GS-III

Moving to a city means adapting to different surroundings. And it’s no different for lizards in Bengaluru city too, find scientists: Indian rock agamas here are changing their physiology — including lowering their testosterone levels — to adapt to urban life. Some wild animals (including rock agamas which are usually …

IISER Mohali researchers have decoded the different signals and genes behind this feat In stark contrast to mammals, the zebrafish has the ability to completely regenerate its retina and restore vision after an injury. Researchers from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, have decoded the signals and …

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have set the stage to possibly sniff out in about a minute early-stage lung cancer from exhaled breath. A two-member team led by Chandramouli Subramaniam from the institute’s Department of Chemistry has developed a platform that detects volatile organic compounds such …

From an average of about 18 days in the lab, the longevity of C. elegans, the popular model organism for ageing research, increased 40–60% when researchers used a mutant that lacked the function of a particular gene (flr-4) and fed them a specific bacterial diet — E. coli strain H. …

Four ‘child friendly courts’ were inaugurated in West Bengal on Saturday to help juvenile victims and offenders. Justice Madan B. Lokur of the Supreme Court inaugurated the State’s first such court at Bankshall court here. He called for all-out efforts to give the affected children a good life. Source : …

Nearly 37 lakh women have received cash incentives under the Centre’s maternity benefits programme since the launch of Matru Vandana Saptah last year, a release from the Ministry of Women and Child Development said. The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) offers pregnant women and lactating mothers Rs. 5,000 as …

A PSLV launch on Sunday night will put two earth observation satellites from the U.K. to space. There is no Indian satellite on this flight. PSLV-C42 will be the first fully commercial trip of the year, breaking a five-month-long lull for the Indian Space Research Organisation. ISRO did not make …

This week Election Commission officials assessed the poll preparedness of Telangana after Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao dissolved the Assembly and sought a fresh election months ahead of schedule. Riding on populist measures — the government has announced more than 450 schemes in four years — Mr. Rao decided to …

A Durga Puja in south Kolkata has become significant as it has taken up the marginalisation of homosexuals as its theme, in wake of the Supreme Court’s verdict decriminalising homosexuality. The plight of homosexuals and the transgender community will be highlighted with the use of medical instruments such as saline …

The prices of petrol and diesel on Saturday touched a new high, with Mumbai recording the highest among the four big metros. Petrol cost Rs. 89.01 a litre in Mumbai and diesel Rs. 78.07, according to the daily price notification issued by state-owned oil marketing companies. In Delhi, the price …

The Navy’s mega-deal for procuring six advanced conventional submarines under Project-75I and processed through the Strategic Partnership (SP) model is moving forward after being held up due to policy clarity. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has initiated the process to finalise specific guidelines for the project, estimated to cost over …

The recently-released Global Burden of Disease Study 2016 has shown that the prevalence of diabetes has increased more rapidly in the less-developed States of the country. The report has also highlighted the need for policy and health system action commensurate with the disease burden in each State to ensure more …

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the “Swachhata Hi Seva” (“cleanliness is service”) campaign on Saturday, and took up a broom to clean a school named after Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar. Union Ministers and BJP leaders and workers participated in similar exercises across the country. In a nearly two-hour video interaction …

The prices of petrol and diesel on Saturday touched a new high, with Mumbai recording the highest among the four big metros. Petrol cost Rs. 89.01 a litre in Mumbai and diesel Rs. 78.07, according to the daily price notification issued by state-owned oil marketing companies. In Delhi, the price …

U.S.-based campaign for Telangana ‘dials-a-village’ for ideas, hosts Facebook chat With the political battle heating up in Telangana in the run-up to the Assembly poll, a group of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) based in the United States has taken it upon itself to come up with a ‘People’s Manifesto’ through public …

For every 10 seats available under the government’s low-cost flying scheme, as many as seven were grabbed by passengers since its launch last year, according to data accessed under the RTI (Right to Information) Act. Seat occupancy, also known as passenger load factor, is an indicator of demand on a …

It analysed bone conduction sounds Scientists have developed a new vibrating device that is placed behind a patient’s ear to diagnose dizziness, and offers significant advantages over the current tests. Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden developed the testing device using bone conduction sounds. Issues with balancing Hearing …

The system visualises an object’s 3D shape Robots of the future could be useful in homes and offices, thanks to MIT scientists who have developed an advanced computer vision that enables machines to inspect random objects and accomplish specific tasks. Breakthroughs in computer vision have enabled robots to make basic …

The boulder, which was embedded deep in river, has reappeared in the Czech Republic after a dry spell Once an ominous harbinger of hard times and even famine due to critically low water levels, a massive “hunger stone” embedded deep in the Elbe River has reappeared in the Czech Republic …

Seven countries, including Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Turkey, are at risk of exchange rate crises as investors re-assess their risks following the contagion in Argentina and Turkey, a new index by Nomura says. According to the global financial services major, emerging markets are under pressure as investors reassess the risks …