Short. The purpose of ND filters is to reduce the amount of light entering the...
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is believed to be caused by a malfunction in the brain. They are expressed in unwillingness to make contact with others, repetitive actions and limited interests. In addition, it turned out that people with autism have hypersensitivity to touch. Sensory disturbances are now recognized as one of the main features of ASD.
"When autistic people go outside, even a strong gust of wind can piss them off," says neuroscientist Lauren Orefice of Harvard Medical School in Boston.
To better understand why this is happening, scientists in a new study examined the effect of a mutation in the MeCP2 gene on the behavior of mice. It encodes a protein responsible for establishing communication between nerve cells. The researchers turned off this gene in newborn mice and then observed their actions and susceptibility.
In the course of the experiment, the rodents showed problems with sensitivity: they were afraid of even a slight breeze and could not distinguish between surfaces with different roughness. The mice were given in turn to play with a rough, rough block and a smooth toy. Unlike their normal relatives, they did not feel the difference between them and were not particularly interested in new items.
The young animals were then allowed to spend time with another live mouse and (separately) with an empty cup. Both in the first and in the second case, the test subjects “communicated” with the object in the same way, although ordinary mice would prefer their brothers.
In addition, rodents with the mutant gene were afraid to explore new space: climbing onto an elevated platform caused them anxiety.
Scientists have not bypassed adults. They also turned off the MeCP2 gene, they also showed hypersensitivity. But the mature mice showed no other signs of autism. From this, the researchers concluded that at an early age, sensitivity has a strong impact on behavior. For example, if a mouse didn't like touching another rodent, then perhaps he will avoid contact with his other relatives in the future.
In addition, it was found that the level of an important neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), was reduced in the peripheral nerves of mutant mice.
Previously, low GABA levels in autism have only been found in the brain. The new discovery suggests that changes in the content of this acid in the periphery of the CNS can affect the severity of autistic symptoms.
Despite the fact that the results of the experiments are still true only for mice, scientists will look for ways to increase the content of this important acid in sick people. This is especially important for children, who are very vulnerable to the consequences of the disease.
"The discovery that tactile disturbances can lead to behavioral problems is very exciting. It makes us look at what is really happening in a new way," says Kevin Pelphrey, a cognitive neuroscientist at George Washington University.
In every corner of the globe, people are surrounded by many wonders and natural mysteries.
People will probably always be puzzled by what else the world they live in has to offer them.
And, what is most interesting, many of these mysteries still cannot be explained by scientists.
1. "Burping" black holes
Because black holes are essentially giant "cosmic vacuum cleaners" that swallow whole stars and clusters in their path, scientists have always wondered where this colossal amount of matter goes. As it turns out, black holes can “burp” gas backwards. In early 2016, scientists discovered a black hole relatively close to Earth that was spewing large volumes of gas.
Researchers at the University of Texas have been fascinated by this phenomenon, but they can only guess why it happens. Allegedly, such a "burp" may be a way to even out the size of galaxies, or it may be the key to understanding how stars form.
2 Naga Fireballs in Thailand
Every year at the end of the Buddhist Lent on the Mekong River in Thailand, a beautiful and otherworldly event takes place. Hundreds of fireballs rise straight from the river and rush into the sky. But these "fireballs" are not "Chinese lanterns" or some elaborate fireworks - they are a natural and spontaneous phenomenon, and no one really understands why this happens.
These beautiful flaming balls, known as "Naga Fireballs" or "Naga Fireballs", fly out of the Mekong River every year during the fall. Whatever the real reason for this, science cannot explain the amazing natural phenomenon.
3. Animal migration
All animals are pretty amazing in their own way, but some of them show amazing results when they need to get from one place to another. Sometimes it seems that some of them have "embedded GPS systems". This amazing navigational skill is used in different ways by different animals. Turtles, for example, are born knowing exactly where they are and where they need to crawl.
