Coronavirus outbreak: Panjab University teachers looking for virtual options to overcome academic s… – Hindustan Times

March 22, 2020 medical

With classes suspended at Panjab University (PU) amid rising cases of coronavirus in the city, teachers are switching to virtual platforms to make up for the academic setback.

PU has suspended classes and directed teachers not to come to work. The non-teaching staff has also been directed to work from home.

Tejinder Pal Singh, professor at University Business School (UBS), said, I taught at least 27 students online on Saturday. It is the need of the hour as this is an important period to complete the syllabus. Many teachers are facing problems as they are not aware of online applications. So, I have decided to make videos to make them learn ways to take classes online.

The ministry of human resource development has directed teachers to develop online content in the wake of suspension of classes.

PU vice-chancellor Raj Kumar had told Hindustan Times earlier that the varsity had no plans to start online classes officially, but, if a teacher wants to do so, they would be allowed.

Rajat Sandhir, professor at the department of biochemistry, said, I am developing online content for topics that were to be covered during this time and sharing it with students. I am also checking manuscripts to be submitted for publications and thesis of students that are to be submitted soon. We are focusing on written work which students are compiling and sharing via e-mails. E-content is also being prepared, said VR Sinha, professor at the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

With classes suspended at Panjab University (PU) amid rising cases of coronavirus in the city, teachers are switching to virtual platforms to make up for the academic setback.(HT)

SOFTWARE AVAILABLE AT VARSITY

Guldip Singh, system administrator at the department of computer science, said, An e-learning and collaboration software, Virtual Learning Environment, is already available with us. Through this, teachers can upload content and students can keep track of their syllabus. We are ready to provide training to teachers on ways to use it.

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Coronavirus outbreak: Panjab University teachers looking for virtual options to overcome academic s... - Hindustan Times

Biochemistry

Tel Aviv University joins volunteer initiative to improve detection of novel coronavirus in Israel – The Medical News

March 22, 2020 medical

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Mar 22 2020

Israeli hospitals and universities, including Tel Aviv University, have joined forces to build an enormous student volunteer base to expand and improve the detection of people infected with novel coronavirus all over Israel. In addition, TAU, together with the Weizmann Institute of Science and other institutes in Israel, has recruited over 600 doctoral students to volunteer their time and assist overburdened hospitals process coronavirus tests in laboratories.

The medical student initiative was launched by researchers and doctors at Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Hadassah Medical Center and Shamir Medical Center, together with the co-chairs of the Medical Students Association, which represents medical students at Israel's five universities.

The volunteer base is geared at scaling up Israel's capacity to conduct tests and produce critical coronavirus infection results more quickly. Accordingly, over 1,000 medical student volunteers from all over the country are helping Magen David Adom, Israel's National Pre-Hospital Medical and Blood Emergency Services Organization (MDA), collect test samples from people in communities across the country.

Dozens of volunteers have already joined MDA medics in collecting test samples this week, and some have even started to carry out the tests themselves."

Prof. Carmit Levy of the Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine

This week, five doctoral students underwent coronavirus testing training, led by Prof. Ohad Gal-Mor of TAU's Sackler School of Medicine and the head of the Sheba Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory.

"It is inspiring to see students from all of the higher education institutions in the country enlisted bravely and resolutely to establish new laboratories and to assist existing laboratories in their efforts against the coronavirus," Prof. Levy adds.

The doctoral student volunteer mission was the brainchild of TAU, the Technion, Hebrew University, Bar-Ilan University, Ariel University and many medical centers, including Sheba, Shamir, Hadassah, Soroka, Wolfson, and Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. Several HMOs are also taking part in this effort in full coordination with the Ministry of Health.

"The level of collaboration between faculty, physicians, health professionals and medical and graduate students at the universities, hospitals, HMOs, MDA, and Ministry of Health, is unprecedented in Israel," concludes Prof. Karen Avraham, Vice Dean of TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine. "This will set the stage for years to come for how much we can accomplish when working together so selflessly."

Genetics

A new book captures how genetics fills in the story of lifes evolution – Science News

March 22, 2020 medical

Some Assembly RequiredNeil ShubinPantheon, $26.95

When descendants of ancient fish firsthauled themselves onto dry land, they didnt do so with lungs evolvedspecifically for that reason. The need to breathe air ultimately led to achange in the function of an organ the fish already had. Likewise, when birdstook to the air millions of years later, they did so using feathers that may haveoriginally evolved as insulation or as a way to attract mates.

In SomeAssembly Required, Neil Shubin, a paleontologist, explores these and othergreat evolutionary innovations, as well as the invisible genetic changes thatmade them possible. The book is an impressive chronicle of what geneticresearch over the last few decades has done to complement the story ofevolution, a tale once told through fossils, anatomy and physiology alone.

