The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or United Nations Climate Change Conference is being held at Expo City, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. It began on 30th November...
A new vaccine, R21/Matrix-M has been recommended by the WHO for the prevention of malaria in children.
Earlier in 2021, WHO had recommended RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine for prevention of malaria in children. This was the first malaria vaccine to...
This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded jointly to Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov “for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.”
Quantum dots are nanoparticles, tiny semiconductor particles, a few nanometres in size between 1.5 and...
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2023 has been awarded to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier "for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter”.
An attosecond is one quintillionth...
This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2023 has been awarded jointly to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman "for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19".
Both Katalin Karikó and...
The United Kingdom and the European Commission (EC) have reached an agreement on the UK's participation in Horizon Europe (EU's research and innovation) programme and Copernicus (EU's Earth observation) programme. This is in line with the EU-UK Trade and...
Oxygen-28 (28O), the heaviest rare isotope of oxygen has been detected for the first time by Japanese researchers. Unexpectedly it was found to be short-lived and unstable despite meeting the “magic” number criteria of nuclear stability.
Oxygen has many isotopes; all...
Kākāpō parrot (also known as “owl parrot” because of its owl-like facial features) is a critically endangered parrot species native to New Zealand. It is an unusual animal for it is the longest living birds in the world (may...
India’s lunar lander Vikram (with rover Pragyan) of Chandrayaan-3 mission has safely soft landed at high latitude lunar surface on south pole along with respective payloads. This is first lunar mission to land on high latitude lunar south pole...
NASA’s mission update on 05th August 2023 said Voyager 2 communications has paused. Communications should resume once the spacecraft’s antenna is realigned with Earth in mid-October 2023.
On 4th August 2023, NASA had reestablished full communications with Voyager 2...
Parthenogenesis is asexual reproduction in which genetic contribution from male is dispensed with. Eggs develop to offspring on their own without being fertilised by a sperm. This is seen in nature in some species of plants, insects, reptiles etc....
Some organisms have ability to suspend life processes when under adverse environmental conditions. Called cryptobiosis or suspended animation, it is a survival tool. Organisms under suspended animation revive when environmental conditions become favourable. In 2018, viable nematodes from late...
During excavations in the Donau-Ries in Bavaria in Germany, archaeologists have discovered a well-preserved sword that is over 3000 years old. The weapon is so exceptionally well preserved that it almost still shines.
The bronze sword was found in...
Chandrayaan-3 moon mission will demonstrate ''soft lunar landing'' capability of ISRO. This mission will also demonstrate lunar roving and conduct in-situ scientific experiments. The mission is a steppingstone towards ISRO’s future interplanetary missions.
India’s space agency ISRO has successfully launched...
Brain-eating Amoeba (Naegleria fowleri) is responsible for brain infection known as primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). The infection rate is very low but highly fatal. The infection is contacted through taking up water contaminated with N. fowleri through nose. Antibiotics...
In a recent in-vivo study on Zebrafish, researchers successfully induced disc regeneration in a degenerated disc by activating an endogenous Ccn2a-FGFR1-SHH signalling cascade. This suggests that Ccn2a protein could be exploited in promotion of IVD regeneration for treatment of backpain.
Back...
RNA ligases play an important role in RNA repair, thereby maintaining RNA integrity. Any malfunction in RNA repair in humans seems to be associated with diseases like neurodegeneration and cancer. Discovery of a novel human protein (C12orf29 on chromosome...
Ever changing environment leads to extinction of the animals unfit to survive in the changed environment and favours survival of the fittest which culminate in evolution of a new species. However, thylacine (commonly known as Tasmanian tiger or Tasmanian wolf),...
Spikevax Bivalent Original/Omicron Booster Vaccine, the first bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine developed by Moderna has received MHRA approval. Unlike the Spikevax Original, the bivalent version targets both the original coronavirus variants from 2020 and the Omicron variant as well as...
On 08 August 2022, the expert group of WHO arrived at consensus on nomenclature of known and new monkeypox virus (MPXV) variants or clades. Accordingly, the former Congo Basin (Central African) clade will be known as Clade one(I) and...
Observation of 26 cm radio signals, formed due to hyperfine transition of cosmic hydrogen offer an alternative tool to the study of early universe. As for neutral epoch of the infant universe when no light was emitted, 26 cm...
Global warming and climate change has led to record heatwaves in the UK posing significant health risks especially to elderly and people with chronic diseases. As a result, heatwave excess mortality has risen. Indoor overheating has become an...
Thiomargarita magnifica, the biggest bacteria have evolved to acquire complexity, becoming of eukaryotic cells. This seems to challenge the traditional idea of a prokaryote.
It was in 2009 when scientists had a strange encounter with microbial diversity that exists in...
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the space observatory designed to conduct infrared astronomy and launched successfully on 25 December 2021 will enable two research teams to study earliest galaxies in the universe. The research teams will use JWST’s powerful...
Coronaviruses and influenza viruses are sensitive to acidity of aerosol. pH-mediated rapid inactivation of coronaviruses is possible by enriching the indoor air with non-hazardous levels of nitric acid. Conversely, indoor air filter may unintentionally remove volatile acids thus prolonging...
