Aakancha Shaw, St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata
Various types of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) have been detected in many indoor environments. Materials like asbestos can move through the air and into the lungs causing long term damage to human tissues. Apart from this, the household furniture, wallpaper, flooring etc. are also known to emit free-floating chemicals. These chemicals enter our body and have the potential to damage the tissues in various ways.
Recently, researchers have found a connection between the gut microbiome and the number of volatile household chemicals found in their homes. An imbalance in the gut microbiome has been linked to various gastrointestinal conditions, obesity, diabetes, and more. Also, since children are in early, fragile stages of development, they are at a higher risk for harmful chemicals.
Health hazards associated with VOCs include allergies, lower birth weight, altered semen quality and delayed development in children. Studies have found out a serious relationship between the amount of SVOCs and a decline in gut microbiota, leading to poor digestion, less effective immune system, and the various consequences of an imbalanced microbiome. It has become crucial for us to understand more about SVOCs and human health so that we can work on solutions.
Also read:CAN COAL POWDER BE CONVERTED INTO NANO-GRAPHITE IN MICROWAVE OVEN?
Source- https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00776
Disease resistance in rice accomplished using bacterial seed endophyte!
Ayooshi Mitra, Amity University Kolkata The production of cereal crops is deeply threatened, throughout the world by seed-borne bacterial diseases. Locally occurring disease resistance remains unclear in different crops. In this study conducted by Matsumoto et. al, it has been observed that under the same pathogen pressure, rice plants of the same cultivar can be distinguished […]