Headlines and summaries of the latest Science News articles, delivered to your inbox

Forinstance, studies show that the genes fish need to build swim bladders theorgan that helps control buoyancy are the same ones lungfish and humans useto build lungs. Such repurposing, of both genes and anatomical features, is arecurrent theme in the tree of life, Shubin notes.

In somecases, genetic mutations trigger the production of new proteins, which caneither serve new functions or perform old tasks more efficiently and, in turn,enhance the survival of the organism. In other cases, mutations cause genes tobe switched on or off earlier or later in development and at different placesin an embryo. These changes can alter the development of skulls, fins, limbsand other anatomical features, and sometimes result in totally new features.

Many ofthese tweaks may arise when genes duplicate themselves, a process that allowsone copy of a gene to retain its original function but frees up the additionalcopy to change and gain a new purpose. For instance, research suggests that thegene NOTCH2NL, which originated via duplication of a more primitive geneand is found in humans but not monkeys, triggers the growth of brain cells wheninserted into the DNA of lab mice. The gene probably contributes to humans bigbrain, scientists have proposed.

Viralinfections have also led to evolutionary changes in the host, Shubin pointsout. Syncytin, a protein that plays a vital role in the placenta of mammals, isa viral protein that lost its ability to infect other cells. At some point inthe evolution of mammals, the protein was incorporated into its hosts geneticcode and put to work, creating intercellular pathways that enable nutrients andother substances to flow between mothers and embryos.

By taking a historical perspective and recounting the gradual accumulation of knowledge about genes and their effects, Shubin transforms a complicated topic into a smooth and fascinating read.

Buy Some Assembly Required from Amazon.com.Science Newsis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Please see ourFAQfor more details.

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A new book captures how genetics fills in the story of lifes evolution - Science News

