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Thursday, November 25, 2010

वेध Dissertation चे....!!

खरं तर हा ब्लॉग लिहिताना माझी परीक्षा चालू आहे. आता माझी परीक्षा चालू आहे हे सांगायला लागते हे सुद्धा एक गमतीशीर कोडे आहे. म्हणावे तर परीक्षा चालू असून पण ब्लॉग लिहिण्याची धडपड करणारा एकतर Einstein असू शकतो किंवा ठार वेडा आणि उनाड. मी जास्त करून दुसरया category त मोडतो हे सुज्ञास सांगणे न लगे....! असो...!! तर, आश्या ह्या तीच तीच परीक्षा देऊन थकलेल्या माझ्या जीवाला चार विरंगुळ्याचे क्षण मिळावेत म्हणून मी आपला काही बाही लिहिण्याचे प्रयत्न करतोय.

सध्या परीक्षा चालू असल्याने जीवनात पुन्हा कधीही न मिळणारी झोप मी सुखाने भोगतोय..!! आता या नंतर पुन्हा विद्यापीठ परीक्षा घ्यायला मानगुटीवर बसणार नाही ह्या कल्पनेनेच अंगावर गुलाबी रोमांच उभा राहतोय... (सध्या तशी गुलाबी थंडीही पडायला लागली आहे. असो फारच गुलाबी होत चालंय) पुणे विद्यापीठातून पर्यावरण शास्त्राची पदवीत्तर पदवी (मला post graduation म्हणायचे आहे) घेण्यासाठीचा शेवटचा सोपस्कार म्हणजे ६ महिन्यांचा प्रकल्प/dissertation . म्हणलं तर मजा आणि म्हणलं तर सजा अशा काटेरी कुंपणावर उभा असलेला ६ महिन्यांचा काळ जीवनात आता खूप मोलाचा ठरणार आहे. स्वताच्या गावकुसाबाहेर राहून शिक्षण घेणाऱ्या मुलामुलींनी भोगलेले क्षण आता आमच्या वाट्याला येणार आहेत. कामाचं प्लानिंग आणि छान सराईत अंमलबजावणी यांची भट्टी कधी न्हवे इतकी उत्तम जुळून आली आणि आम्ही पुन्हा एकदा राष्ट्रीय समुद्रविज्ञान संस्था, गोवा इथे जाण्यासी सिद्ध जाहलो.....!!

हे dissertation आम्हाला काय देत नाही...?? प्रत्यक्ष कामाचं अनुभव, वैज्ञानिक क्षेत्रातील अद्ययावत ज्ञान, देशातील प्रख्यात वैज्ञानिकांशी जवळीक साधण्याची आणि त्यांना प्रश्न विचारण्याची संधी आणि असं बराच काही. मी ह्या वर्षीच्या तळपत्या उन्हाळ्यात summer internship (research) साठी तिथेच होतो, त्यावेळी मला  यासाठी सुचलेला नाव म्हणजे "२१ व्या शतकातील आधुनिक गुरुकुलच". घराबाहेर राहून काटकसरीने आणि तरीपण जिद्दीने नवीन गोष्टी समजून घेण्याची, शिकून घेण्याची जी उमेद तयार होते त्याला तोड नाही...!

गोव्याला जाण म्हणजे पुन्हा कादंब volvo चा प्रवास, पणजीमधली तीच चिकचिक, स्वतःच समान, असलीच तर छत्री आणि मुख्य म्हणजे मनाचा तोल सावरत दोनपौलाला जाणारी बस शोधणं, त्यात चढणं, मिळालीच तर सीटवर बसणं आणि खूप सावकाश driving  करणाऱ्या चालकाकडे हतबल पाणे पाहणं हे सुद्धा मोठं दिव्य आहे......(भलेभले हार मानतील ......असलं एखादं पुणेरी वाक्य टाकून भाव खायला आम्ही मोकळे)

गोवा म्हणजे नितांत सुंदर निसर्ग, गोवा म्हणजे निळाशार समुद्रकिनारा, देहावरून अलगद जाणार हवेचा मंद झोत, अवखळ लाटा  हे सगळं सोडून गोव्याचं असलं काहीतरी दळभद्री वर्णन केल्याबद्दल काही रसिक वाचक घोर निराश होतील. पण खरं सांगतो, गोव्याची मजा दोन-चार आठवड्यातच संपते. ब्राम्हण आहे त्यामुळे देशी, विदेशी, परलोकाची वगैरे घेण्याचा प्रश्नच येत नाही आणि त्यामुळे तिथे होणारे शाकाहारी जेवणाचे हाल शब्दांत मांडता येत नाहीत. तर आसा सगळा नितांत सुंदर वगैरे असलेला गोवा भटकून २-३ आठवडे होतात तोच तिथल्या "सुशाकाचा" कंटाळा येऊ लागतो...!

सोबत एखाद पुस्तक (मी या बाबतीत पण खादाड असल्याने मला ३-४) अथवा laptop वर निदान२५-३० सुंदर (खऱ्या  अर्थाने.....हो, हे पण सांगावं लागतं, नाहीतर सुंदर चे हि भयानक अनर्थ घेतले जातात.) चित्रपट असतील तर सोने पे सुहागा. पण मनापासून सांगतो, आपलं संशोधन छान चालंय, आपल्याला हवे ते निष्कर्ष मिळतायत हे लक्षात येऊन जे समाधान मिळतं त्याची तोड कशालाही नाही! जसं ते सुख दुर्मिळ तसं ते सुख असण्याचं नशिबही अत्यंत दुर्मिळ...! असो, संशोधन करताना हे असं होणारच..! आणि होस्टेल लाइफ बद्दल तर काय लिहू..!! समोरच्या ताटातील न तुटणाऱ्या पोळ्या खुशखुशीत मैत्रीच्या नादात कधी संपतात हे मेसवाल्याच्याही लक्षात येत नाही...!

मला ह्यावेळी तिथल्या badminton court  वर  मनसोक्त badminton खेळायचं आहे. पायाची लचक गेल्याने मी पण आता नव्या जोमात खेळायला तयार आहे. पुन्हा एकवार मला स्वतःला शोधायचं आहे, आनंदात नाचणारा, मित्राच्या डोक्यावर टपली मारून सुख दुःखाचा sharing करणारा, स्वतःच्या जगण्याचा अर्थ शोधणारा आणि स्वतःच्या नावाचं research article असावं म्हणून धडपडणारा दामोदर मला एकचित्त होऊन अनुभवायचा आहे..!! मला आता तिथे जाऊन काम करायची सुरसुरी चढली आहे आणि त्याचाच परिणाम म्हणजे हा ब्लॉग...!!

