brainwave february 2015

8/9/2019 Brainwave February 2015

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Vol. 04 Issue 02February 201544 pages, `75Age: 10+years

From the house of Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle

PLAY WITH SCIENCE!

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The Zoo InsideComics, stories, activities,contests and more...

WARNING! Brainwave products will make you intelligent. They make science fun and engaging. If school textbooks frustrateand confuse you, Brainwave products are exactly what you need to rekindle your love for science. I nd it the best productavailable in the education space! - Dr. Nikhil Gunari, Inventor and Science Entrepreneur based in Canada.

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POSTER'Microbial

You'

p22

Time Glidersp36

Season 2 Episode 2

Do-It-Yourself

True StoryIt Happened To Me!

Kitchen Science

Mini-Masterchefs

The Farting Banana

p28

p18

p14


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www.bwmag.in/meet-the-smarties

Beyond the skies, trouble brewsDanger awaits us, all humans!Sneaking and lurking in the dark,Someone’s plotting to tear humanity apart.

1… 2… 3… Go! The Smartys move fastBefore the villains act, our friends arriveto thwart the attack!

MEET THE SMARTYSMEET THE SMARTYS

Skree! is mysterious,a bearded Toda lady.

Up her sleeves,she has tricks aplenty!

Young Arby was sucked

into Dr. Dodo’stime-machine,Maths is his game,Grow up to beAryabhata, yes, he will fne!

Dr. Dodo, dear friends,is the only Dodo alive.The wise elderlyscientist, his ideas savemany a life!

Also sucked in time, youngAlby is none other than

Albert Einstein.Change the history ofscience, he will soon!

Mr. X is the antagonist.Top IQ of the world is his!The Smartys and hedon't see eye to eye.Is he good? Is he bad?You analyse.

Earth, wind, water andfre combine to make

Bhoo, an enigma.She is a superhero -

every villain's dilemma.

Now that you know them, see their wondersA new episode begins, Earth is saved from plunder.

The Smartys rarely punch downopponents; they are peace lovers.The ocial BW mascots use not onlybrawn, but also brains!

The battle's won; let's meet them nowThey are real heroes -take a bow!

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Vol. 04 | Issue 02 | February 2015

Cover artwork by Nafsa Crishna

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No part of this magazine may bereproduced without the expressconsent of Amar Chitra Katha PrivateLimited (ACK). Any reproduction,modifcation, distribution,

transmission, republication, displayor exploitation in any way of thecontent(s), in whole or in part, of thismagazine is strictly prohibited.ACK makes no warranties orguarantees, express or implied,written or oral, as to the contentsof the magazine, the information,materials or opinions, included in thismagazine. In no event shall ACK beliable for damages of any kind arisingas a consequence of using or followingany method or formula as mentionedin the magazine, including but not

limited to direct, indirect, incidental,punitive and consequential damages.

Brainwave is Printed and Published byVijay Sampath on behalf of Amar ChitraKatha Private Limited Printed at IndigoPress (India) Pvt. Ltd., Plot No. 1, C/716,Opp. Dadoji Konddeo Cross Road,Byculla (E), Mumbai 400027 Published at Sumer Plaza,2nd Floor, Marol Maroshi Road,

Marol, Andheri (East),Mumbai 400059.

Art & Design LeadRia Rajan

Design & IllustrationsNafsa C & Pooja P

Consulting Art DirectorSavio Mascarenhas

Body Bugs!Dear Readers,

Do you know what you’re made up of? If you said cells, you’re

absolutely right. But don’t get smug yet. Here’s a little secret – onlyone in every ten of those cells are human! The rest are bacterial,fungal and even a sizeable number of worms and viruses.

This month, Brainwave takes you through this wondrous zoo insideus. We also celebrate India’s National Science Day (28th Feb) onpage 6 and page 34.

So get ready to be awestruck!

Nandita Jayaraj

[email protected]

EditorAashima Dogra

Assistant EditorNandita Jayaraj

Resident GeekMahak Katyal

Advisory Board

Dr. Amol Dighe, Professor of Physics, TataInstitute of Fundamental ResearchArvind Gupta, Scientifc ToymakerExtraordinaire AS Manekar, Dy Director General,National Council of Science Museums Dr. Balaji Sampath, Science Director,Ahaguru.comDr. Bernardo Pagnoncelli, Assistant

Professor, Universidad Adolfo Ibañez Dr. Chandrakant Shukre, Astrophysicist,Raman Research Institute Dr. Geetha Narayanan, Director, SrishtiSchool of Art Design and Technology Hari Parameswaran, Scientist & Educator Dr. Jyoti Vora, Biochem HoD, Ruia College Maya Menon, Director, TeacherFoundationDr. Nikhil Gunari, CEO, Syletta Inc.Dr. Pratima Roa, Scientifc ProjectManager, ILSI Europe Dr. Richard Zare, Marguerite BlakeWilbur Professor in Natural Science,

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Copyright © 2015, Amar Chitra Katha Private Limited. All rights reserved.

