Indian Institute of Science

Harvesting electricity from vibrations

New Delhi: A team of scientists has fabricated a simple, cost-effective, bio-compatible, nanogenerator that can generate electricity from mere vibrations for use in optoelectronics, self-powered devices, and other biomedical applications. Search for renewable energy resources with reduced carbon emissions is one of the most urgent challenges due to the increasing threat of global warming and the energy crisis. Among other things, mere vibrations are being harnessed to produce electricity. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) are new energy devices that generate electricity from vibrations. They work on the principle of the creation of electrostatic charges via instantaneous physical contact of two dissimilar materials…
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Study finds need for producing region-wise antivenom for snakebite

New Delhi: Around 58,000 die of snakebite every year in the country. A majority of snakebites that lead to death or disability are attributed to the ‘big four’ of Indian snakes – Russell’s viper, which is one of the deadliest snake species in the world; spectacled cobra; common krait; and saw-scaled viper. Commercial antivenom treatment for snakebite does not always prove effective. However, only a few efforts have been made to understand the reason for this. In a new study geared in this direction, researchers at Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc)’s Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES) and collaborators have…
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