अटलजींच्या "आओ फिरसे दिया जलाये" या कवितेच्या काही ओळी आठवतायत. यु tube  चे आभार म्हणूनच हि लिंक share करू शकतोय...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO7EXAxUEAI&feature=related

तर आता निरोप घ्यायची वेळ आली....पुन्हा पुढच्यावेळी भेटू....एका नवीन उमेदिसह...!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The Saffron: To make sense of it all..!!

Indian politician Palaniappan Chidambaram. Tak...Image via Wikipedia
One of the factors about Indian Politics which worries me a a lot is the use of color, caste & religion for the political gains. Its not just the governing people but so called responsible opposition too can't resists itself to get tainted in the allegations. The regional clashes in Maharashtra & State government's inability to create a tensions free democracy are the most latest versions of it's kind. What adds more to the concern is the large number of  people who patronage such beliefs are unaware what a monster they are nursing.
Couple of days ago when I read about the remarks made by the Honorable Home Minister P. Chidambaram regarding the threat of - what he & his party apparently seems to be deeming - 'The Saffron Terror". I wonder how & since when the Congress started attaching the color labels to the terror aspects.

Let me take on this one by one.

A. Terrorism is a color blind's business-

People who raise the guns, nukes, & other mass destructive weapons are not the ones who are following the great verses or practicing the sacred commandments from the great books. Because no religious philosophies advocate such a business of massacring innocents. I believe anyone will agree to it that every political establishments across the world have accepted it. If India really considers itself to be a great democracy & Secular Republic, such a religionists statements don't suit a responsible cabinet minister on the floor of the Parliament.

If we consider the problem of terrorism faced by India, it is largely coming of Pakistan & now a days patronage d by China. These are not the simple allegations but there have been growing evidences in this regard & there is no denying the fact that even Mr. Obama won't rule out Pakistan's hand in supporting terrorism. I am not crossing the line by attributing any color to the terrorism faced by India. As I've mentioned, terrorism is just the color blind's game..!!

In the domestic troubles, problem of Naxalites is the prominent one & there has been a very slow progress in this regard to curb it & provide the residents of Red Corridor a free & fearless life. In this respect, lot more is expected from the Congress-led UPA Government. If the home ministry can't even get permissions to use helicopters & firing on the Naxalites if caught making violence, we got to admit that P. Chidambaram needs to do lot more than just pointing out new brilliant color-codes.

B. India's Challenges-

Even if you would scratch up a moss in the Indian territory, you would surely find someone advocating his/ her own theory about the problems India is facing today & will also give you solutions to tackle those problems, free of cost..!! (Don't ask me if mosses really flourish in India's famous hot & dusty climate..) So, I don't want to add something to that neither I've got any such intension. But it is largely evident fact that if any threat to the India's security is there, it is largely from Maoists, Naxalites separatists, & radicalists present in the national territories. So, having conveniently forgotten them all Honorable minister sights Saffron terrorism as a major threat. Sad..!

So, the point it has led me to, is there are other issues - much bigger than this - needing careful attention rather than making some cheap political stunts for the sake of vote banks...! Saffron is the color of sacrifice & it is there on our national flag  quite rightly. If at all Home ministry has some evidences of so called Hindus involved in crime, it is duty bound to bring them to justice & punishment. But this doesn't mean that there is a bigger threat of so called Saffron terror. By & large I view at this whole incidence as an event to catch the votes from non saffrons - if you are aware of what I mean. If this move succeeds, the unity of our nation is at stake. We can't afford to let this cheap political stunt succeed..


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Monday, August 2, 2010

National tragedy- CWG 2010

The logo of 2010 Commonwealth GamesImage via Wikipedia
All I can say seeing the so called preparations of Commonwealth Games 2010 (expected to be held in New Delhi this year) is that, the organisation of the games has turned from an opportunity to showcase national pride & announce India's arrival at the world stage confidently to a shoddy state of affair wherein we are no longer sure how on the earth the games could be held...!! I know that to some people  my words would hurt- & believe me, I ain't writing this stuff being too pleased with myself- but this is the truth.

I still remember the day when new Delhi was announced as the winner city to hold the games of pride in 2003...as a 15 year young adolescent, I felt proud & told myself that I belong to one of the fabulous countries in the world...! Then there was closing ceremony of Commonwealth Games in Melbourne & even there everything looked so promising.

The high point was the Commonwealth youth Games of 2008 which were hosted in Pune..my hometown...I was buoyed by the spectacular show posted by all the athletes & more importantly by the organizing committee. All looked well set for the big event.....

By & large, India's performance in the Olympics has been of mere participatory nature not too long ago. The Beijing Olympics saw Indians actually making their presence felt at the international level. But I don't see that trend continuing for a long period of time unless, the sports culture imbibes in India. But despite of that shabby background, hosting CWG offered a chance to India what Olympics offered to Beijing & China at large......a chance to showcase the world what the nation & it's people are capable of doing, achieving & arriving at the world stage with the bang..! This was an opportunity which doesn't come too often in a generation. India could have -& beyond any doubt- should have grabbed it with both the hands.....

I must be given a Nobel prize of the most optimistic person in the world...shouldn't I? I hope, USA would soon ratify Kyoto protocol, I am very much sure that human race will learn from it's mistakes & I also believe that India, having a once in a generation opportunity, would grab it...!! Too much to ask for, isn't it?

Now look at what's happening out there...first of all there is hardly any news piece about who is going to represent India, how are their preparations going on etc...may be media is reserving those article pieces for crucifying them after their awful performances in the games...


Fine..what about stadias...I am all left to wonder if at all there would be any kind of stadias ready in every respect before the games?? Government has spent 18 times more than the actual budget decided in 2003...! Well what' more shocking is perhaps the lack of dedication among politicians & executers. Everyone is busy in either claiming how all's well or some senior politician is busy with his version of rhetorics...if nothing is left...they quarrel among themselves...sometimes just give a bite to media on preparations to be on track....!! God bless India...!!


What is annoying or rather frustrating is the latest corruption charges on the big guns..!! Gosh, that was not expected at least in the games preparations...! But there it is..! Corruption is like a bullshit..it's all over, no matter in which country you are! But in the games planning too? I am aghast!


Despite so much of funding from the government, all the executers could establish is leaking stadiums, most of them are half built...there is no sign of when they will be completed...& what kind of games would India deliver to the world on the backdrop of corruption charges..!! I am sick of it all & now jokingly I think probably the Indian government is taking a revenge of 200 years of British colonial empire over it ..!!


But rather the situation largely remains pathetic & it has turned into India's shameful tragedy..I recently heard India has dropped it's plans to bid for the Asiad games...clear sign of India's lost confidence..God bless India...!!