Genetics

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex – Science Magazine

March 22, 2020 medical

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

By Katrina L. Grasby, Neda Jahanshad, Jodie N. Painter, Luca Colodro-Conde, Janita Bralten, Derrek P. Hibar, Penelope A. Lind, Fabrizio Pizzagalli, Christopher R. K. Ching, Mary Agnes B. McMahon, Natalia Shatokhina, Leo C. P. Zsembik, Sophia I. Thomopoulos, Alyssa H. Zhu, Lachlan T. Strike, Ingrid Agartz, Saud Alhusaini, Marcio A. A. Almeida, Dag Alns, Inge K. Amlien, Micael Andersson, Tyler Ard, Nicola J. Armstrong, Allison Ashley-Koch, Joshua R. Atkins, Manon Bernard, Rachel M. Brouwer, Elizabeth E. L. Buimer, Robin Blow, Christian Brger, Dara M. Cannon, Mallar Chakravarty, Qiang Chen, Joshua W. Cheung, Baptiste Couvy-Duchesne, Anders M. Dale, Shareefa Dalvie, Tnia K. de Araujo, Greig I. de Zubicaray, Sonja M. C. de Zwarte, Anouk den Braber, Nhat Trung Doan, Katharina Dohm, Stefan Ehrlich, Hannah-Ruth Engelbrecht, Susanne Erk, Chun Chieh Fan, Iryna O. Fedko, Sonya F. Foley, Judith M. Ford, Masaki Fukunaga, Melanie E. Garrett, Tian Ge, Sudheer Giddaluru, Aaron L. Goldman, Melissa J. Green, Nynke A. Groenewold, Dominik Grotegerd, Tiril P. Gurholt, Boris A. Gutman, Narelle K. Hansell, Mathew A. Harris, Marc B. Harrison, Courtney C. Haswell, Michael Hauser, Stefan Herms, Dirk J. Heslenfeld, New Fei Ho, David Hoehn, Per Hoffmann, Laurena Holleran, Martine Hoogman, Jouke-Jan Hottenga, Masashi Ikeda, Deborah Janowitz, Iris E. Jansen, Tianye Jia, Christiane Jockwitz, Ryota Kanai, Sherif Karama, Dalia Kasperaviciute, Tobias Kaufmann, Sinead Kelly, Masataka Kikuchi, Marieke Klein, Michael Knapp, Annchen R. Knodt, Bernd Krmer, Max Lam, Thomas M. Lancaster, Phil H. Lee, Tristram A. Lett, Lindsay B. Lewis, Iscia Lopes-Cendes, Michelle Luciano, Fabio Macciardi, Andre F. Marquand, Samuel R. Mathias, Tracy R. Melzer, Yuri Milaneschi, Nazanin Mirza-Schreiber, Jose C. V. Moreira, Thomas W. Mhleisen, Bertram Mller-Myhsok, Pablo Najt, Soichiro Nakahara, Kwangsik Nho, Loes M. Olde Loohuis, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, John F. Pearson, Toni L. Pitcher, Benno Ptz, Yann Quid, Anjanibhargavi Ragothaman, Faisal M. Rashid, William R. Reay, Ronny Redlich, Cline S. Reinbold, Jonathan Repple, Genevive Richard, Brandalyn C. Riedel, Shannon L. Risacher, Cristiane S. Rocha, Nina Roth Mota, Lauren Salminen, Arvin Saremi, Andrew J. Saykin, Fenja Schlag, Lianne Schmaal, Peter R. Schofield, Rodrigo Secolin, Chin Yang Shapland, Li Shen, Jean Shin, Elena Shumskaya, Ida E. Snderby, Emma Sprooten, Katherine E. Tansey, Alexander Teumer, Anbupalam Thalamuthu, Diana Tordesillas-Gutirrez, Jessica A. Turner, Anne Uhlmann, Costanza Ludovica Vallerga, Dennis van der Meer, Marjolein M. J. van Donkelaar, Liza van Eijk, Theo G. M. van Erp, Neeltje E. M. van Haren, Daan van Rooij, Marie-Jos van Tol, Jan H. Veldink, Ellen Verhoef, Esther Walton, Mingyuan Wang, Yunpeng Wang, Joanna M. Wardlaw, Wei Wen, Lars T. Westlye, Christopher D. Whelan, Stephanie H. Witt, Katharina Wittfeld, Christiane Wolf, Thomas Wolfers, Jing Qin Wu, Clarissa L. Yasuda, Dario Zaremba, Zuo Zhang, Marcel P. Zwiers, Eric Artiges, Amelia A. Assareh, Rosa Ayesa-Arriola, Aysenil Belger, Christine L. Brandt, Gregory G. Brown, Sven Cichon, Joanne E. Curran, Gareth E. Davies, Franziska Degenhardt, Michelle F. Dennis, Bruno Dietsche, Srdjan Djurovic, Colin P. Doherty, Ryan Espiritu, Daniel Garijo, Yolanda Gil, Penny A. Gowland, Robert C. Green, Alexander N. Husler, Walter Heindel, Beng-Choon Ho, Wolfgang U. Hoffmann, Florian Holsboer, Georg Homuth, Norbert Hosten, Clifford R. Jack Jr., MiHyun Jang, Andreas Jansen, Nathan A. Kimbrel, Knut Kolskr, Sanne Koops, Axel Krug, Kelvin O. Lim, Jurjen J. Luykx, Daniel H. Mathalon, Karen A. Mather, Venkata S. Mattay, Sarah Matthews, Jaqueline Mayoral Van Son, Sarah C. McEwen, Ingrid Melle, Derek W. Morris, Bryon A. Mueller, Matthias Nauck, Jan E. Nordvik, Markus M. Nthen, Daniel S. OLeary, Nils Opel, Marie-Laure Paillre Martinot, G. Bruce Pike, Adrian Preda, Erin B. Quinlan, Paul E. Rasser, Varun Ratnakar, Simone Reppermund, Vidar M. Steen, Paul A. Tooney, Fbio R. Torres, Dick J. Veltman, James T. Voyvodic, Robert Whelan, Tonya White, Hidenaga Yamamori, Hieab H. H. Adams, Joshua C. Bis, Stephanie Debette, Charles Decarli, Myriam Fornage, Vilmundur Gudnason, Edith Hofer, M. Arfan Ikram, Lenore Launer, W. T. Longstreth, Oscar L. Lopez, Bernard Mazoyer, Thomas H. Mosley, Gennady V. Roshchupkin, Claudia L. Satizabal, Reinhold Schmidt, Sudha Seshadri, Qiong Yang, Alzheimers Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, CHARGE Consortium, EPIGEN Consortium, IMAGEN Consortium, SYS Consortium, Parkinsons Progression Markers Initiative, Marina K. M. Alvim, David Ames, Tim J. Anderson, Ole A. Andreassen, Alejandro Arias-Vasquez, Mark E. Bastin, Bernhard T. Baune, Jean C. Beckham, John Blangero, Dorret I. Boomsma, Henry Brodaty, Han G. Brunner, Randy L. Buckner, Jan K. Buitelaar, Juan R. Bustillo, Wiepke Cahn, Murray J. Cairns, Vince Calhoun, Vaughan J. Carr, Xavier Caseras, Svenja Caspers, Gianpiero L. Cavalleri, Fernando Cendes, Aiden Corvin, Benedicto Crespo-Facorro, John C. Dalrymple-Alford, Udo Dannlowski, Eco J. C. de Geus, Ian J. Deary, Norman Delanty, Chantal Depondt, Sylvane Desrivires, Gary Donohoe, Thomas Espeseth, Guilln Fernndez, Simon E. Fisher, Herta Flor, Andreas J. Forstner, Clyde Francks, Barbara Franke, David C. Glahn, Randy L. Gollub, Hans J. Grabe, Oliver Gruber, Asta K. Hberg, Ahmad R. Hariri, Catharina A. Hartman, Ryota Hashimoto, Andreas Heinz, Frans A. Henskens, Manon H. J. Hillegers, Pieter J. Hoekstra, Avram J. Holmes, L. Elliot Hong, William D. Hopkins, Hilleke E. Hulshoff Pol, Terry L. Jernigan, Erik G. Jnsson, Ren S. Kahn, Martin A. Kennedy, Tilo T. J. Kircher, Peter Kochunov, John B. J. Kwok, Stephanie Le Hellard, Carmel M. Loughland, Nicholas G. Martin, Jean-Luc Martinot, Colm McDonald, Katie L. McMahon, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Patricia T. Michie, Rajendra A. Morey, Bryan Mowry, Lars Nyberg, Jaap Oosterlaan, Roel A. Ophoff, Christos Pantelis, Tomas Paus, Zdenka Pausova, Brenda W. J. H. Penninx, Tinca J. C. Polderman, Danielle Posthuma, Marcella Rietschel, Joshua L. Roffman, Laura M. Rowland, Perminder S. Sachdev, Philipp G. Smann, Ulrich Schall, Gunter Schumann, Rodney J. Scott, Kang Sim, Sanjay M. Sisodiya, Jordan W. Smoller, Iris E. Sommer, Beate St Pourcain, Dan J. Stein, Arthur W. Toga, Julian N. Trollor, Nic J. A. Van der Wee, Dennis van t Ent, Henry Vlzke, Henrik Walter, Bernd Weber, Daniel R. Weinberger, Margaret J. Wright, Juan Zhou, Jason L. Stein, Paul M. Thompson, Sarah E. Medland, Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis Consortium (ENIGMA)Genetics working group

