Be natural

Researchers found that people with hypertension, the medical term for high blood pressure, who drank about eight ounces of beet juice daily had a decrease in blood pressure of about 10 mm Hg. The scientists explained in their paper that the amount of juice from beets (known as beetroots in Europe) consumed contains 0.2g of dietary nitrate -- that's about the same amount of nitrate that's found in a large bowl of lettuce or approximately two beets. So what does nitrate have to do with blood pressure? It turns out that after it's consumed, nitrate is converted in the body to a chemical called nitrite and then to the gas nitric oxide. Once in the bloodstream, nitric oxide widens blood vessels, aids blood flow and lowers blood pressure. "Our hope is that increasing one's intake of vegetables with a high dietary nitrate content, such as green leafy vegetables or beetroot, might be a lifestyle approach that one could easily employ to improve cardiovascular health," said Amrita Ahluwalia, Ph.D., lead author of the study and a professor of vascular pharmacology at The Barts and The London Medical School in London. A little vegetable juice produces a big health effect Blood pressure is measured with two numbers -- the systolic blood pressure (the top number and the highest) measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats, while the diastolic blood pressure (the bottom and lower number) measures blood pressure in the arteries when the heart is between beats. The study involved eight women and seven men who had a systolic blood pressure between 140 to 159 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), a measurement indicating they had high blood pressure. Other than hypertension, none had other medical complications and they weren't taking blood pressure medication. The research subjects drank 250 mL of beet juice or water containing a low amount of nitrate. Then their blood pressure was monitored over the next 24 hours. Compared with the group drinking water with just a bit of nitrate, the research subjects who drank beetjuice were found to have reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure. This impact on blood pressure continued even after nitrite circulating in the blood had returned to their previous levels before the juice was consumed. In fact, the positive effect was most pronounced three to six hours after drinking the juice - but it was still present even a day later. In the United States, more than 77 million adults have diagnosed hypertension -- and high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attacks and stroke. Eating vegetables rich in dietary nitrate and other critical nutrients may be an accessible and inexpensive way to manage blood pressure, Dr. Ahluwalia said in a media statement. This isn't the only research that shows beets have health-protective properties. NaturalNews previously reported that a study published in Nitric Oxide: Biology and Chemistry, the peer-reviewed journal of the Nitric Oxide Society, by scientists at Wake Forest University's Translational Science Center found that beets increase blood flow and help oxygen get specifically to places in body that are lacking oxygen -- including the brain -- and may help people with dementia. Drinking beet juice daily lowers high blood pressure

Bizarre extrasolar planet

Using a ground-based radio telescope, researchers have captured faint variable radio emissions from an extrasolar planet, orbiting a metal-rich star about 125 light years from the Earth ¹. Known as HAT-P-11b, this planet is 26 times heavier than the Earth.

the real world

Australia's Great Barrier Reef threatened by coal mining

joined the Rainbow Warrior III in Townsville, a city in the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. After catching up with my Australian counterparts on the campaign and tour, I found myself in a small public gathering in the evening comprising of marine scientists, members of local conservation groups, journalists and think-tanks. Everyone was worried about one thing- coal!

From there started my interactions with Queenslanders who are going to be the most impacted by the largescale mining proposed in Galilee Basin. Nine new mega mines have been proposed in the Galilee Basin, two new rail lines to ferry the coal and nine new export coal terminals on Queensland coast to cater to the ferried coal. This will mean dredging and dumping of 113 million cubic meters of seabed for ports and upto 10,000 coal ships crossing the reef every year. Two Indian companies, Adani and GVK, are involved in these mega plans. The Australian government does not seem to be unduly worried about the Great Barrier Reef, nor about the 60,000 people who are employed due to the reef- in tourism, fishing and research industry.

All of these not only threaten the Great Barrier Reef, but also coastal wildlife and habitats such as the mangroves, wetlands, snub-fin dolphins, black-throated finches etc, 10 billion litres of water which will be sucked up from the surrounding environment and serious health impacts for the worried locals from transportation of coal. Furthermore, the coal burnt from Galilee Basin will add 705 million tonnes of CO2 which will surely accelerate world temperatures to beyond 4 degrees or more. So it is natural that many people are worried in Queensland and Australia but everytime people have protested, the government and coal industry in Australia blames them of relegating many poor Indians to energy poverty!

1. Virus Ties Snakes into Knots.

   Snakes afflicted with a relatively new disorder have demonstrated unusual symptoms. They tend to tie themselves into knots, stare off into space, stop eating and eventually waste away. DNA analysis has revealed that a virus is at work, but there is still confusion as to the virus’s origins. It is possible that because the virus contains elements of at least two different viruses, it evolved in snakes millions of years ago. Another possibility is that the virus is the result of the recent genetic merger of the ebola virus and another virus. Unfortunately, there is at this point no effective cur

2. Animals Experience Awareness.

   A distinguished cadre of scientists, including Stephen Hawking, have signed a document called the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness. The document relies upon a body of research that has established that many animals, even octopuses, experience awareness. One of the key supporting elements of the Declaration is the discovery that the human neocortex is not a prerequisite for consciousness. Other brain structures can duplicate many of the indicia of consciousness and are found in animals as varied as dolphins, birds and octopus. Moreover, animals share with us similar sleep patterns and new brains research has revealed “emotional networks and cognitive microcircuitries” in animals that are analogous to those in humans.

3. Not All Chimps Are Created Equal.

   Human genius is rare, but it is a fact that some people score well above average on intelligence tests. The same appears to be true for chimps. Natasha, a chimp who hails from Uganda, scored “off the charts” on chimp intelligence tests. She also demonstrates her smarts in her everyday activities, including her ingenious escapes and by using clever ruses to tease humans. Of course, chimps have surprised us before, one example being their elaborate manufacture of termite fishing tools. No one factor explains Natasha’s intelligence, but rather it appears to be a suite of enhanced cognitive abilities that makes her stand out.
   
   

4. Raccoons in Europe.

   One of the imports to Europe from the New World was a furry creature that was as wily as a fox. Now, the North American raccoon has extended its range throughout Europe and is spreading diseases, such as rabies, in its wake. Not as severe, but far more common is the spread by raccoons of a nematode worm — a parasite which quickly spreads to and infect other mammals. In the United States, as many as 80% of animals are infected with the parasite. For reasons that are not clear, European countries have not, as of yet, instituted measures to control the raccoon.

Moment of Impact

A hungry basilisk lizard is about to capture a blue morpho butterfly

VALUE OF NATURE

The search for truth is in one way hard and in another way easy, for it is evident that no one can master it fully or miss it wholly. But each adds a little to our knowledge of nature, and from all the facts assembled there arises a certain grandeur.