Science

Researchers identify drug that can be repurposed to treat COVID-19

New Delhi: Currently, there are no universally approved drugs for the treatment of COVID-19. There is a worldwide scramble to find drugs for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Now researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bhopal and the University of Nebraska Medical Centre, Nebraska, (UNMC), USA have identified Rapamycinas a potential drug that can be repurposed to treat COVID-19. Rapamycin used to prevent organ rejection after transplants and in cancer treatment, was found to have anti-aging effect and the potential to treat COVID-19 patients, researchers said. Currently being used for patients having undergone organ transplantation and…
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ISRO to establish ‘Space Technology Incubation Center’ at NIT Rourkela

New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is going to establish a ‘Space Technology Incubation Center’ (S-TIC) at the National Institute of Technology Rourkela to carry out research and product development in space technology and applications. This Centre will enable start-ups to build applications and products that could be used in future space missions. NIT will extend its state-of-the-art laboratories, facilities and expert faculties to meet these objectives. The upcoming centre will promote startups, capacity-building, innovations and research in Space Technology in the States of Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand besides the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The MoU…
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CSIR scientists develop sensor to monitor health status on the go

New Delhi: A team of scientists at Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CSIR-CECRI), Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, has developed a flexible low cost, wearable sensor that can monitor the health and physiological status of the human body on the go by just analysing the sweat. The microfluidic sensor can be used for on the spot monitoring of several biomarkers such as lactate, Sodium, and Potassium simultaneously from sweat samples. It analyses the biomarkers without any transfer of signals. The high-throughput sweat sampling ability of the sensor facilitates continuous capture and transport of the sweat over the…
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Workshop to impart training on techniques for writing on science

Panaji: Vigyan Prasar and Vidnyan Parishad organised a Press Reporters and Editors Workshop on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at the Maquinez Palace, Panaji, on the topic of ‘Science, Environment and Health Reporting’. It was specifically designed to train journalists on Science News Writing/Reporting. The speakers for the programme consisted of Nimish Kapoor, Scientist ‘E’ and In-charge, India Science wire, VigyanPrasar, Santosh Pandey, Managing Editor, India Science Wire and Sabyesachi Bharti, Training Coordinator, India Science Wire, VigyanPrasar. “Capturing the essence of science related news in writing could be challenging. Hence, to make it easier for the media, we thought of having…
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New method for efficient removal of heavy metals from water

New Delhi : Heavy metals in water could lead to several neurological diseases in humans including Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis. A research team at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi has developed a fibrous membrane filter using a biopolymer-based material that helps to separate out the heavy metals from water samples. These membranes contain adsorbents – materials that attract and hold the metals. “We tested with a prototype with four litres of heavy metal-laden water in the laboratory and have seen impressive results,” the scientists said. The researchers tested their membrane with copper laden water, to establish proof…
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Study kindles new hope for a cure for Parkinson’s Disease

New Delhi: Efforts to find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease is expected to get a big boost with researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras finding that energy deficiency in certain cells in the human brain could be a major cause for the development of the  neurodegenerative disorder. Parkinson’s Disease is the second most prominent neurodegenerative disease across the world after Alzheimer’s disease. More than 200 years after it was first described by Dr. James Parkinson as “shaking palsy,” the world is still searching for a cure. Currently, the medical intervention  is focused mainly on the management of the disease.…
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Raw drug repository for medicinal herbs established in CSIR-NBRI

New Delhi: The National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), a Lucknow-based constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), is known for its research and development related to various botanical disciplines. A broad spectrum of research activities is being conducted at CSIR-NBRI, which includes plant diversity, systematics and herbarium, pharmacognosy, phytochemistry, plant ecology, environmental technologies, molecular biology, biotechnology, plant genetic resources, plant conservation, and agro-technologies. As part of a new initiative, CSIR-NBRI has established a Raw Drug Repository in its Pharmacognosy Division. This repository is the first of its kind and has 2000 specimens of dried samples of…
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India develops spectrograph that can locate faint light from distant celestial objects 

New Delhi: Indian Scientists have indigenously designed and developed a low-cost optical spectrograph that can locate sources of faint light from distant quasars and galaxies, regions around supermassive black-holes around the galaxies, and cosmic explosions. Named Aries-Devasthal Faint Object Spectrograph & Camera (ADFOSC), the instrument was designed and developed by Aryabhatta Research Institute of observational sciences (ARIES), Nainital, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. It is about 2.5 times less costly compared to imported ones and can locate sources of light with a photon-rate as low as about 1 photon per second.…
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“Data and Artificial Intelligence are growing sectors among new job clusters”

New Delhi: Data and artificial intelligence are the fastest growing clusters and these sectors need to be included in schools, colleges, and university curricula, said Director IBM Research India, and CTO, IBM India and South Asia, Dr. Gargi B Dasgupta. She was discussing the jobs that would stay for the next ten years, at a special lecture on National Science Day (NSD) on the theme ‘Future of STI: Impacts on Education, Skills and Work’. She spoke about the future of jobs and the urgency of science, highlighting the recent study by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the new emerging…
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