Research

Rice is one of the main staple foods across the world since it has very high carbohydrate content and provides instant energy. In Southeast Asia, where it is consumed more than in the other part of the world, it accounts for more than 75% of the calorie intake. India has the largest area under rice crop cultivation: almost all States grow rice. However, it suffers from a problem of low productivity.

Scientists from Raman Research Institute (RRI), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science &Technology along with IISER Pune and Paris Diderot University, have found out that spectrin, which are flexible rod-shaped molecules present in axons, act as ‘shock absorbers’ to protect axons from stretch-induced damage.

Researchers at Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) Mohali, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology (DST) have found a straightforward and unique route to fabricate precisely controlled nanostructures of desired geometry and location on 2D materials, through a rapid one-step low power laser writing process.

Dusts play a major role in the global atmospheric climate by balancing the radiative forcing of our planet. It is also a major supplier of nutrients to the global ocean helping the growth of phytoplankton necessary for a healthy ocean ecosystem. Radiative forcing or climate forcing is the difference between insolation (sunlight) absorbed by the earth and the energy radiated back to space.

In one of a kind and the biggest conservation programme in the country, Uttarakhand state has identified total 1145 plant species ranging from state flower Brahmkamal to mythological ‘Sanjivni Booti’.

THE four cosmonauts shortlisted for Gaganyaan, India’s first manned space mission, have resumed their training in Russia, after it was put on hold due to COVID-19 scare.

Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati, has developed an electrochemical sensing platform for detecting carcinogenic or mutagenic compound N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and N-nitrosodiethanolamine (NDEA) sometimes found in food items like cured meat, bacon, some cheese, and low-fat milk. It was achieved by developing a modified electrode by immobilizing carbon nanomaterials (carbon dots) in DNA.

After the lockdown, several species of animals have been spotted in our cities, some of them after decades. The latest in the list is whistling dogs who have been seen in Gujarat’s Surat after the first time in 50 years.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has got the patent for its method of manufacturing highland lunar soil simulant or simply lunar/moon soil. As a part of its Moon landing mission Chandrayaan-2, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had to prepare an artificial moon surface so that the Vikram lander and Pragyaan rover could be tested.

To overcome these problems, Scientists at Pune based Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, have mapped two alternative dwarfing genes Rht14 and Rht18 in wheat. These genes are associated with better seedling vigour and longer coleoptiles (sheath protecting the young shoot tip).