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Mount Everest: “The high altitude rubbish dump”

Mohammad Faizan Ali
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Mount Everest: “The high altitude rubbish dump”

Human activities have contaminated every place on this beautiful blue planet including, rivers, oceans, deserts and even atmosphere and even sky.
The case is also the same for the beautiful mountains as we are adding rotten rubbish to these highlands. From the Alps to the Brooks Range, almost every mountain range observed atrocities from the most intelligent species: the human or Homo sapiens. Among the most polluted mountain on the entire planet is called the Mount Everest.

Sitting like a king on the throne of the world’s highest Himalayan mountain range, Mount Everest in surely the highest and mightiest of all. The word Himalayan means “The House of Snow” and this surely can be seen by observing the majestic Everest. This mountain extends to a 1500-mile (2,414.016 KM) curve with an elevation of 1,000 feet (305m) above sea level and its many parts are spread widely as 200 miles (321 Km). Mount Everest (29,035 feet or 8,849 m.), With the height of29,035 feet or 8,849 m is situated between Tibet and the kingdom of Nepal. Interestingly the Mount Everest is growing with a rate of 4 mm per year.

Mount Everest base camp

Everest is a climate generator and none can deny as it is a hub of clean and fresh water which in turn also supply food as well. Mount Everest also plays an important role in plate tectonics and geology of the region.
It is also a home of several animals belongs to rare species, for instance, snow leopard, black bear, red panda and deer and many more. Everest is a great place for precious and unexplored flora like pine, juniper, figs and large rhododendrons. On the other hand, it is a great place of herbs, shrubs, and grass with healing powers yet to explore.

As for the locals, Mount Everest offers lucrative earning opportunities. These locals are aware of the geographic of the mountains and carry humans waste – mostly from tourists and garbage in containers carried down from the mountains to earn money. The Sherpas equally accumulating their fortunes by guiding tourists, throughout that whole journey.

The Nepal government is the highest beneficiary of Everest tourism. Entering Nepal only costs around $30 which is obviously just the beginning of a tab. For climbing, an individual need to acquire the permit license from the government which will urge a person to spend $3,350 which is not a small amount. If someone thinks that he can now start climbing that is still a dream as every route has a separate hefty cost to pay separately to the government. This is to be noted that lodging, food & extra supplies are not covered in this amount.

Tourist camps

While every individual along with the government feels extremely happy when they fill their pockets with money. However, this adventure brings some serious consequences for the environment, surrounding and for the mount Everest itself. Tourists after disbursing so much money and resources treat this natural gift with irresponsible behavior. Throwing food canes, water bottles, climbing gears, oxygen cylinders, garbage and excessive campings by tourists have dented this masterpiece quite drastically. Furthermore, inappropriate treatment of human excrement has made things worse. Human bodies can also be included in the garbage piles on Everest. 

Large heap of garbage on Mount Everest

Government has miserably failed to take care of their mountain’s rubbish and it seriously affecting the natural beauty. Human waste generally mixes with water flowing streams and causing gut problems, infections and other ailments among local residents. Tourists use wood for heat which is also a great issue of environmental degradation.

Almost 35000 thousand tourists visit Mount Everest annually, but among them, few are active climbers. This situation has turned Mount Everest into the highest trashbin on the planet.
However, the government has taken a few good steps to keep clean the mountain from the garbage. Tourists bound to carry at least eight kilograms (17.6 pounds) of their own waste which they are bound to give it to the officials. The aim for that policy is to prevent Everest from getting more of a dustbin. However, there are many problems to implement these laws and regulations. For instance, if a person wants to save his life he or she will not care about the burden of the garbage in the whole journey.

Tourist camps after their departure from Everest’s base camp

However, some other steps have been decided to stop garbage on Mount Everest.
• The ladder on the Hillary Step to reduce waits times and bottlenecks.
• Dual ropes for up and down traffic.
• Rescue team at Camp 2 to save climbers in trouble.
• An Integrated Service Center at base camp to represent the government’s administration on the ground.
• Liaison Officers be at base camp throughout the entire expedition.
• Nepal military set a base camp to maintain peace among climbers.
• Climbers required announcing beforehand if they planned to set any record.
• Helicopters barred to go to base camp except for medical evacuations.
• Trekkers required to have tracking beacons.
• Trekking guides required to have up to date weather forecasts.
• Everest permits revenue shared with local villages.
• Climbers must always be accompanied by a guide – no solo climbs.
• Climbers must have summited a 7,000-meter peak prior to attempting Everest.
• People over the age of 75, blind and double amputees are banned from climbings.
• Sherpas will also get a summit certificate after the climb.

