria to Vulnerability Hangover. Today, several apps are available to take selfi es and give them a makeover although the reality is diff erent. Such examples are Skinnee Pix – a selfi e app that makes you look thinner which further creates body-related insecuri es and tendencies called dysmorphia.

Another app called Plas c Surgery Simulator is used for High-Defi ni on Masking in selfi e which most psychological consultants term as Video-Physiognomic Dsyphoria (VPD). Similar is the case with the app Face tune that encourages you to “just swipe for perfect skin”. Another adolescence mental health phenomena associated with selfi e is called “Vulnerability Hangover” which means “the feeling that sweeps over us a er we feel the need to connect and we share something deeply meaningful; minutes, hours, or days later, we begin to feel regret sweep over us like a warm wave of nausea”.

Selfi s: The American Psychiatric Associa on (APA) has coined a mental disorder syndrome called selfi s, or the

infl amma on of the ego. The disorder manifests itself in three stages: borderline, acute and chronic. Selfi e is no more amusing or funny but a mental disorder or an obsession to project an ar fi cial self image. Many psychologists believe that selfi s may be partly due to past bullying, broken rela onships, strained family bonding and low self esteem. Obsessive selfi e taking has been classifi ed as a mental health disorder and many psychologists have categorized this kind of disorder as ‘selfi s’.

While a Hyderabad boy is known to be eyeing a record by clicking 1800 selfi es in one hour, there have been many deaths due to this obsession with the selfi e. India accounted for approximately half of the 27 people who died taking selfi es in 2015, according to a Washington Post report.

There is a shared responsibility of families, schools, industry, government and others in the public all playing their part to reduce the harmful menace of the selfi e culture.

Contributed by Mr Bibhuti Narayan Biswal, Principal, Sri Sathya Sai Vidyaniketan, Near Tata Ssl, N.H. No.-8, Ganeshvad Sisodra–396463, Dist. Navsari, Gujarat; Email: bibhuti.nb@gmail.com

SELFIE: NO MORE THRILLING BUT KILLING

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IISC SCIENTIST REPORTS WORLD’S FASTEST AND SAFEST FOOD-GRADE DNA/RNA STAIN

Mr U.T. Khader, Minister for Health and Family Welfare in Karnataka (in white shirt), launching the RNA stain; to the right of the Minister is Dr. Fathima Benazir

Science Reporter, MAY 201613

“We are thrilled with this much needed-discovery. nto rangTM stains in 30 seconds while SYBR Gold takes 10 minutes. It is also seven mes more sensi ve than Ethidium Bromide, making it the world’s safest and fastest DNA/RNA stain. The best property of nto rangTM is that it doesn’t alter the structure of the DNA and can be used for mul ple tests,” said Prof. H.S. Savithri, whose advice played a crucial role in the research ac vi es of azooka.

“ nto rangTM will be available for researchers and businesses in molecular diagnosis space in India by the second quarter of 2016,” said Alex D. Paul,

Cofounder and President. He further added, “We are ready with a global plan for nto rangTM, to be made available in key markets via select distributors and partners by the fourth quarter of 2016.”

Researchers in DNA analysis, DNA forensics and Genomic labs are constantly exposed to toxic and carcinogenic nucleic acid stains. The currently available nucleic acid stains are synthe c and are known to cause muta ons and adversely aff ect health. They alter the structure of the DNA due to their strong interac ons. The improper disposal of these stains causes environmental and aqua c hazards. Although several handling and safety

prac ces are followed, the exposure to these chemicals becomes inevitable during their long term use.

nto rangTM would be safe even on consump on as it is a food addi ve and thereby would play a signifi cant role in protec ng the scien fi c community from exposure to carcinogens and mutagens. The produc on and easy availability of a safe nucleic acid stain in India will have direct impact on the cost of molecular diagnos cs, by elimina ng import and excise du es. In addi on it will also cut down handling and disposal costs. Further, it will help build an ecosystem for assay kit and master mix kit manufacturers.

A whole range of products can now take advantage of Vantablack’s astonishing characteris cs, thanks to the development of a new spray version of the world’s blackest coa ng material. The new substance, Vantablack S-VIS, is easily applied at large scale to virtually any surface, whilst s ll delivering the proven performance of Vantablack.

Vantablack’s nano-structure absorbs virtually all incident light, enabling the performance of precision op cal systems to be op mized. The material’s developer, UK-based Surrey NanoSystems, has mimicked the performance of its original Vantablack with a new version that can be sprayed onto objects, rather than deposited using a chemical vapour deposi on (CVD) process.

Vantablack S-VIS greatly widens the poten al applica ons space, making it possible to coat larger complex shapes and structures. It is applied at temperatures that are easily withstood by common plas cs, further extending its use. Even though the material is applied using a simple spraying process, it traps a massive 99.8% of incident light. This property gives Vantablack S-VIS its ability to make objects appear to be two-dimensional black holes, as it becomes impossible to make out surface topography.

The only other commercially-available material that is darker than the new S-VIS version is original Vantablack, which set a world record for absorp on of light at a staggering 99.965%. Vantablack was originally developed for satellite-borne earth observa on imaging and calibra on systems, where it increases instrument sensi vity by improving absorp on of stray ultraviolet, visible and infrared light. Since then, many other applica ons have emerged, including solar-energy collector elements, func onal surfaces in buildings and architecture, cinematographic projectors, high-performance baffl es and lenses, and scien fi c instruments. Its ability to deceive the eye also opens up a range of design possibili es to enhance styling and appearance in luxury goods and jewellery.

Vantablack S-VIS is so eff ec ve that its performance far outstrips that of any other conven onally-applied coa ng, typically achieving a refl ectance of less than 0.2%. Unlike other black absorbers, it off ers this excep onal performance across a wide range of viewing angles and wavelengths, which is cri cal for op cal instruments, as well as in many aesthe c applica ons. It is, for example, some 17 mes less refl ec ve than the super-black paint used for minimizing stray light in the Hubble Space Telescope.

WORLD’S BLACKEST MATERIALNOW IN SPRAY FORM

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