Significant Achievements in Science (November 1st Week)

Two wrongs make it right

A gene Kcna1 which is responsible for the flow of potassium in and out of channels would cause epilepsy if there is a deficiency in the gene. A gene Cacna1a which is responsible for the flow of calcium in and out of channels would cause epilepsy if there is a deficiency in the gene. Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) has come up with a study published in Nature Neuroscience which says that if the mutation is present in both the genes, then the person may not be epileptic. The research indicates that it is not the presence of mutation in a gene that matters, but the presence of mutation in pairs of genes that would matter. Instead of analyzing individual genes, it is better to analyze a gene profile to obtain the correct diagnosis.

Turkeys or cuckoos?

What was the early bird like? Were they like turkeys that dwell more on the ground or were they like cuckoos that dwell more on the tree? This question had been a major topic of debate in evolutionary biology. The research done at the University of Queensland, compared the claw curvatures of ancient and modern birds and found that the evolutionary ancestor of birds moved more on the ground than on the tree. The claws of Mesozoic birds and their immediate ancestors, the non-avian theropods, are relatively ‘straight’—most like those of birds that are now either specialized for walking on the ground or have a preference for it, rather than the highly curved claws of birds that spend a lot of time in trees.

Computers learn to appreciate art

In a step forward in the field of computer vision, University of Haifa has taught computers to appreciate art through a mathematical program. After the computer "learns" some of the works of each artist, the program enables the computer to master the individual style of each artist and to identify the artist when looking at other works – works the computer has never seen. Prof. Daniel Karen, who developed this program says, “As soon as the computer learns to recognize the clock drawings of Dali, it will recognize his other paintings, even without clocks. As soon as the computer learns to recognize the swirls of Van Gogh, it will recognize them in pictures it has never seen before." This program could be used to identify whether a painting is a fake one or not.

Why are we generous?

This was the question asked by Paul.J.Zak of Claremont Graduate University. He says the secret behind generosity is Oxytocin. In the research, Zak and his colleagues gave doses of Oxytocin and a placebo to participants, who were then offered a blinded, one-time decision on how to split a sum of money with a stranger who could accept or reject the split. The results were overwhelming: Those given oxytocin offered 80% more money than those given a placebo. In an earlier study, Zak had found that Oxytocin was also responsible for trust. The conclusion is: If you want to trust somebody or to show generosity to somebody, have Oxytocin in your blood.