Dr. Gita Chadha from her recent talk at BIC | Photo Credit: Ravi Kumar Boyapati Dr. Gita Chadha says that the portmanteau word STEMinism makes her uneasy. “The term very nobly is used to describe the move to bring more women into science, technology, engineering and maths with the belief that this is essentially empowering…
Scientists from the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, have developed an enhanced genome-editing system that can modify DNA more precisely and more efficiently than existing CRISPR-based technologies. CRISPR occurs naturally in some bacteria, as a part of their immune system that limits infections by recognising and destroying viral DNA. In Nobel-prize winning…
An employee dilutes poultry serum samples for an ELISA test for the detection of antibodies to the avian influenza virus at the Reference Laboratory of the World Organization for Animal Health in Campinas, Brazil. File photograph used for representational purposes only | Photo Credit: REUTERS The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced Monday, July 29, 2024,…
NASA’s uncertainty over the return of astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore to Earth is likely to end soon, as Starliner has completed a docked hot fire test of the spacecraft’s Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters. The test, which also monitored the spacecraft’s helium system, will be followed by two undock-to-landing simulation tests this week,…
Butterflies and moths collect so much static electricity whilst in flight, that pollen grains from flowers can be pulled by static electricity across air gaps of several millimetres or centimetres. The finding, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, suggests that this likely increases their efficiency and effectiveness as pollinators. The University of Bristol team also observed…
In the unrelenting heat of Morocco’s Middle Atlas, people were sleeping on rooftops. Hanna Ouhbour needed refuge too, but she was outside a hospital waiting for her diabetic cousin who was in a room without air conditioning. On Wednesday, there were 21 heat-related deaths at Beni Mellal’s main hospital as temperatures spiked to 48.3 degrees…
Earth’s nearest satellite moon, has always been a spectacle for humans as it is visible in different shapes and forms. The moon is Earth’s only natural satellite, and it takes 27.3 days to completely orbit around the Earth. Space agencies like NASA have carried out multiple space programmes to the Moon to gather necessary information…
A view of Ariel composed by NASA/JPL-Caltech, December 12, 2016. | Photo Credit: Kevin M. Gill The Solar System has many mysteries. We don’t know why the Sun’s corona is so hot. We don’t know why Saturn’s moon Titan has such a significant atmosphere. We don’t know why Triton rotates in the direction opposite to…
When highly pathogenic virus outbreaks such as Nipah take place, contact tracing and isolation of close contacts become critical to contain the virus spread. Public health responses can begin only when samples are tested quickly. In a marked departure from earlier four Nipah virus outbreaks in Kerala, on July 20, samples for Nipah testing were…
The potential applications of gene editing for allowing us to travel further are almost limitless. Representative image. | Photo Credit: Nicolas Lobos/Unsplash When considering human settlements on the Moon, Mars and further afield, much attention is given to the travel times, food and radiation risk. We’ll undoubtedly face a harsh environment in deep space and…