The government along with locals and even tourists need to show the responsibility to keep Everest beauty alive. This is the only way to save mother nature’s gift to becoming a gigantic piece of rotten rubble.

The Revival of the Indus River Dolphins

Maham Maqsood
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The Revival of the Indus River Dolphins

It unusual to hear about the reappearance of a species at risk. Luckily one such beautiful organism now seems to be in recovery and on its way to the original count. A rare mammal and an endangered species – the Indus River Dolphin have increased in quite a large number due to the efforts of the conservatory authority and community members. It was expected to become extinct had the efforts of WWF and committed community members not begun on time.

The Indus River Dolphin is a precious animal that has a long history in the region of Sindh. Around 1000 types of these Dolphins exist near the lower region of the Indus River. These are one-of-a-kind organisms and are among the four dolphin species and subspecies on the planet that live in freshwater. They are blind by sight and use sounds and echolocation to communicate and hunt smaller water organisms like prawns and catfish etc.

The decline in its population occurred due to many reasons that gradually became a combined threat to its existence. It once existed on roughly 3500 km region, that spanned the Indus River and its side channels. Due to the rise in the agriculture industry, 80 percent of its habitat was lost and it was limited to less than 200 km. Water pollution is one of the major reasons and which has now extended from oceans and beaches to rivers, which were previously not that much affected because of being at a distance from the urban areas.

Poaching and construction of canals that are used for irrigation is another major issue. The region is fertile and rich for growing crops and it plays a big role in the agronomic income of the country. Framers use water from the five rivers and Indus being the biggest of them all, contributes a large quantity. Due to the creation of the irrigation canals for crop fields, the water is diverted leading to a damaged habitat for the Indus Dolphin. Sometimes, the dolphins get trapped in the canals and are unable to make a way out. They also get trapped in the fishing nets and are left to die for they have no place in the market for those fishermen.

WWF workers are saving Indus Dolphin

Many projects for the conservation and protection of these dolphins started under the banner of World Wide Fund Pakistan, in collaboration with the Government. The help of local communities was deemed necessary especially those who lived near its identified habitats. Handing the management over to them proved to be successful not just for the dolphins but for the community as well who got a chance to work in their own area for a good cause.

WWF noticed that this initiative that recruited young as well as experienced individuals, who were trained about the conservation methods, was the best practice for the long-term survival of the species. Named the “Dolphin Rescue Volunteers”, these people were tasked to routinely check the habitat and make reports that can then be evaluated to improve the conservation methods. A survey conducted by WWF showed that there was approximately a 50% rise in the number of the Indus River dolphins, which was more than the estimated amount at the beginning of this millennium when they were about to go extinct. In a time when it seems rather impossible to protect the animals who are in danger, this seems rather astonishing and remarkable how working together with locals, conservationists and governments can save them.

There is also one interesting savior of these dolphins. Along with the efforts of the conservation departments and wildlife organizations, poaching of these animals was unexpectedly reduced due to an amusing reason. In the 1980s, thief groups rose in Sindh and ruled some areas around the coast of the Indus River. They slowly rose in number and kidnapped and robbed passengers on highways and the people living in the nearby areas, many of whom were poachers of the Indus Dolphin. Because of these thieves, the local fisherman left the area and moved to other regions for safety. Once they left, the Dolphin was no more hunted and managed to regain a bit of its endangered population.

Currently, the authorities are also studying and figuring out whether the transport of these dolphins is possible or not. These organisms can survive out of water for only three hours and it is necessary to provide them a wet environment. Translocating it through air and land is not possible as dolphins are sensitive to noise which can disrupt their echolocation mechanisms. In this regard, research is still being done to see how feasible it can be and whether the new habitat will be good enough for their survival or not.

The increase in number doesn’t mean that all efforts should be put to hold. This is just the beginning and there is a need of continued work and action to bring the number of these Indus Dolphins back to original. There are many ongoing dams and construction projects on the Indus River which still pose a great deal of threat to these dolphins. Different organizations have joined in the efforts to restore the habitats and halt any decrease in their population. Hotlines have been introduced where people can report if they observe dolphins in discomfort. Protection laws are also being introduced along with the awareness campaigns that teach people how to rescue and protect the dolphins that are in trouble. More than two hundred (and still counting) dolphins have been rescued from the irrigation canals and are released back into their niches.

It is indeed a great sight to see these dolphins jolt up and down in the Indus River. Such efforts need to be started for other endangered species as well so that the wildlife and nature are restored back to normal. We should all try to play our part in spreading awareness about such animals and undo the damage to Mother Nature!

