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Home Better Soil Moisture Sensors using Graphene Oxide
Researchers develop a stable low-cost microsensor from graphene oxide to measure soil moisture on field Agriculture uses 80% of the usable water in India. However, almost half of it is wasted due to inefficient irrigation systems-a scenario to be avoided as water is getting scarce. Plants get nutrition from the nutrients dissolved in the soil moisture, and they grow best in soil that has...
- 2 hrs ago
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Home Scientists discover two endemic termite species in the Western Ghats of Kerala
Termites are known for their social organisation, super-architectural abilities and most notoriously, for being pests. However, not all of them fall into the last category. Only about 12.5% of the world's termite species are pests that cause immense economic damage. Their soil-dwelling counterparts, on the other hand, play an essential role in the natural world....
- 22 hrs ago
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Home Study probes factors behind the Sun spitting out plasma
At first glance, the study of the Sun may appear commonplace and unremarkable when compared to the study of distant galaxies and enchanting supernovae. However, since the Sun is the closest star to us, it provides us with an opportunity to study chemical, physical and nuclear processes in a typical star. Besides, the Sun also provides us with a natural laboratory for studying the physics of...
- 4 days ago
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Home Prof Siddhesh Kamat from IISER Pune awarded EMBO Young Investigators grant
Dr Siddhesh Kamat, Assistant Professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, is among the 27 recipients of the European Molecular Biology Organization's (EMBO) Young Investigators Grant. EMBO is an organization headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, and promotes international collaboration among life sciences researchers. "I am...
- 4 days ago
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Home The ubiquity of Hyperbolic Geometry
We all know that the geometric object of minimal surface area amongst all shapes with a fixed volume is the round ball, whose boundary is spherical. Water blobs try to minimise surface area and curl into spherical droplets. The physical problem of surface-area minimisation is thus quite well understood. What about the opposite problem of surface-area maximisation? Does the problem even make sense? Indeed it...
- 4 days ago
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Home IISc researchers use an anti-malarial drug to increase the effectiveness of anti-tuberculosis drugs
In 2018, around 1.5 million people died from tuberculosis (TB) - an infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs. A major obstacle in the clinical treatment of TB is the long therapy time required to clear the infection. An infected patient needs to take antibiotics for over 6 to 9 months to prevent a relapse - a duration so long that many...
- 5 days ago
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Home Would deliberations at the IISF 2019 Science and Technology Media Conclave lead to traction in India's science communication scene?
From the 5th of November 2019 to the 8th, India saw one of its extravagant science events, the India International Science Festival, organised in Kolkata. The event was organised by the Ministry of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Government of India, in association with Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA) and...
- 6 days ago
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Home 7 Proven Tips for Birdwatching
Avoid wearing bright-coloured clothes. Go for natural or darker shades such as camouflage, grey or black. Get a lightweight binocular. Choosing a lens with a wide Field of View (FOV) is ideal. FOV is the extent of observing subjects from a point in the camera. Wider the view, clearer the birds are seen. Avoid sudden, jerky movements. They startle the birds, ending with the birds flying away. Try to swing your...
- 7 days ago
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Home Scientists concoct new coating to protect gun barrels from wear
Every time a bullet is fired, it scrapes away a bit of the material from inside the gun's barrel. Over time, the size of the barrel increases. Not only does this call for frequent maintenance, but could also lead to mistakes in hitting the target. The inside of the barrel is coated with protective materials such as chromium to avoid wear and erosion. Chromium (VI)-the...
- 7 days ago
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Home Driven by curiosity, a study provides a peep into how Brown mongooses feed
In 2016, Vignesh Kamath, a field ecologist, was studying frogs in the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) in Tamil Nadu. One day, he accidentally noticed a partially eaten carcass of a Nilgiri langur amidst the forest. Curious, Mr Kamath wanted to know which animal killed it. "I set up a camera trap in front of it, hoping the predator will return to feed on the...
- a week ago
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