Research

To develop a better antifungal strategy for fungal keratitis, an all-women team of IIT Delhi researchers led by Prof. Archana Chugh from Kusuma School of Biological Sciences (along with her PhD students – Dr. Aastha Jain, Harsha Rohira, and Sujithra Shankar) has been working in collaboration with Dr. Sushmita G Shah, Ophthalmologist and Cornea Specialist from Dr. CM Shah Memorial Charitable Trust and Eye Life, Mumbai.

They found that the time spent by male Asian elephants in all-male and mixed-sex groups depended on the age of the male. Adult Asian male elephants preferred to spend their time alone than in mixed-sex or in all-male groups. Besides, old males were found mostly in the company of their age peers and less frequently with young males (15 to 30 years of age). Also, young males did not disproportionately initiate associations with old males.

The scientists at IISER, Yashraj Chavhan, Sarthak Malusare, and Sutirth Dey conducted their study on E Coli bacteria. They grew samples of the bacteria with varying population sizes across different environments and then subjected them to whole-genome, whole-population sequencing analysis. They found that samples with a small population size acquired a certain set of mutations which allow them to survive in a certain environment but not in others.

Muscope, the world’s smallest microscope, has been designed by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad. It uses only a few off-the-shelf electronic chips, namely an image sensor and a micro-LED display.

In a recent study , the researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) have used a new catalyst for extracting hydrogen from water. Researchers have demonstrated how a magnetised catalyst can speed up hydrogen production while bringing down the energy cost. They showed that their chosen catalyst had increased the speed of producing hydrogen and reduced the energy required to do so, compared to previous studies.

Scientists have developed electrically configured nanochannels that can eliminate unwanted energy waste and promise wave-based computing. This can revolutionize on-chip data communication and processing in future.

Searching for renewable energy resources with reduced carbon emissions is one of the most urgent challenges due to the increasing threat of global warming and energy crisis. Some of the unconventional methods to generate electricity include piezoelectric, thermoelectric, and electrostatic techniques used in devices like touch screens, electronic displays, and so forth.

IIT Indore has recently conducted a study that found that the popular succulent plant aloe vera known for its properties to soothe sunburns and other skin issues and even for improving digestive and oral health, surprisingly has a chemical that can be used to make memory chips and data storage devices.