Science20 Mar 2020

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The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex - Science Magazine

Human Behavior

Why people are panic and bulk-buying during the coronavirus pandemic – Insider – INSIDER

March 22, 2020 medical

A trip to the supermarket ends the same way for many people around the world right now trying to pick up anything you can among rows and rows of empty shelves.

While shops have not closed in most places, people have been panic buying items in bulk so they are prepared if their country does go into complete lockdown. Grocery chains and governments have advised against this bulk-buying, but this hasn't stopped people rushing to queue up and buy tons of things like toilet paper and diapers to store in their homes.

Panic buying behavior occurs when the brain's survival mode overrides any rational decision making, according to Dr. Ali Fenwick, human behavior expert at Nyenrode Business University.

He said there are four main reasons why people feel the need to stock up in this way.

An uncertain or threatening situation means the more primitive part of the brain can take over, and it's main objective is to keep you alive. This suppresses or distorts rational thinking, so even though governments are promising there will be no disruption to food supply, many don't listen.

Most people have never lived through something like this current health crisis, so they would rather buy more food than they usually would than risk going hungry.

Scarcity of products leads people to perceive them as more valuable, meaning they are more willing to pay a premium price. It can even make us buy things we don't even want because we think they are suddenly worth more.

This can explain why people are scrambling for toilet paper and stealing it out of other people's baskets even though they have plenty at home.

Fenwick explained that the fact other people are filling their houses with things they don't need can bring about the urge for you to do the same.

Everything feels quite uncertain right now, with social isolation and countries closing their borders, which can lead us to follow what other people are doing, even if it's not right at all.

In uncertain times, it's nice to feel like you have control over something. When looking at the apocalyptic sight of an emply aisle, buying up anything you can helps provide that control, because you know if the worst comes to the worst you can feed your family.

"In summary, bulk buying is caused by various psychological and environmental cues which throw rational thinking out of the window," said Fenwick. "When in survival mode, we let mainly our emotions drive decisions and are more susceptible to social influences. So, we will rush out and buy more because we believe others are doing the same."

A surfer set up toilet paper exchange on a street corner and is encouraging people to share their supplies

13 heartwarming ways everyday heroes are helping people affected by coronavirus

Logan Paul shared a TikTok poking fun at how people around the world are panic-buying toilet paper

Bidet sales are soaring as the coronavirus causes toilet paper panic-buying frenzies around the world

An Australian family accidentally ordered $3,264 worth of toilet paper when they bought 48 boxes instead of 48 rolls

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Why people are panic and bulk-buying during the coronavirus pandemic - Insider - INSIDER

Human Behavior

Netflix’s 100 Humans: Who Is the Hilarious Human #28? – Screen Rant

March 22, 2020 medical

Netflix is taking reality TV by storm with viral hits. First the reality competitionseries The Circle, then they won hearts with Love is Blind and now they give us a reality documentary-series, 100 Humans. As with most shows there is always a crowd favorite.This time around it's Human #28.

