News on Science, Technology and Research in India
Friction and wear are major causes of energy loss and equipment failure in industries worldwide. Developing advanced lubricants that can effectively minimize these losses is therefore a key scientific and technological challenge. While castor oil is an attractive renewable and biodegradable lubricant, its performance can be further enhanced using suitable additives.
The study offers a global, long-term perspective of aerosols that can help refine climate models and improve predictions.
The origins of Genrobotics can be traced to a group of engineering students who were interested in building advanced machines. The founding team consisted of Vimal Govind M.K., Rashid K., Nikhil N.P. and Arun George, who studied at MES College of Engineering in Kuttippuram, Kerala. Their early experimentation included the construction of a large wearable robotic structure inspired by powered exoskeletons.
The processor uses superconducting transmon qubits, one of the leading hardware approaches in contemporary quantum computing. Transmons are fabricated as microscopic electrical circuits containing superconducting components and Josephson junctions.
Researchers from the MACS Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) combined traditional taxonomic methods with modern molecular phylogenetics to reassess species diversity and evolutionary relationships within one of the most diverse genera of the lichen family Graphidaceae.
The SHetA2 anti-HPV therapeutic candidate has been licensed to Emcure Pharmaceuticals Limited for further development. The technology is intended for the treatment of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia, a precancerous condition associated with persistent human papillomavirus infection.
The Indian Grey Hornbill, scientifically known as Ocyceros birostris, was once a familiar part of the Gir landscape. Historical records indicate that the species remained common in the region until the mid-1930s, particularly during winter, before its presence declined during the following decades.
A collaborative research team led by Dr. Urmimala Maitra from the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS) and Dr. Pradip Pachfule from the S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS) has developed a new covalent organic framework (COF) material that could help make future rechargeable batteries charge much faster while remaining durable and reliable.
C-phycocyanin is the blue-coloured pigment-protein that gives Spirulina much of its distinctive blue-green appearance. Once extracted and purified, it can be converted into a stable, water-soluble blue powder suitable for several commercial applications. The food and beverage industry can use it as a natural colouring ingredient in confectionery, beverages, dairy preparations, desserts and nutritional formulations. Its biological origin makes it particularly relevant to the expanding clean-label market, where manufacturers and consumers increasingly prefer naturally derived ingredients.
A new study led by scientists from Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), along with researchers from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi), Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, has shown that the slow movement of plasma continues much higher into the Sun’s atmosphere than previously known, revealing an underlying link between the Sun’s surface and its upper layers.
