Research

Indian researchers have developed transparent ceramics, reaching theoretical transparency through a technique called colloidal processing followed by simultaneous application of temperature and pressure, for the first time in India. The material can be used for thermal imaging applications, especially in harsh service conditions and personal protection systems such as, helmets, face shields, and goggles.

Significantly, the newly discovered crushing teeth from Jaisalmer represent a new species named by the research team as Strophodusjaisalmerensis. The genus Strophodus has been identified for the first time from the Indian subcontinent and is only the third such record from Asia, the other two being from Japan and Thailand. The new species has recently been included in the Shark references.com, an international platform operating in association with International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Species Survival Commission (SSC), and Germany.

The advances in genome sequencing and assembly technologies have enhanced the understanding of many plants and animals. While gene expression analysis and whole-genome sequencing studies are beginning to provide a molecular understanding of the mangrove plants, reference-grade genome assembly, which is essential to carry out a comprehensive study on salinity tolerance genes at the whole-genome level, is not available for any mangrove species.

Researchers from IIT Roorkee and Log 9 Materials Scientific Private Limited, which is funded under the Department of Biotechnology’s Bengaluru-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP)’s Biotech Ignition Grant scheme, have now developed an antibacterial and antibiofilm composite using non-toxic and hydrophobic nanomaterial, graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), and tannic acid and silver. When tested, it exhibited good antibacterial properties.

Dr. B. Venkatesham and Dr. Surya, faculty at Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at IIT Hyderabad, fabricated low thickness and strong acoustic panels mimicking this property using biomimetic design methodology. The design methodology involves understanding the physics of bee hive sample acoustic energy dissipation and then mimicking its design.

Indian researchers have developed an improved wastewater treatment solution that can completely reuse industrial dye wastewater from textile industry, eliminating its toxicity and making it suitable for domestic and industrial usage. It can reduce water treatment costs and facilitate the reuse of the water in dry regions.

Methanol is utilized as a motor fuel, to power ship engines, and to generate clean power all over the world. Methanol is also used to generate di-methyl ether (DME), a liquid fuel that is very similar to diesel — existing diesel engines simply need to be minimally changed to use DME instead of diesel. 

India’s Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft, which has completed more than 9,000 orbits around the Moon, has detected minor elements of chromium and managanese through remote sensing, officials of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Monday.

Giloy is an important multipurpose medicinal plant in Ayurvedic science. It has been used in various health conditions due to its immune-modulatory, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, anti-viral, and anti-cancer properties, among others.