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Saturday, July 31, 2010

Threat of solid waste

2007 EPA figures - Municipal Solid WasteImage via Wikipedia
How many of us are really bothered about what the hell happen to the waste that we throw out of our houses everyday? For the scope of discussion, let ourselves limit to the problem of solid waste generated in the households, hotels, shopping malls, big industries & so on. We don't really care too much about the problem because it hardly surfaces up & touches our lives. You can find all the stats about waste on the internet & even in some of the links attached below. So, I am not going into much of the details of it as far as the stats are concerned. But I am going to focus on India's solid waste problem. India is indeed a big country & with it's sheer big size, it inherits it's own problems as well. One of the least cared problem is the problem of solid waste management. India's GDP growth rate is one of the best in the entire globe. But with that sky rocketing growth, there comes the problem of incresed consumarism & increased waste being created. Of course, bigger chunk of it comes from the urban, densely populated areas where one can find middle class society & slum areas outnumbering it. I am littlebit doubtful how much solid waste is a problem in the Indian villages because people living in the villages battle for their daily livelihood, high consumerism is an alien word for them. So, we reach to the dirty, filthy & one of the worst livable places in India...the slums..! Who are the people living in those slums? Those are- in sophisticated words- "Low income groups"- who support needs of the population living in posh societies. There are maids, laundry boys, sweepers, hawkers & so on. I think the population in the posh residential complexes & bungalows are able to meet their basic needs because people living in the slums lend their hand.
So, all the wrappers, plastic bottles, cans, unwanted stuff goes to your dustbin, travels through a large conveyor system & finally reaches the dumping site maintained by the local governing body. There is ahrdly any scientific thinking given to the development of such dump yards. There could be a river flowing near it, or there could be a village nearby. All get contaminated- not to mention of the soil getting contaminated! There is no stoppage to the waste coming in there.
 Seeing the waste disposal site, I remember the movie "Wall-E"! You gotta watch the movie to understand our future...700 years in time..(If at all we survive!)
So, the waste which is not biodegradable will remain there for years together polluting our beautiful planet. The problem indeed is high consumerism, but we have to find out the solution to the non biodegradable things coming with high consumerism. Only then we will arrive at doing something good for our planet. I don't see any scope for people's attitude regarding shopping, buying stuff in excess, eating more than needed change in the near future. At best we can offer them the choices which are green, non polluting, & sustainable. How about filling hydrogen in your SUV? Or, how about a chips wrapped in a biodegradable wrappers? What if we get a chance to recycle our domestic waste & make some money out of the generated fertilizer? We would love to opt for those choices, aren't we? So, there is a need to invest in the R & D of such things...may be then we would be able to reduce the problem of huge chunks of solid waste produced to some extent..!! Hope we would be able to do it..!!
God bless planet earth!
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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Her Majesty Queen's Prime Minister comes calling..!!

The article is all about Britain's PM Mr. David Cameroon visiting India & why we should be bothered about it as a nation (or should we be bothered about it at all or not?)
Mr. Cameroon

Boss in chaos-
Well, Mr. Cameroon is a captain of a coalition government which in itself is a great historic event in UK. UK is not known to have a coalition government at the helm in the distant past. I think Mr. Cameroon can learn a lot from Indian political system about presiding over a coalition government. One more fact we can't ignore about his government that it is yet to be tested regarding how it views the Kashmir issue (OMG....how many times in my blog, I've to mention about an issue which itself has been conceived by the British imperialistic government). Because India's experience in this particular issue with Britishers has been bitter- to say the least. There had been many political leaders who raised the sensitivities against the Indians.
Why is he here?-
Excellent question! previous such visit to India by any British PM was paid by Mr. Tony Blair (Labor Party candidate) a decade ago. So, there is a general feeling in the UK about having neglected such an important ally. In terms of economy, UK is still experiencing the backlashes of recent meltdown while India not only weathered the same but successfully flourished as well. This leaves them wondering about how well India can be "be friend with". Indian economy has become so important for Britishers because of the potential it holds as a big consumer market & it's need for Advanced jet Trainer aircrafts for it's budding fighter pilots. Indian Migs are in no way trainer aircrafts. For a fighter who has never flown a plane except for a simulation flights, MiGs are a tough task. It;s like handing over a Ferrari F1 car to a person on racing track who has just learnt how to shift gears & expecting him to win the pole-position. Therefore, a trainer planes are needed. this is a market which Britishers have sniffed. They have got AJT Hawks & Indian government has money (more than 700 million pounds) & will to procure them. Makes a perfect deal..!!
AJT Hawk
Also, there is an intense feeling among the political & economic pundits across HM's nation that in it's continuing neglect towards India in the last decade, it has lost a big opportunity of investment there. It has been take over by the one & only USA, Russia, China & Japan. remember the Indo- US nuclear deal? USA President with one strike of his signature, opened the flood gates for India in terms of civilian nuclear usage. As did Bush government sanctioned it, Obama administration took it's time in solving it's hegemonic issues & very soon India had it's first specific & precise deal with Canadians....not with Uncle Sam! He joined after he woke up to the fact that it's no longer a nation of 20th Century. Same is the case with James Bond's nation. They were so blindfolded to take a note of India's economic growth, they are no longer in India's anticipated list of investor nations. probably that's why even such a top leader is visiting India, Indian media & leadership looks so reluctant to take a note of it. But of course, at the end of the day, it would be in the mutual interest of both the nations to have a strong bilateral relations. Topmost thing should be, there should be no racism in UK  against the students or people who arrive in UK seeking their respective fortunes. If they agree on this bottom line, things can smoothly be worked out.
there is one more thing which is catching my attention whether Koh-i-noor (Mountain of Light, as named by emperor Nadir Shah who plundered it from India in 14th Century. Previously it was named as Samantic Mani) diamond will be brought back to India.
Koh-i-Noor
But considering it's curse, I would prefer it to be with the Queen until the empire collapses totally...as per the curse Koh-i-Noor carries with it. But that's a joke....I really wish UK to flourish as well!
India's role in Post- US+UK Afghanistan-
Both USA & UK are concerned about situation in Afghanistan once they leave it. Therefore, India is being seen as an important ally who could look after very well over the region. India has got it's own national interests in it as well. It would be able to counter Chinese String of Pearls against it as well as it would be able to keep a close eye on it's notorious western neighbor from there.