February 2015


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CONTENTS

™

COMICSINSIDE THEINTESTINES

COVER STORY

ACTIVITIES

09

Vol. 04 | Issue 02 | February 2015

In which we explore themicrobial world inside

us, celebrate Indianscience, make bananafart, accompany Arbyand Alby as they geteaten by Skree!, and

much more...

p.28 True Story of Infection

p.16 Lice Science

p.36 Time Gliders

p.26 Cut and Paste :Body Bug Zoo

p.20 Design a Microbe

p.14 DIY : The FartingBanana

WO. Brinda the Tapeworm

February 2015


5/47Win a gift! 05

Web Only - DIY Pot Fridgep.21 Escape from Mars

p.24 Solutions, Winners & Letters

p.33 Do Mosquitoes GetMalaria?

p.18

P. 41 Treasure Hunt

Kitchen Science

MORE

CONTESTS

BWREPORTS

READERCONTRIBUTION

p.13 PhlegmMonster

POEM

p.22Poster : Microbial You

p.32 Cutting Edge

NATIONALSCIENCE DAY

p.06 History Maker : Dr. Subbarow

p.34 Eight Reasons to Celebrate

Indian Science

WO. KingdomAnimalia

WO - web only content on bwmag.in

p.08 Toon Talk

P. 41 Sci-Q Time

P. 43 Puzzle Book

p.43 Teacher's Guide

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HISTORYMAKER

06* Raman Efect: The change in direction that occurs when a

light beam hits molecules of a transparent surface in its path.February 2015


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* Phosphocreatine: A chemical which releasesenergy for muscles to contract.

The End.

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TOONTALK

08

A r t w o r k : A l i c i a

S o uz a

Snakes don’t drink milk.

In fact, they can'teven digest milk

properly. In timesof dire thirst, withno other optionavailable, they maydrink it. But it couldbe harmful to them.

Snakes possess several

joints and their jaws

are extremely flexible.This enables them to open

their jaws very wide and

swallow their prey

whole!

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10/470410

Inside The Intestinesby Nandita Jayaraj

Arby was in the midst of solving a fascinatingalgebra equation when his best friend Alby ranpanting into the room.

“Dr. Dodo has fnished building The Diminisher !”

Arby jerked his head up, eyes gleaming, “Do you thinkhe’ll give us a demonstration?”

The Diminisher is a gadget Dr. Dodo had beenworking on all month. It could transform anything andanyone into tiny, microscopic sizes. The boys wentgiddy with excitement every time they imaginedadventures they could have with The Diminisher.

In the lab, however, they found Dr. Dodo slumped onthe control board, fast asleep.

“He will be asleep for hours! Should we wake himup?” groaned Alby.

When Arby didn’t reply, Alby looked back and sawhim tinkering with a remote-sized contraption.

“Is that The Diminisher?” he asked in a hushed tone.Arby nodded in excitement.

“LET’S TRY IT!” exclaimed the two boys together.

They attached two wire ends to their wrists, and Arbyclicked a button that said '1000X'.

Just as they felt themselves shrink, Dr. Dodo let out

a giant sneeze that sent the newly microscopic Arbyand Alby ying into the next room, right into Skree’splate of lunch!

Before they could think of a way out of the mess,Skree! ate a spoon of rice. Little did she know, she had

just gulped in the two tiny geniuses too!

Inside Skree’s mouth, micro-Alby and micro-Arbywhirled around. Luckily, they managed to hang onto her tongue and escaped from being crushed bySkree’s chomping teeth.

“Hello there, strange ones!” said a high pitchedmysterious voice.

Alby and Arby rubbed their eyes and saw a friendly-looking creature, shaped like a chain of beads,standing before them.

“Who are you?” asked Alby.

“I’m Streptococcus salivarius , but you can call meSally,” replied the creature.

Arby knew that name sounded familiar…

“You’re a bacterium! Eww. Skree! must not bebrushing her teeth very well.”

“Hmmph!” replied Sally, who looked rather insulted.

“You’re wrong, boy. I’m actually doing your friend afavour. I prevent other bacteria from giving her throat

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infections. In fact, almost a 100 trillion good bacterialike me live in healthy humans.”

Alby and Arby were too baed to react. Sally had an

idea.

“Why don’t you boys come with me for a ride?”

What followed was a scary jump down Skree’s foodpipe or oesophagus. With a plop, they landed in amush of partly-digested food.

“We’re in Skree’s stomach now,” explained Sally.”Now, quickly put these acid-suits on. They'll protectyou from the hydrochloric acid.”

“Where are we headed, Sally?” asked Arby.“We’re going to meet some of my friends. They livefurther down, in Skree’s small and large intestines.The stomach is too acidic for them.”

One crazy intestinal slide-down later, Alby and Arbycame face to face with several oval-shaped bacteriawho were busy munching on a piece of spinachSkree! had eaten with the rice.

“Those are the Bacteroides,” said Sally.

Alby looked puzzled. “Why are they surrounding thatpiece of spinach?”

