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Thursday, April 5, 2018

Weird news - Pakistani children paralyzed at night

Whenever we think that we have learned a lot about our body and what could be impacting it, we come up with something new that tells us that there is a lot to learn about maladies and the functioning of the human body. So, for example, we have learnt how to dramatically extend the life duration for somebody afflicted with AIDS or with many different types of cancers.
What happens when somebody gets afflicted with a malady for which doctors are not able to provide any help. Family members are clueless about what to do, and depending on the society they are based in, they may try to get faith help or help from outside the medical system. This happened to a couple of boys in Pakistan, who were getting called 'solar' kids because they were active during the day but went into a sort of paralytic state when the sun went down (link to article):
The ‘solar kids’ who are being treated for an illness which leaves them paralysed by sunset each day might be suffering from a neuro transmitter deficiency, said vice chancellor of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) Dr Javed Akram, who also chaired a meeting of a medical board called to discuss the children’s case. “In simple words, neuro transmitters in the brain have been disturbed. A similar case was reported in Japan and was named JPA, but that disease occurs in both male and female children. However, our experiences in Pakistan indicate that this case only occurs in male children and we are considering giving the disease a new name,” he added.

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Weird news - Solar power plant zaps birds

Solar power plants are growing in number all over the world, and are seen as an important component of the renewable energy matrix, necessary if we are to move away from coal and nuclear fired plants and onto clean energy. However, as somebody who has experienced hot summers know, the energy of the sun can be quite harsh and impact the human body (heat waves are known for killing people who are not prepared to face the heat).
However, an example in London shows the world the problems that such solar energy can also cause. A new skyscraper over there is constructed in such a way that at specific times of the day, it can act as a concave lens and focus light onto the road and people on the road, burning the tarmac and injuring people. An even greater example is this massive solar power station in the desert near Las Vegas, an advanced type that depends on a number of mirrors focusing their reflected sunlight onto a central tower where the temperature gets very high, in order to boil water and run turbines.
However, one problem is that no one told birds that they should not go near. Birds and insects that get near the tower face incredible heat and literally burn in a flash, dropping from the sky. This impacts a large number of birds, and the solar energy company is doing their bit to stop this from happening without impeding their work, and so far, it does not seem to be working (article):
A macabre fireworks show unfolds each day along I-15 west of Las Vegas, as birds fly into concentrated beams of sunlight and are instantly incinerated, leaving wisps of white smoke against the blue desert sky. Workers at the Ivanpah Solar Plant have a name for the spectacle: "Streamers." And the image-conscious owners of the 390-megawatt plant say they are trying everything they can think of to stop the slaughter. Federal biologists say about 6,000 birds die from collisions or immolation annually while chasing flying insects around the facility's three 40-story towers, which catch sunlight from five square miles of garage-door-size mirrors to drive the plant's power-producing turbines.

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