A power and energy system for living on the moon

Muhammad Abdullah Khan
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A power and energy system for living on the moon

NASA planned to establish a permanent sustainable outpost on the moon by 2028 for the purposes of landing, living and exploring the surface of our celestial neighbor. Teams of scientists have been working on developing technologies that will enable astronauts to maintain a sustainable outpost and carry out research. The most important thing required for establishing such a human habitat on the moon, will be the provision of power and electrical energy on the cold and dark celestial body.

Kilopower system for living on the moon

A Team of scientists at NASA’s Glenn Research Center at Cleveland won a Gears of Government President’s Award for developing Kilopower―a power and energy system. The system was proved and demonstrated in a test called Kilopower Reacting Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY).

Kilo-power is a small, light-weight fission reactor which can provide electrical energy up to 10 kilowatts to a small community of several households for at least ten years. According to Kilopower’s lead engineer, Marc Gibson, the innovative power system is ideal for extreme places and environments like the moon where power generation from sunlight is very difficult because a lunar night is very long and equivalent to 14 days on earth.

Lee Mason, the NASAs principal technologist for power and energy storage, said, “On the Moon, Kilo-power could be deployed to help search for resources in permanently shadowed craters”. He further explained other areas of application by saying that, “Kilopower also opens up the full
the surface of Mars, including the northern latitudes where water may reside.”

Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of deaths worldwide

Muhammad Abdullah Khan
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Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of deaths worldwide

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of deaths worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 17.9 million people die every year due to CVDs, 31% of global deaths. Often times, a heart transplant is the only option available for
patients in severe cases, but the limited number of donors is a constraint.

What if doctors can print out a new heart? Researchers from the University of Tel Aviv made an announcement that they successfully used a 3-D bio-printer and created a full rabbit-sized heart with human tissues and blood vessels. Though this 3D printed heart has some limitation especially related to thumping, still it is a big breakthrough which could be beneficial in future heart transplants.

Initially, a biopsy of tissue sampled from the patient. Later, the materials, such as molecules including collagen and glycoproteins, separated and processed into a hydrogel, which used as a printing “ink”. The hydrogel further mixed with stem cells, taken from the tissues to create a patient-specific heart with blood vessels. Such a heart would be less susceptible to organs rejection by the body.

The study published in the Journal of Advanced Science which will particularly important in the heart transplant. Until now, the researchers were only able to print simple tissues that lacked any blood vessels. A team that includes highly qualified researchers stated that they are planning for culture printed hearts and then transplanting them into animals body. Though these printed hearts still cannot use in humans heart transplant in the near future. It would further need many years for the perfection of this technology and solve problems of thumping in such an artificial heart.

Firework in outer space

Muhammad Abdullah Khan
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Firework in outer space

The Fire is an essential element for the living beings and it is equally important in outer-space. In 1990, a near-fatal fire accident in Russia’s Mir Space Station caused an evacuation of the crew onboard. Fire Incidents in outer space are complicated due to microgravity which causes it to behave in a weird manner and renders traditional fire extinguishers ineffective.

A typical fire extinguisher works by spraying a foam of carbon dioxide on the fire. This means that in space before using traditional fire extinguisher astronauts have to quickly wear oxygen masks because carbon dioxide in such a small place can result in building up of toxic gases on the spacecraft. In an emergency situation, this is more problematic where time intervals such as microseconds matters.

Comparison of fire flame on earth and in outer space

Researchers at Toyohashi Institute of Technology in Japan have designed a special fire extinguisher made specifically for use in outer space. It’s called Vacuum Extinguish Method or VEM for short. VEM uses suction power and sucks the flame into a separate vacuum chamber, along with any other
things that had caused the fire. Not only it sucks the fire, but it also captures all the particulate matter and soot particles, therefore protecting the air filters of the spacecraft. The researchers have claimed that VEM could be effectively used on any enclosed vehicles including submarines, aircraft, etc.

CRISPR―a gene editing tool for the treatment of cancer

Muhammad Abdullah Khan
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CRISPR―a gene editing tool for the treatment of cancer

Scientists have been working on cancer treatment in the United States used CRISPR―a gene editing tool―for the first time for the growth of genetically modified blood cells of two patients. Human body naturally contains T cells, which help the body in fighting against bacteria, viruses, and any other parasites.

According to ongoing research at the University of Pennsylvania which involves genetically modified ” T cells” in a human’s body, the aim is to attack and destroy cancerous cells. The researchers collected the blood sample from the patient’s body and modified their generic makeup before inducing into the patient’s body.