So, considering all these situations, i would call it as a beginner in the relations of those two countries but still lot needs to be done in this regard.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Chalo ek bar firse...(Ind-Pak-China -Triangular series)

Its a very cute & romantic song from a hindi movie (& I've forgotten its name as usual) but the song goes like Chalo ek bar firse ajanabi banajaye hum donno...
A sad saga of GF BF seeing each other (so to say) for the last time- pretty usual stuff in hindi masala movies. But the song seems to have become a theme song for recent so called diplomatic engagement between India & its lovely western neighbor..........(u've gotten very smart in geography..how come you spelled the name correctly without a fraction of a second??) In recent months I've actually stopped reading anything on the India's diplomatic front (if at all there is any). This is out of frustration seeing our diplomats having lost the spine & flamboyant attitude.  I am not sure why Indian politicians always display a rather soft (I wish to call spineless) attitude when it comes to making tough calls. Why we always hide behind the terms like decorum, politeness & matured outlook kinda things. Why our national interest is always given a second priority? I am not among the advocates of "Go for war & go for the kill all the time" (but you should also know that attitude & must be able to use at appropriate time) but I do feel that if your opponent is damn arrogant & is hell bent upon defying your every "Cool it, man" requests, there is no point in telling him the importance of  peace, love & liberty.
Having put this background, I now turn back to those lovely neighbors. It is very clear & sure that- no matter how Pakistan views it- Indo-pak ties (or Kashmir issue for that matter)- can NEVER be compared to Israel- Palestine clash (or Gaza strip tug of war). I don't know why there is such a big issue on Kashmir being raised by Pakistan when it is occupying large part of it under the banner of Azad Kashmir!! If at all there is any issue (& thanks to India's 1st PM), it must be returning the PoK (what Ind calls to Pak's Azad Kashmir) back to India. But that doesn't at all seems to be on cards(....not even on it's backside bottom line..!!) Rather there are reports of China building a rail link through PoK. It is meant to increase China's dominance in the sub continent rather than a support for Pakistan's economy. This is a 21st Century big game being played to jeopardize India. in the last century, USSR & US played the game & both got wounded- no matter how they try to hide it. But it was mighty USSR which got knocked out shattered in pieces. This time it could be India!! There are already ethnic groups fueling violence on the basis of caste & religion. Having it's mighty arms spread around Indian Ocean & String of Pearls, India will be an easy prey to China. One can argue about how no two countries having McDonald's went to war in the Post- globalization world, but what if China gets India on the floor with a strong arm of geopolitics & asks it to remain under its tows? It's not the fear that has generated out of '72 disaster, it's the disbelief in Chinese character. It is very certain & nobody should make any mistake about it that, sweet Chinese smile breaks under pressure!! They can do horrendous things to get themselves on top & they do not believe that there is enough room for India & China to grow together. Don't go by what Xinuha publishes, see their actions..military & diplomatic especially. Why it raises Tibet issue all the time with Indian delegates when India has declared that its a Chinese territory way back? Why it does notorious things in Tamang & Aksai Chin? There is a huge deficit in terms of military might between Indian & Chinese & India hardly stands any chance against it's lovely trans Himalayan neighbor. Don't take this as personal opinion, Indian rare admiral recently said this in a national press conference..!!
If Indian diplomats don't wake up on time (like IndiGo crew members) it will be too late & they may have to sing the song "Chalo ek bar..." on Beijing highways to earn bread & butter..!!

Obama's 9/11

You might actually get shocked after reading the title & all the bizarre images of 9/11 tragedy may pop-up in your mind. You may start wondering when such a terrible thing happened in Obama’s reign. But breathe; the superpower is not under attack (at least, not so far) from terrorists, but this time it is under strike by worst thing ever. The Mexican gulf oil spill!! While September 11, 2001 rang a loud bell in deaf superpower’s ears & sounded a “Wake up, god damn it!!” call for Bush administration, I am not sure if Obama & co. has heard the same thing this time around. I’ll come back to it later, for the time being- & as this is meant to be a review article- I am duty bound to explain it to you how this tragic set of incidences happened.
Tragedy-
April 20th, another hot day in the sub continental summer & I was in Indore on an official visit. Indian media was totally obsessed with ‘who will be in the final of this year’s IPL edition’- type of stories, likes of CNNs & BCCs began putting news of some blown out rig in the Mexican gulf squeezing out lot of crude oil. That rig didn’t just explode; it sounded a galvanizing call for all of us. It can be very convenient to sit back in your chair with A.C blowing a wonderful chill up your spines & say ‘its Uncle Sam’s problem & he ought to sort it out with BP’ (whose rig it was). It ain’t just his problem, it’s everybody’s problem. With global demand for conventional fuels day by day, it is hard to imagine how it’s NOT our problem.
So, as the days progressed, it was feared to be the worst oil spill of the decade. Many reporters started comparing it with the Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Alaska in 1989 in which an oil tanker thrashed into a reef & spilled around 260,000 to 750,000. It ranks as the 1st in terms of volumes of oil released in an accident. This time BP looked all set to change the history. The accompanying satellite image will show you the exact locality of the BP oil spill in the Mexican gulf

It is estimated that up to 5-10 thousand barrels of crude oil has leaked per day. One can find an amazing (disheartening to watch, I should say) clip on bbc’s link http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8651333.stm on how this spill progressed day by day. If you notice carefully, the spill crossed the estimated spread distance for the day many a times. There is a wildlife protection zone & many a times the spilled water reached the coast line (not to mention the damage to the wild life caused by it). There are reports of deaths of thousands of birds & fishes. Once birds shoot themselves into contaminated water, oil coats their wings & feathers in such a wonderful way that they lose their ability to fly back within no time. Oil prevents the exchanges of gas molecules into the water & hence fish can no longer be able to breathe oxygen & eventually die out of suffocation. These are just the external effects. Many marine organisms die out because they consume highly polluted oil which leads to the annihilation of their red blood cell. It also damages their kidneys & internal organs. We are not very sure about what exactly happens to the microscopic life forms. There are certain bacteria found to be the degraders of this contamination but largely this micro flora & fauna are subjected to the wrath of contamination.
BP’s response-
In US, the responsibility for the cleanup work is fixed on the defaulter’s shoulders. So, whether BP liked it or not, it had to bear the cost of compensation to be paid to the fishermen, cost of cleanup work & importantly, the cost of repairing the well. The oil giant tried to block the spill in the every possible way. Some efforts were thwarted by the formation of gas hydrated (ice like crystals) which blocked the lowering of rescue dome. The major problem was the sheer depth of the damaged site. At a depth of 2-3 km below the water level you have to work with razor sharp precision. There are remote operated vehicles for help but the control is manual & in the foggy conditions everything looks cloudy, it gets even harder to work. As an initial response to contain the oil spill, BP used collectors, chemical dispersants, and spill burning methods to contain the spill. But when you have 10,000 barrels of oil leaking every day, you need to be smarter than that. So, BP engineers came out with the measure famously known as “Top Kill” to inject mud & blocking material into the Blow out Preventer (BOP) which was leaking the oil faster than imagined. But the out flow of oil was so much that BP had to announce its failure on 29th May.
The leaking piece of pipe which was attached to BOP was removed & now, the oil was escaping to the surface directly from the BOP. So, BP engineers lowered a fitting cap into it & tried to fit in the capping stack over the BOP. On 15th July, it went in BP’s favor & the leak stopped for the first time since 20th April!
What’s next?
Although there have been the talks begun for a while about BP’s future- as to if it will have to unwillingly accept the bargainer who will be sniffing an opportunity amidst this tragedy- one thing is clear that after paying approximately US $ 3.5 bn towards cleanup, BP is no longer a mighty giant. Have a look at some figures here-
BP Facts

