Knowledge Update

Moscow, March 10 (IANS) Early life changes in brain activity and blood flow may be the reason why people tend to develop abnormally high blood pressure, or hypertension, researchers said.

High blood pressure is a condition in which the force of the blood against the artery walls is too high.

It is also often called the silent killer because it typically has no symptoms until after it has done significant damage to the heart and the arteries.

In 90-95 per cent of people, high blood pressure has no identifiable cause, yet it is a risk factor for diseases of the brain, kidneys, heart, eyes, and other parts of the body, said a group of researchers at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Russia. 

For the study, published in Experimental Physiology, the team investigated physiological changes in a rat model called ISIAH, short for inherited stress-induced arterial hypertension.

These rats develop high blood pressure at four to six weeks of age, and this is sustained throughout their lifetime.

The researchers compared the high blood pressure rats to a control group with normal blood pressure. 

As the mice in high blood pressure group grew older, changes in rates of blood flow in certain arteries were observed.

In addition, changes were found in the brain activity, specifically a decrease in the prefrontal cortex -- the brain region associated with cognition, decision-making and working memory -- as well as an increase in the hypothalamus -- an area of the brain that controls mood and appetite.

"The study of early physiological changes may help clarify the cause of high blood pressure. Understanding this could help us prevent the disease early on," said led author Alisa Seryapina from the Institute of Cytology and Genetics.

​New York, March 10 (IANS) Apple said it has partnered with component supplier Ibiden to power all of its manufacturing in Japan with 100 per cent renewable energy.

To meet the commitment, Ibiden will invest in more than 20 new renewable energy facilities, including one of the largest floating solar photovoltaic systems in the country.

​New York, March 9 (IANS) In a bid to make 360 degree photos and videos more immersive and easier to discover, Facebook has launched a new virtual reality app called "Facebook 360" for Samsung Gear VR headset which is powered by Oculus.

​New York, March 9 (IANS) US tech giant Google has confirmed the acquisition of Australia-born data science community Kaggle for an undisclosed sum.

The confirmation came at the Google's "Cloud Next" conference in San Francisco late on Wednesday.

​New York, March 9 (IANS) After The New York Times, The Guardian and some other leading media organisations, CNN has officially launched "CNNVR" -- a new immersive journalism unit and virtual reality platform.

Beijing, March 9 (IANS) China aims to create 11 million new jobs for urban residents this year, despite the slowdown of economic growth, a media report said on Thursday.

The confident move, according to analysts, is because the country has maintained a medium-to-high speed of economic growth, the People's Daily said in the report.

​New York, March 9 (IANS) San Francisco-based Pinterest has acquired Twitter co-founder Biz Stone's "human powered" search engine start-up Jelly.

"This is the best decision for the future of human powered search and discovery. Jelly plus Pinterest is an exceedingly powerful match. A new adventure begins!" Stone, Co-

San Francisco, March 9 (IANS) Google on Thursday announced a strategic partnership with European multinational software corporation SAP to develop and integrate Googles best cloud and machine learning solutions into SAP enterprise applications.

​San Francisco, March 9 (IANS) Global average internet connection speed has increased 12 per cent to 7.0 Mbps in the fourth quarter of 2016 -- a 26 per cent increase year-over-year, a new report said on Thursday.

​Canberra, March 9 (IANS) Neanderthals have been revealed to have had complex vegetarian diets, while some also used plant-based medicines to treat illnesses, an Australian research revealed on Thursday.

Often thought of by many as simple "cave men" with only weak links to modern humans, Laura Weyrich from the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA has said analysis of Neanderthal dental plaque has revealed a varied and "modern-looking" vegetarian diet, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It's a very, very different picture from the grunting, club-toting Neanderthal that we like to think about," Weyrich told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Thursday.

"They were probably very intelligent, communicative and very in tune with what was going on around them."

Weyrich revealed that some families of Neanderthal, such as the El Sidron group from modern Spain, ate a diet comprised mostly of plants and vegetables available in the forest.

She said there was evidence of pine nuts, mushrooms, grass and moss in the plaque analysis from the El Sidron Neanderthals.

"So that's the true palaeo diet," Weyrich said. "That's what people would have been eating in palaeolithic times if they lived in a forest like the El Sidron Neanderthal did."

In addition, Weyrich said the research uncovered evidence that Neanderthals used specific plants to try and treat a variety of illnesses, including using poplar bark - which happens to contain an active ingredient in Penicillium and aspirin - to counter the effects of gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhoea.

"So it is likely he would have been trying to self-medicate," Weyrich added.