Are Mexican Husk Tomatoes the Same with Tomatoes?

Tomatillo Looks like a tomato when we open the husk

Mexican husk tomato (husk cherry or jam berry), but well known as tomatillo, sound like “tomato.” Tomatillo and tomatoes both are fruits used as vegetable (eaten raw and chopped or mixed with others as salads).

Tomatillo is Mexico origin, and tomatoes is originated from America, included Mexico. Colonist introduced these fruits to Europe hundred years ago.

So, what is difference between a tomatillo and tomato? Scientific name for tomatillo is Physalis philadelphica, but Lycopersicon esculentum for tomatoes. They are different in genus and species

Tomatillo is tart like flavor and crisp texture. When eating in raw, we might feel its sharp taste and a little bit acidic.

Paperly husk surrounds tomatillo

Mexican husk tomatoes have green color, and change to yellow (some to purple) when ripe. All of us know the taste and colors (green when unripe and red) of tomatoes.

Some people processed tomatillo to be jams. We use tomatillo to make salsa, salads and sauces.

Tomatillo is good source for fiber, mineral and vitamins. Rich in magnesium, iron and phosphorus. Sources of vitamin C and K.

The fruit contains beta-carotene. This vitamin A derivative is an antioxidant to prevent cataracts and macular degenerations, thus very good for our vision.

Do you know tomatillo? What do you use for?

Can Bees Do Cognitive Demanding?

Bees may do simple calculation, credit to Bright Side

Since long time ago, human being did know that bees can do pollination and collecting foods (pollen and nectar). Nectar is processed to be well known product called honey.

Then, honey is stored in the honeycombs for future use when bees face with extreme conditions such as no flowers to collect pollen and nectar, and bees unable to forage due to many reasons.

Because of its full of nutrients, honey is one of ideal foods, thus, unfortunately, the bee’s honey is searched by many creatures, and include be stolen by human.

The question is: Can Bees Do Cognitive Demanding? Yes, bees can be trained to do simple calculation which are subtracting and adding. We might ask another question: what the points or implication?

Some of implications are following:

1) We understand that by able to do simple calculation means that bees could distinguish which flowers are essential and which are not, based on shape. Size and distant from their hive. Then, they can memorize those flowers easily.

2) Scientists surprise that bee’s tiny brain has extraordinary ability to conduct many tasks include to learn arithmetic symbols, memorize and do calculation (addition and subtraction).

3) Scientists could use bee’s cognitive ability to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) where computer can do self learning process and solve novel problems.

Finally, human being has possibility to develop skill, know how, cultures and even technology by understanding and learning from ability of a small creature such as a bee. What do you think?

Is There Relationship between Vaccine and Autism?

No correlation between Vaccine and Autism, credit to Jessica Hagy

I reviewed the Immunization study, “The MMR vaccine and autism: Sensation, refutation, retraction, and fraud,” the study is about scientific misrepresentation for special interest. 

The authors view that small sample size, research design and conclusion of research are questionable to connect between vaccine and autism. It is known explicitly in the first paragraph of the paper.

To support the idea that there is no effect of vaccination on autism, Rao and Andrade (2011, paragraph.2) said that “epidemiological studies were conducted and published, refuting the positive link between MMR vaccination and autism.” 

Other evidences are scientists related the vaccine and autism actually got money to conduct research; and those scientists violated ethic and doing scientific misconducts.

I feel that the Immunization study, where false conclusion about vaccine and autism is more harmful than the Stanford Prison study. 

It is because vaccination save million children from the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) for long time. To said opposite (vaccine is harmful) will destroy benefit of vaccine to society, not only in the US but also around the globe.

I think to fix the harm caused is by doing another research to check the previous research. Then, publish the result to confront false of previous research. 

Media (TV, newspaper, and other relate media) then spread the true research results to public at national and states level.

Reference

Rao, TSS and Andrade, C. (2011). The MMR vaccine and autism: Sensation, refutation, retraction, and fraud. Indian J Psychiatry. 2011 Apr-Jun; 53(2): 95–96. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136032/.

Will Confederate Jasmine Crawl Back After Winter?

White flower of Jasmine

We have lived in our current house for six years, and we believe that jasmine had been in our fence long time before we are moving in the house.

We faced at least twice frozen winters, temperature below C 0 (below F 30) degrees. Surprisingly, this tropic flower still live, and blooming this spring. They usually have flower until late summer.