“They are having a barbeque,” said Sally, “Youshould be thankful to them too. Human bodies needchemicals called enzymes to digest dierent foodtypes. Most of these enzymes are present in the

body, but those needed to digest plant material arenot. Bacteroides produce these missing enzymes.”

“And in return, the good Bacteroides can enjoy the

spinach Skree! is eating,” Alby understood. “That's agood deal! Everybody wins.”

Further in the dark tunnel of the large intestine, theyencountered another tablet-shaped microorganism.

“Meet one of my best friends Colly, also known asEscherichia coli . Colly...tell these boys what you do,”said Sally.

“Hi, boys! I help produce important vitamins that are

not easily available in the foodTH you eat.”

Suddenly, they heard an echoing groan from outside.“I need to use the toilet,” they heard Skree! say.

Arby looked at Alby uneasily. “You know what thatmeans…”

“Well, at least we can get back to our world,” saidAlby, holding his nose and getting ready for a stinkyexit.

February 2015


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ICKYSCIENCE

If you’re yellow, it might jaundice be!If you’re blue, you’re really cold maybeIf you’re white, is it a ghost you see? But jokes apart, nature’s colours can tellWhat’s going on inside your body’s cell!

For example when you’re racking with a coughIt’s an infection your body’s getting rid of.Phlegm* has bacteria, viruses and dead cellsAnd is causing all those coughing spells. Those phlegmy monsters come out in all huesYou can tell them by their tones,here are some cues! If it is clear, sans abnormalityit’s harmless, maybe just an allergy?But if it has a light yellow complexion

Your body is fighting an infection.And if it is dark yellow, don’t take it lightlyIt’s bacterial - visit your doctor quickly! If it is green, then you’ve been sick for longVisit a doctor, don’t you tardy along!The colour is caused by the MPO enzyme*You’re also probably coughing double t ime! If it is grey or white, then you’re possibly attackedBy an infection of the upper respiratory tract.If it is brown, then you can be quite certainIt’s caused by smoking many a pack ‘n carton!The colour is due to the resin or tarThat you find in cigarettes and cigar. And beware if someone’s coughing pinkIt’s definitely got a heart-linkThe fluid in the lungs can cause troubleGet to a doctor on the double. When leaves turn colour, seasons changeWhen you turn colour, something’s strangeBe aware of nature’s varied hues!They’re full of important health clues.

A r t w o r k : P o o j a P r a b h

a k a r a n

00/13

by Meera Guthi

* Phlegm: The gooey stu that comes out of our body’s mucus layer when we suer from infection.* Enzyme: Proteins that make chemical reactions in the body possible.* MPO enzyme: An enzyme which contains a pigment that makes mucus green.

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What do you see?Unless there is a hole in your balloon or in your bottle, you willobserve the balloon slowly inating. It took us 2 days. It could takemore if you live in a cold place, or less, if you live in a warmer place.

What is going on here?

Fermentation! The trillions of bacteria in our bodyare continuously breaking down the digested food in

our intestines. Many gases like hydrogen and methaneare released as a result of fermentation.

Note: Make sure you dispose o the set-up carefully! You don’t want amicrobe outbreak in your house, do you?

This is exactly what happens in our bottle of rottingbanana mush. After a couple of days, the bacteriareleases enough gas to inate the balloon. Bacteriaare more active at higher temperatures, so your

balloon may take longer or shorter depending onweather conditions.

Stretch out the mouth of the balloon andx it at the rim of the bottle. Make sure it’sairtight.

Take a picture daily and note down howthe balloon and the banana mush arechanging through the days.

5

Keep this at a safe warmplace. Make sure no onedisturbs it for the nextfew days.

3 4

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The End

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Ac e t o b a c t e r a c e t i Bac t er ia

V ineg ar T ak e juic e or any alc oholic liquid , ad d ‘s t ar t er c ult ur e* ’ of ac et obac t er . C los e jar w it h a c hees ec lot h, s o t hat ox y g en c an r eac t w it h t he liquid .

F ew mont hs

Sacc ha ro

m yces ce

re v is iae

F u n g u s

B r e a d

M i x y e a s

t w i t h fl o

u r a n d s a l

t.

K n e a d t h e

d o u g h. S

u g a r f e r m

e n t s t o

r e l e a s e

c a r b o n d

i o x i d e b u

b b l e s a n d

a l c o h o l.

T h e g a s c a u s e s t h

e b r e a d d

o u g h t o r i

s e a n d

t h e a l c o h

o l g e t s c o n v e r t e

d i n t o c o m

p o u n d s

t h a t g i v e

b r e a d i t s

t a s t e.

O n e a n d

a h a l f h o u r s B R E A D

VINEGAR

KITCHENSCIENCE

Microbes have an amazing ability to break down food materials in a process called fermentation. Often, the nal product is much tastier than what they started with.

We’re down to the nal four in the all new 'Mini-Masterchefs'!

* Culture: Not like culture in EgyptTH or India.In a laboratory, culture is the gel or liquid onwhich cells are grown.