The breakthrough involves two kinds of modifications: 1. a gene was added to the T cells to make them attack cancer cells; 2. by using CRISPR, a gene called PD-1, which acted as a brake to the body’s immune system responses, was deleted.  Although, pharmaceutical drugs, called immunotherapies, which suppress PD-1 have effectively been used to treat a few cancers. But now the idea is to directly install the suppressing capability into the DNA of T cells.

It is worth mentioning here that CRISPR, read as crisper is an abbreviation of CRISPR-Cas9, a novel DNA modifying technique that won the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine in 2018. Like a pair of scissors that more often use to modify DNA with precision this technique works.

The Pennsylvania cancer study is just one of the many studies being carried out in the world of medicine. A patient in Europe, for example, became the first person to be treated for an inherited disease, beta thalassemia, using CRISPR. Similarly, Chinese hospitals and research groups employed scores of related efforts using CRISPR.

Detection of Marsquake is a spectacular feat of science and technology

Muhammad Abdullah Khan
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Detection of Marsquake is a spectacular feat of science and technology

A ‘Marsquake’ has recently detected for the first time since the human exploration of the red planet started. A quiet but distinguished shaking of the Martian surface detected by NASA’s Insight Lander in support with UK’s Space Agency which had helped to develop silicon sensors for detecting seismic activities on Mars.

Image NASA

UK Science Minister Chris Skidmore said that: “detecting these quakes on a
planet 140 million miles from Earth is a spectacular feat of science and engineering”. While earthquakes were known to human beings for hundreds of years, moonquakes discovered in the 1960s, thanks to Apollo missions. The existence of seismic activities on a neighbor planet could help provide insights about Mars.

Image map of global topography of Mars
Image map of global topography of Mars

The vibrations on Mars detected by InSight’s Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS). The lander placed SEIS on Mars surface in December 2018 that was a joint project under the partnership of Imperial College London, Oxford University, and STFC RAL Space and funded £ 4 million by UK government.


According to Prof. Tom Pike of Imperial College London, these silicon sensors of SEIS are the most sensitive silicon sensors on earth sent to Mars.
The sensors recorded the first sounds ever recorded on Mars directly― a haunting, low rumble caused by vibrations from the wind. This recording of Martian winds helped scientists to separate “noise” from actual Marsquakes.

NATIONAL SCIENCE & INNOVATION FAIR 2019

Scientia Pakistan
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NATIONAL SCIENCE & INNOVATION FAIR 2019

Despite having brilliant minds and energetic youth, Pakistan is far behind in the field of science & technology as compare to the modern world. One of the main reasons is not having a proper platform for the young generation to express their talent. Now more than ever, we need our nation’s best and brightest minds to pursue their interest in science and use their capacities to solve various local and global problems. Pakistan Science Club is providing an opportunity to Young scientists for expressing their aptitude in National Science & Innovation Fair 2019.

National Science & Innovation Fair 2019 is an exciting challenge for the students of age 12-20 years to participate and display their novel ideas and projects. Participants from all over the country are invited to present and compete their independent research on various fields of science and technology for the solution of local and global problems.

The top three winners of the NSIF’19 will get a chance to participate in China Adolescents Science and Technology Innovation Contest (CASTIC), the biggest science contest of Asia in Macao, China “from July 20 to 26th, 2019”.

National Science and Innovation Fair 2019 is a joint venture of  Pakistan Science Club and ECO Science Foundation along with more than 20 network partners including International Federation of Inventors Associations (IFIA), Mad lab UK, Khwarizmi Science Society, Pakistan Alliance for Maths and Science and many more.

The competition will not only contribute towards the social development of the participants but will also help them to think in a rational way to explore the possibilities for the betterment of society using scientific concepts and innovative approach.

Event will be held in Karachi on 10th June 2019.

Pre-event workshops of NSIF’19 are already started and will be conducted by 10th May 2019.

For registration and complete details visit PSC website: www.paksc.org/nsif

Last Date of registration is 10th May 2019

The age-related memory loss in elderly persons

Muhammad Abdullah Khan
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The age-related memory loss in elderly persons

Recent research shows that stimulating parts of the brain can help in solving the problem of age-related memory loss in elderly persons. The research carried out by a team of scientists at Boston University.

In this resaerch, a series of tasks were assigned to perform to several groups of young and elders.  The youngsters, as expected, did better than the elder subjects of the study. Later on in another experiment, the participants’ heads were covered with a cap fitted with electrodes to stimulate specific parts of the brain.  The temporal and prefrontal cortex of the participants were stimulated for 25 minutes so that the brain waves of each participant brought into sync.

