Science & technology

Ethmostigmus centipedes dispersed across peninsular India to form new species Fossils and advanced genetic methods to study relationships between species now tell an intriguing story about a group of tropical centipedes. Continental drift (the moving apart of continents) almost 100 million years ago created many species of Ethmostigmus centipedes in …

13 drug targets for treating retinoblastoma have been identified Based on computational modelling, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have identified the biochemical pathways that eye cancer (retinoblastoma) preferentially chooses for growth and survival. The pathways chosen are very different from the ones that normal, healthy cells …

The majestic table of elements that hangs on the walls of chemistry classrooms across the world has turned 150 years old in 2019. The ‘Periodic Table of Elements’, or simply, ‘The Table’ for many, was written by Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev on 17th February 1869. Looking back, the Table opens a …

Hand transplants may soon become a reality in Karnataka, with some hospitals applying for transplantation licence with the State government. State Health Director P.S. Prabhakar, who is also the Joint Director (Medical) and the transplantation licensing authority for hospitals, told The Hindu on Saturday that at least three hospitals had …

Lifetime Achievement award for Deepa Mehta The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television has announced that it will honour filmmaker Deepa Mehta with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The film director will be presented the award during Canadian Screen Week, which begins on March 25.PTI Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-life/deepa-mehta-to-receive-lifetime-achievement-award-from-canadian-academy/article26220450.ece

It can inject medicines like insulin from inside the stomach Here was the challenge for bioengineers: find a way for patients to take drugs — like insulin or monoclonal antibodies used to treat cancers and other diseases — without injections. The medicines are made of molecules too big to be …

It can inject medicines like insulin from inside the stomach Here was the challenge for bioengineers: find a way for patients to take drugs — like insulin or monoclonal antibodies used to treat cancers and other diseases — without injections. The medicines are made of molecules too big to be …

It is designed to show self-awareness in animals Scientists report that a fish can pass a standard test of recognising itself in a mirror and they raise a question about what that means. Does this decades-old test, designed to show self-awareness in animals, really do that? Since the mirror test …

When reviewers focus on the applicant rather than the strength of the study, women scientists seem to lose out Women are less successful in receiving research funding than men if the selection process focusses on the scientist making the pitch rather than the science presented, according to new research released …

Climate change could lead to decline of underwater kelp forests by impacting their microbiome, according to a study. Ocean warming can change microbes on the kelp surface, leading to disease and potentially putting fisheries at risk. Blistering and bleaching of the kelp’s surface impacts their ability to photosynthesise.PTI Source  : …

Dutch scientists said they are baffled after 20,000 dead or dying guillemots washed up on North Sea beaches in a phenomenon not seen for decades. The fish-eating seabirds have been washing up between the northern Wadden Islands and southwestern Zeeland — all showing symptoms of severe starvation, a marine biologist …

A mission to explore uncharted depths in the Indian Ocean was launched on Wednesday, hoping to discover hundreds of new species and find out what impact plastic is having way below the surface. The First Descent expedition, led by British-based ocean research institute Nekton, is set to send submersibles as …

The Indian Journal of Clinical Practice (IJCP) Group, a doctor-run publisher of medical journals, has come under flak from public health experts for partnering with American e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc. Juul, which is evaluating an entry into India, has retained the Group to “better understand the India market,” a …

Scientists said on Wednesday that they have successfully used mice stem cells to grow kidneys in rat embryos, using a technique that could one day help grow human kidneys for transplant. But the researchers cautioned that their success was only a first step and that “serious technical barriers and complex …

The birds use leaves and plant parts to create the right hooks for hunting New Caledonian crows can identify the best plants for fashioning hunting hooks from among myriad shrubs in the forest undergrowth, researchers said on Wednesday. The birds use leaves and plant stems to create an array of …

Bacteria in the gut may affect our mental well-being and could be linked to depression, said a study published in the journal Nature Microbiology on Monday. The World Health Organisation says an estimated 300 million people suffer from depression, and there are known links between a patient’s physical and mental …

A herbivorous dinosaur that fended off predators with a row of spines running along its back and lived 140 million years ago has been found in Argentine Patagonia. The discovery of the new species of dicraeosauridae, christened Bajadasaurus pronuspinax , was revealed in scientific journal Nature . A reproduction of …

Women tend to outlive men and stay mentally sharp longer, and a new study out could explain why: female brains appear on average about three years younger. The study enrolled 121 women and 84 men, who underwent PET scans to measure brain metabolism, or the flow of oxygen and glucose …

A visitor’s book that has Jawaharlal Nehru’s signature is among its collections A rare document bearing Jawaharlal Nehru’s signature in Hindi, English and Urdu, and a priceless 1623 edition of William Shakespeare’s complete works are among thousands of historic manuscripts and unseen photographs awaiting proper preservation at IIT-Roorkee’s iconic library. …

The risk of developing obesity-related cancer is increasing in successive generations, along with increasing rates of obesity, according to a new study. Researchers studied the incidence of 30 of the most common cancers, including 12 that are obesity related, from 1995 to 2014 in people ages 25-84 — more than …