4. Why do people sleep
Most would agree that sleep is necessary for the "repair and restoration of the body." But if this is such an important process, how are there other forms of life that do not need to sleep at all. Some scientists have suggested that those who do not need sleep have evolved to cope without sleep and to be always on the lookout for predators. And those species that need sleep today have allegedly developed the ability to hide from predators. While this helps explain why sleep could once be a help or a hindrance to human survival, no one can answer why people sleep today.
5. Absence of extraterrestrial life
Our universe spans 92 billion light years. It has billions of galaxies, each of which is home to billions of planets. So why not a single alien life form has yet come to visit. Although there are dozens of different theories, they are just theories. Whatever the case, the universe is simply too vast for humans to ever know for sure.
6. Dark matter
Dark matter is so named because it does not interact with light and is largely invisible. Therefore, before starting to study this phenomenon, scientists had to first discover it. While observing the Andromeda galaxy, Vera Rubin noticed that the stars at the edge of the galactic spiral were moving as fast as those in the center, thus defying Newton's laws of motion.
Therefore, it was suggested that some invisible "matter" must exist among the stars. Today, scientists believe that this dark matter makes up about 22 percent of the universe. But what it is and what it does is a complete mystery.
7. Placebo effect
It simply shouldn't make sense - almost pure water can have just as much pain relief as morphine. However, this is called the placebo effect and has been surprising scientists for decades. There have been many experiments with normal saline, during which it actually had a positive effect on some patients, even those suffering from Parkinson's disease.
When Italian scientist Fabrizio Benedetti injected a placebo saline solution into a group of Parkinson's patients, it helped reduce their tremors and muscle tension. Whether this is the result of the brain itself being able to overcome pain at will, or whether the miraculous effects lie somewhere deeper ... It still remains a mystery.
8. The quietest place in the world
There is an area near Durango in Mexico known as the "quiet zone". According to local legend, the radio does not work in it. Theories as to why radio waves don't get through here abound, from aliens and magnetic fields to supposed earth energy. And in 1970, an American training rocket containing radioactive elements fell in the "quiet zone".
9 Australian Stonehenge
Much is known about the English Stonehenge in Wiltshire (although scientists still do not know who built it and why), but the Australian version of Stonehenge is even more mysterious. This historical artifact in New South Wales is quite heavily damaged, and its exact location has remained a mystery since the original survey in 1939.
Given the estimate of the age of this ancient stone formation, it is even surprising that it has not yet collapsed. While the English Stonehenge was erected during the Neolithic period (2500 BC), the Australian dates back to the Paleolithic period - about 2.5 million years ago. These stones are believed to contain inscriptions from the earliest forms of human language. Unfortunately, the damage made it almost impossible to study it scientifically.
10 Earthquake Warning Lights
Earthquakes are unpredictable and can easily devastate entire cities. But there is a phenomenon of "earthquake fires", which seem to be nature itself warning what will happen. These lights appear as white or blue flashes in the sky (like colorful lightning bolts).
They have been seen for centuries, but science only began to notice these strange warning signs when the lights were photographed during the Matsushiro earthquake in the 1960s. Scientists do not know what causes them, but similar lights continue to be recorded before various earthquakes and beyond.
Various psychological paradoxes, phenomena and effects always seem intriguing, even if they have a logical explanation. Faced with them, you may think that someone is interfering with the laws of nature.
We have discovered several paradoxical phenomena and effects that you can experience for yourself and decide whether to believe in them or not.
1. The birthday paradox
This paradox suggests that in a group of 23 people, there is a 50% chance that there will be two people with the same birthday. In a group of 60 people, the probability reaches almost 99%.
Do you think this phenomenon is absurd? Mathematical calculations prove that this is indeed possible.
2. Baader-Meinhof phenomenon (frequency illusion)
Find any new word or phenomenon on the Internet. Suddenly you will realize that you have begun to see him everywhere you go. Here is a simple example of this phenomenon: the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon means that as soon as you become aware of it, you immediately begin to notice it everywhere.