Clean-up:
·         Cost to date: $3.1bn approx
·         Escrow account promise: $20bn
Shares:
·         Share price on 20 April (before leak began): 656p
·         Share price lowest point (on 25 June): 296p (55% fall)
·         2009 profits: £10bn
·         2010 dividend: £1.8bn in Q1; Q2-4 cancelled, saving £5.4bn
Debt:
·         Total debts: £17bn, of which £4.9 due by end-2011
·         2009 cashflow: £21bn
·         Credit ratings: A2/A (Moodys/S&P)
·         Credit default swap spread (5 years): 4.1% per annum

This was what may lie ahead for BP economically. Now I come to the point which I began in the beginning; “Obama’s 9/11” dogma! Here is an interesting graph predicting what is waiting for the world in the next few decades when it comes to green house emission.


This is the current estimates of global oil consumption. (I am not sure how it would look like in black & white, but in color, the image is pointing at US as a major consumer, followed by Canada, Australia, & China, Brazil, India as emerging oil thirsty nations). But the next graph will change your perception of “Its only Uncle Sam’s problem”. The graph clearly marks today’s developing, fast developing, emerging etc nations ahead of US when it comes to green house gas emissions. That’s what worries me more than anything.

I can’t dare imagine the emissions from industries when the number of cars on the roads is supposed to hit 1.2 billion mark by 2030. If all of them still keep on consuming the same conventional fuel, Apocalypse is surely nearing! That’s why I think that we need to come out of our traditional mentality of ‘blame it on US’, if we too keep on trading the path powered by conventional dirty energy sources. I am in no mood to advocate ‘go back to jungle’ slogan (because if we all would leave our jobs & turn back to jungles, there won’t be any jungles left!!). Rather I insist on adapting our economies in order to embrace efficient & non conventional energy sources. There needs to be lot of money invested for finding & successfully harvesting these sources. Our coal, crude oils are the tiny but powerful time bombs which are on the brink of exploding at any time. Their explosion won’t be as hard as 9/11 planes jetting into twin towers but theirs will be a slow poisoning effect. If at all somebody feels that Bush administration woke up after 9/11, realized the importance of action to be taken against what it deemed to be terrorism & mobilized its resources for the cause, Obama needs to wake up to the call that this is our time in order to mobilize our resources behind R & D for non conventional energies. At the same time governments of BRIC, SAARC etc need to put their acts together for deploying their resources on development of efficient energy sources. It ain’t just Nuclear energy, but rather scores of clean energy sources like solar energy; hydrogen energy sources, tidal energy, wind source etc. need to be hunt down. So, even after high rhetoric of President Obama against BP high authorities, if he & the world at large understand the need of the hour, we are half way through on saving the climate.

Monday, July 5, 2010

When are we going to have some self respect?????

It is very much clear that Bhopal gas tragedy has now become a judicial tragedy. There are more than one school of thoughts emerging as to how & why Mr. Anderson was blessed by the top politicians of that time to fly off the country without having any charges pressed. There are some political thinkers & good journalists- who covered that tragic drama of the nation's history- believe that the R. Anderson was given a "Safe passage" in order to satisfy Reagan administration. What the he** is that?? Can anybody justify government's decision to let the main culprit off only because we were not among the fast developing countries? Or because Rajiv Gandhi's government at the center was incapable of damning US diplomatic pressure- like his mother's government did? Gosh..!!! I was not even born at the time when this tragic incident happened. But after reading about all the saga, a kind of sickening emptiness hits me. I wonder how can people in the power remain at the helm of it when their deeds are actually hurting national pride & not only so, but keeping that wound fresh & burning!!
When I set my eyes on the current scenarios to see if there are any signs of maturity arisen after that tragedy, I turn nothing but depressed. What about Bt things which subject farmers to mercy of Bio tech companies for seeds? What about non conventional energy sources? When are we really going to come out of "Blame US for global warming" mindset? When the **ll are we going to pose counter mechanism in place for Chinese String of Pearls? When are our politicians going to forget caste based census & reach out to masses irrespective of caste & religion? When are going to execute the capital punishment for Afzal Guru & 13 others? Is Hon'ble President Pratibha Patil going to make a tough call on it or not? Lastly but most importantly, are we ever going to stand up as a strong knowledge-military-industrial complex & talk to others looking in the eye?????
I have no answer...

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

The Butcher Gas

This time we are going to understand more about the methyl isocyanate,

the gas which is ill known to be associated with Bhopal gas tragedy. There is

abundant data in the media about political aspects, administrative shortcomings

& corporate negligence which led to the unfortunate massacre. I intend to draw

your attention to the scientific details of the very gas, Methyl Isocyanate or MIC.

MICMethyl

isocyanate (MIC) is an organic compound with the molecular

formula C2H3NO, arranged as H3CN=

C=O. Synonyms are isocyanatomethane,

methyl carbylamine, and MIC. Methyl isocyanate is an intermediate chemical in

the production of carbamate pesticides (such as carbaryl, carbofuran, methomyl,

and aldicarb). It has also been used in the production of rubbers and adhesives.

As a highly toxic and irritating material, it is hazardous to human health, and wasinvolved in the Bhopal disaster which killed nearly 8,000 people initially and


approximately 17,000 people in total.

Sources and Potential Exposure

· No information is available on the levels of methyl isocyanate is ambient

air or water.

· Occupational exposure to methyl isocyanate may occur for those workers

who use insecticides and herbicides produced from methyl isocyanate.

Few known exposures to the general public have occurred.

· Methyl isocyanate has been detected in cigarette smoke.

Health Hazard Information

Acute Effects :

· In 1984, in Bhopal, Union Carbide gas leak of methyl isocyanate resulted

in the deaths of more than 2,000 people and adverse health effects in

greater than 170,000 survivors. Pulmonary edema was the cause of deathin most cases, with many deaths resulting from secondary respiratory


infections such as bronchitis and bronchial pneumonia.

· Other effects noted from acute inhalation exposure to methyl isocyanate in

humans are respiratory tract irritation, difficulty breathing, blindness,

nausea, gastritis, sweating, fever, chills, and liver and kidney damage.

Survivors continue to exhibit damage to the lungs (e.g., bronchoalveolar

lesions and decreased lung function) and the eyes (e.g., loss of vision,

loss of visual acuity, and cataracts).

· Animal studies have reported pulmonary edema, upper respiratory tract

irritation, respiratory lesions, and weight loss from acute inhalation

exposure to methyl isocyanate.

