Star Streaks, Earth, & Oceans - DSLR time-lapse images from the International Space Station

Here's an amazing short film produced by the Austrian photographer Christopher Malin featuring a time-lapse photography taken by  Dr. Don Pettit, NASA Austronaut and ISS Astrophotographer, who uses Nikon DSLRs to capture the unique perspective of Earth from aboard the ISS. A tribute to the International Space Station Program, this video combines time-lapse footage as well as the lecture by Dr. Pettit in which he discusses the considerable challenges of photographing from space. Everyone must see this incredibly breathtaking video and I am sure you wouldn't complain what with its scintillating sound background and narration! Take a look. Video credit: Vimeo.

Caffeine enhances memory In Bees!

Honey bee extracting nectar from a flower. Image credit: John
Severns via Creative Commons.

We all know what a cup of coffee can do ^__ it instantly stimulates the body and mind and keeps us mentally alert and awake. The anti-oxidant caffeine present in coffee improves the insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism apart from preventing cell damage. Effects of caffeine on human memory are unclear as some studies indicate caffeine impairs the short-term memory and working memory whereas the others contradict these results. Researchers at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom have found that caffeine boosts the memory in bees. In an article published in this week’s Science magazine, Wright et. al have shown that the honeybees, which received a natural dose of caffeine displayed preferential selection for the nectar present in the flowers when pollinating and were three times more likely to remember a learned floral scent than those which received sucrose alone (Science 8 March 2013: Vol. 339  no. 6124  pp. 1202-1204 ).