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LiFi Boom

Li-Fi is a Visible Light Communications (VLC) system running wireless communications travelling at very high speeds. Li-Fi uses common household

LED (light emitting diodes) light bulbs to enable data transfer, boasting speeds of up to 224 gigabits per second. While the light fidelity technology is still in its early phases, it’s shown tremendous potential. The global market is projected to expand to $115 billion by 2022 and could conceivably replace Wi-Fi.

Li-Fi Harnesses the Power of Visible Light Instead of Radio Waves Used by Wi-Fi

Although you can’t see them, waves are transmitted from our devices, carrying bits of data that allow us to surf the Internet. They communicate with towers called cellular radio masts, which you might see disguised as palm trees. There are approximately 1.4 million cellular radiomasts worldwide, according to the founder of LiFi, Harald Haas.

Li-Fi replaces this bulky infrastructure, with a elegant, illuminating solution. It depends on LED lights that send data over visible light via pulses that the human eye can’t detect. On the electromagnetic spectrum, which measures the frequency of radiation, the spectrum of visible light is 10,000 times as big as that of radio-waves says Haas. Using light could eliminate the expenses resulting from the limited range of radio waves.

`Light has created us, has created life, has created all the stuff of life. So it’s inherently safe to use. And wouldn’t it be great to use that for wireless communications?` said Haas.

HOW IT WORKS?

Li-Fi not only requires LED light bulbs to transmit data, but also a receiver that can interpret that data. In January it was reported that Apple had referenced Li-Fi capabilities in versions of the iPhone, iOS 9.1 and up. Visible light communication has also been used in a grocery store in Northern France to track the location of customers with their consent. This provides invaluable data to marketers, who can offer coupons and other incentives based on shopping habits.

However, Li-Fi has much bigger applications than simply as a geo-location tool. Incorporating LiFi into the 14 billion existing light bulbs could provide more accessible and secure internet service, says Haas. Haas has proposed retrofitting the existing Internet framework to support Li-Fi bulbs. To that end, he created the company pureLiFi, which provides internet at speeds of first generation WiFi.

PureLiFi has partnered with LED light maker Lucibel to develop the technology. The France-based company heralded the applications of LiFi for the Internet of Things, a network of devices that communicate with each other. Their first industrialized LiFi product, the LiFi luminaire, launched in September. Real estate development company Nexity was the first end user of the LiFi technology. Microsoft will also be using the technology at its innovation center in Issy-les-Moulineaux.

LiFi is Virtually Hack-Proof

Because light can’t penetrate through walls, it’s very difficult to tap sensitive data transmittedthrough LiFi. It’s not uncommon for criminals to steal personal information from unsuspecting Internet users at a local cafe. Even password protected WiFi can be hacked, allowing criminals to see what web pages you visit and links you click on. That said, LiFi offers a more secure alternative to WiFi because available data can be confined to a room.Of course, there’s a trade-off between convenience and security. However, smart architecture would allow light to follow a user, according to Forbes. Scientists are also working on technology to make Li-Fi work in the dark. Dartmouth University researchers discovered that dim LEDs would be able to send pulses undetectable by the human eye.

Mosquito free Antarctica

Mosquitoes have be deviled humans for centuries, spreading disease and death to millions. Today, the latest plague they bring is the Zika virus.

Mosquitoes are perhaps the most dangerous animals in the world.   It threatens half of the world's population and causes billions of dollars in lost productivity annually. Other mosquito-borne diseases include dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis. There are more than 2,500 species of mosquito, and mosquitoes are found in every region of the world except Antarctica.    

They bite and buzz and suck your blood. If you hate them, you can move indoors for a temporary escape, but if you really hate mosquitoes, you'll have to move — and we mean really far away.

There are only two places in the world that are completely and utterly mosquito-free: Antarctica and Iceland.

The conditions in Antarctica are just too harsh for the annoying pests to survive, says David Denlinger, distinguished university professor in entomology, evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State University.

Denlinger has traveled to Antarctica several times to study Belgica antarctica, a biting midge that is the only insect native to the continent.

`They're closely related to mosquitoes. In fact, they look like little wingless mosquitoes. But they don’t bite or do anything like that,` says Denlinger.

`It's a hardly little creature that lives encased in ice most of the year ... They have some pretty fancy mechanisms to survive the low temperatures.`

Mosquitoes don't have those fancy mechanisms, so they can't survive the extreme temperatures.

Unfortunately, no one really lives in Antarctica, considered on average the coldest, driest and windiest continent on Earth. Instead of permanent residents, there are thousands of people who spend a few weeks or months atresearch stations studying everything from the weather to the midges.

