The News Horizon, Author at The News Horizon

14 Dec

Scientists develop high-efficiency rapid test for Hepatitis B diagnosis

The News Horizon0 CommentsHealth & Fitness, Science

New Delhi (India Science Wire): One of the few regular tests that one will have to get when admitted to a hospital will be for detecting hepatitis B Virus surface antigen that appears as ‘HBsAg’ under test reports. The test helps to diagnose both acute and chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Two types of tests are normally used: enzyme immunoassays (EIAs), and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). The enzyme immunoassays are highly sensitive to detect the virus, while the rapid diagnostic tests are not as sensitive and thus at times may fail to detect the virus. This makes RDTs unsuitable…

12 Dec

All you want to know about the ‘Great Conjunction’ – TV Venkateswara

The News Horizon0 CommentsScience

Once a lifetime opportunity: About 30 minutes after the local sunset, in the southwestern direction, low in the sky, two giant gas plants, Saturn and Jupiter will appear so close that we will not be able to distinguish them apart. The last time Jupiter and Saturn were this near was on July 16, 1623. The next time they will come again this close will take place only in 2080. What is 'great conjunction'? The inclination of the orbits of the planets around the Sun is more or less the same. Therefore, the five visible planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn…

12 Dec

A product to help disabled get in and out of car

The News Horizon0 CommentsAutoBiotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, BIRAC, DBT, Department of Biotechnology

New Delhi: There are about 2.68 crore people with disabilities in India. About 20% of them have difficulty in movement which causes problems in commuting. A significant challenge of mobility has to do with getting in & out of cars. There is a dearth of products that are completely engineered to provide assistance. Available solutions are mainly modifications made by local garages. Some imported solutions are available. But they are very expensive and only a few dealers handle them. In case of any problem with the product, servicing is a major issue. Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a not-for-profit…

08 Dec

Indian researcher selected for prestigious international funding award

The News Horizon0 CommentsNational, Science

New Delhi, (India Science Wire): Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s New Delhi-based Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) has added a feather to its cap. Debojyoti Chakraborty, a scientist at the Institute has been selected as a European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) Young Investigator. He is one of a set of 30 life scientists who have been selected under the programme. EMBO was founded in 1964 by a group of pioneering molecular biologists, among them Nobel Laureates Max Perutz, John Kendrew, Francois Jacob and Sydney Brenner to promote molecular biology in Europe and neighbouring countries by fostering talents,…

08 Dec

Researchers devise method to harvest drinking water from air

The News Horizon0 CommentsScience

Guwahati : It is estimated that global water consumption will increase by ≈3,800 km3/yr by 2025, and much of this water will have to be obtained from natural systems. Scientists from across the globe have been trying to tackle this crisis by pulling water out of the air. In one such attempt, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed novel materials that can efficiently harvest water from humid air. With increasing water scarcity throughout the world, there have been attempts to collect and conserve water through non-traditional means. “Such water-harvesting techniques use the concept of hydrophobicity…

07 Dec

A new thrust to the fight against antimicrobial resistance

The News Horizon0 CommentsHealth & Fitness, Science

New Delhi, (India Science Wire): In a major boost to efforts to promote research to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), Bengaluru-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with International Health Management Associates (IHMA), a global organisation that has been involved in supporting anti-infective and diagnostic development studies for over 25 years. Under the pact, C-CAMP and IHMA will jointly facilitate microbiology-related studies for clinical trials, surveillance studies, mentorship programmes and other activities with the view to promote new drug and vaccine discovery in the area of anti-infectives and foster new-age diagnostic device development…

07 Dec

Researchers propose a technique to enhance power output of piezoelectric materials

The News Horizon0 CommentsScience, Tech

New Delhi (India Science Wire): Indian Institute of Technology Mandi(IIT-Mandi) researchers have proposed a technique to enhance the power output of piezoelectric materials. Piezoelectric materials can be used in floor tiles to generate electricity from human walking, or on roads, where the weight from the vehicles can power road lights and signals. In their study, the researchers have numerically examined the piezoelectric materials and have proposed a new arrangement to enhance the electrical output of these materials when subjected to stress.“Piezoelectric materials can generate electrical energy when a force is applied on them, and are thus extremely useful”, explains Dr…

07 Dec

ICMR approves a simple low cost method of detecting novel coronavirus

The News Horizon0 CommentsHealth & Fitness, Science

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recently approved the dry swab direct RT-PCR method which is faster and more convenient than the existing gold standard Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. The method has been devised by a team of researchers from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). The dry swab method is a modification of the RT-PCR test by cutting down a few steps. For RT-PCR, nasal swabs are collected and transported in a tube containing the viral transport medium (VTM) to ensure the stability of the viruses. However, the dry swab method developed by…

05 Dec

A new technique to boost rice production

The News Horizon0 CommentsFood, Science

New Delhi, (India Science Wire): In a major boost to efforts to help meet the growing need for high quality hybrid rice seeds, a team of Hyderabad-based researchers has developed a new method to assess the genetic quality of the seeds that are used in their production. A hybrid seed is created by crossing two different varieties of the same plant. Hybrid seed is produced when the egg of female parent is fertilised with the pollen from another plant. In this process, it is particularly essential to ensure the genetic purity of the female parent. It is a highly tricky…

03 Dec

NEERI develops eco-friendly Phytorid Technology Sewage Treatment Plant

The News Horizon0 CommentsTech

New Delhi: (India Science Wire) A Niti Aayog report states that 21 major cities in India (including New Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad) are all set to run out of groundwater. India’s per capita water availability is expected to further decline to 1465 cubic metre by 2025. By 2030, the country’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people. Given the impending water crisis, the treatment and recycling of 62 billion litres of wastewater that India produces per day could be an effective way out. The Council of…