W h i c h

m i c r o - o

r g a n i s

m h e l p s i n t

h e f o r m

a t i o

n o f c h e e s e ?

R e s e

a r c h

a n d

e m a i l y

o u r

a n s w

e r

t o b r

a i n w a v e @ a c k -

m e d i a

. c o m

T h e f i r s

t c o r r e c t

a n s w

e r w i n s a

c o o l p r i z

e .

February 201518


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Lac tobacillus

bulgaricus

B a c t e r i a C u r d

H e a t m i l k. C

o o l i t t o r o o m

t e m p e r a t u r e

. A d d a b i t o f

c u r d. T h i s c u r

d

o r ‘ s t a r t e r c u

l t u r e ’ c o n t a i

n s l i v e b a c t e

r i a.

T h e y e a t t h e

s u g a r i n t h e

m i l k a n d p r o

d u c e

l a c t i c a c i d. T

h i s p r o c e s s m

a k e s c u r d s a

n d k i l l s

h a r m f u l b a c

t e r i a.

F o u r t o e i g h t

h o u r s

E r w i n i a d i s s o l v e n s

B a c t e r i a

C h o c o l a t e a n d C o ff e e

W h i l e c o ff e e o r c h o c o l a t e a r e

b e i n g p r o c e s s e d , E r w i n i a b r e a k s d o w n a n d

r e m o v e s t h e t o u g h o u t e r h u s k s o f t h e b e a n s

b y b r e a k i n g t h e m d o w n . E r w i n i a a n d h e r

f r i e n d s c r e a t e t h e a r o m a a n d fl a v o u r o f

t h e fi n i s h e d p r o d u c t .F o u r t o e i g h t h o u r s

P ss ss t - D id y o u k no w ? Zymurgy is the study of fermentation in food. A person who studies f ermentation is called a Zymurgist.

COFFEE

COFFEE

chocolate

CURD

February 2015 19


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TRYIT

Microbes come in different shapesTH , sizes and clusters. While some have fnehair-like projections to move around, others can change their shape at will.

Take a look at some of them.

Design A Microbe

TYPE (Circle One) : Bacterium/Fungus/Virus/Protozoa/Hybrid

NAME :

bacteria virus protozoa

Use the blank box below to design your own fictional microbe.

DESCRIPTION :

j

Email a photo of your work with a description to [email protected] most interesting one wins a fun prize.

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I had just returned from school when the doorbellrang. I ran excitedly to see if it had arrived, and yes,that month’s Brainwave Magazine was there! It was

the outer space issue, just as I had predicted. I beganreading at once.

After a few minutes, I looked up. the Sun had almostset, the sky was reddish dark. Something in the gardencaught my eye.

“What is that blinking outside?” I wondered aloud.

Curious, I went into the garden.

“Mom, are you there?” I called out.

When no one answered, I decided to check thebushes. That’s when I spotted a remote control withtwo buttons, one was blue and the other, red. Withoutthinking, I pressed the red button.

ZOOM!

I was sucked into the remote control. Terrifed, I closedmy eyes till I felt like I was on the ground again. WhenI looked down, I saw that the sand beneath me wasred. I was wearing a spacesuit. I realised what hadhappened. I had been teleported to Mars!

Scared, I started walking. I was trying to fgure outwhat to do when I saw a strange creature with bigeyes. It was coming closer and closer. I was trapped. Istarted running in the opposite direction. In my haste,

I tripped on a stone and fell. The alien was just aboutto capture me when I felt something in my hand falldown.

From a distance, I heard my mom’s voice. I openedmy eyes and found myself in the reading room. Themagazine had slipped from my hands and fell on theoor. It was then that I realised I had been dreaming!

I smiled, got up and told my mom the whole story. Shestarted laughing and said, “I think you took one of the

stories in the magazine way too seriously, my boy!”

FANFICTION

A r t w o r k : N a f s a C r i s h n a

by Aditya Ganesh Mahale

Ever nd the real world just not exciting enough? Inventyour own universe with time machines, clones, nuclearreactors, or whatever you want, and email your originalsci- story in 200 words to [email protected](with 'Fan Fiction' as the subject).The best ones will be published in the upcomingissues and win fun prizes!

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A r t w o r k : R

i a R a j a n

W o r d s : A a s h i m a D o g r a


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LETTERSAND WINNERS

Dear friends, please besure to include your name,age, school, picture, addressand appropriate subject linewhen you send us youranswers.

Here are the December 2014 issue contestwinners. Congratulations!We are sending you some gifts to celebrate.