· Acute animal tests in rats have shown methyl isocyanate to have extreme

acute toxicity from inhalation exposure and high acute toxicity from oral

exposure.

Chronic Effects (Noncancer):· CalEPA has calculated a chronic inhalation reference exposure level of


0.001 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3) based on lung and body weight

effects in rats. The CalEPA reference exposure level is a concentration at

or below which adverse health effects are not likely to occur. It is not a

direct estimator of risk but rather a reference point to gauge the potential

effects. At lifetime exposures increasingly greater than the reference

exposure level, the potential for adverse health effects increases.

· Methyl isocyanate (MIC) is extremely toxic. The threshold limit value set by

the American Conference on Government Industrial Hygienist was 0.02

ppm (the threshold value indicates exposure to the particular substance in

question should not excedd that value. Otherwise it becomes a cause for

problematic health hazards)

· MIC can damage by inhalation, ingestion and contact in quantities as low

as 0.4 ppm. Damage includes coughing, chest pain, dyspnea, asthma,

irritation of the eyes, nose and throat as well as skin damage. Higher

levels of exposure, over 21 ppm, can result in pulmonary or lung edema,

emphysema and hemorrhages, bronchial pneumonia and death.· Although the odor of methyl isocyanate cannot be detected at 5 ppm by


most people, its potent lachrymal properties provide an excellent warning

of its presence (at a concentration of 2–4 parts per million (ppm) subject's

eyes are irritated, while at 21 ppm subjects could not tolerate the presence

of methyl isocyanate in air).

· Proper care must be taken to store methyl isocyanate because of its ease

of exothermically polymerizing and its similar sensitivity to water. Only

stainless steel or glass containers may be safely used; the MIC must be

stored at temperatures below 40 °C (104 °F) and preferably at 4 °C (39 °

F).

· The toxic effect of the compound was apparent in the Bhopal disaster,

when around 42,000 kilograms (93,000 lb) of methyl isocyanate and other

gases were released from the underground reservoirs of Union Carbide

India Limited (UCIL) factory, over a populated area on December 3, 1984,

immediately killing thousands and leading to the deaths of tens of

thousands in subsequent weeks and months.

Reproductive/Developmental Effects:· After the Bhopal, India, accident, an unusually high percentage of


survivors had disorders of the reproductive system, including leukorrhea,

pelvic inflammatory disease, excessive menstrual bleeding, and

suppression of lactation.

· Other adverse effects included increases in the number of stillbirths,

spontaneous abortions, and increased infant mortality.

· Animal studies have reported increased incidence of fetal deaths and

decreased fertility, live litter size, fetal body weight, and neonatal survival

following inhalation exposure to methyl isocyanate during pregnancy.

Cancer Risk:

· In a study in which animals were exposed once by inhalation, no tumors

were significantly associated with methyl isocyanate exposure in mice and

female rats; male rats had marginally increased rates of tumors of the

pancreas.· EPA has classified methyl isocyanate as a Group D, not classifiable as to


human carcinogenicity. Although, it is not clear if MIC is one of the

triggering agents that cause cancer.

Looking ForwardAfter

24 years it has clearly become a judicial tragedy (with all due respect

to Judicial System) which hurts more than a gas tragedy since it attacks our

collective consciousness. It becomes very important that we ensure installation

of all safety & security measures in the potent threatening establishments.

Whether we like it or not, primary focus should be given on installation &

constant upkeep of security mechanisms, training of employees than on having

maximum foreign direct investment. FDI/ FII is welcome but not at the cost of

indigenous lives. We got to have it clear that while passing Nuclear Liability Bill,

we fix the responsibility on defaulters. I can see a ray of hope in the way

government wants to review the Bill.

Next time we will read about what US media calls as Obama’s 9/11 that is

Mexico gulf oil spill. Do write to me in the mean time. You can read some of my

previous articles on my blog

Monday, June 7, 2010

Indian Climategate

What The Indian Version of Climate Gate Doesn’t Mean….

 
Climate gate: An Introduction

There is a saying in the people these days that if anything has changed after the much awaited Copenhagen Conference for sure, it’s “CLIMATE”. The conference is over without legally binding restrictions on developed economies to cut the emissions. But in this buzz of doing something about the changing climate, there have been serious & credible claims made which shake this belief to its core. We simply can’t afford to turn our blind eye towards these claims. Nonetheless these objections have been made by reputed scientists & have been confirmed by no other than Dr. Pachauri himself. He had admitted that there hasn’t been scientific study in order to conclude such facts so confidently. Yes, I am certainly talking about the fiasco over the reports of melting of Himalayan Glaciers.

Scientific Facts-

In a 2007 report, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said the Himalayan glaciers are very likely to disappear within three decades if the present melting rate continues. But a statement from the panel now says there is not enough scientific evidence to back up those claims. The warning in the report "refers to poorly substantiated estimates of rate of recession and date for the disappearance of Himalayan glaciers," the IPCC said. "In drafting the paragraph in question, the clear and well-established standards of evidence, required by the IPCC procedures, were not applied properly”..
The U.N. panel did not give a new estimate of when Himalayan glaciers might melt away, but said "widespread mass losses from glaciers and reductions in snow cover over recent decades are projected to accelerate throughout the 21st century."
This will reduce the availability of water and change the seasonal water flows in major mountain rangers, including the Himalayas, it said.
The U.N. climate change panel said "the chair, vice-chairs, and co-chairs of the IPCC regret the poor application of well-established IPCC procedures in this instance."
Your browser may not support display of this image.
These images & studies conducted by Dr. Vijay Kumar Raina, clearly show that Gangotri glacier melt only a dozen meter per year between 2004-08, & since September 2007 it hasn’t receded at all!!
Next case study he presents in front of us is about Siachin Glacier. Which-according to his studies-is completely stable & hadn’t receded at all…!!!



What This Doesn’t Mean….

Now, there is a tricky situation in front of us. In the backdrop of Nobel winning reports being proven wrong & unscientific, we face a challenge of whom to trust. I know that in the scientific world, this won’t create much debate as it would in common public. I am afraid that this event would conceive a much larger vacuum regarding CLIMATE CHANGE data in public. Certainly, a lay-man would tend to think that even after the emissions of so many pollutants & (what is popularly known as) Greenhouse Gases in the atmosphere, our glaciers haven’t receded too much, then how true is this so called climate change? This is exactly what I mean when I say there will be created a vacuum in public. Moreover, there is no dearth of CLIMATE SKEPTICKS funded by giant oil companies to manipulate data & show how climate change is a big lie or a joke (exception of scientific reports made by dedicated scientists who are in pursuit of nothing but the knowledge).
So, to ensure our priorities (as human species) don’t change too much regarding our commitment to minimize (at least) climate change, we must remind ourselves the wrath of destruction we have brought to this world.
  1. Find IUCN lists & every time there has been addition of new species which are either threatened or extinct. Thousands of species of plants, birds, mammals, & god only knows how many species of insects have been destroyed by us.
  2. Check the meteorological observations & find how erratic the weather has turned. Why go away, check our monsoon records & you will notice how real this climate change is.
  3. Check out any credible data on how the underground water levels have depleted because of increased pumping coupled with less precipitation.