It's not a matter of coincidence. Words or phenomena new to you, of course, existed before, but you did not notice them in the flow of information.
3. The sound of falling marble
Are the upstairs neighbors making noise again in the middle of the night? But you live on the top floor. Where is the sound coming from then?
Many people seem to hear this strange sound at night. It looks like the upstairs neighbors threw a marble ball on the floor and it rolls on the floor. But what if no one lives above you? Numerous suggestions can be found on the Internet as to what might cause this sound, but no solution has been found. Most likely, during the warm and cold seasons, concrete and pipes expand or contract, and this creates a corresponding sound.
4. Illusion of a strange face in the mirror
Dim the lights in your room and look in the mirror for at least one minute. What do you see there?
The Italian psychologist Giovanni B. Caputo studied the illusion that is created when a person looks at his image in a mirror for a very long time. Some people begin to see the faces of their parents or fantastic creatures, others - an altered version of their own face.
There is no mystery here, because the illusion is very easy to explain. It occurs when the human visual system perceives the same object over and over again, but identifies it differently.
5. Jamevu
Jamevu can literally be translated from French as "never seen". This phenomenon is the opposite of deja vu. For example, you know a word very well, but suddenly you feel that you are seeing it for the first time. The easiest way to create jamevu is to repeat the word several times. You will feel that it sounds strange and does not make any sense. Jamevu and deja vu are still a mystery to scientists.
6. Mandela effect
The effect was named after the common belief that Nelson Mandela died in prison 40 years ago. He actually died at home in 2013. However, millions of people seem to be equally wrong about this fact, and it is not the only one. There are many examples of facts that we all remember incorrectly.
Of course, there is a scientific explanation for this, but many people prefer to believe in the theory of a parallel universe or a change in historical facts.
Here is another popular example of the Mandela effect. How many people were in President Kennedy's car when he was assassinated? There are so many photos left after that fateful day that it's ridiculous to doubt the correct answer. However, most people are sure that there were four people in the car. In fact, there were 6 people in the six-seater car: the president himself, the first lady, the governor of Texas, his wife, an unknown man and a driver.
7. Uniformity effect outside the group
All members of the same group seem similar to each other, especially if you are not part of it. For example, all cowboys seem the same to other people, like all representatives of a subculture or other race. But this is not about racism. This is the basic instinct that makes us think: "They are similar to each other, but we are not."
8. Effect of synesthesia
This condition occurs when the perception of visual images is accompanied by sound effects (or vice versa). You can hear colors or see scents. People who are prone to synesthesia perceive sounds, letters, and numbers as visual colors. However, this is not about associations or memory.
It is not known for sure how widespread this effect is. Some evidence suggests that only one person in 2,000 can experience it for themselves. Others say it's 1 in 23. The main difficulty with the study is that some people don't consider their synesthesia to be anything out of the ordinary, as they think others feel the same way.
9. The "uncanny" valley hypothesis
As you know, the more robots look like people, the more attractive they seem to us. But everything has a limit. It turns out that when the robot looks almost like a person, but causes a feeling of horror and disgust. This is because the brain cannot identify the object that is in front of you. That is why designers who create robots must make them either exactly the same as people, or very generalized so that they look more like a machine.
10. Rule 6 handshakes
According to this rule, all people on the planet know each other through six handshakes. You can test this theory with the help of any popular social network. To get started, look for any person in this social network. To make this process more fun, you can look for someone from another country. Then open the person's friends list and see if you know any of them. Repeat the search until you find mutual friends.
Write about interesting properties of a number
Pictures are welcome!
I am posting the properties of the number 10, which were sent by Leib Aleksandrovich Steingarts.