Iceland is very nice

There are glaciers, and also waterfalls. But  no mosquitoes ... yet in Iceland

If you'd like to go somewhere a little more people-friendly, consider Iceland. You may run into some biting midges there, but no mosquitoes.

You may not want to consider it a long-term plan, however. Some scientists and entomologists are surprised mosquitoes have not taken up residence there.

`It is very strange. People have mentioned various possible explanations, for example that Iceland has an oceanic climate and that they don’t thrive in it, but that’s nonsense,` entomologist Erling Olafsson commented to ruv.is, a site managed by the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service. Olafsson said it's likely a chemical composition of water and ground that keeps the bugs at bay. Olafsson guesses that mosquitoes could be carried to the country with airplanes or the wind.

Lung Fish is very special

Lung Fish is very special. A fish that can hibernate for years without food or water could help scientists one day figure out how to put people into suspended animation to buy extra time during life saving operations.

The African lungfish can sleep out of water for three to five years without any sustenance, only to wake up when freshwater surroundings become available.

A study showing what happens on the cellular level to the fish could help scientists one day induce a similar state in humans, making long distance space travel and more advanced forms of medicine possible.

African lungfish is hand-fed shrimp whilst awake in tank. During suspended animation, genes related to detoxifying waste were 'up-regulated', stopping the build-up of harmful products in the liver. It has a prominent snout and small eyes. Its body is long and eel-like, some 9-15 times the length of the head. It has two pairs of long, filamentous fins.  

Lungfish have a highly specialized respiratory system. They have a distinct feature that their lungs are connected to the larynx and pharynx without a trachea.

Simultaneously, the expression of genes related to blood coagulation and iron and copper metabolism were 'down-regulated', which the researchers say could be strategies to conserve energy.

The African lungfish is one of the closest relatives of tetrapods, the first group of four-limbed vertebrates to live outside of water.

Their anatomy offers clues as to how animals first evolved to breathe air, as they have adapted a lung that can sustain them in periods when their environment dries up.

In addition to being able to gulp air to breathe, they are able to pump oxygenated blood separately to deoxygenated blood, similar to mammals.

They pass the long stretches of the dry season holed up in burrows in the mud, and they can use their long appendages to crawl and move outside of the water.

Today there are only six known species of lungfish, living only in Africa, South America and Australia.

The mystery behind Mritha Sanjeevani

In Hindu mythology, Sanjeevani is a magical herb which has the power to cure any problem. It was believed that medicines prepared from this herb could restore life in a dead person. While some references in scientific literature list Selaginella bryopteris as the Sanjeevani mentioned in Hindu mythology, a search of ancient texts has so far not revealed any plant that can be definitively confirmed as Sanjeevani. In certain texts it is written that Sanjeevani glows in the dark.

What is Sanjeevani ?

All of us know that plants with medicinal properties exist in nature. From Holy Basil (Tulsi) to coriander, a lot of plants have amazing remedial effects. A quick search over the Internet will tell you that Sanjeevani is commonly known as Selaginella bryopteris. Since ages, people have been talking about the magical effects of this plant. Truly, it is a plant of great importance to the society as a whole and it should be studied thoroughly.

Has Sanjeevani been rediscovered in 21st Century?

Some people have claimed that they were able to locate two groups of plants in the Dronagiri Hills that could be the ancient miracle plant. This hill is in Joshimath, Garhwal and it reaches up to a height of 15,000 feet. The truth behind the discovery still needs to be verified. Agricultural scientists at Indian National Botanical Research Institute are working rigorously on Sanjeevani to unearth more hidden facts about it.

Is Selaginella bryopteris the renowned Sanjeevani?

It is a very important question for the biologists, medical practitioners, enthusiasts and research scholars as to which medicinal plant is Mritha Sanjeevani. The name suggests that this plant has the capacity to bring back life in a dead person. There is hardly any plant that has been determined to be of this rank among various medicinal plants – Not even Selaginella bryopteris. And wasn’t it supposed to emit light?

Latest news around Sanjeevani

Various studies conducted on this plant revealed a special feature of resistance to drought in this plant. This feature makes Sanjeevani capable of standing drought conditions for long years. Agricultural scientists are planning to insert this gene from the plant to various other crops. As a result, the crops would become resistant to drought conditions. Such transgenic plants would help in preventing loss of crops even when sufficient water is not present.

As per a parallel research

The botanical names of the medicinal plants which were recognized as Mritha Sanjeevani is Saussurea Ggossypiphora, which are known as ‘Phena Kamal’ and ‘Kasturi Kamal’ in the local language.