Pidilite Fun: Vithal Rao2014 Roundup: Ritvik UpadhyayTreasure Hunt: T.C.A. RamanujamPuzzle Book: Maullick GuptaSci-Q: Shubham ChorageWord Find: Pradeep KumarFan Fiction: Akhil Sarvesh GaneshanAsk Us Why: Ayush Jain

I've been reading Brainwave for almost one year.It is a treasure of knowledge. The activities in themagazine are a lot of fun. I suggest you also includea separate column for the latest science news.This will increase the quality of the magazines.My hearty congratulations to the team for helpingstudents learn science in a fun and easy way.R. Benjamin Franklin

Hi Benjamin,Did you read the interview with your famousnamesake in our December 2014 issue? We’re gladyou enjoy the magazine, especially the activities (dotry out the banana fart DIY from this issue. We had alot of fun with it at the Brainwave oce). Thanks foryour suggestion. We will, in fact, be launching a newcolumn dedicated to news and events very soon.Keep reading!Team Brainwave

I love Brainwave. It inspires me to learn more aboutscience. But I am unable to subscribe for next year'sedition. Please tell me how.Diwakar Ranganathan

Hi Diwakar,Great to hear about your enthusiasm for science.You can get details about how to subscribe byvisiting this URL: http://www.bwmag.in/subscribe.Do let us know if you have any trouble with this.Team Brainwave

Letter fro

Reader

February 2015


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N o w, g e

m o r b a n

f o r y o u r b u c !

Visit our website formore content everymonth!

With this issue:Animal Tales : Brindathe Tape Worm comicKingdom Animalia : I Don'tLive Alone in My Body

Visit www.bwmag.in/category/web-only-articles

VISIT OUR WEBSITEFOR MORE PRODUCTSwww.bwmag.in

www.facebook.com/brainwavemag

25February 2015


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T he r e ’ s b e e n a b i g e sc a p e at t he b od y b ug z oo! T he onl y w ay t o b r

i ng t he c r e at ur e s

b ac k i nt o t he i r e nc l osur e s i s b y

i d e nt i f y i ng t he m c or r e c t l y and

st i c ki ng t he m i n t he r i g ht e x hi b i t .

N E W S F LAS H !

B o d y

B u g Z

o o

Clues - I lo v e y o ur hair .- I can’ t make y o u s ick, but I can make y o u it ch.

- I am a w ingles s ins ect .

C l u es- I l i v e i n y o

u r m o u t h.

- Y o u c a n ’ t s e e m e w i t h

o u t

a m i c r os c o p e.

- I l o o k l i k e a c h a i n o f b e a ds.

TOYBOX

If you could match the right animalto the right exhibit, show us!Send your complete cut and pasteactivity to [email protected] to win a cool prize.

Written by Nandita JayarajArtwork by Nafsa Crishna

26 February 2015


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l o u s e

y e a

s t

S t r e p

tococ c u s s a l i v

a r i u

s

P a s t e

u r e l l a

m u l toc i d a

C l u es- Y o u r c a k es w o u l d b e f l a t w i

t h o u t m e.

- I a m a t y p e o f f u ng us.

- I r e p r o d uc e b y b u d d i ng.

Clues - Cat p er s o n? I co uld be clo s e by .- I am a bact er ium.

- I am o v al s ha p ed .

February 2015 27


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TRUESTORY

04 February 201528


29/47February 2015 29


30/4704 February 201530


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ve you had an infection because of your carelessness? What was it?w did you get rid of it? Send your stories to [email protected] to win a cool prize. February 2015 31


32/47

CUTTINGEDGE

Who started the Human Microbiome project? What are the goals of the project? Research and send your answersto [email protected] to winsa cool prize.

For every one body cell, thereare 10 bacterial ones!

Y ou r g u t i s f u ll of m i c r o b e s . Y ou r

mou t h a nd y ou r nos e t oo! Y ou a r e a mi c r obi a l c ommu ni t y .

T h e

w h o

l e

c

o l l

e c t i o n

i s

c a l l

e d

a m icrobi o m

e

T he HMP ,H uman Mic r obiome

P r o jec t ,st ar t ed in 2007 in USA. HMP sc ient ist s t ook samples f r om 5 sit es: mout h, nose, sk in, v ag ina and g ut of healt hy people.

DNA SEQUENCER Sequencing several

microbial genomes at onceis called metagenomics.

The more we know about our individual microbiomes, the more we learn about disease risks,diagnosis and treatments.

The microorganisms’ DNAwere sequenced andanalysed with DNA

sequencing machines.

E ac h o f u s c a r r

i e s a b o u t 1 0 0

t r i l l i o n

b a c t e r i a w i t h

u s e v e r y w h e r

e. T h a t ’ s

a b o u t 1 - 2 % o

f o u r b od y w e i g

h t !

Human Microbiome Project

Human Microbiome Project

04

CUTTINGEDGE

Compiled by Nithya S | Design by Nafsa Crishna

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ASK USWHY

Asked by G Sumita Answered by Harshada Sant, Senior Research Fellow, Insect Flight Lab, NCBS, TIFR, Bangalore

Do mosquitoes get malaria?

Malaria is caused by the parasite Plasmodium.To complete its lifecycle, Plasmodium needsto live in two hosts: mosquitoes and humans.Malaria is nothing but the body's severe immunereaction against one of the life stages of Plasmodium.This is the stage of its life that is spent insidehumans. In any other stage of its life cycle, we can saythat it is inactive as far as its malaria-causing ability isconcerned. When it is living inside a mosquito, it doesa good job of hiding from the mosquito's immunereaction.