1. A person has TEN fingers on both hands. This is what caused the widespread use of the decimal number system.
2. TEN is the smallest multi-digit number.
3. These two words are used very often in mathematics. Each of them contains exactly 10 letters.
4. The number 10 is the sum of the first four natural numbers:
5. The number 10 is the sum of the first three prime numbers:
6. The number 10 is the sum of the first four factorials:
7. The simplest test for divisibility is the test for divisibility by 10.
8. The highest number on playing cards is 10.
9. Any real number can be represented as an infinite decimal fraction:
This entry is the following row:
10. The Almighty gave the TEN commandments to the prophet Moses on Mount Sinai.
11. In mathematics, the DECIMAL logarithm is very often used, the base of which is usually not written:
12. In international (hundred-cell) checkers, the size of the board is 10×10 cells.
13.
The word TCHAIKOVSKY has 10 letters.
The father of the great Russian composer was the TENTH child in the family
In his entire life, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote exactly TEN operas:
14. The word MATHEMATICS has 10 letters. In this regard, unravel two arithmetic puzzles.
15. The number 10 in binary is the number 2 in decimal.
16. This puzzle is popular.
17. The word ARITHMETIC has 10 letters. In this regard, unravel the arithmetic puzzle.
There are two ways:
18. TEN:
A counting unit equal to ten identical objects. For example, - TEN EGGS.
Ten years of age.
For example, - HE WENT TO THE SEVENTH TEN.
NOT A timid ten - about a brave man.
19.
The surname MUSSORGSKY has 10 letters.
Very famous are TEN Piano Pieces (“Pictures at an Exhibition”) by the great Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky.
20. Chervonets is a monetary unit in the Russian Empire and the USSR. Chervonets, starting from the beginning of the 20th century, are traditionally called banknotes with a denomination of TEN units.
21. Diving is one of the water sports. The highest height from which these jumps are made is 10 meters.
22.
The surname MATIYASEVICH has 10 letters.
Yuri Vladimirovich Matiyasevich is a Russian mathematician who solved the famous TENTH Hilbert problem.
23. “The Kid Who Counted to TEN” is a Soviet animated film. The protagonist of the cartoon is a kid who has learned to count to ten and is trying to put his skill into practice.
ice woman
Nature sometimes goes beyond the normal, but the worst thing is when it happens to people. It was a very cold morning in Langby, Minnesota, when a man found his 19-year-old neighbor, Jean Hilliard, lying in the snow. Her entire body was frozen. Apparently, Jean was trying to get to a neighbor to ask for help after her car went off the road. When she was discovered, she was immediately sent to a local hospital, where her condition amazed all the doctors. Her body seemed to be made of ice. Jean was seriously frostbitten and none of her limbs moved or flexed. The doctors did their best, but the situation remained critical. Even if Jean came, she would certainly have suffered severe brain damage and her legs would have to be amputated. Her family hoped for a miracle. 2 hours later, the patient began to have convulsions and regained consciousness. Jean felt well physically and mentally. Even frostbite, to the surprise of the doctors, slowly disappeared from her legs. She was discharged 49 days later without losing a single finger.
Iron pillar in Delhi
Iron, the king of all metals, is used in almost everything from the foundation of a house to the chain on a bicycle. Unfortunately, iron cannot escape its fate in any way, slowly turning into rust. Except for this phenomenal structure: The Iron Pillar from Delhi. With a height of 7 meters and a weight of more than 6 tons, this iron giant was able to resist corrosion for 1600 years! How did something made of 98% iron last so long? Scientists have found the answer to this question, but how ancient blacksmiths discovered this fact so many years ago still surprises archaeologists.
Carroll A. Deering
50 years after the mysterious disappearance of the crew of the Maria Celeste, a similar event occurred when the schooner Carroll A. Dearing was discovered off the coast of North Carolina on January 31, 1921. When the rescue ships finally reached the ship, they saw to their dismay that no crew was on board. Although it was noted that food was prepared for the next day, nothing else was found to indicate the presence of the team. No personal belongings, no logbook, no traces, just like in the case of Maria Celeste. Theories were put forward about paranormal phenomena, due to the fact that the ship was in the Bermuda Triangle. Others thought it was the work of pirates or Russians.