Now that the producers at Netflix has shown us that love is indeed blind, they have another social experiment to explore. In 100 Humans, a hundred random humans from various backgrounds and demographics are participants ininteractive experiments. They are used to prove or debunk popular trends and identify patterns in human behavior. Those involved in the experiments are respectively referred to as Human and their designated number to hide their identities. Topics they examinerange from the age old question of is the toilet paper supposed to be over or under to trying to prove if women really talk more than men. Hosts Alie Ward, Sammie Obeid andZainab Johnson, who all come from a background in entertainment, keep the experiments on track and add a little comedic flair to keep the show entertaining. Seeing the participants endure the various social psychological experiments is another level of entertainment. One particular participant who kept viewers wanting more is lovable Human #28.

Related: Listen to Your Heart: Everything We Know About the Bachelor Spinoff

Over a course of eight episodes, viewers get to know some of the humans involved, mostly basic information of hometown and occupation. There were even some familiar faces,like Emmy winner Ryan Zamo and YouTube star Avalon Warren. While some stood out more than others, none stood out quite like Human #28, Tyanta Snow, better known as Ty (via Instagram). Ty made quite the impression with his hilarious honesty, boisterous personality and admirable ability to burst into song at any given moment. The special education teacher from Pasadena, California, is also an actor and according to his IMDb page has been on several reality television shows as well as gameshows. His Instagram bio also indicates he's a gospel singer, which explains the ease of his musical talent.

Ty often used his gift of music to help him get through challenging experiments. He used it as a distraction during an experiment that required him to refrain from using the bathroom for five hours, then played a round of Jenga before he could go. Some of these felt quite brutal. It should be mentioned it was an experiment he prompted to be examined. In his most memorable moment of the season, he created a song to teach the game of Tic-Tac-Toe, which eventually went viral and probablychanged how the old school game is introduced at a time of boredom. It may have increased the use of the game.

Season 1 of 100 Humans may be over, but after the success of this season, Human #28 is bound to grace our television screens again. Until then, there's always Tic-tac-toe, tic-tac-toe Love to play the game, tic-tac-toe.

Next: Where to Follow All of the Love Is Blind Couples on Instagram

100 Humansseason 1 is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Source:Instagram,IMDb

Where Ahsoka Is During The Mandalorian (According To Current Star Wars Canon)

Brian Goodrum is a writer who specializes in content and creative writing. Now working as a writer for Valnet, Inc, covering Reality TV for Screen Rant, she can combine her love for entertainment and writing. She is fueled by all things art and tea related and looks forward to sharing her work.

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Netflix's 100 Humans: Who Is the Hilarious Human #28? - Screen Rant

Human Behavior

This Indonesian Scientist Studies The Worlds Newest Orangutans – Forbes

March 22, 2020 medical

Bogor Agricultural University researcher Puji Rianti in the field, collecting genetic samples for ... [+] her research in Indonesia.

Puji Rianti's skills as a geneticist and her passion for conservation have made her a researcher at the IPB University in Indonesia, studying the genetics of theTapanuli orangutan, which is only found in a small area in Northern Sumatra.

Rianti was a co-author of the paper that in 2017 described a new species of great apes, the Tapanuli orangutan, Pongo tapanuliensis, which were spotted in the area in 1939 but not rediscovered until 1997.

When I was a girl, I had many dreams of a careers to be a teacher, a police detective, an archaeologist, even a radio announcer and an artist!

But I always had a dream to research in the field with primates. During my study in the university, I had several opportunities to live that dream as a research assistant, Rianti said. I think being a scientist is not always about being a nerd, but about having an excellent communication and negotiation skills.

Then she eventually became a primary researcher of a project, which she said the biggest dream came true.

Her field and genetics experience gave her the opportunity to work in one of the most intriguing scientific questions in the region.

It's always been a big question: how and why can only we have orangutans as Asia's big apes, living only in certain areas in Sumatra and Borneo, she said, What evolutionary moment shaped that?

Rianti also said that there is plenty that we can learn about the evolution of human behavior and culture through this far sister in own primate family.

My work began as a chunk part of these questions, especially the evolutionary genetics part that shapes the orangutans' population nowadays, she said, My study also generates databases for population identification purposes within and between populations and species in Sumatra.

According to Rianti, together with the most significant research consortium of orangutans, she and her fellow researchers were finally able to prove the genetic and behavioral uniqueness of a certain population of Orangutans in Tapanuli in northern Sumatra, culminating in naming a newly named species.