Now, these are only three factors which are changing so severely that they are already affecting our lives. Remember last time you saw a bird (say a Sparrow even) in your area. How many days ago?? How many?? It is just a common bird I am referring to, there are thousands of bird species which are about to see their last sunrise on this planet.
There are much larger changes occurring in climate across the globe, more than meet the eye. So, this is the perspective I want to stress that we should not change our priorities simply because a part of a report has been exposed for its inconsistency with scientific facts. Because, as a species, we are too young to understand what is at stake. On a geological time scale we are on this planet for about a last 1 second & it’s about to 12.00 mid night.

We will talk more about our efforts to minimize this change next time when we will learn about bio fuels.

How to make Biodiesel

How to make biodiesel-
  1. Take 1 liter of peanut oil. It can be easily bought from the grocery store.
  2. Take 200ml of Methanol, or ethanol.
  3. In this methanol, add 5.5gm of Sodium hydroxide/ NaOH (Or 7.6gm of Potassium hydroxide/KOH.
  4. This is exothermic process i.e. it will generate heat, so be careful, protect your eyes, & skin. Allow this mixture to settle-down for a while.
  5. Then add this mixture slowly into the peanut oil. Addition should be done carefully. Don’t let the oil bounce up violently.
  6. Give little bit of heat & shake the oil.
  7. Within 15 minutes, you will observe clear liquid at the top of oil…that’s your biodiesel.
  8. Also you will get glycerin & whitish layer of soap.
    Your biodiesel is ready!!

Welcome to the future

Welcome to the Future
                      This year India witnessed one more drama unfolding in Lok Sabha Assembly when finance minister was presenting annual financial statement of the nation. Yes, I am precisely talking of the walk-out staged by the opposition who were upset by proposed fuel price hike in the budget. You & I can argue & discuss on how should be the behavior of opposition parties, how better they can play the role of responsible opposition, & so on. But, that’s not the point I am trying to arrive at. I want to draw your attention to the vulnerability of our nation- or any nation, for that matter- to the impact of fuel prices. Indian economy could have well withered the worst financial crisis of the century but, no one-absolutely no one- is safe from the impact of fuel prices. Any rise in the fuel price by the OPEC, oil companies rush to the government for the subsidies, government has to spend money for arriving at the common good for all, other prices hike subjected to the laws of economics & you & I just sit wondering about what the heck is wrong with the market prices.
                         If this is the picture no matter in which country you are in, I think we are running out of time to find replacements- partial or total- to the conventional fossil fuels. There are various replacements available in the lab & in the market as well. I’ve specifically chosen this opportunity to discuss two major things with you. I believe that these 2 issues have potential to fuel our economies in the near future. There are lots of such replacements available under the title called NON CONVENTIONAL ENERGY SOURCES. Amongst them, these 2 sources will form a part of your futuristic life-style in the future not too far. They are-
  1. Biofuel
  2. Hydrogen Economy

                   I’ll be dealing with pros & cons of these things, their availability, efficiency & cost effectiveness. In the meanwhile, I’ll also teach you how to make a biodiesel at home. So, let’s proceed with biofuels.
  • Biofuel-
                   For the love of science, I’ll give the definition first- biofuels are those fuels, which are derived from the biological origin. One thing to be understood very clearly is that, you can’t just fill you fuel tanks with biodiesel directly. Chemically, this diesel is made up of fats, which can accumulate into the bore of the engine & clog it off totally. So, you mix it with conventional diesel. Optimum performance (also known as sweet-point) is obtained if you mix it with conventional diesel in 80-20 ratio i.e. in 1 liter diesel, 800ml normal diesel & 200ml biodiesel. How many liter of biodiesel will be obtained is dependent upon what is the source to obtaining biodiesel, method of extraction, & scale of production. You can extract biofuel mostly from plants & from algae (commonly known as Shaival, in Marathi or Hindi) also. There are different generations of biofuels based on their source & type. From here on, unless specified, biofuels will be regarded as biodiesel. These are as follows-
  1. 1st Generation biofuels-
    • These are the most primitive - so to say- forms of biofuel.
    • This biofuels is prepared from the edible seeds of. E.g. Peanut.
    • The oil produced from these plants is referred to as the Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO)
    • Method of production of biodiesel is mentioned in the attachment.
    • Apart from biodiesel it gives us glycerin & soap.
    • As far as the cost efficiency is concerned, this biofuel is inefficient if you are only after producing biodiesel. But if glycerin & soap are sold to the cosmetic industry, business becomes profitable.
    • One interesting case study, I would like to submit here, that is Kokan Krishi Vidyapeeth has successfully produced biodiesel at the cost of Rs. 7/ liter.
    • Problem with this kind of biodiesel is that, practicing production of this biodiesel would give rise to some socio-economic tussle as to what to use the available cultivable land for- whether you want to cultivate peanuts so that your people can feed on it or whether those peanuts are to be produce to obtain diesel & some cosmetic raw material stuff.
  1. 2nd Generation biofuels-
    • To overcome the socioeconomic problem, scientists have come out with another type of biofuels.
    • This biofuel is prepared from seeds of non-edible plants e.g. Jatropha.
    • Such plants can grow on barren lands with minimum water requirement.
    • Method of production is similar to that of 1st generation of biofuels.
    • Disadvantage of both these types of biofuels is for the cultivation of the plants, we need huge amount of land to be under cultivation. Now, we have limited piece of landmass which can be brought under cultivation. Therefore, new kind of biodiesel source was proposed.
  1. 3rd Generation Biofuels-
    • This category of biofuel is generated from algae.
    • Every living cell has got lipid vessels into them which are finished product of fats/ fatty acids after digestion process. Tiny algae are no exception to it.
    • These algae are abundant in nature. You must have noticed a green colored slimy layer near the water body. There you are that’s what the algae are.
    • These can grow in variety of habitats ranging from fresh water body to marine/ oceanic habitats.
    • These algae are collected, dried, & then their structure is literally broken down by applying a physical force or using ultrasonic sound to rupture the cell structure.
    • There are lot of processes need to be done to reach to the final product.
    • Lot of R & D is going on to reduce the cost of production of this type of biofuel & to evolve some cheaper though efficient methods of production.
    • Now, one more scientific perspective that needs to be high lightened is any plant (even algae) consumes atmospheric CO2 when it is growing, we are making biodiesel out of it &burning it into our engines which spits out smoke essentially consisting of CO2. Thus, we aren’t going GREEN!! That’s what the root cause to lots of problems this world is facing. So, there is one more generation produced to overcome this problem.
  1. 4th Generation Biofuels-
    • In this category, algae are genetically modified in such a way that their diesel, (when burned) produces less amount of CO2 than the amount which the algae consume in its lifetime.
    • To make it simpler, assume that an alga -genetically modified-is consuming say 10 units of CO2 in its lifetime. Then, when we obtain diesel & burn it out, it release say 6 units of CO2. Remaining 4 units are utilized for the metabolic processes of alga.
    • Therefore, this biodiesel is “CARBON NEGATIVE”
    • This kind of biodiesel is in a research mode as of now but when it would make its appearance on the commercial scale, it would totally revolutionize the concept of DIESEL.
  • HYDROGEN ECONOMY-
                             This is one more energy-efficient & clean concept in which role of Hydrogen is envisaged as a fuel which can run your cars, lighten up your electricity appliances, & so on. In short, Hydrogen is considered to run the entire economy, by replacing conventional fuel sources.
                             Hydrogen can be obtained from electrolysis of water. In this process, water (H2O) is split up into Hydrogen & Oxygen. This hydrogen can then be stored with proper care & can be utilized as a fuel as & when required. Mercedize has already introduced their car & bus powered by Hydrogen. What are the emissions? Nothing else than tiny water droplets.
                           Only odd thing with Hydrogen is that, for the electrolysis (i.e. Electrical splitting of water) we need energy & this would again come from conventional DIRTY energy sources. Nonetheless, we still eliminate factor pollution from the combustion engines, so this is still a good concept.