If we grow Jasmine, the plant could have flowers at second years, and the plant may bloom every year and last for 20 years.

Other common names for Jasmine are a confederate jasmine, star jasmine and Chinese jasmine. Scientific name is Trachelospermum jasminoides. The flower native to South East Asia region.

Jasmines climb on our fence

Jasmine is an evergreen shrub and growing spreads over the fence, thus its scent diffuses through our landscape. I think that Jasmine has lovely and pleasant fragrance.

Some people said that the flower has romantic fragrance. Many perfume’s brands use its scent, and popular in wedding ceremony.

Jasmines grow in a corner of our lanscape

Jasmine represents appreciation, good luck and purity. White flower symbolizes a natural beauty, love and sensuality.

Some community in South East Asian countries extracted Jasmine flowers for oil. The oil then used for some remedies such as overcoming stress, improving low libido and improving moods.

Have you smell or used Jasmine’s fragrance?

Do You Know Spice which More Expensive than Gold?

Golden Saffron, the most expensive (credit to Google)

Spice is the most important factor in many dishes for communities around the world. We use spice to increase our satisfaction on particular foods.

Spices could be a bark, seed, root, flower or other substances relate to plants. In addition to taste, people may use spices for preserving and coloring foods.

Spice is generally quite cheap, and even free in many South East Asian countries. They have grown many kind of plants as source of spices.

Saffron plants with their beautiful flowers (credit to Google)

Saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world. The plant grows well in the Eastern Mediterranean or Persian, and the market is dominated by this region. We may find this spices in the Northern America and European markets as well recently.

The Saffron best quality called as “red gold,” cost US$ 65 per gram or 454 x US$ 65 = US$ 29,510 per pound. For comparison, gold price (24 carat) is US$ 41.53 per gram. Thus, best quality of Saffron is much more expensive than gold.

Saffron sold in grocery

We found the cheapest price of Saffron is US 16.5 per 0.06 ounce (1.7 gram) in Walmart super center. We do not know the quality of this kind of Saffron. It is said “Spanish Saffron.”

The question is why Saffron spice is expensive? It is because processes that involve from growing plant to be spices are laborious and capitalized.

Have you tried or tasted a Saffron spice?

Is It Possible to Cure Prostate Cancer?

Illustration, credit to Pinterest

Even though a lot of men died from prostate cancer in the USA and worldwide, this type of cancer can be cured if patients get the early examination and appropriate medical treatments. 

Many treatments may increase survival rate, even some appropriate treatments such as radical prostatectomy, radiation therapy (external beam or brachytherapy) and hormone therapy made survival rate may reach 100%. 

The male sex gland having control for the yield of fluid that forms some part of semen is called prostate. The gland attaches to the urethra (a kind of tube that carries urine and semen through the penis and out of the body). Prostate cancer is diseases that effect on men only. 

A malignant cell growth usually begins in tissues of the prostate gland which is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. The prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men and the second leading cause of death from cancer in men in the USA. 

There are around 209 thousand men were detected, and about 27 thousand die due to prostate cancer in the USA each year, behind only lung cancer. Reported by the American Cancer Society (2016) that risk of prostate cancer is 1 man in 7 (14.29%) will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. 

The chance to get cancer will be higher to older men, especially in men of 65 years or older.

Reference

American Cancer Society. 2016. Risk of prostate cancer. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostatecancer/detailedguide/prostate-cancer-key-statistics.

What is Cancer Cell of Origin?

Origin cell of breast cancer, credit to OMICS International

What we call cancer is uncontrolled cell growth in specific cells in the system of our body. Uncontrolled of growing cells will develop a tumor.

Cancer treatments either by chemotherapy or radiation caused around 17% death word wide. In drug treatment, the failure occurred at clinical trials, especially at phase III where drugs is not efficient, because to target “bulk cancer cells” only.

The question is then why? It was because one of the reasons that the scientists did not not know the “Cancer Cell of Origin” for long time. They did not recognize the exact location of cells which are starting the cancers.

Recently, scientists have found what they said as “Cancer Cell of Origin.” They able to distinguished and isolated those cells from a breast cancer patient.

By knowing the origin of cell cancer, scientists know the “target” and know the behavior of cancer cells. Thus, they believed that they could easily to develop new drugs.

Moreover, surprisingly that it might be possible to turn cancer from a dangerous disease to be a manageable disease such as diabetes in near future.

Sure, good news for all of us.