Now, most scientists and conservationist are also interested and willing to study this species, but genetically we still lead in the project because of our expertise and laboratory tools availability, she said.

According to Rianti, even though the Tapanuli orangutan was announced as a new species of orangutans in Sumatra only in 2017, the population is already facing so many threats and life challenges just to keep existing.

It is also challenging to find an individual in the wild, as their appearance is influenced by the availability of food and suitable habitats, she said.

As a scientist and conservationist, I have learned to open my eyes, my ears, and my heart.

In terms of lessons of others in the global south, Rianti says if we want to conserve and safe our natural environment and biodiversity, we need to help people in the area.

They are the one who will keep the habitat safe and sustain. Because it's their home habitat, their life and work, and we shouldn't give up, she said.

Puji Rianti carries out laboratory work at the genetic lab of the Department of Biology IPB ... [+] University at IPB University in Bogor, Indonesia

Rianti is just one of many women making an impact in science and communities in Indonesia. Another is Monica Nirmala is an Indonesian dentist who is now a masters student at Harvards School of Public Health.

RELATED:How Paying Your Doctor In Seeds Helps Save The Rain Forest

She has helped Kinari Webb medical doctor and founder ofHealth In Harmonyto reduce deforestation and provide equitable access to healthcare through Project Alam Sehat Lestari(ASRI)in the village ofSukadanaon the edge of theGunung Palung National Parkin western Borneo.

In order to reduce the impact of health emergencies on the deforestation, the villagers can pay for their healthcare at the clinic with seeds, handicrafts and other non-cash payment options.

Health In Harmony figures show the number of logging households in the community has dropped by 89% over the last 10 years and in the first five years of the program infant deaths per 100 households declined 70%. The community now also has an ambulance.

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This Indonesian Scientist Studies The Worlds Newest Orangutans - Forbes

Human Behavior

Coronavirus and the changing dynamics of social spaces in Pakistan – Daily Times

March 22, 2020 medical

According to World Health Organization (WHO), there has to be distance of at least 1 meter which needs to be maintained between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. This caution is prescribed in the light of the fact that social contact can increase the susceptibility of catching the virus. Hence, any form of social contact, most critically physical proximity, is being consciously restricted by the governments of the countries where the number of cases as well as death rates are increasing due to coronavirus. For instance, in China cell-phone tracking system is being made operational to monitor peoples mobility especially to restrict the mobility of those who have confirmed infections. In Italy, as an immediate response to the outbreak, travelling restrictions are being imposed, in

addition to curbing social mobility by shutting down schools, restaurants and bars. The UK Government is also actively functioning to stop all non-essential contact with other people.

These measures which are being referred to as the need of the hour have received flake in political and academic discourses due to their stringent and anti-social stance toward human behavior and interactions. But the fact of the matter is that the relevance of these strict measures cannot be ignored if the susceptibility of the virus is to be minimized.

Especially, in a country like Pakistan where the number of identified infected cases has been reported the highest as compared to other South Asian countries, the relevance of such measures become even more important. Adding to this grave situation is the shortage of precautionary masks and hand sanitizers in the medical stores of the country. With such dearth of physical infrastructure in the health care, paucity of Human Resource trained in knowledge related to the virus and virus-control, and state-apparatus determined to restrict social mobility by curbing social spaces, will human behavior actually change in a country like Pakistan? We are not able to respond with an absolute Yes to this question. There can be many reasons attributable to our ambiguity in finding a deterministic response to this question. First of all, huge economic costs are being borne by the most infected regions as a result of shutting down and locking-down because people are refraining from physical contacts and confining themselves to their spaces of domesticity the immediate result of which is the sharp decline in the demand of goods and services. To what extent this global phenomenon is contextual to Pakistans reality, especially when we consider countrys informal economy, is questionable. If a poor persons survival is singularly contingent on per-day labor (for example of a child working in automobile mechanics/shop, a khokha owner, a daily-wage worker or a domestic helper), will he/she be caring for coronavirus even when the demand for his/her goods and services is low? Secondly, the country has culturally and historically been bifurcated into urban and rural domains where awareness and literacy rates in the former are greater than the latter. Moreover, the social ties and social capital are more grounded in the rural than urban areas of Pakistan due to which maintaining social distancing in the rural areas seems to be a bigger challenge than it is for urban areas in Pakistan. In the light of this assertion, do we need an interventionist policy of social distancing specified for rural/urban divide in Pakistan? Thirdly, our social values and codes of hospitality are so strong that these have become part of our cognitive systems and cultural norms. We still see people shaking hands with each other around us. We still see people hugging each other because they want to respond to the gesture of physical proximity with same warmth. Also, we still see people being reticent to cover their faces with masks despite catching cold, or not caring much for their mouth or nose droplets dropping over other peoples bodies when they cough or sneeze. Why? Because, they simply dont care as we heard one sick man saying Allah maalikhai (Allah is our caretaker). Putting these contextual realities in place, social distancing seems implausible in Pakistan. Having said this, we observe shrinking of social functioning as a response to which social behavior is altering in the physical spaces around. It gives a lesser sense of belonging when your colleagues and even close relatives for that matter do not encourage or respond to physical proximities such as hand shaking, hugging or kissing. The recent studies of cognitive anthropology being conducted in the west are also highlighting that social distancing is causing social isolation which can cause depression and other psychological disorders among people. Such studies can be relevant for a country like Pakistan where Social groups are closely-knit and culturally-tied to each other. In a nutshell, coronavirus and the institutional response to it is necessary but as to what extent it will be efficacious for a complex country like Pakistan is a question to ponder over.