Let’s go through the life cycle of Plasmodium to seewhat happens. When an infected mosquito bites ahuman, it injects Plasmodium Sporozoites into thehuman. Sporozoites are not yet mature to causemalaria.

In the human liver, Sporozoites mature into themalaria causing Merozoite stage. Merozites are thenreleased into the human blood.

Within a human red blood cell, Merozoites multiply

to produce new Merozoites, which travel within thebloodstream to invade other red blood cells. Thistriggers a strong immune reaction, thus causing fever

and other symptoms.

Most Merozoites continue this cycle, but some maturefurther into male and female sexual forms calledGametocytes.

When an uninfected female mosquito feeds oninfected human blood meal, Gametocytes enter themosquitoe's body and are released in its gut. The‘malaria’ has now travelled from human to mosquito.In the gut of the mosquito, an immune response istriggered, killing several parasites.

The Gametocytes that survive, fuse to form Zygotesand burrow into the wall of the mosquitoe's gut,forming Oocysts. Oocysts grow, rupture and releaseSporozoites, which fnd their way to mosquitoes’salivary glands.

When this mosquito bites an uninfected human,Sporozoites again are passed from its saliva into thehuman blood and the life cycle comes full circle.

Have a burning science question? Email it [email protected] with 'Ask Us Why' as thesubject. Best questions win exciting prizes and get answered.

February 2015 33


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NATIONALSCIENCE DAY

8 Reasons To Be Proud of Indian Science

As we saw on page 6, Sir CV Raman is pretty awesome because he is the only Indian scientist to win a Nobel Prize. Thanks to his discovery, the Raman effect, weare able to identify and analyze all kinds of solids, liquids and gases.

In fact, he was so awesome that India celebrates the day of his discovery (28th February 1928) every year as National Science Day! The theme for 2015 NationalScience Day is ‘Science for Nation Building’.

Reason #1 Or should we say zero?

India invented the decimal and the number system. Guess who

invented the Zero? Arby...or as he was known in 500 CE, Aryabhata.

Reason #3 Story of Pi

In 800BC, the value of pi was rst calculated by Baudhayana.He also rst wrote about what we call the Pythagorean Theorem.

Reason #2 More fame for Arby

In 1975, Aryabhata, a space-worthy satellite designed within thecountry, furthered India’s space research ambitions.

Reason #4 World’s best batch of nerds?More than 10,500 students from all over the world pursued higher studies in one of the world’srst universities - Nalanda - in Takshashila in the Indian subcontinent over 2700 years ago!

I m a g e S o u r c e : W i k i m e d i a C o m m o n s

Image Source: Wikimedia Common

by Team Brainwave

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Reason #7Chandrayaan 1 was successfully inserted into the lunar orbit,

pushing India's space program on to the world map.

Reason #6 Out of this world!

In 1984 & 1997, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma became the rstIndian and Kalpana Chawla became the rst Indian woman in space,

respectively.

In 2014, India’s Mangalyaan became one of the most low-cost buthigh-functioning space missions ever! India is the only nation toreach Mars orbit on its rst attempt.

Reason #5 Doctor’s Manual

The Sushruta Samhita, written in the 6th century BC, describes1,120 illnesses, 700 medicinal plants, and surgical techniques likeincisions, extraction of foreign bodies, tooth extraction, excisions,fracture management, and even tting of prosthetics!

Outstanding Indian Scientists:

• Known as the missile man of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam• Only a few countries in the world have the nuclear power and thanks to Dr. Homi Bhabha,

India is one of them• Dr. Jagdish Chandra Bose is the rst to bring up the idea that plants 'feel'• The greatest mathematician to have ever lived, Srinivasa Ramanujan• Dr. Satyendra Nath Bose worked on quantum physics along side Albert Einstein

"We have come a long way since our independence, from being mere buyers of technology to those whohave made science and technology an important contributor for national development and societaltransformation…It is important for India to put all her acts together to become a continuous innovatorand creator of science and technology intensive products." - Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

I m a g e S o u r c

e : W i k i m e d i a C o m m o n s

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

(Postal Stamp in recognition of Russian-Indian collaboration in space)

Reason #8 In case you didn’t knowalready

As a scientist of the future, what is the one thing you would want to invent so that you become part of Indian science history?Send your responses to [email protected] to win a cool prize.

February 2015 35


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You should rather ask“When are we fro...

...om...”

Really? You’ll have toprove it. We have been

in this situation for overthree weeks!

The TG-1 landed to

investigate a seeminglydeserted new York City...

Throw down thatweapon. E-e-a-sy now.

G’day, mate!

Where areyou from? Thattransport vessel

you came in looks

quite impressive.

Ummm...We are a relief teamfrom the United Nations.

How canwe assist?

The stores have beenpillaged and looted, and we are

living on our last rations.

It’s been like a war zone.Most people have left thecity to go look for greener

pastures, but we decided tostay and wait for help.

