Science Archives - Page 7 of 9

21 Dec

PM Modi to inaugurate IISF 2020

The News Horizon0 CommentsNational, ScienceCSIR, India International Science Festival (IISF) 2020, Prime Minister, science, technology

New Delhi : The sixth edition of India International Science Festival (IISF) 2020 will kick off on December 22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver his inaugural address on Tuesday at 4:30 pm through video conferencing, announced the union minister for science and technology, earth sciences and health and family welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan. The announcement was made during the curtain-raiser press conference of IISF. Dr Harsh Vardhan will also be present on the occasion. The goal of the IISF 2020 is to help youth develop 21st century skills, with a focus on scientific knowledge, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and…

21 Dec

Winners of National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition announced

The News Horizon0 CommentsBusiness, Scienceacademia., biotech, business, ecosystem, global self-reliant, industry, investment, mentorship, nurture game-changing, science, startups

New Delhi (India Science Wire): A total of 14 entries -- 11 bio entrepreneurs and 3 student-led teams have been declared as winners of the prestigious National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition (NBEC) for 2020. The winning startups will take home a cumulative of over Rs. 7 crore in cash prizes and investment opportunities while student-led teams stand to receive a total of 10 lakhs in cash prizes. The competition will also provide access to industry mentorship in tie-up with key industry leaders to all winners. The winners, among startups, are Dr. Sugandhi Gopal of Carditek Medical Devices (Aurigene cash prize of…

15 Dec

Marine food web at risk due to microplastics: NCPOR study

The News Horizon0 CommentsScience

New Delhi (India Science Wire): During the recent times, microplastics are posing a serious ecological threat to the world's oceans and seas. Microplastics pollution is even extending to the remote areas of oceans far away from human habitats. A study conducted by Periyar University and National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) at the Silver Beach, which is a beach on the southeast coast of India, renowned for its rich marine biodiversity, has brought to the fore some newer dimension of the multitude of the problem. The study recorded the highest amount of colored plastic particles on the beach…

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…

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…