What makes Mritha Sanjeevani

Saussurea Ggossypiphora grows at a height of 4300 – 5600 meters in different parts of Himalayas. It is full of cotton fiber and looks like a snowball and is around 10- 20 cm long and has white flowers and Pleurospermum candollei is 30- 40 cm long and these two collectively make ‘Mritha Sanjeevani’

As per the Locals of Dronagiri

The local beliefs related to botanical fields of Himalaya have been made the basis to determine the plant as Mrita Sanjeevani along with mythological references. The tribal people of Dhouladhar hilly areas living in western Himalayan areas used to call it Bana or Shiva. They used to bring both the plants to their homes and pray it as they believed it to be life saving.

Uses of this herb

Both the above-mentioned herbs were used to cure unconsciousness, cerebral disorders, respiratory problems, bodily pains and other problems. The tribal people, villages, ascetics having knowledge of Himalayan traditions, never revealed about these plants with the fear of exploitation and extinction.

The divine herb

The most interesting fact is that the plant is worshipped like god and is an important aspect from research point of view. Secondly, when these herbal plant grow, it has the maximum aroma when compared to other medicinal plants growing in that region.It is also surprising to note that the plant lose all their fragrance in dry state.

Lovable Pearls

Pearls are among the world's oldest gems, and from the time they were first discovered, they have remained some of the world’s most sought-after and most revered gems. Throughout time, there have occasionally been a few pearls discovered that stand out among even these rare gems. Many of these famous pearls, some of them thousands of years old, are still around to be admired today. These pearls are remarkable reminders of the rich pearl history.

A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as a conulariid. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carbonate (mainly aragonite or a mixture of aragonite and calcite) in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes, known as baroque pearls, can occur.

The Abernathy Pearl

This 44-grain, natural freshwater pearl, is the most perfect pearl ever found in the rivers of Scotland. A 44-grain natural pearl is a rare find, and even rarer still is to find a pearl of such outstanding quality as the Abernathy. This famous specimen is nicknamed `The Little Willie Pearl`.

The Abernathy pearl was discovered in the River Tay in1967 by a professional pearl diver by the name of Bill Abernathy (hence its name and nickname). The pearl was found in an odd-shaped mussel, common to the River Tay.

The Scottish have searched their abundant rivers for centuries seeking prized pearls. Freshwater pearls were indeed found in abundance until the Industrial Revolution polluted the waterways and wreaked havoc on the pearl producing mussel populations. The Abernathy was displayed for nearly 30 years in a jewelry store in the city of Cairncross until it was sold for undisclosed sum in 1992.

The Arco Valley Pearl

Reportedly given to Khubilai Khan, the emperor of China, by Marco Polo, the Arco Valley Pearl is a baroque pearl weighing 575 carats, or 2301 grains, and is a white pearl with overtones of pink and brown.

The Big Pink Pearl

Valued in 1991 at $4.7 million US dollars, the Big Pink Pearl is listed in the Guiness book of World Records as being the largest natural abalone pearl ever found. This baroque gem weighs a full 470 carats.

The purported owner of this gem is Wesley Rankin, who found the pearl while diving at California's Salt Point State Park in Petaluma California in 1990.

The Gogibus Pearl

This pear-shaped pearl was the largest know pearl discovered during the early 17th Century off the coast of the West Indies. The gem weighs a hefty 126 carats. It is said that King Philip IV purchased this pearl from a merchant name Gogibus who wore the pearl as a button in his cap in 1620.

The Hope Pearl

Most likely the largest and most famous natural saltwater pearl ever discovered, the Hope Pearl, is an astonishing gem. The pearl weighs 1,800 grains (450 carats), or approximately 4 ounces! The Hope is a white, drop-shaped blister pearl, measuring approximately 2 x 4 inches, and ranging in color from greenish-gold on one end to white on the other.

Currently residing in the British Museum of Natural History, the Hope Pearl was once owned my Henry Philip Hope, the one-time owner of the Hope Diamond.

The Huerfana (Spanish: The Orphan)

The Huerfana was one of the most splendid gems of the Spanish Crown Jewels. Remarkably, it has been reported that this large pearl was not discovered within an oyster, but found in a shell bed in the Gulf of Panama.

The Huerfana was a remarkable pearl because of its perfect shape, large size, and brilliant luster, and was once owned by Doña Isabel de Bobadilla, the first female governor of Cuba. The Huerfana was reported to have been destroyed, when the Spanish palace burned in the 18th century.