The authors are assistant professor and lecturer at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) respectively.

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Coronavirus and the changing dynamics of social spaces in Pakistan - Daily Times

Human Behavior

Wait, What Does The Novel Coronavirus Have To Do With Bats? – Women’s Health

March 22, 2020 medical

If youre not a member of the scientific or medical community (or, if you are, you're a hero right now!), it might seem like the novel coronavirus came out of nowhere. Now that 191,127 COVID-19 cases in total have been reported on every continent except for Antarctica, many people are wondering exactly where the novel coronavirus came from.

While a lot about the virus is still unknown, part of the answer to that mystery may have to do with an animal more commonly thought of as an important part of any good Halloween decoration display: the bat.

The first cases of COVID-19 (the illness caused by novel coronavirus) can be traced back to a live animal market in Wuhan City, China, according to the CDC. And research suggests that, like other recent viral outbreaks, COVID-19 originated in bats before it made the jump to humans. Here, the details on how bats played a role in this COVID-19 outbreak.

It's unclear exactly how bats picked up novel coronavirus, but researchers do know they carry it and are the reason it's been passed on to humans. COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease, which means it is caused by an animal virus that has been picked up by humans, explains Richard J. Kuhn, PhD, a professor of biological sciences at Purdue University. By Kuhns estimate, about 80 percent of viruses that exist are zoonotic viruses, and they work in both directions: animals can pass them to humans, and humans can pass them back to animals.

The novel coronavirus that caused this current outbreak comes from a family of zoonotic viruses. Viruses from this family have been passed to humans from animals before (more on this later) and usually result in cold- and flu-like respiratory symptoms for humans. But the illnesses they cause can also lead to death in animals, according to a study from the University of California, Berkeley.

However, researchers have found that when bats contract these viruses, their particularly strong immune systems prevent them from getting sick or dying from the infections. This means they can continue to carry and pass on the virus, whereas other animals that contract it may get sick and die, and therefore are less likely to pass it on. The UC Berkeley researchers found that a bats immune system is so strong, in fact, that when a virus infects a bat, the animals immune system response is thought to cause the virus to adapt and replicate even faster. That means when the virus infects an animal with a weaker immune system (lets say a human), the virus is able to wreak havoc.

One of the reasons bats have such strong immune systems is thought to be the fact that they can fly, according to the UC Berkeley study. When they fly, bats elevate their metabolic rates to a level that would hurt other mammals, but for bats, helped them develop an immune system that is able to quickly repair the cell damage caused by flight, the researchers found.

As a virus jumps from species to species, it mutates, which means that researchers won't see an *exact* copy in animals of the novel coronavirus found in humans. But scientists have found a 96 percent genetic match between the virus that's currently infecting humans and a coronavirus that is found in bats, according to a study published in Nature in February.

Kuhn believes that its not likely that novel coronavirus spread directly from bats to humans, but that one or more animals at the market in Wuhan were infected by bats and served as an intermediate host in the transfer of the virus from bats to humans. It's thought that humans then came in contact with an infected animal, or animals, at the market. How exactly the virus was transmitted is still unknown, but some theories include a human consuming an infected animal or touching an infected animal during the butchering process.

While they don't know the exact route the virus took to get to humans, scientists all seem to agree that the novel coronavirus came from animalsparticularly considering other recent disease outbreaks that were caused by zoonotic viruses.

COVID-19 is not the first illness that has made the leap from bats to humans. The viruses that caused SARS, MERS, Ebola, Nipah, Hendra, and Marburg can all be traced back to bats, according to the UC Berkeley researchers, although all were spread through intermediate hosts. While animals and humans have traded diseases back and forth historically, recently, outbreaks that can be traced back to animals have become more commonpartly, at least, due to human behavior.

