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Prof. Janet Thornton. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K We have come a long way in understanding the structure of proteins, but in translating that into new medicines we are just starting, said renowned computational biologist Janet Thornton in an interaction with The Hindu. Lesson from COVID-19 “We saw with the COVID-19 virus how quickly the…
In the remote Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, a rare fungus grows inside dead caterpillars. In traditional Chinese medicine, this parasitic fungus is prized for its purported medicinal effects. Known as Ophiocordyceps sinensis – colloquially, caterpillar fungus or “Himalayan gold” – it can fetch astronomical prices on the herbal medicine market: up to US$63,000 per pound. Ophiocordyceps sinensis fungus is a parasite that…
I began practicing psychotherapy during the Reagan administration. Thirty years went by before distress about politics became a clinical issue for any of my clients. I remember the moment it first happened: There was a long voicemail from a distraught woman requesting therapy for anxiety and depression in reaction to the 2016 presidential election of Donald…
Read More “Trump trouble? A psychologist’s guide to dealing with political distress” »
The Eaton Fire destroys a structure, January 7, 2025, in Altadena, California. | Photo Credit: AP Holding long-term global warming to two degrees Celsius — the fallback target of the Paris climate accord — is now “impossible,” according to a stark new analysis published by leading scientists. Led by renowned climatologist James Hansen, the paper…
Read More “Top climate scientist declares 2C climate goal ‘dead’” »
On 27 December last year, astronomers using the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile discovered a small asteroid moving away from Earth. Follow up observations have revealed that the asteroid, 2024 YR4, is on a path that might lead to a collision with our planet on December 22 2032. In other words, the newly-discovered space rock poses a significant impact…
Read More “Astronomers spot asteroid that may be heading for the earth” »
The colours of rubies and emeralds are so striking that they define shades of red and green – ruby red and emerald green. But have you ever wondered how they get those colours? I am an inorganic chemist. Researchers in my field work to understand the chemistry of all the elements that make up the…
Read More “Rubies and emeralds get their colours from a common metal” »
I sit on an ethics review committee at the Albany Med Health System in New York state, where doctors and nurses frequently bring us fraught questions. Consider a typical case: A 6-month-old child has suffered a severe brain injury following cardiac arrest. A tracheostomy, ventilator and feeding tube are the only treatments keeping him alive. These intensive…
Read More “What the ‘moral distress’ of doctors tells us about eroding trust in health care” »
There’s a lot to look out for in February | Photo Credit: AFP This is a lucky month for amateur astronomers as it offers a chance to spot at least six planets in the night sky. That’s not all. Here’s the list of all you can see in the February skies. Full Moon: The Moon will…
Artist’s concept of the finished ELT, currently under construction in northern Chile. | Photo Credit: ESO A: The Extremely Large Telescope is planned to be one of the most capable astronomical observatories ever assembled. The telescope, currently about 60% complete, is intended to search for evidence of potential life on exoplanets and peer back in…
Astronomers have discovered a gigantic black hole named Gaia BH3 hiding close to the earth, the third of its kind. All three were discovered by the European Space Agency’s Gaia telescope, which has been constantly monitoring the motions of billions of stars in our galaxy since 2013. Black holes are fascinating to non-scientists and astronomers…
Read More “Scans of seemingly empty space reveal black holes not far from earth” »