Category: Science

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India lacks diagnostic tests for emerging infectious diseases

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India lacks diagnostic tests for emerging infectious diseases

A recent case of Zika virus infection in Pune has renewed concerns about India’s preparedness for diagnosing emerging infectious diseases. After experiencing symptoms like fever and rashes, the 46-year-old doctor was hospitalised and diagnosed with Zika virus infection after his samples were sent for testing to the apex virology institute. Subsequent testing of his family…

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IISc researchers develop engineered biocatalyst for making drop-in biofuels

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IISc researchers develop engineered biocatalyst for making drop-in biofuels

Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru | Photo Credit: file photo Researchers at the Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry (IPC), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), have developed an enzymatic platform that can efficiently transform naturally abundant and inexpensive fatty acids to valuable hydrocarbons called 1-alkenes, which are promising biofuels. According to IISc, given the finite…

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Why should educational institutions consider promoting a secular form of spirituality?

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Why should educational institutions consider promoting a secular form of spirituality?

Whether it is staring into the vast expanse of the ocean or looking up at a star-studded sky or being transported by a moving and mellifluous music recital, Nature and the arts can evoke awe in us.  | Photo Credit: Gettyimages/iStockPhoto Most educators would agree that a rounded education should nurture the physical, emotional, social…

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Should we ditch BMI and use the ‘body roundness index’ instead?

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Should we ditch BMI and use the ‘body roundness index’ instead?

BMI has remained the go-to method for measuring health since it first started being used in the latter part of the 20th century. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Body mass index (better known as BMI) has long been used to get a quick and easy snapshot of a person’s body fat levels. To calculate someone’s…

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‘Multi-omics’ is changing how India spots and treats TB, cancers

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‘Multi-omics’ is changing how India spots and treats TB, cancers

In the last decade, India’s use of genomics has undergone a significant transformation, so much so that the diagnoses, management, and treatment of many diseases — including tuberculosis, cancers, and those caused by antimicrobial resistance — stand on the cusp of a revolution. Most recently, in January 2024, the Department of Biotechnology said it had completed…

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Read the rocks to improve India’s geological literacy

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Read the rocks to improve India’s geological literacy

At the stretch between Visakhapatnam and Bhimili | Photo Credit: The Hindu With landscapes that range from the world’s greatest peaks to low-lying coastal plains, India showcases a diverse morphology that has evolved over billions of years. In several places, we find a variety of rocks and minerals and distinctive fossil assemblages. These geological features…

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Brains that don’t see in greyscale first over-rely on colours: Project Prakash study

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Brains that don’t see in greyscale first over-rely on colours: Project Prakash study

The world has many colours and being able to see them is a great source of joy. But a newborn baby mostly sees the world in black and white. The photosensitive cone cells in the child’s eyes don’t mature until they’re around four months old. In this time, the brain uses other visual cues to…

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Understanding insect societies with Bengaluru-based Raghavendra Gadagkar

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Understanding insect societies with Bengaluru-based Raghavendra Gadagkar

Within the intricate world of insects, particularly ants, bees and wasps, we witness some of the most complex and highly organised societies in nature. These creatures live in sophisticated colonies that sometimes mirror and often surpass the social structures of other species. “Of these, honeybees are the most renowned, not only for their intricate social…

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How Boeing can bring NASA’s Sunita Williams, Barry Wilmore back to Earth

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How Boeing can bring NASA’s Sunita Williams, Barry Wilmore back to Earth

NASA astronaut Suni Williams (seated L) and Butch Wilmore (seated R) pose with the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) after the docking of the Boeing Starliner on June 6, 2024. | Photo Credit: AFP Problems with Boeing’s Starliner capsule, still docked at the International Space Station (ISS), have upended the original plans for…

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