Researchers from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune propose a change in the way epidemiologists estimate the growth and adaptation rate of bacteria. The paper, to be published in Evolutionary Biology, poses this challenge to both theoreticians and experimentalists who are studying the growth of asexual populations …
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IIT researchers 3D bioprint load-bearing bones
Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and IIT Kanpur have used a different approach to mimic the development biology pathway by which adult load-bearing, long bones are formed. The bone construct was fabricated by combining tissue engineering and 3D bioprinting. The study also helped in understanding the detailed …
Read More »NGT faults TNPCB’s ‘technical approach’
In its order on Saturday setting aside the Tamil Nadu government’s order on the closure of Sterlite’s copper smelter in Thoothukudi, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) said, “In the present case, TNPCB has adopted a hyper technical approach unmindful of object of law.” So long as establishment is complying with …
Read More »India, Nepal and Bhutan plan task force to protect wildlife
The governments of India, Nepal and Bhutan are actively considering having a joint task force for allowing free movement of wildlife across political boundaries and checking smuggling of wildlife across the Kanchenjunga Landscape, a trans-boundary region spread across Nepal, India and Bhutan.The development comes after forest officials and representatives of …
Read More »Making India’s polluters pay
Indian plastic packaging manufacturers have made a small start towards recycling plastic. But unless they step up efforts in the coming years, they are unlikely to make a dent on the pollution problem When the Centre published the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules in 2016, a key element of it …
Read More »Where rocks get a pasting
It looks like any other mass of rock. But the pieces extracted at Thenpoondipatti in Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu are put to a specific use. Taken to the neighbouring village of Jaderi, they are crushed and soaked in water to obtain a fine paste which goes on to adorn …
Read More »NGT sets aside Sterlite’s ‘unjustifiable’ closure
The National Green Tribunal has set aside the Tamil Nadu government’s order for the closure of Sterlite’s copper smelter in Thoothukudi, terming the decision “unjustifiable.”“We allow this appeal, set aside the impugned orders and direct the TNPCB to pass a fresh order of renewal of consent and authorization to handle …
Read More »Life on the edge: border units lack basic amenities
It is a truism that a not-so-healthy and ill-equipped force cannot guard a nation’s borders properly.Nearly 82% of Border Outposts (BOPs) of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), deployed along the inhospitable and rugged China border, do not have access to clean drinking water. Over 40% are unconnected by road, according …
Read More »Govt. says SC misread note
The government moved the Supreme Court on Saturday for a correction in the Rafale judgment, saying the court had erred in English grammar to “misinterpret” information submitted to it in a sealed cover note about the pricing of the 36 fighter jet deal.The eight-page “correction” application, filed by the Ministry …
Read More »Google s new AI model to help detect diabetic retinopathy
Google has developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) model that can detect diabetic retinopathy with a level of accuracy on par with human retinal specialists, the technology giant said. Verily, an Alphabet-owned company, is working on rolling out the diabetic retinopathy initiative in clinics in India. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-life/google-s-new-ai-model-to-help-detect-diabetic-retinopathy/article25747996.ece
Read More »Dracula ant turns out to be the fastest
The Dracula ant, located mostly in the tropics of Africa, Australia and Asia, spend most of their lives burrowed into tree trunks or underground. One could easily beat the Dracula ant in a foot race. But one species,Mystrium camillae, has a pair of ingeniously designed mandibles that can snap at …
Read More »Scientists create bee vaccine to fight off ‘insect apocalypse’
The insects are vital as they help fertilise three out of four crops around the world Scientists in Finland have developed what they believe is the world’s first vaccine to protect bees against disease, raising hopes for tackling the drastic decline in insect numbers which could cause a global food …
Read More »Fintech companies seek clarity on using Aadhaar for eKYC
Fintech companies have asked the government to issue a clarification that will allow regulated entities such as banks and non- banking financial companies (NBFCs) to use Aadhaar for eKYC in case of “voluntary submission” by customers. This follows the Supreme Court striking down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, that …
Read More »EC explains reasons for slow counting
The Election Commission on Friday cited multiple factors, including the 21% more polling stations than those in the previous polls, for the delay in the counting of votes in Madhya Pradesh. “Right from the first round of electronic voting machine (EVM) counting at 8.30 a.m., the candidates were very particular …
Read More »HC quashes Centre’s ban on oxytocin manufacture
The Delhi High Court on Friday quashed the Centre’s decision to ban the manufacture and sale of oxytocin, a drug which induces labour and controls bleeding during child birth, by private firms. A Bench of Justices S. Ravindra Bhat and A.K. Chawla set aside the government’s April 27 notification imposing …
Read More »The plastic question is hard to crack
Is a total ban the solution? Making a choice appears difficult as alternatives are not as green as previously thought Bryony Drought was frozen in the fruit section. To her left on a recent shopping trip, the 26-year-old London school teacher saw “normal” bananas, grown using pesticides and chemical fertilizer. …
Read More »Jammu & Kashmir legislation to stop ‘sextortion’ of women
Governor Satya Pal Malik’s administration in Jammu & Kashmir on Friday approved an amendment to the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), to insert a section to provide for the offence of “sextortion.” Under Section 354E of the RPC, the new law explicitly bans sexual exploitation of women by those in positions …
Read More »Supreme Court rejects PIL pleas for Rafale deal probe
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to embark on a “fishing enquiry” into the deal to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets merely on the basis of public interest litigation (PIL) petitions spurred by a media interview of former French President Francois Hollande and reports of favouritism shown by the Narendra …
Read More »ITC arm, U.K. institute tie up to bring new potato varieties
The agreement may boost yields by up to 20% ITC Limited has announced that Technico Agri Sciences Limited (TASL), a wholly owned subsidiary, has inked an agreement with James Hutton Institute (JHI), a Scotland-based research and innovation organisation, to source 16 new varieties and 600 new potato clones for trial …
Read More »India, China join hands to promote tea globally
Eye green, black tea consumption in Europe, U.S., Russia, West Asia Two apex industry organisations, Indian Tea Association (ITA) and China Tea Marketing Association (CTMA), have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote green and black tea consumption in major tea markets in Europe , the U.S., Russia and West …
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