In tropical and subtropical parts of the world malaria is a widespread disease which is transmitted by the malaria mosquito. When a mosquito carries the protozoa Plasmodium falciparum and bites a person it transmits the pathogen of the severe fever disease. Nearly half a billion human beings are affected worldwide and more than 1 Million die each year by malaria, especially infants and children are among the victims.

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Culex quinquefasciatus, a vector mosquito responsible for transmitting human diseases. Source: www.arbovirus.health.nsw.gov.au

Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs) has become an issue of serious concern due to the appearance of pathogens like Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Ebola virus; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus; emergence of drug resistant pathogen and outbreak of infectious diseases over large geographic area. The main drivers of outbreak of infectious diseases are growth in human population, consumption pattern and waste generation, which invite human migration, urbanization, poverty, modern agricultural practices, deforestation, and other land use change. In addition,  dust transportation, indiscriminate use of antibiotics, modern transportation system for human and animals, wildlife  trade ,road building, construction of dam etc. are known to influence  emerging infection .The common factor behind such infection is, however, abrupt social and ecological changes.

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The iPhone has many apps, also for scientists.

1.The  Elements for iPhone

This gorgeous, intricately detailed app offers a wealth of information on that most basic of scientific concepts: the periodic table of elements. As shown, each entry contains not only a clear photo of the element in question but also all of that element's relevant information, from its atomic weight to its half-life to interesting factoids about the element's usage in every day life. The app's interactivity is what makes it really useful for the modern scientist: touching the Wolfram|Alpha logo brings up current news and reports about the selected element, including its present market price. It's the priciest app on the list, but also one of the most important--and elegant.

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To catch very large prey, the arboreal ant, Azteca andreae, which live in a mutualistic association with a host plan, gather on side by side on leaf edges with their mandible open. When a prey lands on the plan they grab it with their mandibles which together with the hairy underside of the leaf acts as Velcro preventing prey, weighing up to 13,000 times as much as the ant, to escape.

The study recently published in PLoS One by French and Spanish biologists investigated the predatory behaviour of the ant Azteca andreae in French Guiana. The and lives in a close mutualistic relationship with its host, Cecropia obtuse, which in return for the ant’s protection from herbivores offer it accommodation in its hollow stems and nectar from extrafloral nectar bodies. However, the nectar is relatively poor in proteins and amino acids, so the ants supplement it by active hunting.

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New findings show that the lantern shark employs luminescence on its belly to camouflage itself in the water column. The deep water shark can control the intensity and wavelength of the light it emits ventrally so that it matches the downwelling light from the above. This phenomenon known as counter-illumination has been described from a few other species such as shrimps and squids but not previously from large vertebrae predators.

Most light in the aquatic environment comes directly from the sun, i.e. from above and as anybody who has dived can testify to then this mean that everything moves above you in the water column has a very distinct silhouette against the downwelling sunlight.  This makes it very difficult to remain hidden. Some luminescent shrimps and squids have therefore developed a method of directing their light emissions  downward to act as counter-illumination to hide their silhouettes from predators. However some sharks hunts from above and therefore would also benefit from counter-illumination.  

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Strong and handsome, intelligent and emotional, hard and empathetic, rich and successful.....women want modern men to be more than most men can provide. Now at least one wish of women could be fullfilled by German and British scientists: the neuropeptide oxytocin improved the ability of men to be more sensitive towards fellow men. Oxytocin is also known as a hormone which is released during sexual activities and orgasms and it is combined with emotions like love and confidence. A second important role it plays in activating labor pains when a baby is born. After the birth it strengthens child-mother-bindings.

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