Hutchison effect
The Hutchison effect refers to a series of eerie phenomena that occurred when inventor John Hutchison attempted to recreate several of Nikola Tesla's experiments. Some cases include levitation, the merging of different textures (wood and metal), and the disappearance of small objects. Even more strange is that after his experiment, Hutchison was unable to repeat it with the same result. This experiment became so popular that it even aroused the interest of NASA and the military, but they could not succeed either.
Faces of Belmes
Is it just me, or does this stain on the wall look like a person looking at you? This is one of the faces of Belmes that were in the house of the Pereira family. For 20 years, these faces have been reminiscent of men and women. They appear each time with a different expression on their faces. The strange thing is that the faces stay in the house only for a short time, and then they disappear. Research has been done into what causes this effect. During one of them, a human body was dug out from under the house, but the faces continued to appear. No answer has been found.
vanishing lake
In May 2007, a lake in Patagonia, Chile, literally disappeared, leaving behind a 30m deep pit, ice mountains and dry land. It wasn't some small lake. The lake was 5 miles long! When geologists last examined the lake in March 2007, they found nothing strange. However, something happened during these 2 months that not only made the lake disappear, but also turned the river flowing from it into a small stream. Geologists wonder how such a large lake just disappeared. This could have been due to an earthquake, although no tremors were observed in this region. Ufologists claim that it was the spacecraft that dried up the lake. This mystery has never been solved.
viscous rain
On August 7, 1994, the residents of Oakville, Washington, were in for a surprise. Instead of the usual rain, people saw jelly falling from the sky. When that rain passed, almost everyone developed severe flu-like symptoms that lasted from 7 weeks to 3 months. Finally, after the mother of one of the residents of the city fell ill after touching the substance, he sent a sample of it for analysis. The results shocked all scientists. The drops contained human white blood cells. The substance was then brought to the State Department of Health in Washington for further analysis. Here they found that gelatin drops contain two types of bacteria, one of which is also present in the human digestive system. However, no one was able to identify this substance, and how it was related to the mysterious disease that gripped the city.
black helicopter
On May 7, 1994, in Harahan, Louisiana, a black helicopter chased a teenager for 45 minutes. The frightened child explained that people had descended from the helicopter and pointed weapons at him. Until now, the boy does not know why he was persecuted and why then they let him go. A week later, a similar thing happened to people driving a car past Washington. Unable to escape, they saw men in black uniforms with weapons descending a rope ladder. However, the travelers, to their dismay, were released. Black helicopters have been featured in UFO reports, and while simple explanations have been found for some of the sightings, others (see above) remain unresolved.
Animals in stone
There are several documented cases when frogs, toads and other small animals were found alive in a single stone. The strange thing is that people found animals not only in natural formations, such as stone or trees, but also in artificial ones. In 1976, Texas workers found a live green tortoise in the concrete, it was in an air bag that was shaped like this small reptile. If somehow it got there a year ago when the concrete was being poured, then how did the turtle manage to live so long? After all, there were no holes or cracks in the concrete for a turtle to crawl through.
Donnie Decker
He was nicknamed the rain boy in 1983. Donnie was visiting a friend when he suddenly went into a trance. Immediately, water began to flow from the ceiling, and mist filled the room. His friends called the owner, who was disturbed by what he saw. Some time later, Donnie was sitting in a restaurant with his buddies when the rain began to pour right on their heads. The owner of the restaurant immediately kicked him out into the street. Years later, a petty infraction caused Donnie to go to jail, where he too caused havoc when it rained right into his cell. After complaints from inmates, Donny explained that he could make it rain at will, and immediately demonstrated this by dousing the jailer on duty. Finally, he was released and found work as a cook at a local restaurant. Donnie's real whereabouts are unknown, as is the cause of the mysterious rain.
