Biological Society, BITS-Pilani

29/09/2020

Alzheimer's has long been known to have genetic links which can be used to predict the inherent susceptibility of an individual to the disease, it doesn’t do much when it comes to what can be done to prevent disease progression. Sleep on the other hand is something we can control and that is something which has been shown to reduce the risks associated with the disease significantly. In fact, recent studies suggest that not just the quantity of sleep but its quality also plays a very important role in delaying the onset of the disease.

Cognitive decline responsible for Alzheimer's is caused by the formation of beta amyloid plaques which accumulate in the brain. This toxic protein destroys memory pathways and other brain functions affecting over 40 million people worldwide.

Now, as one might be aware, sleep is broadly classified into two types: REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep and NREM (Non-REM) sleep. NREM sleep is the one in which very less energy is taken up by the body even when compared to REM sleep and in fact one of the stages of NREM sleep is associated with the repair and regeneration of tissues along with aiding the cerebrospinal fluid in flushing out toxic waste.

Researchers at University of California, through the process of polysomnography, which involves recording brain waves, heart rate, breathing and oxygen level in blood, tracked NREM sleep and sleep efficiency which is the amount of time one actually spends sleeping as compared to the time one lies sleepless in bed.

Measuring the build-up of the protein using PET scans, they discovered, in this multi-year study, that quality sleep, with a higher proportion of NREM sleep and higher sleep efficiency, washes away these beta amyloid plaques in early life thus reducing the onset of the disease later. It was interesting to note that these factors remained robust even in the face of differences such as s*x and age.

This gives us a hopeful message as it provides us control over the situation by illustrating that the quality of our sleep today predicts what is going to happen to us years later. This is just one of the many ways in which sleep’s importance once again comes forth.

30/08/2020

Aging is inevitable to every living body. But merely cells getting old does not cause aging. Aging is strongly suspected to be caused while cell division, in particular DNA replication. DNA replication process isn’t 100% accurate hence, more and more division will lead to more accumulation of these anomalies can lead to symptoms related to aging. But it hasn’t been determined if the replication mechanism itself becomes less efficient due to aging or not. Another factor is the methylation of the DNA. It has been observed that older DNA—not by time but biologically older DNA—have more methylation.

Another breakthrough in this field was brought by Prof Sinclair and his team who reversed the age of mouse cells from how they were at 2 years to resembling the 2-month-old cell by manipulating 3 Yamanaka factors. These mice remained completely healthy after the experiment.

26/08/2020

Brain Waves are detected by a device called electroencephalogram.These waves are divided into four subcategories-beta, alpha, theta and delta waves having the frequencies in the range of 15-40 Hz, 9-14 Hz,5-8 Hz,1-4 Hz respectively.The higher the frequency, the higher control on thoughts. Beta waves are experienced during activities like problem solving and delta waves are experienced during sleep.

Now, let’s delve into the part of harnessing the brain waves to control prosthetics, electronic devices etc.The field under which research related to controlling electronic devices are done is called Brain Computer Interface.

Presently, we can attach a device to the brain which would then transmit our thoughts and put them in action. For example, a person can move his prosthetic leg just by the thought of it.This was presented in Apogee ‘19 event.In the foreseeable future we will be able to control prosthetics and electronics devices without the need of invasive surgery and the device would be made much more portable,thanks to our researchers.

13/08/2020

We are delighted to announce the launch of our new logo as a part of the ongoing evolution of the Biological Society BITS Pilani.
The logo signifies integrity of the Assoc by the consolidation of an array of topics ranging from molecular biology to ecology revolving around the iconic clock tower.
The latest development marks an important milestone in the development of the society as we envision to carve a niche in the history of BITS Pilani. With this new look, we look forward to providing you with refreshing content and activities to enhance your learning experience.

18/02/2020

In this new series of post's, we get insights into the most curious and quirky facts of the Biological World!

Today's post: A Salamander’s genome secret

Paper 1:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/salamander-rsquo-s-genome-guards-secrets-of-limb-regrowth/?fbclid=IwAR3vCGrzCeEMF2WGSxzVrIdL37wIqo1pfU9nmHcqWgME2Fr3e3RkVagi9Zs

17/10/2018

Yet another mystery surfaces in the field of diagnostics.
The scientists at the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta have intercepted 62 Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) cases in 22 states and 65 under investigation.
Featured yesterday in Science, is the report of the resurfacing of a puzzling polio-like disease that strikes children, leading to a sudden loss of muscle control.
Scientists have fingered a relative of the poliovirus, Enterovirus D68 as a possible culprit though nothing is conclusive. With tests being run on mice at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the paralysis caused in mice surely indicates to the "familiar pattern".
Kenneth Tyler of UC, working on the mice, said, "We are seeing more cases of this in the U.S. than we are seeing in polio in the whole world. You don’t need an awful lot of paralyzed children to make this an important problem.”

Read the details here:

An enterovirus could be the cause, but proof is elusive

12/09/2018

Teachers are the miracles that put life into the cold walls of the classroom.
As a gesture of love, the sophomores of the Biological Society, arranged a short and sweet celebration for all the faculty members, PhD scholars, and the seniors. Cakes and cards were followed by melodious songs from students and teachers alike, leaving the audience awe-stricken. The success of the event lay in the vigor and the zeal with which everybody participated and a recommendation to hold more such gatherings.

29/08/2018

Biological Society's Informal Interaction Y18 Edition is here. We welcome all Biological Sciences freshmen to the department and await your presence tomorrow.
No need of pen or paper, just bring your enthusiasm along!!

29/06/2018

As is wisely said, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”, a farewell was organized for the batch of 2k14 in LTC to celebrate their life at BITS, one last time. Crackling with laughter; for be it the awkward poses, bad voices or funny titles given to the students, everyone along with our dearest faculty members, enjoyed as they settled in for the cake cutting ceremony. After the announcement of the leadership for Bio-Society 2018-19, the evening ended on an emotional note with psenti speeches and reviving old memories esp. those pipette fights in MicroBio lab and curry treats at Sky!. Looking forward to meeting them again and reading about their successes in the future, we wish them all the Best of luck!

18/06/2018

A demonstration of the Human-Human Interface kit by Backyard Brains, brought from shed to shelf, was proudly presented by our Apogee Coordinator, Sanidhya Pandey during the General Biology lecture hour for the freshmen, as they observed with bated breaths what is the first of its kind. It left the crowd appreciating the same way as those during Apogee 2018, where it was first presented. Meticulously executed, and exceedingly applauded by the professors, the presenter was soon flocked with a crowd curious to know the in and out of the instrument. The Biological Society is especially thankful to Rajdeep Chowdhury Sir for giving us this opportunity.