Stay Connected. Stay Informed.
Science
Image used for representational purpose. File | Photo Credit: Getty Images The story so far: An assessment of India’s groundwater by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) found that several States are grappling with a serious problem of nitrate contamination. Which are the sources of contamination? The most concerning finding was that the number of…
Read More “Is groundwater contamination high in India? | Explained” »
The first big news from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in the New Year seems to have an in-built element of surprise in it. On January 7, V. Narayanan, a rocket and spacecraft propulsion expert, who heads the ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, was named successor to S. Somanath, the current…
The beginning Born in Greensboro, U.S., in July 1859, Henry Louis Smith did his schooling at the local high school, which was run by his uncle. He entered Davidson College in 1877, and while he graduated with honours in 1881, his involvement with them lasted much longer. He served as the principal of the Selma…
Researchers in India can use CRISPR-Cas9 only for academic purposes When you edit a letter or a document, you make specific changes in the words and phrases to make the meaning clearer. Gene editing involves changing the sequence of DNA using specific enzymes which can cut DNA at a precise location, thus permitting the removal,…
A new study estimates that in 2020, 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease occur each year globally due to consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, representing 9.8% and 3.1%, respectively, of all incident cases. The study estimated sugar-sweetened beverage-attributable type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease burdens across 184 countries in 1990 and 2020. As per the…
Read More “Millions of diabetes, heart disease cases globally linked to sugary drinks” »
A Japanese researcher has found that a monkey’s ability to rapidly detect snakes is because of the presence of snake scales as a visual cue. The findings highlight an evolutionary adaptation of primates to identify snakes based on specific visual characteristics. In an experiment the researcher demonstrated that monkeys exhibited an immediate response to images…
Plasticizers, which are added to plastics and personal care products, can be absorbed through the skin Besides plastics, the amount of carcinogenic plasticizers in the environment is increasing at an alarming rate. Plasticizers are chemicals added to plastics and personal care products to enhance flexibility and shine, and are commonly found in items such as…
Read More “IIT Roorkee uses bacterial enzymes to degrade plasticizers” »
The new species of Indo-Burmese pangolin (Manis indoburmanica). | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have identified a new species of Indo-Burmese pangolin (Manis indoburmanica) that diverged from the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) approximately 3.4 million years ago. The development of the species was likely influenced by dramatic geoclimatic changes…
Read More “ZSI scientists discover new species of Indo-Burmese pangolin” »
In-space docking technology is essential when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve common mission objectives. Through this mission, India is marching towards becoming the fourth country in the world to have space docking technology. File | Photo Credit: PTI “The two Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) satellites that ISRO is hoping to unite are at…
Read More “SpaDeX docking: Spacecrafts are at distance of 1.5 km, to come closer on January 11” »
Krishna Ella, Chairman of Bharat Biotech. File | Photo: Bijoy Ghosh Dr. Krishna Ella, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech International, one of India’s leading vaccine makers, was earlier this week conferred with the India Fellowship of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) – among the country’s science academies – for the year 2025….
Read More “Krishna Ella, of Bharat Biotech, conferred INSA Fellowship” »