Cursed biological magic

Cursed Biological Magic
Dear friends,
                       I am aware that I was unable to produce some good article for you in the previous issue & I am deeply sorry for that. I was actually working on a topic, which is of course this month’s topic for my article, which is so complex & yet so essential that I wanted you all to know about it. That’s why I took my time to simplify it for you. So, here’s that bizarre topic called “Biotransmutation”.  Without much discussion I’ll straightaway start explaining it.
Essential Chemistry-         
                       For understanding the topic you don’t need to be a rocket scientist. Your basic chemistry will help you understand that Reactants A & B work together in such a way that they generate Products C & D. Now, in this transformation, the total mass & energy is conserved meaning mass of A & B put together equals that of C & D, same is true for the energy.  Before moving further, a look at the atomic structure will bring you more closer to the core issue of the topic.
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                     We know that the atom, fundamental hero of every movie called “Chemical Reaction”, is made up of positively charged buddies namely Protons, neutral Neutrons & negatively charged Electrons. Out of them protons & neutrons are sitting in the nucleus region happily while electrons are continuously encircling the nucleus.
                      Till here, everything goes peacefully. But here on rules of the game change. Now each proton is supposed to harbor not just these 3 subatomic entities but each one of the atom needs to make sure that in its outermost orbit there are either 2 or 8 electrons present. Any atom that doesn’t possess 8 electrons in its outer shell is barred from entering in the party of STABLE ATOMS. So, every atom either tries to donate the electrons to some other needy fellow, or share the electrons so that it can safely join the club of stable atoms.
The concept-
                      A biological transmutation is defined as a nuclear transmutation occurring in a living organism. Such transmutations are strongly believed not to occur according to mainstream physicschemistry and biology, however proponents of the hypothesis claim to have empirical evidence that they do. Louis Kervran claims to have conducted experiments and studies demonstrating phenomena such as anomalous increase in calcium and decrease in magnesium levels during the synthesis of egg shells and anomalous excretion of magnesium. He formulated the biological transmutation hypothesis as an explanation. For example, one of the claims is that biological organisms can transform Potassium into Calcium via the addition of one hydrogen nucleus: K39 + H= Ca40. None of the fissioned elements would be travelling at high velocity since biological organisms lack any mechanism to do this. The environment would not have neither high pressure nor high temperature since no biological organism could survive the required pressure and temperature, not even for extremely short periods of time. This amounts to having a nuclear fusion reaction in a low energy environment, which would go against basic physic laws.
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                  Louis Kervran (1901- 1983)
Opposition-
                          Since these anomalies are not observed by mainstream science the foremost challenge to these claims is that the evidence is flawed. The "anomalous" evidence is either the result of experimental error or intentionally falsified. Even if the evidence was reliable the biological transmutation hypothesis does not fit within mainstream theory. According to current models nuclear reactions, such as transmutations, requires large amounts of energy per particle. The required energy density is far larger than the energy densities manipulated by known molecular biology systems which function of the scale of chemical reactions. In addition, known nuclear reactions produce ionizing radiation, which has not been detected and would be damaging to biological systems.
                           Orthodox physicists say that all chemical reactions are subject to physical laws, and biological reactions are also chemical reactions, thus they are subject to the same underlying laws of physics. Orthodox chemists say that these transmutations go against the laws of orthodox chemistry. The current evidence for transmutation is not convincing. This is what I call the curse to this wonderful phenomenon. If transmutation was ever reliably proved and replicated, then a paradigm shift would happen, and all natural sciences would have to be changed to adapt to the new evidence. Scientists laboring in alternatives fields like biological transmutation have the hope that one of the basic principles of physics happens to be wrong, and that their works causes such a paradigm shift, giving them personal fame, and advancing the scientific knowledge by a huge degree. In 1993 Kervran was awarded an Ig Nobel prize due to his "improbable research" in biological transmutation. The Ig Nobel Prizes are an American parody of the Nobel Prizes and are given each year in early October for ten achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think".
Conclusion-
                          The work on this phenomenon is not so nascent. Scientists began meddling with it right from the 17 century. On the scientific websites, & journals you would find many articles & references related to this mechanism. As I’ve already mentioned, the problem with this topic is the absence of convincing amount of evidences. But I think it is in our nature that while dealing with the hard facts of science, we sometimes tend to be so stubborn. We are so reluctant to be open-minded & might just miss the open secret, science wants us grab. I don’t know how much I’ve been successful in conveying this topic to you. You may not even get a thing of my article. But at the end of the day I would be more than happy if a little bit of respect is generate in your mind about a scientist- Louis Kervran- who worked so hard throughout his life & whose work was totally ignored labeling it to be a Pseudoscience (theories put forth claiming to be scientific but are not scientific at all, fake science).
                         Well, with the progress of the nuclear & radioactive physics, new experiments are coming up to prove this so called pseudoscience. I am happy to claim that I am also involved in one such experiment. I don’t know if it will succeed or not. Nonetheless, it gives me immense pleasure to work on one of the greatest mysteries in the science. Task is so herculean that our efforts might just fall short but they will definitely pave the way for future work in this field. That’s all from me this time…!! Your doubts & questions are welcome.