Research

With the birth of first IVF calf of a Buffalo breed namely Banni in the country, India’s OPU – IVF work has reached to next level. This first IVF Banni calf is born out of 6 Banni IVF pregnancies established at the doorsteps of a farmer, Vinay . L. Wala of Sushila Agro farms, located at Dhanej in Somnath district of Gujarat.

From how kidney stones are formed in fruit flies to study of gene markers, from heat sink functioning in microgravity to crystallisation, an expert committee set up by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has shortlisted five out of the 28 proposals it received from various institutions to send as payloads to conduct experiments in space, as part of the Gaganyaan uncrewed missions.

The medicine called Mastirak Gel, developed by National Innovation Foundation (NIF) has been commercialized through the industry partner Rakesh Pharmaceuticals. It can be purchased at medical stores supplying veterinary medicines in various parts of the country.

Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have successfully developed a white light emitter for use in LEDs. The development of energy-efficient Light Emitting Diodes or LEDs replaced the energy-inefficient incandescent lamps in lighting and display applications. While LEDs have been available in almost all colours, white LEDs are a more recent development.

Astronomers exploring regions on the Sun with disturbed magnetic fields or active regions that sometimes exhibitsolar flares without accompanying Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) have confirmed that changing structure of the magnetic field on the Sun’s surface determined whether a flare or a CME was emitted. This understanding will be useful in improving predictions of solar weather, which can affect electrical, and communication systems in Earth and satellite systems in space.

“Traditional warning systems are based on the fixed speed threshold, however, the concept of a smart warning system is based on upcoming road infrastructure and vehicle location. On approaching curves along a roadway, including blind curves or hairpin bends, vehicles equipped with such a system will warn drivers in advance, which will allow drivers to adopt corrective actions and avoid accidents,” he added.

A team of scientists have used tea and banana waste to prepare non-toxic activated carbon, which is useful for several purposes like industrial pollution control, water purification, food and beverage processing, and odour removal. The newly developed process avoids usage of any toxic agent for synthesizing activated carbon, thus making the product cost-effective as well as non-toxic.

Scientists from Raman Research Institute, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India, have found that by changing the viscosity of the displacing fluid and the concentration-dependent elasticity of the displaced fluid, the instability can be reduced and the roughness of the interfacial pattern and the efficiency of displacement can be controlled.

Secretary DDR&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy has been conferred the prestigious Aryabhata Award by the Astronautical Society of India (ASI) for his outstanding lifetime contribution to the promotion of astronautics in India.