Category: Science

Every so often, researchers discover a connection between what were believed to be completely unrelated phenomena. A team from the University of Georgia in the U.S. published one such report in the journal PLoS Genetics on September 16.  They discovered that exposing mammalian and fungal cells to the heavy metal nickel resulted in sterol deficiency….

Read More “Unexpected link between nickel toxicity, cholesterol levels found” »

Researchers from the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc) and Seethapathy Clinic and Hospital, both in Chennai, and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, have developed a model that can predict a newborn’s birth weight using routine scans during pregnancy. Accurate information about birth weight is crucial for maternal and foetal health….

Read More “Model by Chennai, Pune team predicts birth weight from routine scans” »

The Aditya-L1 spacecraft is flanked by two halves of the payload fairing of the PSLV C57 mission rocket, before its launch in September 2023. | Photo Credit: ISRO The first science result from the Aditya-L1 mission, India’s first scientific mission dedicated to studying the Sun, is out. Scientists who developed Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC)…

Read More “First science result from Aditya-L1 mission is out” »

A close-up view of a light microscope. | Photo Credit: Indra Projects A: The resolution of an instrument that uses light to see things can’t improve beyond a point. This is called the diffraction limit. The resolving ability of, say, a telescope says how well it can distinguish between two distant objects that are close…

Read More “Why can’t light microscopes see inside cells?” »

There are some scientific books that change the course of how we view and perceive the world around us. English naturalist Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species brought us natural selection and the theory of evolution. English polymath Isaac Newton gave us his laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation in his…

Read More “Micrographia: Hooke’s monumental masterpiece – The Hindu” »

For the first time, scientists have tracked what happens to stem cells decades after a transplant, lifting the lid on the procedure that has been a medical mystery for over 50 years. Insights could pave the way for new strategies in donor selection and transplant success, potentially leading to safer, more effective transplants. Researchers were…

Read More “Study finds long-term dynamics of transplanted stem cells” »

The WHO registry on polio — wild poliovirus and vaccine-derived poliovirus — is at best sketchy | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ B On June 17, 2022, WHO published a report of a VDPV type-1 case that was detected from an environmental sewage sample in Kolkata on April 25, 2022. The report said that genetic sequencing “established that it…

Read More “WHO’s database on polio cases hides more than it reveals” »

 From 17 hectares in 1977, the South Lhonak lake has grown to 167 hectares by 2023 | Photo Credit: REUTERS Glaciers are enormous bodies of dense ice on mountains. They move under the influence of gravity and their own weight, in the process eroding the land beneath. The grinding action pulverises the rock underneath, reducing…

Read More “Glacial lakes rise as glaciers retreat” »

A new study shows the remarkable adaptability of the critically endangered Cat Ba langurs. Despite low genetic diversity, the langurs have retained key genetic traits that help them survive in their isolated environment on Cat Ba Island in Vietnam. One of the remarkable adaptations is the ability to drink salt water. Due to the dramatic…

Read More “Who do langurs drink salt water?” »

As a phenomenologist among high energy physicists, Rohini Godbole, who passed away recently, shared her deep practical knowledge and insights generously with students: researcher. | Photo: The Hindu Professor Rohini Godbole lived a simple life with “no arrogance,” says Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel, an ecologist who had discussed everything but physics with Prof. Godbole during her…

Read More “The Rohini Godbole way of teaching, talking and engaging with students” »