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Home New study reveals how effectively the novel coronavirus spreads through coughs
Photo by Divyanshi Verma via Unsplash Infected airborne respiratory droplets play a significant role in the spread of the coronavirus, formally known as SARS-CoV-2. The widespread use of respiratory masks has curbed the spread of the virus and brought down the number of people affected by the disease. But, as the pandemic rages on, general fatigue in following the...
- 3 days ago
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Home Novel AI-based algorithms on well-known physics can speed up technology
Photo from Science in HD via Unsplash Materials found in nature are not always useful for engineering purposes as they are, but scientists can modify them to bestow useful properties. For example, in communication technology, scientists alter the size, shape, and orientation of materials to change their interaction with light or electromagnetic waves of different...
- 4 days ago
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Home New technology could reduce delayed diagnosis and help differentiate malaria parasite species for effective treatment
Photo by Syed Ali Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases to affect humankind, killing more than 4 lakh people worldwide in 2019. Transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquitoes, it is caused by various species of microscopic parasites called Plasmodium. Among them, malaria due to two species, Plasmodium vivax and, especially,...
- 6 days ago
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Home Mathematics answers the biological question of which proteins participate in the mutation of bacteria
Researchers have identified proteins behind bacterial mutation, paving the way for a sustainable treatment to bacterial diseases. While several beneficial bacteria live in our guts, some cause deadly diseases like cholera, leprosy, or tuberculosis. Although antibiotics work against such bacteria, there is a reasonable chance that the treatment...
- 6 days ago
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Home Understanding the regimented design of the human proteome
Photo by National Cancer Institute The genome - the entire set of twirly helical DNA - carries the code for life in the genes. The genes dictate how an organism exhibits different traits and characteristics. However, genes alone do not provide us with all the information regarding the body's diseases and disorders. The next level in decoding the genome is in analysing the proteome,...
- a week ago
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Technology A new approach to film atoms and molecules vibrating inside solids
[Image by Pexels from Pixabay] Atoms or molecules constitute everything around us. In many solids, like common salt or iron, they are neatly arranged as repeated structures, called 'crystal lattices'. The behaviour of a solid in response to any external factor, like applied force, is determined by the collective behaviour of the lattice, not individual atoms or...
- 2 weeks ago
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Home Tapping genes to make chickpeas resistant to droughts
Chickpea pods [Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons] The lip-smacking channa chat or the chole masala has a quintessential ingredient-the humble chickpea or Bengal gram. This pulse, believed to have originated in Turkey, is a rich source of protein and dietary fibre. The crop takes just three to four months from sowing to be ready for harvest and prefers a cool climate with low rainfall. Today,...
- 2 weeks ago
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Home Fertilisers, livestock and biomass burning are spewing ammonia into the air across India
[Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay] Ammonia, a gas containing nitrogen molecules, is usually found in trace quantities in the atmosphere and plays a vital role in biochemical processes. When plants die, or animals excrete, the nitrogenous compounds in these residues get converted into ammonia. In the presence of specific soil bacteria, some ammonia gets...
- 2 weeks ago
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Home Efficiently cooling down systems that generate heat
Photo by Kaspars Eglitis With the growing need for enhanced performance and faster speeds of aeroplanes, the operating temperatures of their combustion engines are rising. Inside, the blades of the gas turbine that powers the aircraft have reached their limit in withstanding the heat. There is a need for improved cooling systems to take away this heat and keep the blades functioning for...
- 2 weeks ago
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Home A proposed dam in Arunachal Pradesh threatens Black-necked Cranes' habitat
Black-necked cranes in Ladakh [Image credits: Dibyendu Ash, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons] One of the only fifteen crane species in the world, the Black-necked Crane is now classified a Vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List. This enormous bird lives in the high-altitude Himalayas of India, China, and Bhutan. Every year, these cranes move to lower altitudes of...
- 3 weeks ago
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