36

by Cobus Prinsloo

Season 2 Episode 2GRAPHICNOVEL

February 2015


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I have just thething that will helpsustain everyoneuntil more help

arrives.

We have nocommunications, sowe cannot even nd

out what’s goingon in the outside

world.

I’m Patel,and these are myassistants, Liz and

Deon. But for starters, you can put your guns

away – then we candiscuss a menu.

Identify yourselves,

please

A menu, you say? I amMark Ross, and with me

is my deputy, Lerato. Forstarters, we’re in dire need

of medicine and water.

Follow me.

Quasar,ready our nano-

synthesizer please!But stay inside; Deonand Liz will come to

collect it.

There’s a room on the 5th oor that we use for operations.

Sorry –stairs only!

Oof...stairs!This will be

tough.

Liz, Deon, go fetch thesynthesizer.

But for now,we’re keeping your

gun, mister.

You just make sure you give it back – lady!

Ahem! Do you have a safeplace somewhereinside where we

can setup a special

device?

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Soon, Deon and Liz enter the“operations room” inside one

of the abandoned buildings...

Professor Patel starts to projectimages against the wall...

Soon, Deon and Liz enter the'operations room' inside one

of the abandoned buildings...

Professor Patel starts to projectimages against the wall...

Ingenious!

Sigh! Just do it.

While my colleagues aresetting up, I’ll get Quasarto upload data about 20thcentury nanotechnology.

The ideas behind MolecularNanotechnology (or MNT) wereput forward by the Nobel prize-

winning physicist Richard Feynmanas far back as 1959.

He stated that when themanipulation of individual atomsbecomes feasible, scientists ‘will

have gured out how to synthesizeabsolutely anything'.

I’ve read aboutnanotechnology,

but where does itoriginate

from?

Quasar, won’t you upload the le'nano-biology 001' to

my visor please?

Strange name! Youhave more crew on

your craft?

Quasar? Err...yes.He’s Chinese.

But nanotechnologyconstructs products at the

atomic level, rearranging

the atoms in raw materialsto build up more complexmolecular structures.

Yessir! Delicious beef. Yousee, this nano-synthesizer

works differently from crude,obsolete manufacturing

methods. The old waymanipulated

huge groups ofmolecules such

as sheet metal ornuts and bolts.

This? So yousay this thing canmake beef fromgrass, earth, air

and water?

Just a sec, Prof.I mean...ve-and-a-half seconds,

to be exact!

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“Then, in 1989, IBM’s ResearchLabs used a Scanning Tunnel

Microscope, or STM, with a tiponly one atom wide, to arrangeindividual Xenon atoms to form

the IBM logo.”

If organic cellscan reproduceaccording to a

genetic blueprint,why could moleculesnot be programmed

to do the same?

MNT manufactures thingsthe way nature does; the same

way that cows take in rawmaterials such as grass and

water, transform their molecularstructure, and turn them into

milk or new muscle tissue.

Another big proponent ofthis technology was Dr. K.

Eric Drexler. In the 1980’s heintrigued the public with the

new possibilities of MNT.

Now which one ismore unbelievable –the cow or this nano

factory?

This machinepractically does thesame – it only cuts

out the ‘middle man’between grass and

beef steak.

He was convinced thatit would help solve all of

humanity’s problems – frommedicine and manufacturing to

healing the environment.

Hmm...ok then. We’ll give your machine a chance. But

there are many other citizensin the rest of the city.

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To be continued...

No problem. We’llupload a program to thesynthesizer to replicatemore of them. Then we’ll

have a real production lineof food.

What is it,Quasar?

My sensors pick upa large group of life

forms coming from thesouth-east, 7km away.

Their trajectory pointstowards your location.

Also, there are largerlife forms below them,

suggesting humansriding on horses.

That’s not good.

O-yes! These areraiders coming to scavenge

whatever is left here. They’vebeen here before, and itlooks like they’re back with

reinforcements!

What doesit mean? Youknow them?

Professor, comein. Come in,please!

40 February 2015


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Treasure Hunt!You must be aware of the grind by now.

The Treasure Hunt leads you to the theme of the nextissue. Take your magnifying glass out and become theadventurer. Follow the words or phrases marked inpurple and tagged with TH in this issue and use them

as your clues.

Look closer and you will nd enough clues to get youcracking. What are you still waiting for? Get started

and nish fast, to better your chances of a win!

The top entry will win a special pack of cool ACKsand Tinkles. Email your answers to

[email protected] with ‘Treasure Hunt’as the subject.

.........

Sci-Q Time

Finished reading the magazine?Answer this quiz to win a mystery gift worth Rs. 500!

Email your answers as soon as possible [email protected]

1. Name the procedure by which faeces of one person can be

transplanted to another? When was it first documented in history?

2. Name the microorganism that helps in preparation of vinegar.

How much time does this microorganism take to do this?

3. What is the scientific name of head lice?Why do they live on our head?

4. Name the bacteria that lives in the saliva of cats?

How does it affect humans?