"This is something that has been increasing probably because weve degraded their habitat and come in more contact directly with more animals," says Kuhn. He also notes that humans have created environments where there are high densities of animals, "whether thats a swine farm or a wet market, in which viruses can spread," he explains. "So, there will continue to be this threat of pathogens moving into a new ecological niche."

Unfortunately, experts say no. Humans come in contact with animals in all sorts of waysby hanging out with pets, consuming animal products, and encroaching upon their habitats. So, Kuhn says, the best thing to do is try to learn from this outbreak and try to be prepared for when the next one occurs.

The question is, will we be able to predict this in the future?" he says. "And were not there yet. We can anticipate that its coming because of our more frequent exposure to animals, but we cant anticipate what its going to look like right now. For Kuhn, one of the keys is developing better technologies that can tell if someone is infected with a virus before they become symptomatic. That way, someone who is sick can be treated and take appropriate action sooner and will hopefully limit the number of other people infected.

So, while researchers continue to investigate these diseases, the most important thing you can do right now is make sure you keep yourself and those around you healthy, per the CDCs guidelines, and look out for the symptoms of the illness in yourself and others, and seek medical help and testing if you suspect you or a loved one has it.

The novel coronavirus is especially serious for the elderly, those who are immunocompromised, and people with chronic conditions. The best way you can prevent the spread of the virus is to practice social distancing, wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your face, and implement these other hygiene habits that can help protect the health of your family and community.

Human Behavior

There Are Striking Similarities in The Way Bacteria And Humans Settle Into Colonies – ScienceAlert

March 22, 2020 medical

The way oral bacteria sets up shop in our mouths is not unlike how we humans settle into our cities, a new study has found.

There's a reason bacteria are said to live in 'colonies', and the more we learn about how these tiny architects build their communities, the more familiar their behavior seems to us.

A new study following how multiple individual settlers develop into microcolonies has found growth patterns and dynamics that mirror our own urban inclinations.

"We take this 'satellite-level' view, following hundreds of bacteria distributed on a surface from their initial colonisation to biofilm formation," says Hyun Koo from the University of Pennsylvania.

"And what we see is that, remarkably, the spatial and structural features of their growth are analogous to what we see in urbanisation."

Just as in nature, bacteria in your mouth live in complex structures known as biofilms. In fact, 99.9 percent of prokaryotes live crammed together with millions of other neighbours in one of these settlements.

Biofilms are everywhere, but if they're on your teeth, we refer to them as plaque. This dense and sticky deposit is hard to remove, thereby protecting resident microbes from environmental assaults, like toothpaste, floss or even antibiotics.

It builds up when several individual settlers develop into microcolonies, but exactly how this happens remains underexplored.

Using the oral bacterium Streptococcus mutans, researchers have shown that microbial cells settle at random and regardless of the surface type. Nevertheless, only a subset of colonisers actually begin clustering, expanding their scope "by amalgamating neighboring bacteria into densely populated microcolonies."

"We thought that the majority of the individual bacteria would end up growing," says Koo. "But the actual number was less than 40 percent, with the rest either dying off or being engulfed by the growth of other microcolonies."

Once the clusters arise, something really curious happens: they begin to interact with one another, growing and organising into densely populated "micron-scale microcolonies that further expand and merge" to form a biofilm superstructure.

This sort of cooperation is interesting, as previous studies have reported bacterial competition in other species, especially when there was a scarcity of nutrients.

In this case, the nutrients only impacted the actual forming of the colonies. After that, "the individual microcolonies (distant or in close proximity) continued to grow without disruption until merging with each other, and the merged structures behaved and grew like a single new harmonised community," the researchers write.

Only when more antagonistic foreign species were introduced did it affect that seemingly peaceful unit, and the growth of the microcolonies was lowered.

"These communities (microcolonies) can expand and merge with each other in a collaborative fashion, without competition between adjacent communities," the authors conclude.

(Paula et al., Nature Communications, 2020)

It's the type of growth that indicates "communal behavior between microorganisms", and it looks similar to human urbanisation, where some settlers stay static, while others grow into villages that further expand into densely-populated microcolonies or cities, which then merge into microbial megacities.

Of course, there are limits to this idea of bacterial urbanisation. The authors aren't saying microbes build traffic signs, roads and supply lines, but the general idea is the same and it can not only help us tackle infections better, it might also help us build more sustainably.

"It's a useful analogy, but it should be taken with a grain of salt," Koo says. "We're not saying these bacteria are anthropomorphic. But taking this perspective of biofilm growth gives us a multiscale, multidimensional picture of how they grow that we've not seen before."

The study was published in Nature Communications.

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There Are Striking Similarities in The Way Bacteria And Humans Settle Into Colonies - ScienceAlert