Research

News on Science, Technology and Research in India

Nano-Structured Self-Cleaning Aluminium Surface that Reduces Bacterial Growth can be Useful for Biomedical & Aerospace Applications

To overcome these problems, Dr Harpreet Singh Grewal, Dr Harpreet Singh Arora and Mr Gopinath Perumal, researchers from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Dr Sajal Kumar Ghosh and Ms Priya Mandal from Department of Physics of Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR have jointly developed the nano-structured aluminium surfaces that show immense mechanical, chemical, and thermal durability restricting the corrosion and leaching effects. A Raman spectrometer obtained through the ‘Fund for Improvement of Science & Technology infrastructure’ (FIST) project of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, has been used to carry out this work.  This result is reported in the Journal of Cleaner Production.

Researchers Study Egg-Laying Behaviour of Wasps for Designing Specific Pest Control Measures

A new study conducted by Indian researchers will help understand the egg-laying behaviour of certain pests and therefore help in designing specific control measures. This study has been conducted by the researchers at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)’s Bengaluru based laboratory Indian Institute of Horticultural Research. They have published their study in the science journal Current Science .

Ultra-Sensitive, Easy to Use Sensor can Detect Arsenic in Food & Water in 15 Minutes

Dr. Vanish Kumar, an Inspire Faculty Fellow, has developed an ultra-sensitive, easy-to-use sensor for detecting arsenic contamination in water and food samples in 15 minutes. The developed sensor is highly sensitive, selective, involves a single step, and is applicable for various water and food samples. The developed sensor can be easily operated by a common man by just correlating the colour change (on sensor surface) with the standard labels.

A New Boost to Anti-TB Crusade

The new study has taken the work forward by getting new insights that suggest that PPE2 could also be playing an important role in regulating the synthesis of Vitamin B12 in the bacterium. Vitamin B12 plays a fundamental role in bacterial metabolism and gene regulation. The human body cannot synthesize Vitamin B12 and depends upon gut microbiota or external food supplements to meet the daily requirement of Vitamin B12. M.tb, on the other hand, has genes for Vitamin B12 synthesis. The true nature of the Vitamin B12 pathway in the bacterium, however, is still a mystery. The new study gives some insight into this.