5. List the bugs that live in your ear.

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February 2015


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TEACHER'SGUIDE

Part 1

Lesson Intro:

Begin the class by engaging students in adiscussion. Ask students:• How do you catch a cold?• What happens if you eat food with dirty

hands?• Has anyone in your family been sick lately?• How did the person get that disease?

Arrive at the term 'germs' through thediscussion. Tell students that these germs aremicro-oganisms. Explain to them why they arecalled so.

Lesson Middle:

• Ask students to guess where micro-organisms are found.

• Discuss their guesses. Explain to thestudents that microbes are foundeverywhere around you...in the air youbreathe, to the food you eat and even in yourbody. In fact, for every one body cell insideyou, there are around 10 bacterial ones.

Lesson End:

• Ask students to create their own microbe on'Design a Microbe' activity page (Page 20).

• Ask students to display their microorganisms

in class.

Part 2

Lesson Intro:

Discuss the homework given to themin the previous class. Explain that somemicroorganisms are our friends, while some areour enemies. The friendly micro-organisms helpus in many ways. The enemies cause diseasesand infections.

First, talk about some friendly microbes. Explain

how some perform important functions in ourbody, and others help in dierent activitiesaround us.

Lesson Middle:

• Use Cover Story (Page 9) and Mini-Masterchefs (Page 18) to talk about somemicrobes that are helpful to us.

• Read the story in proper tone and annotationin order to maintain the fun and excitementof the story.

• If time permits, you can organise a role-play using the 'Mini-Masterchefs' articleto establish how microorganisms help infermentation.

Lesson End:

Conduct a group recitation session of thePhlegm Monster poem (Page 13) to end thesession with a good laugh.

Designed with expert advice from BrainwaveAdvisor, Ms. Maya Menon, Director of The TeacherFoundation.

This is our SECOND guide for

Techers and parents. Welcome!

Teachers, parents or study groups can use the following

lesson plan to conduct a well-rounded learning

experience on Microorganisms in Human Body .

You will need at least one copy of this issue of the

Brainwave magazine handy during the session.

This lesson plan is spread across two parts.Ideal for Grades 5 to 8 Biology classrooms,it can also be used for any learning environment

This is a full-edged plan to introduce technology tostudents. Apart from this lesson plan, some individualarticles can be used to teach specic topics;

nd these at the bottom of the next page.

43

By Mahal Katyal

February 2015


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Send your answers to

[email protected]

The correct entry wins a cool prize.

PUZZLE

BOOK

Sukanya has fallen ill.

Spot at least 6 infection hotspots in her surroundings.(One has been circled for you.)

gistered with Registrar of Newspapers under RNI No. MAHENG/2012/42382.blished on the 15th of every previous month.stal Registration No. MCN/279/2015-2017.sted at Patrika Channel Sorting Oce, Mumbai 400 001.sting date: 21st & 22nd of every previous month.

44

Artwork By Nafsa Crishna

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When Brinda was a little worm, living in

Suresh’s small intestine, her grandmother used to tell her stories of the legendaryBrain, the high, far

place all tapeworms aspired to go to.Now older, Brinda

still lives in Suresh’s small intestine, and still dreams of hisbrain. But she is no

idle dreamer.

At last, her workwas done. AndBrinda went UP !

Brinda’s upward mobilitywas having some

consequences.

Brinda didn’t realise that if Suresh couldn’tbreathe, he’d die, and

so would his intestines,his brain, and Brindaherself.

luckily:

Brinda was back in the small intestine

… and Suresh foundhimself suddenly very

full of hot air.

watch out,

riff-raff!

Move, you

stoopidballoon!

script by shalini srinivasan art by prabha mallya

ANIMALTALES

WO 1February 2015


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KINGDOMANIMALIA

I DON'T LIVE ALONE IN MY BODY! by Debashree Chakrabarti

Besides the trillions of friendly bacteria that live in our bodies, a few bigger,

nastier bugs have been known to pay us the occasional visit.

From head to toe

I scrub each row Bugs live on me They just won't go!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The at & wingless louse usually crawls across thescalp causing an irresistible itch. Lice cement theireggs, called nits, on your hair and feed on your blood.Do you need more reason to wash your hair now?

Head Louse

This y lays its eggs on your body as it pleases. Most ofthem do so under your skin, but the more adventurous

have been removed from the mouth and the eyes.

Human botfly

WO 2

What are the scientic names of each of these bugs?

Research and send your answers to [email protected] correct entry wins a cool prize.

February 2015


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Your 25-feet-long intestine can make a very luxurioushome for tapeworms and hookworms. Their larvaeusually enter our bodies through improperly cookedmeat or spoilt vegetables.

Gut worms

'Scabies' is a skin rash caused by itch mite eggs. Theseparasites live inside the skin, making the infection verypainful, but lucky for us, it’s pretty rare, especially if

you take a shower often.

Itch mites

Have you heard of the bugs that like to live in your ears?Baby roaches, june bugs, moths & earwigs are the mostcommon ones to have been pulled out of people’s ears.

Ear parasites

Th L L i h i f d h li h

Eye Admirers

brainwave february 2015

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