Scientific American
The disaster draws attention to the controversial hydropower projects in the Himalayas
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Search and rescue efforts are ongoing for construction workers trapped by flood debris at the in-progress Tapovan Vishnugad hydroelectric dam in Uttarakhand, a state in northern India. Credit: Sajjad Hussain
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On Sunday morning a wall of thick, concrete-gray water rushed down India’s Dhauliganga river valley, sweeping dams, houses and people along with it. The official death toll has reached 38, but nearly 200 people remain missing. Flood debris filled a 12-by-15-foot tunnel at a hydroelectric dam project, where more than 30 construction workers remain trapped despite six days of rescue efforts by nearly 600 responders.
Local news reported the group wanted to pay tribute to the 1959 victims
They were expected to be home by Wednesday, but they are yet to return
In 1959, nine cross-country skiers were killed in notorious Dyatlov Pass incident
Some found with fractured skulls and chest injuries and others with eyes missing
Theories say injuries of the group were from a big creature or even from aliens
Researchers have harnessed the power of bioluminescent imaging to better assess the health benefits of prebiotics and probiotics via a capsule that measures enzyme activity.
By measuring levels of bile salt hydrolase in the gastrointestinal tract, the US-based team thinks that assessments can be accurately made about how severe inflammatory bowel diseases are.
In addition, the capsule could determine the efficacy of many commercially available probiotic supplements by testing levels of the enzyme, thought to be responsible for probiotic health benefits.
The team also think that the swallowable capsule could evaluate whether certain types of prebiotics can increase bile salt hydrolase levels in a similar way that probiotic supplements do.
A new noninvasive diagnostic imaging tool measures the levels of a naturally occurring enzyme bile salt hydrolase inside the body’s entire gastrointestinal tract, research finds.
Inside the human body lives a large microscopic community called the microbiome, where trillions of bacteria engage in a constant “tug of war” to maintain optimal levels of good and bad bacteria. Most of this struggle takes place within the body’s gastrointestinal tract, as bacteria help with digesting food and support the immune system. Although health experts believe good “gut” health is key to a person’s health and well-being, scientists are still developing a detailed picture of what goes on inside a person’s gastrointestinal tract.
Force Scanning on a Shaky Membrane
February 5, 2021•
Physics 14, 19
A microscope technique that visualizes small objects on a vibrating membrane could deliver atomically resolved MRI scans.
D. Hälg
et al. [1]
Brane scan. A new approach to force microscopy uses a thin membrane (purple), whose vibrations are controlled and monitored with laser light (left). A scanning probe moves over a separate section of the membrane (right), where samples are placed.
D. Hälg
et al. [1]
Brane scan. A new approach to force microscopy uses a thin membrane (purple), whose vibrations are controlled and monitored with laser light (left). A scanning probe moves over a separate section of the membrane (right), where samples are placed.×