However, when the groups asked to perform the same memory-related tasks their performance slightly improved as compared to those participants who did not subject to the stimulation. Surprisingly, the elderly subject also performed better– as good as 20-year- olds.

The research published in the Nature Neuroscience journal that seems highly effective as it can help breakthrough in age-related memory loss problems and give a hope that there might be a way to solve.

Astronomy News of the month

Scientia Pakistan
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Astronomy News of the month

Take a look into the most exciting astronomy news of the month.

NASA Fears the Safety of ISS Due to The Debris from India’s Satellite Destruction
Test

NASA Fears the Safety of ISS

Last week, India destroyed one of its satellite that was orbiting around the earth, leading to the creation of debris that was large enough to hit the International Space station according to NASA. The administrator complained that this was an abominable attempt that resulted in
dangerous debris in the orbit and such an act would compromise the future of human space flight that is being planned. NASA calculated that the potential impact of the debris hitting the space station increased by 44 percent in almost a week. It was also made clear that the station crew was safe in that they are prepared to steer out of danger if required.

The Indian Prime Minister announced that India was now in a position as a space power, as it became one of the few countries to test out such an act in space. Even though the pieces will dissipate over time and burn up on reentry to the Earth’s atmosphere, the overall outcome will not be pleasant to the outer space.

Elon Musk Announces the Reason for Delay of The Mission to Mars

Elon-Musk-unveils-spacex-s-starship-hopper-and-it-looks-unreal

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, announced the reason for the delay of the launch of the Starship Hopper. He declared on Twitter that due to some challenges like the formation of ice in the cryogenic propellant, the mission received a setback. The Starship Hopper is a miniaturized version of the craft designed to launch humans to Mars. It was scheduled for a test flight from a site in Texas at the beginning of this year but got delayed to some issues that are now revealed.
This rocket is an initial step into the plan of the human visit to Mars. The ship has engines that will use liquid oxygen and methane as rocket propellent. The propellant system that is now declared faulty, is essential for storing the fuel for higher efficiency. This technology is not only
used by SpaceX but also by NASA who has already sent equipment to the International Space Station for checking the efficiency and fluid transfer. As the issues are being resolved, the Starship Hopper is under further testing and upon flying the porotype, its trip to the moon will be also ready in 2023.

An Undergrad Student Discovers Exoplanets Using Artificial Intelligence

An Exoplanet-just-11-light-years-away-could-support-life

An undergraduate student in Texas, the USA working in collaboration with established astronomers have jointly discovered two planets that are orbiting stars some thousands of light years away from Earth. Even though many similar exoplanets have been found until now, this got more attention due to its unique story of discovery. The student, named Anne Dattilo, used
an artificial intelligence program to go through the data from the Kepler telescope of NASA which was launched almost a decade ago. She was inspired by one of the professors Andrew Vanderburg, who used information from the Kepler telescope to look for new planets. Dattilo
used a program AstroNet-K2 and through some modifications found stars having planets. Using the telescope on the grounds, the findings were confirmed. These new planets were in the constellation Aquarius and have size a bit larger than Earth.

Vice President of the USA Urges NASA to Speed Up Launch of Manned Missions to The Moon

NASA-amending-21-billion-budget-request-speed-moon-mission

The Vice President of the United States of America has announced that the government has pledged to send manned missions to Mars by 2024, four years earlier than the deadline given by NASA. Mike Pence said that the strategies were being developed to reach this goal no matter what hurdles are in the way. He asked NASA to speed up the process and develop a new
schedule that could be followed on time. Because of that, the administration will have to abandon some of the contractors and create and use commercial rockets. The VP promised that resources will be amply provided, and space policy will not be compromised. NASA has never
really declared the definitive timeline for the missions and is apparently not pleased by these new suggestions. The agency is currently experimenting and developing rockets for the capsule launch and has also asked for designs from the commercial companies.

The Famous Cyclone of Jupiter Found to Be Shrinking

Jupiter-great-red-spot-death-cyclone

New research shows that the storm on Jupiter, known as The Great Red Spot, has been rapidly changing over time. This cyclone is almost 300 years old and can change color as well. It is now found to be getting circular and taller and is also reducing in size. The Great Red Spot is a very famous feature of Jupiter and has a speed more than 300 miles per hour. Even though the history of its origin and its color is still unclear, it has been a captivating phenomenon for a long time. Researchers have claimed its position to be 22 degrees south of the equator in latitude.
But changes in longitude have been found and evidence suggests some regions are sinking into the surrounding atmosphere. There is variation in its color as well and it is expected that data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft will help provide answers to these questions.

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