Category: Science

Science

Anthropocene epoch declaration unlikely soon, but the idea lives on | Explained

March 18, 2024 admin

Scientists recently proposed to formalise an ‘Anthropocene Epoch’ on the geologic time scale, triggering several debates. The earth’s geological history is divided into multiple epochs depending on their natural character. We are officially currently in the Holocene Epoch, which started around 11,700 years ago. But many scientists believe the Holocene Epoch has ended and the…

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Vaccine for dengue may be available commercially by mid-2026

March 18, 2024 admin

Vaccine for dengue could be available commercially as early as mid-2026. Indian Immunologicals Limited has finished the first phase of clinical trials to determine the safety of the vaccine, the company’s Managing Director K. Anand Kumar said. The second and third phases of trials to test the vaccine’s efficacy are expected to begin shortly. IIL is…

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Acclaimed primatologist Frans de Waal dies at 75

March 18, 2024 admin

Primatologist Frans de Waal, whose study of chimpanzees and apes helped reveal the reconciliatory and empathic nature of primates— including humans— has died at age 75, said the university where he worked for decades. De Waal, who won multiple awards over his long career, wrote several popular books and in 2007 made Time magazine’s list…

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IISc scientists develop design to control temperature for transition from electrical insulator to conductor

March 18, 2024 admin

Indian Institute of Science building in Bengaluru | Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN Scientists at Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), in collaboration with scientists from Japan, Denmark and the United States, have developed a synthetic material design that enables them to control the temperature at which a material can overcome electronic ‘traffic jams’ , a transition…

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Scientists build a camera to ‘show’ how animals see moving things

March 18, 2024 admin

This illustration compares three flowers – summer snowflake (A, B), blue phlox (C, D), and a blue violet (D, E) – in honeybee false colour (left) and human-visible colours (right). | Photo Credit: Vasas V, et al., 2024, PLOS Biology, CC-BY 4.0 To most people, leaves are green and oranges are orange. But if our…

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How women in India have fared

March 16, 2024 admin

At the graduate/postgraduate degree level, most girls opt for arts and science, or nursing and medicine. | Photo Credit: Getty Images International Women’s Day was celebrated on March 8, 2024. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in its ‘Gender Social Norms Index’ quantifies biases against women, capturing people’s attitude on women’s roles along four dimensions:…

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Indian team uses repurposed drug to treat oral cancer subtype

March 16, 2024 admin

A study by Mumbai-based researchers has successfully identified a novel fusion transcript in head and neck cancer patients. Not only did the researchers find the fusion transcript to be a promising therapeutic target for head and neck cancer but also found that an FDA-approved deworming drug called pyrvinium pamoate can be a potential drug to…

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Why do medium-sized land animals like cheetahs tend to be fastest?

March 16, 2024 admin

While many key traits such as strength, limb length, lifespan and brain size tend to increase with animals’ size, maximum running speeds tend to be greatest in medium-sized animals. Empirical data show that maximum running speed increases up to a critical body mass and then decreases — the fastest runners are of intermediate size. The…

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Toy-inspired engine creates power from evaporated water

March 16, 2024 admin

Inspired by the classic drinking bird toy, scientists in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China have developed an engine that efficiently converts energy from water evaporation into electricity to power small electronics. The device produces energy outputs exceeding 100 volts — much higher than other techniques that generate electricity from water — and can operate for…

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The Science Quiz | Ice creams

March 15, 2024 admin

Questions: 1. In the last period of classical Japan, between around 800 and 1200 AD, people would preserve water as ice during the winter. During the summer, they would shave slivers off this ice, pour a flavoured syrup onto them, and serve them to the aristocracy. What was this dish called? 2. In the 16th…

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