Saturday, May 23, 2009

Just Another Species, Yet

Survival is a talent. Everyday we prove this. From waking up in the morning to going bed at night, we do chores of things that other animals don’t. For us, life is not just mere foraging for food and mating. Since we invented agriculture, we began to move away from nature. We gave up hunting and gathering and nomadic life. Groups of humans living together formed society. Initial knack of doing things spawned specialists who later gave rise to classes and professions.

Our forefathers came to know that agriculture and seasonal change are intricately linked. They culled seeds and knew which grow when. This knowledge in the shape of rudimentary agriculture was the first stepping stone of modern human civilization. Winter gives way to spring. And spring to summer. We yearn for every season. We have developed unique ability to adapt to any season. Humans have spread from North Pole to South Pole. Though we are dense around the equator, we show our dominance in temperate and colder regions.

Saturday, May 02, 2009

New Protective Shield against Cervical Cancer

A research team from Kolkata has discovered that an isothiocyanate compound in combination with sulphoraphane and anti-cancer drug could help battle out cervical cancer. Studies were performed to measure the degree of controlled cell death induced by either isothiocyanates alone, or in combination with adriamycin or etoposide (anti-cancer drugs). Death of cancer cells was evident from biochemical evidence. This effect of isothiocyanates might prove to be of considerable value in synergistic therapy of cervical cancer such that the drug dose level could be minimized. This research will be very significant as India bears the 25 per cent burden of global cervical cancer cases and natural isothiocyanates isolated from cruciferous vegetables are known to be effective chemopreventive agents and exhibit protective effect against cancers in a variety of target organs. The findings of the study have been published in the 12th April 2009 Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry.